Baeksan looked around and smiled happily.

 

A quest window immediately appeared.

 

*QUEST*
Approach the spy ‘Tiransa Sogd’ and gain his trust.
  – Reward for success: 1,100 gold
  – Penalty for failure: None 

 

 *QUEST*
  Poison the pumpkin candy.
  – Reward for success: 80 gold
  – Penalty for failure: None 

 

 *QUEST*
  The gray city rat ‘Chichi’ is a carrier of a powerful plague. Spread Chichi’s pathogen throughout the capital, Ulrem.
 – Reward for success: 71,000 gold
  – Penalty for failure: None 

…Gosh, seriously.

 

‘Somehow, I feel like they already know that I don’t even have money to find a safe place to sleep.’

 

Yeah. That was the problem.

 

I had no money.

 

It was getting late and the festival was winding down. There were fewer people around.

 

It was really time to find a place to sleep.

 

‘Oh, but I have no money.’

 

Baeksan felt uneasy and bit her fingernail.

 

“So, this is the 〈Memoir of Bourbon Rock〉.”

 

A clear and powerful voice echoed in her ears. Her head turned involuntarily due to the eloquent tone.

 

The place where the voice rose from seemed to be a vintage market where people brought items from their homes and sold them.

 

There, a woman was examining a book in a stall.

 

“The signature is definitely Bourbon Rock’s.”

 

She was wearing a gray robe so her face wasn’t visible, but silver hair flowed from under it.

 

As soon as Baeksan spotted the woman, her mouth slightly opened.

 

More precisely, it was when she saw the magnificent golden letters floating above the woman’s head.

 
 

[ Bathilda Rochlich Schroeder ]

Princess of Orquenina. The one who would ignite the flames of war. She was mentioned as an heir to the throne. 

…Why was the heir of the throne wandering around here?

 
 

[ Forged Memoir of Bourbon Rock ]  

A forged memoir disguised to look like the work of the famous military scholar Bourbon Rock. Unlike the real one, the ink hasn’t faded. 

…And it’s a forgery.

 

Baeksan stood there, her gaze alternating between the woman and the golden letters.

 

‘What should I do with this?’

 

Even Baeksan, who didn’t play games often, knew. If it’s gold-colored, it has value. Either that or it’s a sign of a quest.

 

‘Well, but I don’t really want a quest…’

 

Before she could finish her thought, a window popped up in front of her.

 

*QUEST*
  Approach Bathilda and capture her interest.
  – Reward for success: 600 gold, War Bonus +2%
– Penalty for failure: None 

Baeksan’s eyes lit up.

 

‘600 gold!’

 

According to the market prices she had grasped while playing the game 〈Another Saga〉, 600 gold was equivalent to around 6 million won in real money.

 

There was no reason to hesitate anymore.

 

Baeksan immediately walked toward Bathilda, who was talking with the owner of the stall.

 

“This is a precious item passed down by my grandfather. In my opinion, it’s genuine!”

 

“Well, it does seem quite convincing.”

 

“It’s a family heirloom, but I decided to display it for this festival. You won’t find this anywhere else.”

 

“If it’s genuine, it would be worth around 8,000 gold, right?”

 

“Yes! But just for today, I’ll give it to you for 200 gold!”

 

Listening to their conversation, it seemed that even the owner of the stall wasn’t entirely convinced that it was genuine.

 

At that moment, Baeksan intervened.

 

“Are you going to buy that?”

 

Immediately, someone who had been standing around Bathilda gestured at her.

 

Baeksan belatedly glanced in that direction.

 

A large man in a robe passed by her smoothly.

 

[ Dominic Quito ]
  A knight of the Royal Guard and Bathilda’s bodyguard. 

‘Surprise, it’s a knight.’

 

I’m not used to reading names and descriptions yet, so I must have missed him.

 

‘I’ll have to pay more attention in the future.’

 

At that moment, Bathilda spoke.

 

“For now, that’s the plan. We won’t know if it’s genuine until we have it appraised by Thorpe’s, but isn’t the charm of the Blue Moon Fair all about that?”

 

Red eyes briefly appeared and disappeared beneath the flipped robe.

 

Baeksan was taken aback by the sharper impression than she had anticipated.

 

Seizing the opportunity, the owner of the stall chimed in enthusiastically.

 

“Absolutely! The Blue Moon Fair is all about the fun of finding hidden treasures! Why, remember that noblewoman who bought a ring for a cheap price at the Blue Moon Fair, only to find out it was a real diamond?!”

