OHNIR – Chapter 39
Chapter 39: Resolution
It was no wonder Kelusta was dumbfounded at the most critical moment.
Because the text on that magic mirror… was just too dramatic, with the distinct air of a cheap knock-off.
Next to the projected illusion, visible only to the holder, the System had thoughtfully added conspicuous subtitles. Clear and distinct, it had precisely translated the vine-like etchings that crawled all over it, converting them into a string of bright red Nobili common tongue. As if fearing Kelusta couldn't see, the text floated large and high beside the image of the long-handled mirror.
It read—
“This product is for trial use only. Thank you for your cooperation.”
“…” Kelusta, “???”
A mirror so exquisite and luxurious that the daughter of a duke carried it with her at all times, a mirror connected to the demons at the Continent’s Edge and the history of the Age of Gods—it was so prestigious, yet instead of an incantation or a secret command, it was engraved with a shabby warning that sounded cheap and petty, something you’d only see at the seafood market in Seaside Town?
—Magic mirror, oh magic mirror, tell me what is the most baffling thing in the world?
—Oh, it’s you?
After a long wait, just as Musen was about to lose his composure, he finally saw the girl, who had been deep in thought, abruptly lift her head. Her crystalline eyes were wide open. Although she looked thrilled, as if a memory had been awakened, for some reason, Musen had a nagging feeling… that there was a strange, imperceptible look in her expression.
But in the blink of an eye, that subtle feeling slipped away like water through his fingers, vanishing without a trace.
“Do you remember the illustration in our history textbook, in the chapter about the development of potions?” Kelusta tapped her head, secretly grinding her molars, and said with a grin, “The name ‘potion’ isn’t just an abbreviation for ‘magical potion,’ it also means ‘demonic potion’—because according to the legends from the Age of Gods, these wondrous liquids with their various effects were actually the ultimate tools gifted by the Goddess of Darkness to the demons for healing and attacking humans…”
Musen froze.
As a diligent history student, he evidently recalled a particularly memorable illustration from the textbook as well.
The wind had quieted down at some point.
In the silence, the dark clouds that had blown over slowly drifted away, and sunlight once again scattered upon the soft, mattress-like green grass. While it lovingly endeavored to cover the earth, it also impartially illuminated the utterly indescribable expression on Musen’s face.
The corner of his lip twitched, and the last trace of pressure in his eyes finally dissipated, leaving only endless embarrassment and frustration. He looked at Kelusta, completely abashed.
“—Looks like you remember, too.” The brown-haired girl, noticing his awkwardness but not pointing it out, still smiled with curving eyes. Her gaze shifted slightly, and using her cascading hair as cover, she firmly concealed the similar look of speechlessness on her own face, not revealing the slightest hint.
“It’s just that illustration introducing ‘potion packaging from a hundred years ago’… wasn’t it written in the demonic script? —‘This product is for trial use only. Thank you for your cooperation.’ I remember the textbook editors even kindly provided a side-by-side translation.”
She spread her hands innocently, her expression pure. “Anyway, nobody really pays attention in history class, so I just carved it on there to look cool. Who would have thought it would cause such a huge misunderstanding… So, the ‘trial’ and ‘cooperation’ you saw and translated back then were probably just remnants of your memory from history class.”
Beside them, a “splash” suddenly came from the calm lake. The white swans that had flown away earlier had now returned. They spread their water-drenched wings like many exquisite velvet blankets hung in mid-air to dry, white and moist, glistening continuously in the sunlight.
Kelusta and Musen both instinctively looked toward the beautiful scene, captivated.
A long while later, the beautiful girl with golden eyes let out a soft laugh, turned her head, and continued her unfinished sentence, teasing the black-haired boy, intentionally or not:
“You’re a human, Musen. —Don’t you look perfectly human? It’s fine, you should really think less nonsense.”
After that confrontation, Musen, who was so embarrassed he practically turned gray, gave her a full thirty affection points. The notification sound stunned Kelusta on the spot, leaving her utterly dumbfounded.
With that one event, his affection level had shot up to 48 points. Not only had it crossed the twenty-point threshold, but it had also successfully conquered the forty-point mark.
Afterward, when Kelusta asked the System why this had happened, it gave her a reasonably plausible answer: according to reliable records, when a target successfully navigates a major turning point in their life and chooses the correct path with the host’s help, their affection level will soar to a considerable height. The increase is astonishing, even enough to ignore thresholds.
“Because you have always been increasing the affection value slowly and steadily, and this situation is quite rare, I did not mention it to you,” the System explained, as if patching a hole in its logic.
Indeed, in the System’s long history of serving countless hosts, not everyone could successfully change a target’s life… let alone be like Kelusta, who could influence their choices through her own power and guide them toward the most perfect ending.
In fact, even if hosts possessed more information, it would be difficult for them to pull off the complete deception Kelusta had managed with Musen, accomplishing the feat of “completely helping the future Demon King choose the human faction.”
