Chapter 165 – Molang Fantasy (3)
It might just be my prejudice, but I always thought witches wore black clothes and acted secretly in dark places.
But look at the witch right in front of me!
Bright and white.
On this woman who was over a hundred years older than me, not even the slightest shadow or speck of a wrinkle could be seen.
“I watched your performance at the Olympics with great interest, Kang Moon-soo, faithful follower.”
“Ahem! Thank you.”
The Cardinal’s tone was friendly, but why did it sound like she was praising a cute little performance? Maybe it’s because my mind is crooked.
With the help of her attendants, she slipped on—or rather, casually draped over her shoulders—a pure white clerical robe embroidered with gold thread, and tossed out her next words.
“Oh my! I have absolutely no intention of criticizing your actions.”
“……”
Did she read my mind?
“It must have been your reward for saving a patient who had fallen into eternal sleep. Discriminating based on a patient’s wealth is only natural in a capitalist society, isn’t it?”
“Ah… You know everything.”
She was completely different from the young Ranuvela, who hadn’t shared any understanding or empathy at all!
“I have experience, after all. I once loved a man whose disposition was very similar to yours, Kang Moon-soo.”
“……”
Romance out of nowhere?
“Is it a trait common to men? The moment they gain power, they rush off to the battlefield without a second thought for the woman anxiously waiting behind them. Saying it’ll be fine. And then they come back as corpses or cripples.”
“That man…”
“Stepped on an anti-tank mine and died.”
“Ah, yes.”
What a truly empty ending!
“Compared to that fool… your choice to participate in the Olympics is an extremely wholesome form of entertainment.”
Wholesome entertainment.
Thinking back to the original purpose of the Olympics, it wasn’t entirely wrong.
“Let’s put this old woman’s boring reminiscing aside… Shall we move on to your story, Kang Moon-soo?”
“Is the conclusion of this story going to be ‘don’t treat the patient’?”
“That attitude is exactly the problem.”
“Huh?”
What’s wrong with my attitude?
“The fool I loved believed he had to go and fight personally for the war to be won. In an era where missiles and bombers could wipe everything out and all that’s left is planting a flag, it was a laughably delusional belief.”
“……”
“You’re the same, Kang Moon-soo. You can’t change anything. If your goal was persuasion, there would’ve been no need to go through the trouble of inviting you all the way to the other side of the world. A smartphone number would’ve been enough.”
“…Then why did you call me here?”
“Because from photos and videos, you didn’t look similar at all.”
“Hm?”
What does that mean?
“Ranuvela the Tenth, currently imprisoned in the underground dungeon of this chapel.”
“……”
Another Ranuvela.
“Do you remember the face of your mother who suddenly disappeared, Kang Moon-soo?”
“…What are you talking about?”
Mother.
To me, she was an existence I didn’t even want to think about—one I wanted to erase from my mind.
“Shaman.”
“……”
“P’s aptitude test results are the same, but when translated into each country’s language, mistranslations occur. Shaman is one of them.”
“…Are you saying I’m a witch?”
“Oh my! There is no such thing as a witch among P’s aptitudes. There can’t be. In the Holy Roman Empire, we only have priests who inherit God’s noble bloodline.”
“Bloodline…?”
“Yes. Bloodline. Don’t you find it strange? Even rare aptitudes like Prophet exist in multiple people around the world, yet there is only one shaman in the entire world.”
“……”
“That’s because the bloodline has never once leaked outside. There have been cases where witches like the Princess, sent abroad on missions, fell into impulsive love, but the aptitude was never inherited.”
“Are you certain?”
“That’s what we’re about to find out. Follow me.”
Rustle~
We headed toward the underground dungeon where Ranuvela the Tenth was confined.
***
“Among the witches who inherited the name Ranuvela, those who received the blood thickly enough are extremely few.”
“It seems so.”
Since the Princess—who greatly disliked someone as self-centered as me—was Ranuvela the Thirteenth, that meant there had only been thirteen in total.