 

“That’s a famous anecdote.”

 

Were they for real?

 

Apparently, someone like the princess was interested in such things.

 

Baeksan’s mouth opened wide, as she had no idea about such trivial matters.

 

‘That means I can earn money from playing today because I have this ability!’

 

However, her excitement was short-lived.

 

‘But I don’t have any money…’

 

Baeksan muttered, poking her hand into her empty pocket for no reason.

 

“But it’s probably not genuine.”

 

Bathilda, the princess, smiled at Baeksan’s words.

 

“Is that so? You must be an appraiser or something.”

 

She seemed intrigued, but that was it.

 

The quest window was still floating in front of Baeksan.

 

‘I guess I can’t attract her interest with this much.’

 

Baeksan cleared her throat.

 

“You’ll know it when you see it. The ink on the 〈Memoir of Bourbon Rock〉 is too fresh to be genuine.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

A smile tugged at the corner of the princess’ mouth, deepening. Her attitude seemed to urge her to continue speaking.

 

Baeksan was taken aback.

 

‘…Is that all?’

 

At that moment, the description of the book that had been displayed in the window changed.

 

[ Forged Memoir of Bourbon Rock ]  

The forged memoir of the renowned military scholar Bourbon Rock.  The genuine version was bound without advanced bookbinding techniques, thus the spine was treated with the bone-cut method.  In contrast, the forged version was bound with more manageable mirani grass, causing the edges to appear white. 

‘Does it change?’

 

Concealing her surprise, Baeksan quickly read the new information.

 

“Do you see the edges and how they appear white on the spine? It’s because of the mirani grass binding. If it were genuine, it would have been treated with the bone-cut method appropriate for the times.”

 

Finally, the princess’ attention shifted back to Baeksan.

 

“Do you have expertise in bookbinding?”

 

“Not really. I was just passing by and so I thought of giving you some advice… Huh?”

 

Baeksan paused in mid-sentence. An old mirror hanging above the counter came into view.

 

Upon seeing her own reflection, Baeksan was rendered speechless.

 

‘…Who am I?’

 

On the other side of the mirror, a stranger with a dignified appearance was looking at her.

 

Snow-white skin as transparent as glass, refreshingly clear eyes.

 

Delicate eyebrows on a neat forehead.

 

And… black characters floating above her head.

 

[ Minervina Lethor (Baeksan) ]  

An Apostle who will bring about the world’s downfall. Inhabiting the body of Minervina Lethor after it lost its owner. She is wary. 

Baeksan’s mind went blank.

 

The characters started changing.

 

[ Minervina Lethor (Baeksan) ]  

She is looking at herself. In a state of great astonishment. 

Baeksan’s expression hardened.

 

‘So I can observe myself, too.’

 

…This feels worse than I imagined.

 

Suddenly, the princess called out to Baeksan.

 

“Hey.”

 

“Ah, yes.”

 

As Baeksan hurriedly turned her head, the princess smiled lightly.

 

“You were lost in thought, leaving me hanging. You’re quite bold, aren’t you?”

 

“…I apologize. Something a bit surprising happened.”

 

“Really? How good for you.”

 

The princess cast a discreet glance around the stall.

 

It was a gesture that implied ‘If you were idling around without any reason, it wouldn’t be fun at all’ that superiors often used.

 

Realizing the meaning, Baeksan hurriedly inspected the stall.

 

“Uh, well…”

 

As she scanned the items, white letters started rising up like stones in a game of checkers.

 

[ Grandmother’s Flute ]  

Inga’s grandmother’s flute. You must blow it very strongly to produce a sound. 

  [ Pifa’s Sonata ]  

A cursed ring. It steals the wearer’s life force. 

  [ Enameled Egg Artifact ]  

Master Artisan Favella’s masterpiece. An art piece of which only 50 exist on the continent.  At first glance, it looks like an ordinary decoration, but after breaking the outer plaster and inserting a pin into the small hole beneath, its true value is revealed. 

“…This!”

 

Baeksan grabbed the last art piece without hesitation.

 

It was an enamel-decorated, colorful yet somewhat simple artifact.

 

“This one looks promising.”

 

“Well, I’m not so sure. It seems rather ordinary.”

 

Baeksan whispered to the princess, aware of the shopkeeper’s curious attention.

 

“It’s the work of ‘Master Favella.’”

 

The princess was startled, and she whispered.

 

“…This?”