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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Daphne's Test (1)
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Quest failure: permanent death.
At first, I thought I'd misread it and rubbed my eyes, but unfortunately, I'd seen it correctly.
'Not just death, but *permanent* death? What does that even mean?'
So, even if I die, there's no returning to reality. Is it telling me not to harbor any vain hopes?
It seemed so.
I'd seen plenty of quests with death penalties in games, but I'd never once encountered the phrase [Permanent Death].
'Calm down. I can live if I just pass the test, right?'
A sudden notification had initially filled me with resentment.
Before long, I managed to quell the fiery rage boiling within me.
On second thought, it was a relief that the notification came.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have even known Daphne was trying to test me, let alone that I could die.
'Look on the bright side.'
So I resolved.
Whatever Daphne wanted from me, I would absolutely satisfy her.
I was curious what kind of test it was that would result in death upon failure.
But it could only be a test given to a ten-year-old kid.
With my mature mindset and the perseverance of someone who's played games for over 10,000 hours, there's no way I wouldn't pass this test.
'What's important is an unyielding spirit.'
Just as I was thinking that, the door creaked open.
"You're awake, after all."
I looked up, and Daphne was standing over me, hands on her hips.
'Oh…'
Seeing Daphne in different attire from yesterday, a silent gasp of admiration naturally rose within me.
Her platinum blonde hair tied in a ponytail.
Her slender neck naturally exposed.
Even a green apron worn over a pure white dress.
She was certainly beautiful. How to describe it? It was as if just looking at her stirred a primal instinct.
"What are you staring at so intently?"
Had I been staring too much?
As if noticing my gaze, Daphne asked me in a curt tone, her expression displeased.
Was she upset? If so, that would be troublesome for me, as I needed to make a good impression on Daphne.
"Uh… I was just so surprised. I've never actually seen anyone like you before."
"Seen what?"
"Someone as beautiful as you, Lady Daphne."
So I intentionally smiled brightly and flattered her.
'A child's body is useful in times like these.'
Since I could say such things without a care.
It had always been said: there wasn't a single woman in this world who disliked being called beautiful.
"...Stop with the useless talk and go sit over there."
But it seemed this woman was an exception.
Daphne merely gestured indifferently towards the living room table after hearing my compliment, then turned away.
'That was supposed to be a decisive blow…'
Disappointed by her lukewarm reaction, I obediently took a seat at the table, and Daphne disappeared somewhere.
'But what on earth is this smell?'
As I sat there, a smell reminiscent of a sewer assailed my nostrils.
Was it a smell common in the countryside? Or perhaps from an old house?
I didn't know the answer, but it seemed it would take quite a while to get used to this smell.
'By the way, the smell seems to be getting stronger…'
What on earth was that smell?
Engulfed by an unknown sense of unease, I began to look around.
I had thought it was an old house, but the interior was surprisingly tidy.
I checked from the ceiling to the floor, wondering if it was the smell of rotting wood.
But I found no such signs; on the contrary, it seemed remarkably well-maintained.
-Thud.
While I was momentarily lost in thought, I heard the sound of something being placed on the table.
'No way…'
The intense stench grew closer. My head instinctively turned towards the table.
Before me, a bowl filled with black liquid and a tray holding an unidentifiable dish had appeared.
'What on earth did she put in this?'
I examined it closely, but it was beyond the realm of even speculation.
The dish in the bowl, in particular, resembled the black sludge I had seen in the place where I first transmigrated.
Naturally, a suspicion arose: had she perhaps sliced up the corpse of the monster I dealt with yesterday and put it in?
The large black chunks floating atop the sludge created an equally bizarre atmosphere.
If only that were all.
The stench wafting from the bowl compelled me to take a specific action.
To block out this foul odor, even if it meant stabbing my nose with the fork in front of me.
'What's this now?'
Next to the sludge was a grotesque-looking dish resembling a gray sponge, its identity impossible to deduce from its appearance alone.
"Lady Daphne, what are these dishes?"
"Breakfast."
Good heavens. Was it really food meant to be eaten?
"No… what are these dishes called, exactly? I've never seen anything like them before…"
"Stew and a sandwich."
It was a surprising answer. I thought it was black sludge, but it was stew.
And that gray sponge was apparently a sandwich.
On closer inspection, something presumed to be lettuce was indeed buried beneath the gray mass.
"They say you need a lot of nutrients at your age, right? So I put a little thought into it."
From my perspective, she certainly seemed to have put a lot of thought into it. To make stew and a sandwich look like *this*.
This went far beyond the realm of cooking.
'I guarantee it. This is alchemy.'
Otherwise, the stew and sandwich wouldn't be that color. Nor would they reek of a boiling sewer.
