Popular NPC in a Gender-Reversed Game

The first time I investigated the footprints, it was simply to confirm what I suspected.

I didn’t plan to fight.

If the person had wandered in by accident, I just wanted to check who it was and then leave.

There was no need to expose myself or cause any commotion.
I would just observe from nearby, make a mental note of what was happening, and decide whether to be cautious of them or not.

But I didn’t expect the other person to notice me.
At that point, I realized this was no ordinary individual—they had some skills.
At the very least, this wasn’t someone average. They could detect a presence.

That thought was confirmed when they charged at me.
The trajectory of their sword was sharp, and their movements were refined.
Unlike me, who fights relying on instinct, this person had formal sword training.

Which made me wonder for a moment.

‘But why is someone like this here?’

With that level of skill, they could easily be a knight or an A-rank adventurer.
Just to be sure, I activated my "Player's Eye." By now, it had become almost a habit to use that skill whenever I encountered a stranger.

[Conditions not met!]
[You cannot use the ‘Player's Eye’ at this time!]

And with that, I saw a notification I hadn’t seen in a long time—an inability to use the skill.

This meant the person in front of me wasn’t an otherworlder but a native of Gaia.
And there were usually two reasons a Gaiain would come here:
Either they were a veteran explorer gathering something in the area, or they were a criminal like me.

Judging by their ragged appearance, it seemed more likely they were the latter.

Someone on the run, chased into this dangerous forest.
I wasn’t the only one who saw this forest as a place to hide.
Of course, few would actually dare to take action, but occasionally, it did happen.

Even as I reached this conclusion, the fight continued.
At one point, they went for a decisive blow, but I blocked it, sending their sword flying into the air.

I had won the fight. Normally, that would have been the end of it, and I would’ve decided the person’s fate.
But then they said something strange.

“You’re a manifestation… no, a manifestation bearer, aren’t you?”
“What?”
“I didn’t expect to meet someone like you in a place like this… It explains your strength.”

Manifestation bearer. It was a term that referred to people like me, those with demon blood.
Usually, they were called "bearers" or "demon spawn."

It seemed they had drawn that conclusion after seeing my regeneration ability.
Fast regeneration was, after all, a common trait of manifestation bearers.

But that alone…

‘Just from that?’

Regeneration wasn’t a unique trait of manifestation bearers.
Fast healing could come from magic, holy power, or even a peculiar constitution.
This person had just extended their arm earlier using some unknown method, after all.

So, regeneration alone wasn’t enough to conclude I was a manifestation bearer.

I decided to feign ignorance.

“Manifestation bearer? What are you talking about? Are you suggesting I have demon blood or something?”
“Ah, you’re denying it. I understand. Many manifestation bearers are rejected by the world because of their power.”

They were almost certain.
They went on to say that when manifestation bearers unknowingly use their powers, a dark energy leaks from them.
Other people usually can’t sense it, but someone trained like them could.

Damn, there goes my plan to play dumb.
They could actually feel it? Most people wouldn’t even notice.

What was even stranger was their reaction.
Normally, when people realized I was a manifestation bearer, they would either try to kill me or report me.

But this person… they looked at me with awe, as if they’d just discovered a rare treasure. They seemed like they were about to kneel in front of me, almost like a fanatic.

As I stood there, somewhat dumbfounded, they spoke again.

“I’ll be direct. Would you consider joining our cult? We would treat you with the utmost respect. Simply being a manifestation bearer is valuable enough, but with your level of skill, you could rise to a leadership position immediately.”

By this point, I lowered my weapon.
Not because I was interested in their offer, but because this required some conversation.
The "cult" they mentioned had piqued my curiosity.

And at that moment, I realized who they were.
They must be the one who escaped a few days ago. I thought it had nothing to do with me, but to think they’d end up in this forest… Life is full of surprises.

I looked at them and asked.

“Who are you?”
“We are Lemegeton.”

They didn’t hide it, answering in the tone of a salesperson.

