They had witnessed Yunsol clutching her head in sudden pain. They didn’t mistake it for illness — they knew it was a revelation from Hunt.
What shocked her was that neither of them so much as reached for a doctor. Instead, they simply waited as she brought up the map.
But the map didn’t display a destination this time.
Instead, words appeared:
[Security net breach in progress! Task will be completed in 71 hours, 59 minutes.]
In the blink of an eye, the timer shifted. 71 hours, 58 minutes.
And then 57.
The strangeness didn’t end there.
The pain was unlike Laura’s quest. Not a sharp, piercing strike — but a heavy, rhythmic ache that pulsed with her heartbeat. Worse, it didn’t fade after thirty seconds.
Still clutching her temples, she forced out a pained voice.
“…Your son must be in a very difficult place to find.”
“What do you mean?” the Duchess asked sharply.
“Mr. Hunt says… the results will come in three days.”
“Three days?”
Patia’s face flushed crimson.
“Unfair! When Laura asked, she didn’t even pray earnestly, nor offer sacrifices, yet Hunt gave her an answer right away. And me? After all I’ve wept, after all I’ve begged, now I’m told to wait three days?”
Yunsol reached for the teapot, intending to do something — anything — to ease her own tension. Empty. Not a drop left.
“With all the tears I’ve shed, with all my sincerity, Hunt would never do this to me. He couldn’t.”
Ethan’s cold voice cut across the Duchess’s trembling protest.
“Isn’t the god you serve supposed to be omnipotent? Able to find anything? And yet you’re saying three days… for a single bone fragment?”
The mistrust in his eyes hit harder than his words.
Yunsol wanted to scream. She barely listened as complaints, accusations, and appeals rained down from both sides.
‘God, I’m so sick of this game. Just let me quit. Log out, anything…’
Her head throbbed with feverish heat.
“No, no!” Patia cried suddenly, backpedaling in panic. “I didn’t mean to blame you, sir. Of course not. Our Louis is worth more than any stray dog! This is my failing. I only need more faith, more sincerity.”
“Mother,” Ethan cut in sharply, “what sincerity is left to show? Haven’t I already declared, with my own mouth, that the Representative needs no further offerings?”
The nitpicking tone of his voice was the last straw.
Yunsol’s voice burst out, ragged with pain and anger.
“Your Grace, Your Highness — I told you already! The search will be completed in seventy-two hours. That’s all! That’s what I said!”
She pressed harder against her forehead, half from pain, half to keep from screaming. Her vision blurred with tears.
“I know how desperate you are. I want to find him, too. Maybe that’s why I’m even here. But you have to wait three days!”
Her voice cracked. Then silence.
“…Forgive me. My head is killing me. I’ll… see you in three days.”
She turned and left without looking back.
The map still floated in the air, taunting her with its message:
[Security net breach in progress! Task will be completed in 71 hours, 41 minutes.]
“Three real days?!” she hissed. “What kind of sadistic game is this? Am I supposed to live with this headache for seventy-two hours straight?”
She was glaring at the timer when she heard footsteps behind her.
“I’ll take you back.”
The voice sent a chill down her spine. Ethan.
She quickened her pace without turning. “I can go alone.”
Her voice trembled. Her eyes burned. She blinked rapidly, but tears slipped down anyway.
He kept following.
“Just now—”
“I said,” Yunsol spun around, her voice fierce through the tears, “I’ll see you in three days.”
Her glare froze him for a moment. She seized the hesitation and bolted down the stairs.
“Do you think you’re the only ones with a temper?” she shouted back under her breath. “Even the butler would know better than this. How much do I have to give before you’re satisfied?”
She slammed her door shut behind her, flung herself onto the bed, and pummeled the pillow with both fists.
“Charming world, my ass. Wealth, fame, power — what a load of garbage!”
When the fury ebbed, she finally summoned the quest log.
Quest
▸Main Quest: Blake Family’s Lost Artifact (2)
Duchess Blake took her agent’s advice and began searching for Louis Blake’s remains. But where could they possibly be?
▸Infiltrate ㅇ#■■ ■■
▸Reward: Unlock Blake Family’s Lost Item (3)
“…Huh?”
The first line had changed.
She stared at it for several minutes, but nothing else shifted. Exhausted, she collapsed against the mattress.
Her body screamed for rest. Her skull pounded. Her eyes fluttered closed…
A gentle voice tugged her from the edge of sleep.
“Sir, it is time for your meal.”
“…I’m fine. I’ll eat later…”
“The Lord of Soga is waiting.”
“…Three days… come back in three days…”
Her words slurred as she sank fully into sleep. She never heard the faint chime.
[SYSTEM: You have passed the ending branch!]
[SYSTEM: Preview of sub-ending in progress.]
† † †
She stirred as if surfacing from a dream.
“What do you think?”
Ethan’s voice.
Yunsol blinked. Recognition prickled.
‘I know this scene…’
Patia set her glass down. Her hands twisted together, restless, before she finally spoke.
“My mind is unchanged. I will not accept such assumptions. Doubt and fear distort reality. Sir, please—find young Louis. Louis must still be alive.”
Ethan exhaled heavily, but Patia’s back remained straight.
A system prompt appeared before Yunsol’s eyes:
[SYSTEM: Would you like to set the search scope to ‘youth’?]
▸Yes
▸No
A cold shiver ran down her spine. She glanced around. Nothing unusual — and yet the unease grew.
Hesitating only a moment, she chose Yes.
[SYSTEM: Search area set!]
[SYSTEM: Quest “Blake Family’s Lost Artifact (1)” Completed!]
[SYSTEM: Ending A unlocked as quest reward!]
Letters began scrolling upward like film credits.
[NEW!] Ending A
- The object Duchess Blake sought was not within the search range.
- This means the Blake family will never recover their lost heir.
- Hunt’s agent has missed her chance to be of use.
- But that’s alright! She will continue bravely navigating this world with God’s blessing.
~ The Blake Family’s Lost Artifact — THE END ~
Yunsol stared blankly.
“…What the hell?”
She scrolled the text again and again. But no matter how many times she reread it, the message was the same:
Louis Blake was gone. Forever.
Patia’s trembling voice broke the silence.
“Agent… did you receive the results?”
Yunsol froze. Patia’s violet eyes shimmered with desperate hope.
Her mouth went dry.
Ethan gave a bitter, hollow laugh.
“Ha! What did I tell you, Mother?”
Patia’s face crumpled. “What… what are you saying?”
Ethan’s voice cut like a blade.
“Louis is gone. A healthy young man does not exist. Only remains. I told you so.”
Patia stared at him, bewildered.
Yunsol forced the words out, her throat raw.
“…I’m sorry. Hunt says the object you seek… is outside the search range.”
Ethan stormed from the room.
Patia blinked, dazed. “Explain. More simply.”
Her voice was calm, but the chill in her tone made Yunsol’s palms sweat.
“The Blake family… will never find their second son.”
“Again.”
Patia’s voice snapped.
“Say it again! What did Hunt say?”
“M-Madam…”
Yunsol’s heart hammered.
‘Ethan Blake, please—come back. Please.’
But the hedgehog-like man was gone. Only Patia remained.
The Duchess rose. Each deliberate step made Yunsol flinch.
“I’m listening, Agent. Speak. Where is my Louis?”
“…He cannot be found…”
“Stop your nonsense!”
Her scream tore through the room as she swept cups and teapot from the table. Porcelain shattered across the floor.
