“Because of you, many things will change.
Are you sure you can handle it, Miu?”
I was going to say “of course,” but, for some reason, my mouth froze for a moment.
As if there is a sentence that I should not answer easily.
"You're a stupid and weak person, Meow.
But humans are usually like that, Meow.
I like watching these humans, Meow."
As if guessing my thoughts, the fat cat laughed cheekily, sticking out her red tongue.
Oh my god, she was so rude.
Is she a human or an animal?
How could she show such diverse expressions with an expressionless face?
The cat clicked its tongue as it looked at me, in a different way.
Knock, knock.
Its thick tail hit the ground.
"Open your ears and listen carefully, Meow!
For your sake, you idiot, I will give you the solution with my greatness, Meow!
Ask, Meow.
Haven't you looked at the system window, Meow?
Are you stupid, Meow?
You seem to have even forgotten your reward, Meow!"
“What reward did I get?”
“Yes, meow!”
The fat cat pointed her front paw at me.
“Once a day, you can become someone else, right, Miao?
You can use that to plant an idea in the Emperor’s mind, Miao!”
"Yes."
She seems to be talking about that mission reward.
The bonus I obtained to prevent the Emperor from losing control, which allows me to use it once a day to appear differently.
If I used this for guidance as someone other than Duchess Ariel, the Emperor might not associate Ariel with the guide.
Because I would look like a completely different person.
If the research is based on false information, it will face difficulties for a long time.
Not a bad idea.
But…
‘This means going directly towards the second option.
And I must go and guide the Emperor daily!'
Of course, I must guide the Emperor.
I received the assignment.
But, there was something to think about first.
I was given a task to either cut the incomplete tag and find the main heroine, or become a full guide.
And I still haven't chosen either option.
'Because...'
As soon as my assistant returned from his vacation, I assigned him to search for the main heroine.
But the response was:
'Um, ma'am.
Regarding the family you ordered to search for...
I received a response that they do not currently exist.'
'What do you mean?' Do you mean that the family itf does not exist?'
'Not that, but it seems that its existence has been completely erased, with no trace of it.'
'Should I keep searching?'
I felt hopeless.
My main heroine, my salvation, has disappeared?
How is that possible?
And yet, to go undercover as someone else every night to guide the Emperor?
What if an incomplete tag becomes complete?
“What if an incomplete tag becomes complete?”
“You stupid human, look up, Meow.”
The impudent cat, laughing sarcastically, pointed above my head.
Then, that flash that I had tried to ignore from the beginning stabbed me.
Yes, she was there.
The level of risk of the Emperor losing control.
“You have to go anyway, Meow.”
“I know, kitten.”
From the moment I discovered it, until I faced the Emperor, it constantly stabbed my heart.
As he wrote in the novel, the situation in the empire was not optimistic.
It was even more miserable than the situation in Korea, where Awakeners and Guides were systematically managed.
The nobles and wizards were in charge of external order and organization, while the Awakened and the Guides were fighting, betting with their lives.
Because the records and information here were very incomplete compared to Korea.
They did not have accurate tools to determine the percentage of compatibility, except for a tool developed by magicians that relied on the color change when the hand was placed on it.
Knowledge of how to use the mentors' abilities was noticeably lacking.
Even the A-class guides here were like that, from what I saw.
So, the life of an SSS Awakened alone would be hell.
The emperor in this novel was not someone who laughed, had fun, or put pressure on the surrounding nobles under an oppressive authority.
He threw himf into battles that bleed blood and flesh.
He fought tirelessly.
If it were not just lines in a novel for entertainment, but the life of a living person, it would be a living hell.
I held my head.
“If I accept this and guide the Emperor every night, what if he regains consciousness and catches me until the invisibility magic wears off?
He will discover that I am Duchess Ariel.”
“The system is on your side, Meow.
So don’t be afraid and go check yourf, Meow.”
Oh, I don't know.
As I looked at the level of risk of the Emperor losing control, which began to turn from orange to red, I found myf faced with the same choice as before.
“You're the one who saved him, right, Miu?”
“Doing nothing and waiting for things to resolve themves is cowardice, meow.”
The cat was right.
Either I actively participate and change the course of my life, or I find someone who can turn the situation around in my favor.
“I…”
As I looked into the cat's sparkling yellow eyes, I placed my hand on the system window:
“I want to live.”
By any means.
I went down through the window divided into options 1 and 2, and pulled down.
The window you saw earlier appeared:
[Don't give up.
To help you complete the task easily, we offer a suitable reward.
Reward: Fake ID (click)]
Yes, I don't know exactly what this regime wants, but it won't kill me now.
I believed it and clicked hard on the status window.
It was a really strange experience.
After a bright light swept over me, I found myf standing in the corridor of the Imperial Palace.
I was terrified and tried to hide, but my eyes met the eyes of a knight who seemed to be in the middle of changing.
While I was quickly thinking of any excuse to make while stiff, the knight passed me with an indifferent expression.
'Didn't he... recognize me?'
I seem to look like someone else, and I don't raise any unnecessary suspicions.
As if the system completely protects me!
'If that's the case, it might be good.'
My shoulders, which were hunched like a caterpillar, straightened naturally.
Maybe I look like a maid in the imperial palace.
'Can I escape like this without them knowing?'
A cowardly thought passed quickly, but I shook my head.
Even if I escape, the system will not let me go easily, the mission will fail, and my soul will vanish.
'Let's try somehow.
I can do it.
How many years have I spent among the awakened bastards!'
I followed the arrow that suddenly appeared on the floor of the Imperial Palace and walked down the corridor normally.
Despite the long distance, I began to feel a strong aura surrounding me.
An amazingly fierce aura.
Perhaps, as I was suddenly transported to the Imperial Palace, I will return to my room after completing the guidance mission.
'Meaning, if I complete the guidance safely without my identity being discovered.'
Unlike the warning against touching the Emperor as Duchess Ariel, there was no warning in this form, which was funny.
Does this mean that the capabilities of this system exceed the awakened and guided people of this world?
But, I must erase these side thoughts.
The system's gentle guidance ended, and a luxurious and heavy door appeared in front of me.
“Huh.”
I really want to go home.
My hand trembled.
From behind the closed door, there was a deadly aura, as if tearing the skin, flowing out.
Guides, like ordinary people, are overwhelmed by the aura of the awakened.
However, because this aura is visible and felt on the skin, it is necessarily different.
'Damn, you crazy man.'
It hasn't been long since we parted.
But, for him to reach this state in such a short time, how much force did he use?
I suppressed my urge to scream and put my hand on the doorknob.
As befits the door of the expensive imperial palace, it opened without a sound.
I saw a black shadow.
Then…
Wait a minute!
A cold aura passed through the air, touching my cheek.
At the same time, hot blood flowed down my cheek.
I froze completely.
My resentment towards the fat cat, who might now be chewing macarons in my room, burned like fire.
Didn't you say it would be okay, you damned cat?
“Who are you?”
When I opened my eyes, which I had closed tightly, without wiping the blood, I saw two blue eyes shining fiercely in the darkness.
A man I could never mistake, even in a dream.
Casey was there.
He did not appear conscious.
“You...”
A completely disfigured face, covered in cold sweat, and a bare chest.
A shadow distorted by pain.
Outstretched hand.
“Are you an illusion from me?”
This was him waking up in a state of extreme fatigue, a state I had seen frequently in my past work as a guide.