“To put it simply, we’re a cult that serves demons. And we treat manifestation bearers like you with great reverence, as you can communicate directly with the demons.”

They continued speaking.

“Isn’t this world difficult to live in? Join us! Together, we can share in their power and build a kingdom of our own!”

Their voice was filled with enthusiasm, as if they were speaking to someone of great importance. They were practically trying to worship me. Honestly, I’d never been treated like this before, and it felt a bit strange.
But I was still skeptical, so I responded.

“Sorry, I’m not interested in cults.”

At that, their expression turned cold.

“...I see.”

They muttered under their breath.

“Then I’ll have to take you by force.”

And then they started doing something strange.
Of course, they couldn’t overpower me, so they were choosing a different method.

Suddenly, they bit down hard on their arm, spilling blood onto the ground.
Without regeneration like mine, a wound like that would be deadly in this forest.
It meant they were trying to gamble with another tactic.

Using the blood, they quickly drew a symbol on the ground, resembling a magic circle.
I wondered what they were doing.
Blood magic? Could they use something like that?

Normally, such techniques would be considered dark magic.

Even as I pondered, the magic circle began to glow. A faint noise accompanied the light, and then a voice came from beyond the circle.
A strange, ominous energy emanated from the magic.

“I have answered.”@@novelbin@@

“This is Lian.”

A chill ran down my spine. Damn it, it was a communication spell. I couldn’t let them keep talking.

I acted immediately, readying my dagger to throw.

Whirrr
A faint aura surrounded the tip of the dagger as I hurled it at the person.

“What’s your business?”
“Yes, I’m reporting a—”

Thud!
The dagger embedded itself in their forehead, cutting off their words. It was a grotesque sight.

They collapsed to the ground, unable to continue speaking.

“Lian? Lian, what’s happening? Answer me.”

Even after they fell, the voice continued to echo from the magic circle. It was a low, husky, and emotionless female voice.

I held my breath, trying not to make any noise as I quickly used my foot to erase the magic circle.
Such ominous things should be destroyed immediately.

“I’m asking again. Respond….”

Crackle, crackle.

As the circle disappeared, the voice grew faint and eventually faded out completely.
Only after I had erased the entire circle and the voice was long gone did I finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“Phew…”

What a strange person.
Lemegeton? A cult that serves demons?

Since otherworlders—players—had started entering this world, all sorts of strange things had been happening.
Up until now, I’d just ignored it since it didn’t concern me.

But judging by their reverence for me, it seemed like people like me were now involved.

‘I don’t know.’

After thinking about it for a while, I decided to push the questions to the back of my mind for now.
I had more pressing matters to deal with.

There was still a corpse lying on the ground, a dagger lodged in their forehead.
Once the body was found, search parties would likely scour the area.
The fact that they belonged to some mysterious cult only made the situation worse.

Just thinking about it was enough to give me a headache.

“I can’t exactly report the body, either…”

At the very least, if the body were discovered, the pursuit teams might not disturb the area.

As I stood there pondering, a brilliant idea suddenly came to mind.
And soon enough, I was able to put that idea into action.

The next day, Im Ha-neul visited Yor’s cave for the first time in a while.
There, she was met with the strange sight of Yor smiling brightly next to a corpse with a hole in its forehead.

After listening to Yor's request, Ha-neul couldn't help but ask again to make sure she heard correctly.

“So… you're saying this guy was one of the assailants, and you’re the one who took him down?”
“Yep.”

By the way, they had dropped the formal language a few days ago. Since Ha-neul was a bit older, it felt odd for her to keep speaking so politely.
It was actually Yor who suggested they switch to casual speech, but that wasn’t really the issue right now.

“And you want me to report this body to the guild, saying I’m the one who caught him?”
“Yep.”
“Do you really think they'll believe I took down someone like this?”
“No idea.”

Sigh. Ha-neul let out a deep breath.
She was beginning to feel a headache coming on herself.