Chapter 340: Ability ; The Unfortunate Assailants (1/2)
A/N:- To avoid confusion, from here on out, this will be how various parentheses and quotations will function:
”xxx” - for direct conversation; e.g. ”Good morning.”
'xxx' - for mental speech by Victor with other beings; e.g. 'Stop.'
[xxx] - for mental speech from others; e.g. [Father]
{xxx} - for Imperium System-related announcements/windows
<xxx> - for skill/ability/magic spell usages; e.g. <Godspeed>
Normal thoughts and narration will be kept as usual.
------
As I lay beside Aletia on the bed, I remember a certain system window that promised a reward for completing three main objectives. If I recall correctly, it said that the reward was a ”Time-Enhancer”.
Whatever it is, it sure as hell sounds like something neat.
'Nora, can you hear me?'
[Yes, Father?]
It takes me a moment to recollect myself upon hearing her voice. Why? Because of how much more emotion it contains.
Instead of the semi-robotic voice from before, her voice now is brimming with emotion, the most apparent of which is her sincerity.
'What is the Time-Enhancer reward that was mentioned by the system?'
[Information on the item is locked. Father must obtain it first to unlock all information regarding it.]
Despite her response not being what I wanted to hear, I am not let down. According to what she just said, the Time-Enhancer is an item and not a skill or ability.
From its name, I can think of various functions the item might have, such as affecting the time of a Platform or a certain location.
Nevertheless, I can't be sure of anything until I obtain it.
To do that, I need to finish three main objectives, and right now, my objective is securing the territory around my base.
Hm… I suppose I will spend half a day in this village tomorrow before leaving for Nazarick.
As for how I will be leaving, well, I could have some monsters disguised as humans to pick me up by claiming to be my men.
This is the only method that would guarantee the least amount of suspicion from the villagers.
---
Slowly regaining my consciousness, I open my eyes, only to be met with the face of a pretty young girl.
The young girl has golden hair covering her shoulders and a portion of her face. Her ruby eyes are focused on my face with a fiery glint inside them as if she is gazing into my soul.
”Good morning, Aletia,” I say as I raise my head from the pillow.
My movement results in the blanket covering me to move away, after which I get up and jump off the bed.
I wonder what's the time right now. Judging by the light that's shining through the wooden window frame, it's obviously early morning. As for how early, I wouldn't know.
[In numerical terms that Father is used to, the time currently is 6:45.]
'Oh, how convenient. Thank you, Nora.'
[Hehehe, of course!]
She truly is much more emotional now. Then again, I suppose this is what happens when one is forced to hold their emotions back for an extended period of time.
Speaking of which, I wonder what Irene is up to right now… Where exactly has she escaped to, and what is she doing? I am not exactly concerned about her safety considering the fact that she has shown enough ability to face off against a Code before.
This also makes me wonder how powerful Nora is.
[Would Father like to see my parameters?]
'Sure, show me.'
The moment I respond to her suggestion, a blue system window appears in front of me with the word 'Administrator - Nora' written boldly at the top.
{------
Str: 45 | Agi: 43 | Dex: 66
Int: 89 | Def: 75 | Vit: 58
------}
Hey, hey, aren't these parameters a little absurd? Her strength and agility can be compared to that of mine from when I first awakened and entered Project Charlotte.
But that's it, the rest of her parameters are much better than anything I have faced off against.
In fact, some of them could be better than my current parameters, such as intelligence and defense.
Are Irene's parameters the same?
[Displaying Irene's last recorded parameters.]
{------
Str: 33 | Agi: 51 | Dex: 45
Int: 60 | Def: 34 | Vit: 47
------}
I see… Overall, her parameters are worse than Nora's which makes sense considering that the Imperium System tasked Nora with terminating her after she was deemed unnecessary.
”Vincent,” a soft voice reaches my ears, bringing a halt to my thoughts.
Turning to face the source of the voice, I look Aletia in the eyes and ask, ”Is something wrong?”
”What are you?” she bluntly asks.
”You already know the answer to that question, don't you?” I respond vaguely.
”No, I want you to tell me yourself. The magic you're using, your ability to change appearance, and… the ability to hide your aura.”
Her words pique my curiosity, especially the part about my 'aura'.
”What do you mean by the ability to hide my aura?” I say, hoping to dodge her question.
”While you were sleeping, I couldn't sense your presence at all. You do that to prevent others from finding you, right?”
”Think of it whatever you will,” I say dismissively as I feign disinterest and walk toward the door.
Suddenly, a small figure turns into a blue behind me before I feel something slithering up my arm.
”There you are, Aurora. Good morning,” I say as I pat her head with my finger.
[Go-od morn-] comes a response in my head, startling me quite a bit.
Although it's incomplete, Aurora seems to now be able to converse with me mentally while in this form. And I did get to hear her say something other than 'master', so that's a plus.
”Aletia, the others are all asleep. I will go out in the meantime to get a breath of fresh air.”
”Okay.”