Player 0.4 [You have died.] [Reset in progress.]

Player-killers.

Grandov—or rather, Magdalena—had explained their existence before. The conversation had taken place after the abrupt end of Round 9 and the beginning of Round 10, while the two of us sat within Lisa’s Tea and Books, planning our strategy for that and the following rounds.

At the time, Grandov had intended to provide advanced weapons and technology from other realms to help us win against the Kobar Empire and beat Adovoria’s Fall. The reason Grandov had refrained from doing so in prior loops, despite the overwhelming advantages such technology offered, was to avoid detection from dangerous individuals like these.

Demon slayers. Exorcists. Witch-hunters. They had many names. They were individuals who were aware of summonees, and knew of methods to execute a Player permanently.

My left fingers tapped lightly against the edge of my desk as my eyes moved across the new report before me, without actually reading a word. It was a performance, while my brain turned over my troublesome situation.

Luckily, Augustus did not appear aware of my current dilemma. Around me, the office remained quiet, save for the soft scratch of Augustus’s pen and the distant sounds of palace servants moving through the halls outside.

From what Grandov had described, Player-killers rarely stood at the center of society. They tended to lurk at its fringes. Secret organizations. Cults. Extremists. Fanatics. The sort of groups ordinary people dismissed as paranoid lunatics.

Eclipse appeared to be precisely such an organization.

And this cult had managed to accurately pinpoint me as an other-realmer within barely over a week of my arrival.

Ironically, the majority of the “evidence” supporting their conclusion was either fabricated or misinterpreted, and practically entirely my own fault.

I leaned back slightly in my chair and picked up my half-eaten sandwich as my eyes drifted toward a painting on one of the walls, depicting a green and calm cliff at the edge of a turbulent and dark ocean.

Unlike Eclipse’s fears alluded to, I was not a powerful mage with a mana core whose size exceeded a thousand belden. It was fake.

And while I suspected that my mana core had somewhat improved, given the mana-dense environment I was living in, it was hardly anywhere near the outlandish number they presumed.

Then there was my nearly perfect written exam score to enter the academy. It was yet another glaring red mark and one that I achieved almost entirely through cheating. I had practically been spoon-fed answers by Apophis during the entrance exam.

Even their concern regarding my charisma and ability to rapidly form connections with influential individuals was riddled with misunderstandings.

I hadn’t approached Augustus of my own accord. If anything, Augustus had borderline kidnapped me into his internship after having dragged me into that absurd subconscious maze test.

And apparently, I had completed it in record time: another red mark.

I exhaled slowly through my nose and poured myself a cup of tea to wash down the sandwich.

The most ridiculous misunderstanding, however, was their belief that I had somehow already established a direct relationship with the Crown Prince of this kingdom. In reality, I merely possessed a signature. A signature I had only requested as a convenient veil over my true agreement with Augustus to have him teach me his mana core expansion technique.

And then there was Void.

My gaze lowered briefly toward the shadow pooled beneath my chair.

While it was true that I had contracted a Grade A elemental, it most certainly was not born from a Cerberus. Yet somehow, no one had caught on to the lie. Not the academy, not Paisley, not Augustus, and not even Eclipse.

Though, to be fair, had the truth come to light—that Void originated from a chaos-corrupted phoenix shadow—the result likely would not have been imprisonment. No, more likely than not, it would have earned me an immediate execution, rather than their hardly-better plan to subdue me.

I set the cup down and poured myself another round of black tea.

From what Carmilla had reported, by subduing, they meant that they intended to get me tossed into Glimver Dungeon.

Wonderful. Just wonderful. Everyone is just itching to toss me into that prison, aren't they?

I finished my second cup of tea and placed it back down on its saucer.

Although my reputation had somewhat improved, there was no escaping the reality of the Black Mana Cuffs on my wrists, ankles, and neck. While I appreciated their design, which included comfort considerations, it would have been more comfortable without them.

My eyes glanced toward Augustus.

One saving grace was that Augustus did not appear to be part of Eclipse. If anything, he appeared wary of their actions, given that he had a spy implanted within the cult.

Moreover, it did not appear he was aware of anything within the report regarding me. Likely, the reports were weekly or monthly, or perhaps even more sporadic.

I sighed and pulled out the report from beneath the other reports.

Thus, I held the advantage. Quite literally.

The thought of hiding Carmilla’s report had briefly crossed my mind. However, there was a very high chance I’d be caught. And moreover, even if I succeeded, it would merely be a temporary delay to the inevitable.

I inhaled and exhaled deeply.

No. The best course of action was to come clean. And try to work the situation to my advantage.

Not that I intended to do so without a few safeguards in place.

“Apophis,” I whispered, using Illusion magic. “If the situation calls for it, please wrap me under the Pull Tab Necklace as well.”

~Understood, Master.

My gaze shifted downward toward the shadow pooled beneath my chair.

“Void,” I said softly through the same hidden method, “if I give the signal, swallow Apophis and me into your shadow and run out of here.”

There was a tiny pause.

{{ Okay, Mama! }}

A strange warmth spread through my chest despite the circumstances. Terrifying abilities aside, Void sounded genuinely eager to help and felt oddly reliable, despite being a toddler.

I stood from my chair, the report still in hand, and turned toward Augustus.

“We need to talk. Privately,” I said through Illusion Magic.

Augustus’s head snapped upward, and he met my eyes.

For a brief instant, surprise crossed his face, and then his green eyes gleamed with unmistakable interest. The smile that slowly spread across his lips only confirmed it.

Ah. Of course.