“Moreover, the mortality rate is high. Witches are still human with flowing blood… The Ninth let her guard down thinking the pedestrian signal was green and got hit by a truck.”
“Good grief…”
“And the Eleventh, after playing all night in the imperial palace, tried to sneak out like a stray cat and tumbled down the stairs. I still can’t understand it to this day.”
“……”
The reasons for their deaths were truly trivial.
“That’s why we’ve been keeping this infuriating Tenth locked up in prison for over ten years without even pulling out a single one of her fingernails.”
“Were you planning to torture a colleague?”
“If necessary.”
The modern-designed underground dungeon was as clean as my university dormitory.
“…Have we arrived?”
“Yes. This is it.”
Beep—
The cell door slowly opened upon recognizing the Cardinal’s palm.
“……”
It didn’t look at all like a place meant to confine someone who had committed a grave crime.
Bed, treadmill, refrigerator, gaming magazines, game console, flush toilet…
The only inconvenient part was having to relieve oneself in an open space without even a partition—aside from that, the atmosphere was remarkably similar to the one-room apartment where the convenience store owner used to live.
The reason?
“Can a criminal play virtual reality games?”
A dedicated <Molang Fantasy> device.
No doubt about it.
“She complained that she’d kill herself from boredom, so we had no choice. No matter how much we hate her, every single one of them is precious in this situation.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Kang Moon-soo, faithful follower. Enough of your impressions—please take a close look at the Tenth’s face.”
“Even if you tell me to look…”
Ranuvela the Tenth lay perfectly straight on a bed far too large for one person.
She wasn’t even wearing underwear, so it felt awkward to stare. Did witches normally live naked?
“Don’t get any strange ideas.”
The quick-witted Princess let out a deep sigh and denied my guess.
“Is she really your mother?”
“No.”
I answered without the slightest hesitation.
“She’s not?”
“Yes. If this witch were my biological mother, I’d have been a child model instead of working part-time at a convenience store.”
She was beautiful.
Overwhelmingly beautiful.
It was truly unfortunate to say, but she was the kind of woman my father could never have even spoken to, let alone married.
“That was what bothered me too. There’s no resemblance at all. Even the captured Tenth denied having a child.”
“Is business finished now?”
It was strange that Ranuvela the Tenth didn’t wake up despite all our talking nearby, but just thinking about my mother made my stomach churn, and I didn’t want to stay here any longer.
“Not yet.”
“……”
“Oh my! No need to be so guarded. Just one more confirmation, and I’ll send you safely back home. You can even take your time sightseeing before returning.”
“What is it?”
“The possibility that Kang Moon-soo, faithful follower, has had your memories tampered with.”
“Is that even possible?”
“The vanished Ranuvela the Tenth was living as an ordinary woman, not a witch. Right up until the moment she ran into the Ninth on the street. That really was pure coincidence.”
“……”
“I admit there’s no resemblance. But I am Ranuvela the Seventh. As the leader of the witches, I have a duty to confirm. I’ll make sure you’re properly compensated. You’ve already gained valuable information, but this is separate.”
“…Fine.”
I hesitated for a moment, but there was no loss for me.
“The method is simple. We wake the Tenth and ask her directly. Whether you’re her son.”
“Then wake her up.”
“She gets irritated whenever we try to wake her, so it’s troublesome. That’s why you should do it, Kang Moon-soo—shake her awake.”
“Wouldn’t it be the same if I did it?”
“A strange man staring down at her naked body would probably scream instead of getting irritated. Witches are just ordinary women once the clothes come off, you know?”
The Cardinal’s playful expression carried the air of a seductive witch.
“Hm…”
“I’ll keep it a secret from your girlfriend with the strong possessive streak.”
“…Just how much have you investigated?”
“Everything.”
“……”
“What are you hesitating for? It’s not like this is your first time seeing a woman’s naked body, right?”
“Ahem!”
It wasn’t a difficult task. Shake the deeply sleeping Ranuvela the Tenth by the shoulder to wake her, and then… well…
Somehow it would work out, wouldn’t it?
“Excuse me.”