"So."
No. Don't.
"Eat."
I had desperately hoped it wouldn't come to this.
Daphne commanded me, her expression oddly excited.
****
The taste of the black sludge stew and the gray sponge sandwich was, needless to say, horrific.
The stew was as difficult to swallow as fermented anchovy sauce, and the sandwich tasted like a mixture of stinky tofu and cigarette ash.
"I ate well… *cough*… thank you…"
Despite this, I managed to eat all the food without leaving a single bite, even forcing a smile as I set down my spoon.
My stomach churned, and I desperately wanted to rush to the bathroom, but I couldn't.
Because I believed that eating all of this horrific food was Daphne's test.
"You eat better than I thought…"
Daphne gazed at me, a hint of surprise in her expression.
'Even you're surprised, aren't you?'
Her reaction confirmed it. Even if it was a test she devised herself, she probably never imagined I'd eat all of this dreadful food.
…Or so I thought.
Daphne's reply mercilessly threatened to break my spirit, which I had believed unyielding.
"Next time, I'll make you even more."
"Huh?"
"I didn't expect you to eat so well. Your body is small, so I intentionally made only a little…"
Daphne trailed off, her expression regretful.
'Eating that garbage wasn't the test?'
It seemed something was going terribly wrong.
Otherwise, the quest completion notification wouldn't have failed to arrive by now.
"Of course, I don't know if there *will* be a next time for you."
"That's… what?"
"I haven't decided yet. Whether I'll kill you, or take you in and let you live."
'So, 'death upon failure' meant dying by Daphne's hand…'
I tried hard to deny it, but it seemed she truly intended to do just that.
'She's certainly the type of woman who would.'
Considering her psychopathic tendency to casually serve such horrific food.
"...How can I survive?"
"You just have to prove yourself."
"Prove myself, you mean…"
"First, instill in me the conviction that no matter what happens, you won't cause a disaster."
Tap, tap. Daphne continued, tapping the table with her index finger.
"Second, prove that you are worth the trouble of me taking you in. Then I'll let you live."
"…"
"And for your information, if I take you in, you'll learn things from me that you couldn't learn anywhere else in this world."
'Things I couldn't learn anywhere else…'
It seemed Daphne intended to teach me things like swordsmanship and magic if I passed the test.
"How do I prove myself?"
This was exactly what I had wanted all along.
I intentionally asked, my eyes gleaming.
"...That's a good look in your eyes."
Daphne stared at me with a strange expression for a moment, then began to speak again.
"I'll give you a chance. A chance to prove your worth."
"A chance?"
"Yes. I've already prepared everything."
Saying that, Daphne rose from her seat and flicked her index finger.
Was it magic? With a *snap* of her finger, the empty dishes on the table vanished as if by magic.
"Let's go outside first. Follow me."
Saying that, Daphne turned and stepped out the door.
I, who had been marveling at the everyday magic she wielded, scrambled to follow her upon seeing her leave.
I didn't know what kind of test she had prepared.
But having just eaten food that seemed freshly airlifted from hell, I felt like I could accomplish anything.
*****
Outside the house, Daphne walked in silence, and I followed behind her.
'She said 'walked,' didn't she?'
In truth, it had long since ceased to be mere walking.
This was only natural. The starting point was, after all, a log cabin deep within the forest.
There was no path along the route Daphne took.
Only rugged, sloped terrain stretched out endlessly before us.
"Pant… pant…"
It was that arduous of a path. Moreover, I was in a child's body. Naturally, I couldn't help but get exhausted.
'How much longer are we going to walk?'
Unlike me, Daphne was gracefully moving forward as if strolling through a park, and watching her, a surge of emotion welled up inside me.
It was understandable. Daphne, who had told me to follow, had been walking for five hours straight, not just one or two.
'If only my life weren't on the line…'
I would have long since thrown myself on the ground and cried 'GG!'
"We're here."
Just as my legs trembled, forcing me to stop, bow my head, and catch my breath, the long-awaited sweet voice reached my ears.
"Pant… pant…"
I lifted my head, and the scenery had changed.
The seemingly endless forest path ended at a cliff with an unobstructed view, and Daphne was gazing at the landscape below.
"Wow…"
Reaching Daphne's side, I gazed at the same spot as her, my mouth agape in awe.
The view that unfolded before my eyes was breathtakingly beautiful.
A vast lake shimmering with mysterious colors.
And verdant trees stretching to the horizon beyond.
And even a notification window appearing in mid-air.
[Hidden Quest 'Daphne's Test (1)' Completed.]
[Please select your reward.]