He had likely just realized I could silently communicate through magic now as well. Yet another unusual ability he was now privy to.

Without a word, Augustus flicked his wrist.

Two small blue portals opened simultaneously—one beneath the nearby potted palm tree, the other beneath his outstretched hand. He casually removed the Red Royal Mage pin from his collar and dropped it through the portal.

I walked toward his desk and lowered myself into one of the two cushioned armchairs opposite him.

Augustus rested his elbows lightly against the desk, leaning forward with his fingers interlocked.

His gaze flicked briefly toward the document in my hand.

“If this concerns any of the reports,” he began calmly, “I assure you, the royal family is already aware of everything occurring within them.”

I shook my head.

“It’s partially regarding the report’s contents… but more so than that, it’s regarding me.”

Augustus raised a brow. “Go on. I doubt I can be surprised any more than I have by you.”

I inadvertently smiled and was unable to return to a neutral expression.

I had no doubt that he would be surprised.

“I’m more concerned you might not be able to believe it,” I said.

However, this was a somewhat false concern. Given that Augustus had managed to achieve the unimaginable himself, and had intel that went far beyond the norm, perhaps he was more open-minded.

Augustus inhaled and let out a loud exhale through his mouth, in defeat.

“Very well, I’ll prepare myself to be surprised,” he said.

I licked my lips and presented the report from Carmilla.

“First, go ahead and read this. Then I’ll say what I have to say.”

Augustus’ eyes skimmed through the report, his brow raising a few times and glancing my way. It barely took him a minute to complete it.

“I see…” He set the document down and clasped his hands. “Now, what was it that you wished to say?”

His expression was now quite a bit more serious.

“The report has a few errors and misunderstandings…” I began, “But Eclipse did get one thing right.”

Then, reverting back to Illusion Magic in case there was even the slightest possibility of being overheard, I finished the sentence.

“I am indeed an other-realmer. I arrived in this realm precisely eight days ago.”

​

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Augustus did not react immediately. Rather, he went completely still.

The playful ease that he usually exuded vanished completely. His interlocked fingers shifted, index fingers rising up to rest lightly against his lips as silence settled over the office.

He was thinking.

His green eyes studied Luca carefully now, with the sort of sharp focus Augustus reserved for matters of kingdom-level importance.

The academy’s exam. The record-breaking run through the subconscious maze. The Grade A elemental. His background. His odd reactions.

His mind was rearranging every prior interaction he’d had with Luca into a new shape.

And with this new information, as ridiculous as it might have sounded to anyone else, everything abruptly fit together into a far more dangerous picture.

Augustus exhaled softly through his nose and leaned back into his chair, folding his arms across his chest.

“…Well,” he murmured at last. “That certainly explains several things.”

There was no disbelief. Augustus believed Luca, even without a truth-seeking spell.

If anything, Augustus felt a growing clarity regarding everything that Luca had displayed thus far. And a rapidly escalating concern.

His gaze flicked toward Carmilla’s report on his desk once more.

“That,” he said quietly, “is deeply concerning.”

His eyes narrowed slightly as they met Luca’s.

“Eclipse is not some amateur cult grasping at straws in the dark,” he explained. “They are an organization several thousand years old that has survived every purge, investigation, and royal eradication attempt directed at them.”

In his experience, they were an organization that feared anything that exceeded their understanding. It was rather close-minded. And many great talents perished because of them.

I should have expected they'd set their eyes on him.

Luca Frey was in far greater danger than the boy himself seemed to understand. And at the same time, he was far more valuable than Augustus ever imagined.

An actual other-realmer. A living source of knowledge beyond this realm. And he was sitting right in front of him.

His left fingers rose up and massaged his chin.

There were a few details he had to be certain of before determining how to proceed.

“Eclipse and the academy are both under the assumption that your mana core exceeds a thousand belden,” Augustus said calmly. “I assume this is false.”

Luca blinked in surprise, only confirming what Augustus had suspected ever since the secret agreement that Luca required as part of his appointment as intern.

Augustus smiled at his reaction.

Despite being an other-realmer, the young man before him was still merely a young man.

A clever and adaptable one, yes.

But also inexperienced. And new to this realm.

“What is your actual mana capacity?” Augustus inquired calmly.

When Luca replied, Augustus’s expression remained controlled, though internally the disparity nearly made him laugh aloud.

It was absurd.

A mana core so pitifully small, and yet he managed to display such magnificent results thus far that defied all reasonable expectations?

“That changes matters considerably,” Augustus murmured. “As things currently stand, you are in significant danger.”

And it is not as though I can personally shadow him every waking moment.

Augustus had royal duties and obligations. He could not simply wrap Luca in protective wards and place him in a vault.

But he's far too valuable to simply leave be.

“My elemental is Grade A, however,” Luca added quickly. "That is true."

At that, Augustus shook his head.

“Eclipse already knows that,” he replied evenly. “And they are preparing to subdue you regardless of that.”

Then Augustus abruptly stood from his chair and crossed toward a polished cabinet behind him. Crystal bottles clinked softly together as he opened it.

“There is no other choice,” he stated.

He retrieved several potions filled with dark liquid and turned back toward Luca.

“We will need to accelerate your supplemental training immediately. And equip you with defensive measures.”

“Cat Nap Potions?” Luca identified the vials instantly.

Augustus nodded and tossed one of the potions toward him.

“I’m afraid,” Augustus said, with a trace of his usual amusement returning to his voice, “your internship hours are about to become significantly more aligned with what the other Red Royal Mage interns experience.”

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