hotmtlnovel Chapter 141
Chapter 141
System WarningThe system reminds user ‘Jeong Da-on’ of the transaction.
The loud noise ringing in my ears caused me to open my eyes.
...I didn’t know the system message could trigger a warning sound.
It would make a great alarm for waking up, though.
“Is it really necessary to be so loud during the transaction? Should I just forget about it and escape on my own?”
“Good deeds will bring blessings” quest is in progress.
Thankfully, the system quickly responded.
It seems the system doesn’t trust me much, considering it’s causing such a ruckus.
“...Impatient.”
From the system's perspective, S-rank hunters, who should have been reliable, rushed in but were all bewitched.
It must be frustrating.
The heroes came to save the sleeping warrior: a swordsman, a magician, and a fairy—but all that remained was the demon king in hiding!
“By the way, others aside, I’m a bit confused about Han Jae-young.”
Since he has the blood of a fairy, I thought his mental barrier would be stronger than a human’s, and he’d last longer.
‘Well, it can’t be helped, those already caught are beyond saving.’
I expected from the beginning that clearing this wouldn’t be easy.
Margarita is clearly at the level of a grand magician, comparable to my past self, if not exactly me.
It's almost laughable that she’s only a mere S-rank golem. She could easily be SS-rank, I think.
Perhaps the system lowered her rank intentionally to reduce the difficulty of the clear reward?
The system determines appropriate difficulty based on user’s progress.
The system quickly displayed a message in response to my suspicious gaze.
‘...Well, fine. It’s not like there’s no gap.’
I looked around.
What I saw was a bright, beautiful white palace.
It was also a familiar sight.
It was the palace where the former emperor... Margarita had lived.
Once, it had been my home too.
‘This is Margarita’s mental world, huh.’
Incantation magic is both the strongest type of magic a magician can use and the most desperate wish that scrapes the bottom of their soul.
The giant clam that swallowed me manifested the shape of what a magician’s soul desires, bringing it into reality.
So, I had intentionally allowed myself to be swallowed into this mental world.
‘It’s not easy to break a domain that’s been controlled for this long from the outside. I’ll have to break it from within.’
Dragging enemies into your own mental world inevitably comes with risk.
It means swallowing them into the fragile soul that has no physical shell.
Of course, if I were to be consumed and have my mana drained, that would be the end of me.
And honestly, given my current stats, it wouldn't be surprising if Margarita devoured me right away...
The system is protecting user ‘Jeong Da-on’.
The condition I had set for this transaction:
If I encountered a golem, my soul must be prioritized for protection.
‘It was a precaution, but it worked.’
The system was diligently carrying out this condition.
Something glowing like fairy dust surrounded my body.
The system, as a collective intelligence, had the authority to protect me.
Until this power dissipates, my soul is shielded.
The system is making every effort for human survival.Time remaining until defense release: 00:49:44
Of course, the system isn’t all-powerful.
Since this dungeon hasn’t been cleared, the system can’t do much more to protect me.
So, within the remaining time, I have to break through this mental world and escape.
The problem is how to do that...
It was then.
“Ah, this...”
I saw a sight I wasn’t eager to see.
“Lucy, Lucy!”
A small child, no taller than my waist, was excitedly running down the palace hallway.
Behind the child, attendants were chasing urgently.@@@@
“You shouldn’t be running like that, Your Highness!”
I watched the attendants chasing after the child.
This wasn’t just a memory from the mental world.
‘...They’ve been bewitched too.’
Just like Yoo Han-ul, those who had been swallowed into Margarita’s mental world were acting as attendants.
As the clam digests foreign substances over time to create pearls, they were slowly blending into this mental world, becoming part of Margarita.
If I didn’t escape within the time limit, I’d end up like them, consumed by this mental world.
Lucy was too harsh. You should ask her not to exile me.If it’s my mother... she’ll listen to me.I’ve never seen my mother laugh like that.
Her words struck me like a knife in the heart.
With a gentle tone, Orbis... stabbed my heart once again.
“Children can be replaced, but you can’t be remade, Lucy.”
“...What kind of nonsense is that?”
I tried to say something, but Margarita, shocked, didn’t properly hear me.
‘This wasn’t something a child should have heard.’
I didn’t expect this.
The child turned away, crying.
Attendants followed, and one of the maids kindly comforted Margarita.
“Don’t worry, Margarita.”
“How can I not worry!”
Margarita screamed, struggling.
“My mother might really exile me. She said if I have another child, it’ll be fine... Am I really that wrong?”
The child clung to the maid's sleeve, looking up with desperate eyes.
“I aimed well, and if I hurt them, I treated them. The clothes I burned, I gave them fine silk to remake.”
“It’s an honor.”
“And yes, yes! If I made them my sparring partner, I even gave them precious gold buttons. I didn’t force them, they volunteered to help me!”
She was trying to justify her actions.
The maids simply bowed their heads, all agreeing to calm her.
“Yes, of course. We were happy to receive the fine cloth and gold.”
“Thanks to you, our families didn’t go hungry.”
“You are a noble by birth. It’s only natural to want to help.”
“Exactly!”
Margarita glared at the attendants, who were trying to calm her down.
“You serve me, don’t you? And I’ve given you appropriate compensation, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then... this is all your fault, isn’t it?”
The arrows flew back to their source.
The attendants realized that the young master’s fury was directed at them, and their faces turned pale.
“...We were wrong!”
They all knelt before the furious mistress.
It was no small matter to upset her—death was inevitable if they irritated her.
I looked at them.
Those who had been swallowed into Margarita’s mental world.
They had mostly lost their identities.
“...No, why me.”
Finally, one of the attendants looked up, confusion and injustice flashing on his face.
“I didn’t do anything...”
I lit up my eyes.
‘Found you.’
And that was the key I had been searching for.
To burn this preordained play to the ground.