[1. All Stats +10]
[2. Deceiver of the Scales (Lv.1)]
[3. Starlight (Lv.1)]
'Jackpot…!'
The reward list displayed before my eyes was more dazzling than I had anticipated.
*****
Daphne and I sat side-by-side at the cliff's edge, enjoying the breeze for a while.
"You're quite something. I naturally thought you'd run away halfway through."
"Because I have to live."
"'Because I have to live,' you say… That's quite a pleasing answer."
With her elegant platinum hair fluttering in the wind, Daphne replied with her eyes closed.
"Has that proven enough?"
"To some extent."
"'To some extent' means there's still more to prove, I suppose."
"Yes. It was merely a hike, wasn't it? I haven't even shown you what I've truly prepared yet."
Merely? My legs are still trembling.
"Well, it was impressive for a child, nonetheless."
"I was quite desperate, I assure you…"
"I know. So I'm going to give you a reward."
At the mention of a reward, my ears perked up reflexively, and my head turned sideways.
Perhaps she found me cute. Daphne let out a chuckle, then adjusted her posture to face me.
"You sit facing me too."
"...?"
"From now on, I'll teach you how to shroud your body in mana."
"Mana?"
Surprised by the more groundbreaking proposal than I'd anticipated, I adjusted my sitting posture and asked again.
"Yes. I'll only tell you once, so listen carefully and make it truly yours. Otherwise…"
"...?"
"You'll never get another chance to prove yourself to me."
Daphne spoke as if it had nothing to do with her.
Hearing her words, my mind snapped wide awake.
What Daphne said meant that if I couldn't learn what she was teaching me in one go, I would die in the upcoming test.
****
Magic is a miracle achieved through a transaction with the Scales.
The user pays mana to the Scales.
In return, the Scales grant the user a miracle befitting the mana received as payment.
This is the foundation of all magic, and shrouding one's body in mana is also a type of magic.
When mana is paid as a price to the Scales, a miracle occurs in the physical body.
'It works.'
My body felt incredibly light, and I was filled with an overflowing power incomparable to before.
I absorbed Daphne's teachings and, by transacting with the Scales, succeeded in faintly shrouding my body in mana.
"Quite something. You have a knack for it."
As if sensing my success, Daphne murmured, her expression surprised once again.
"I feel like I can do anything."
I replied with a genuinely bright smile.
'Could I possibly be some absurdly overpowered character?'
To think I could manipulate mana. And in just one hour.
I was incredibly elated. So much so that Daphne, who had made me eat black sludge and gray sandwiches, looked like an angel.
"You should be. You'll need to be able to do anything. Otherwise, you'll die."
"Huh?"
"Could you give me your hands for a moment? I have something for you."
She's giving me something else?
At that sweet sound, I greedily extended both hands, and Daphne placed a bracelet on each of my wrists.
"What are these?"
"Artifacts."
Upon hearing Daphne's answer, I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I tried to cover my mouth with my hand.
It was understandable. In games, artifacts, no matter how low their grade, were incredibly difficult and expensive to acquire, unlike other equipment.
"Thank you… huh?"
[Hidden Quest 'Daphne's Test (2)' is now in progress.]
Reading this, I sensed that something was wrong.
"Lady Daphne, my hands and feet suddenly feel heavy."
"Of course they do. Those bracelets are artifacts I made for just that purpose. Well, I didn't make them *that* heavy, but they'd certainly be a burden for you."
Daphne was right. An intangible weight could be felt on both my hands and feet, as if two or three thick books were dangling from them.
And most importantly.
"Did the mana I just shrouded my body in also disperse because of these artifacts?"
"Yes, that's right. Those bracelets have magic on them that restricts the wearer's mana manipulation."
I was dumbfounded. To teach me how to manipulate mana, only to then shackle me with artifacts that restrict it. What on earth was she thinking?
"That doesn't mean you can't use mana at all. You can still manipulate a very faint amount of mana, at a level that doesn't trigger the restriction magic."
"However, with that faint mana, you can't manifest normal magic. Because I made it that way."
"But there isn't *no* way to manifest magic."
I didn't understand what she was talking about.
As my mind reeled, Daphne slowly began to approach me.
"You just have to deceive the Scales. Then you can cast magic with far less mana than normally required."
Daphne, who had drawn close enough to be right before my eyes, continued with a faint smile.
"So."
She lifted her right foot.
"Try to deceive them. Then you'll be able to survive."
She whispered, kicking me in the abdomen.
"Gah…!"
The sudden abdominal pain made it momentarily difficult to breathe.
But there was a bigger problem than the pain.
'Am I flying?'
I was flying through the air…
No, I was plummeting at incredible speed towards the lake below the cliff.