“……”
After asking permission first, I placed my hand on the witch’s shoulder.
***
From the underground dungeon beneath the beautiful chapel, I was suddenly transported to an open sky with nowhere to stand.
“…I got played.”
I realized I had fallen for the witch’s clever wordplay.
(Junior. You got fooled again.)
Respected Senior! Please scold that sly witch in my place!
(I’ll consider it if you don’t die.)
“Ah!”
I was in free fall!
If this were over the ocean, I might survive the drop—but unfortunately, there wasn’t even a lake in sight. Just solid land.
If I kept accelerating and crashed into the ground like a meteorite?
There was a very high chance I would die.
‘My body… is fine.’
I spread my limbs wide and unfurled the outer shell disguised as clothing.
Whirr whirr whirr—
My entire body vibrated from air resistance.
It would be great if I could glide softly like a flying squirrel, but with an outer shell harder than steel and densely packed muscles that weren’t light, that was absolutely impossible.
All I could hope for was that the acceleration wouldn’t build up enough to kill me.
“Please…!”
BOOM~!
My body slammed straight down into the ground like a meteor.
(You’re remarkably fine.)
“…Yeah?”
It seemed my worry had been unnecessary after all.
Rustle…
I lightly brushed off the dirt clinging to my entire body and stood up.
(Junior. Thanks to the information you mindlessly gathered by asking questions like an idiot, I was able to figure out a lot.)
Really?
(From now on, leave the witches to me. You focus solely on expanding your world. In other words—stack achievements.)
Right here?
“Grrrrr!”
“Grr!”
The monsters living in Ranuvela the Tenth’s dream surrounded me.
(This isn’t the dream.)
Huh?
(This is unmistakably reality. Though it is the world of a virtual reality game.)
“What the hell does that…”
So I had entered not a fantasy, but the electronic signals of a machine?
It was far beyond anything I could comprehend as fantasy.
“Graaah!”
“Annoying little… huh?”
POP!
The monster that lunged at me burst like a balloon, scattering into particles of light and vanishing.
“…What?”
POP! POP! POP!
The same happened to the others. Despite seeing their comrade destroyed, the fearless ones charged anyway—and the moment they touched my body, they disintegrated into dust.
(It’s a game.)
Yes, the world of a game.
(A little different. Here, everything that exists is magic. Anything that touches your body disappears.)
But the ground isn’t disappearing?
(No. It is. It’s already swallowed you up to your ankles.)
“What the—ah!”
Like sinking into quicksand, the ground had pulled me in up to my ankles.
Whoosh!
I hurriedly tried to pull my right foot out, only for my left foot to sink even deeper.
(Calm down.)
If I just stay still like this, won’t I get buried alive?!
(Fully accept the worldview of this virtual reality game.)
“But if I do that…”
I’ll lose every ability that made me strong.
(You, who even learned martial arts, are whining? If you don’t want to be buried alive, give it up quickly.)
“Ugh…”
There was no choice.
Snap.
The encroachment stopped just as only my head remained poking comically above the surface.
Right after that,
[Title] Son of the Dragon King (B)
[Level] 1
[Class] Inexperienced Soul Hunter (3rd Job)
[Achievements] 315
[Aptitude] Priest
The avatar status window of the virtual reality game <Molang Fantasy> appeared before my eyes.
“Level 1…”
My vision went dark.
(Don’t be too discouraged. The witches said they’d provide financial support.)
Why?
(They have to show at least that much courtesy to you, who’s doing the job they can’t.)
“Ah…”
(For now, surviving there is your top priority.)
“Grrrrr!”
“Grrrrr!”
Once again, I was surrounded by the same monsters that had burst like balloons the moment they touched me. Was this their hunting ground? Their territory?
It didn’t matter.
“This is ridiculous…”
I never thought the day would come when I’d have to use the knowledge I picked up from the convenience store owner.
Boom!
I kicked off the ground and charged forward bravely. And shouted,
“I’ll remember this!”
“Graaah!”
“Graaaah!”
My level was far too low to fight with nothing but bravado.
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