Most of the time, all they could do was directly or indirectly influence the target, but they could not make the decision for them.
However, rare as it was, no one could deny that once accomplished, the rewards were equally considerable and immense—the newly-arrived Musen, whose affection value had leaped past her childhood friend Kevit, was a highly persuasive example.
“…So, what you’re saying is, I was right to trick him like that?”
Kelusta stood in her dorm room in her loungewear, carefully examining the clothes in her wardrobe while absentmindedly speaking to the System.
It was the weekend, and she had an appointment with Wend in the potion classroom. For some reason, however, the temperature outside had suddenly plummeted that morning. Yesterday, the sun had been so hot that even a sliver of it felt scorching, but this morning, a mere breeze was enough to send a chill through her.
Kelusta was a bit sensitive to the cold, and the potion classroom faced away from the sun. She didn’t want to freeze in a dress, but she was afraid the young master of the ducal family would think her disrespectful… The commoner girl, unable to find a suitable outfit, had been agonizing in front of her wardrobe for nearly ten minutes, still undecided about wearing one of the long-sleeved shirts and trousers from the bottom of her trunk.
The Nobili Kingdom advocated for gender equality. Not only did the royal princesses have the right to compete for the throne, but among the nobility, an eldest daughter could also directly become the heir to a title if she requested it.
The former situation was exemplified by Her Highness, the Second Princess Starangui, who was currently a popular candidate for the succession alongside her brother, Satrick. Gloria, the daughter of a duke, was an example of the opposite of the latter situation; she had voluntarily renounced her right of inheritance and unconditionally transferred it to her younger brother, Wend.
No one knew her reasons for doing so. When the Silentdis Ducal Family announced the matter, the duke’s eldest daughter became a topic of idle gossip in the royal capital for a long time. Many nobles even regarded it as “the most erroneous decision of Lady Gloria’s life” and used it as a cautionary tale for their own children.
But to get back on topic.
All these examples were merely to illustrate that women on the Nobili continent enjoyed a high degree of freedom in many areas, which naturally included the most basic aspect of dress.
They could freely choose their clothing according to their own wishes, even men’s attire. The streets of the capital were filled with young women in ruffled shirts, trousers, and boots. The girls in Seaside Town would roll up their pant legs high when they went into the sea to catch crabs. The ready-to-wear shops lining the streets and alleys were full of uniforms tailored specifically for women, with designs so exquisite and elegant that they put many men’s garments to shame.
However, for formal occasions or when meeting with important people, women would invariably choose to wear appropriate dresses as a sign of respect and seriousness.
“For Musen, becoming a bridge of communication between humans and demons is probably the best ending,” the System said, politely responding to her previous comment before offering its opinion on Kelusta’s attire. “Based on today’s atmospheric temperature monitoring report and your various physical data… I recommend you choose that uniform set with the vest. Otherwise, there is a high probability you will catch a cold.”
Kelusta glanced at the uniform the System mentioned. The shirt collar was embroidered with a golden leaf pattern, and a dramatic rose-shaped bow tie hung at the neck. It was clearly Gloria’s handiwork.
She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. “This one is a bit too formal… Although it looks warm enough, it has too many subtle patterns and accessories. I’d better save it for a more formal occasion.”
“What about this brown one next to it?” the System persisted. “High collar, long sleeves, thick fabric. The color would also go well with those tight black trousers. It looks very warm.”
Kelusta blinked, pulled out the piece of clothing the System mentioned, and showed it to it. She lifted the single, flimsy layer of sheer fabric covering the entire back and said with a strange expression, “Doris picked this out for me last time we went to the campus tailor, just to make fun of me… Ugh, what kind of taste do you have? If I wore this out, I’d probably be even colder than in a normal dress, right?”
The System was silent for a moment, then had the audacity to give a rather high, positive evaluation. “Your neighbor has good taste. This one is quite nice.”
Kelusta looked in shock at the sheer fabric in her hands, which was layered and twisted like a pleated skirt. The corner of her lip twitched as she sincerely lamented that the System was truly a standard straight guy, only liking sexy clothes like this.
Ah, speaking of which, I wonder if Gloria would like it if I gave her a similar outfit…
Or, since their figures were so similar, she wouldn’t even need a similar style… I could just present this see-through top to her, and Gloria could wear it directly.
The light gray gauze would sway gently with her movements, her snow-white back would be faintly visible beneath her hair, and if I were just a little bolder, I could lift her long, platinum-blonde hair, bend my knees slightly, and press my cheek against her distinct and gracefully curved shoulder blades—
Kelusta gulped hard, snapping back to reality. She patted her head, feeling both guilty and helpless.
Stop, stop. Gloria is still angry! I should focus on getting my work done and coaxing her back into a good mood before I have any right to think about all this other stuff.
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