Chapter 166: What is the Price?

The reason Otto came to find Litt was, in fact, to get to the bottom of things.

The reason Magic Artifacts are what they are, is because while their powers are undoubtedly formidable, they are always accompanied by even more formidable side effects.

Just like the Hypnosis Coin he’d once had in his hands—if your strength didn’t surpass your target’s, you’d end up being controlled by them.

Now, he had basically figured out the function of the Disguise Mask that Litt nearly wore.

Including but not limited to…

Almost perfectly reproducing the appearance and scent of the person being imitated.

Almost perfectly mimicking their personality and emotions.

And the one being imitated wasn’t limited to real people; it could even be a fictional character created out of thin air, just like “Litt”—a character who didn’t even exist in the first place.

There was still one more point he hadn’t yet confirmed.

While maintaining the disguise, any harm—even death—inflicted upon the person being mimicked was highly unlikely to feed back to, or affect, the true body of the Magic Artifact’s user.

This was only a guess, but Otto was almost certain it was accurate.

However, the more he dissected these astonishingly powerful features, the more cautious Otto became.

He understood better than anyone that, under the laws of equivalent exchange for Magic Artifacts, such “generously” granted convenience always came with a price that matched—or even vastly exceeded—their power.

Otto narrowed his eyes, his gaze seeming to pierce the very essence of things as he quietly observed the girl curled up peacefully in Red’s arms.

In this moment, she was tranquil, docile, exuding a kind of sweet innocence untouched by the world—completely different from the Letia Priestess in his memory, who always looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze, sharp words, and frequently opposed him.

This perfect disguise, this exquisite act… it was awe-inspiring, but even more so, chilling.

So, what was the price?

Was it that the user’s personality would be subtly corroded and overwritten by this fictional “shell,” until they eventually lost themselves?

Or was it that the Magic Artifact itself quietly drained something even more fundamental—namely, the soul and spirit—until the user was utterly transformed into a puppet under its control?

Or perhaps… the exchange was something even more secretive, even crueler?

Otto thought calmly, but ultimately found no answer.

If he wanted a real answer, he’d have to use it himself at least once.

But, considering Litt… no, Letia’s personality, there was no way she’d willingly hand over the Disguise Mask to him.

Still, Otto had a better way.

In fact, the White Church also had a Magic Artifact with a similar function, though it didn’t mimic people—it copied objects.

Simply put, with this Magic Artifact, he could make a perfect copy of the Disguise Mask on Litt’s face.

By researching this, he could finally discover what price was exacted by the Magic Artifact Litt wore…

“By the way, Otto, what did you need from Litt?”

Red’s voice pulled Otto out of his thoughts.

He responded with a calm smile and said,

“I was planning to look for her, but seeing how exhausted she is, I think I’ll come another day.”

With that, Otto was about to stand and leave.

But Red seemed to remember something.

He reached out, opened his mouth.

He wanted to ask about the Automaton, but when the words reached his lips, he couldn’t bring himself to speak them.

“Mr. Red, is there something else?”

“No… nothing.”

Red swallowed the words.

At the same time, Litt—already asleep—was having a strange dream.

No… rather than a dream, it was more like peering into the future through the Script.

Everywhere she looked, there were the White Church’s unique White Flame Torches, and in great numbers.

It looked just like a marching army, grandly moving forward through the dark Dungeon.

Looking around, Litt realized that the person she was viewing in the Script was herself—no, “Litt.”

But she couldn’t tell if this Litt was really her, or the original.

The group moved onward, finally stopping, apparently inside a gigantic Temple.

Faced with such an enormous Temple, Litt felt puzzled.

Why would there be such a Temple inside the Dungeon?

And judging from the decor, it didn’t seem like a Temple of the White Church at all—if anything, it looked more like a Temple of some unknown cult.

The vision stopped there, and Litt woke from her dream.

She rubbed her drowsy eyes, looking about in confusion.

The boundary between dream and reality seemed blurred, and for a moment, she subconsciously thought her head was resting on a pillow.

So she rolled over, wanting to go back to sleep, but what she saw instead… was a set of firm abdominal muscles.

And there seemed to be something strange, slowly rising, as if it was about to poke her in the face.

Litt was so startled she shot upright, and when she saw Red, her still-groggy mind finally pieced together what had happened before she’d fallen asleep.

In order to play the role of Litt—the one who would heal Red’s heart—she’d, as always, tried to raise Red’s affection toward her.

Originally, she’d only planned to pretend to sleep and tease him a bit, but somehow, she’d actually dozed off.

“Uh… Good afternoon.”

Red, a little embarrassed, rubbed his nose, his body pulling back a little.

Litt’s look of almost-awake, almost-asleep had been adorable, and the faint fragrance of the young girl seemed almost magical, making Red feel a little dazed and enchanted.

So, rather embarrassed, he could only say his “dragon was raising its head.”

Seeing Litt’s face flush from her ears to her neck in embarrassment, Red couldn’t care about anything else—he hurried to explain.

“Wait, there’s a reason for this, let me expla—”

Litt gently cut him off. Still lowering her eyes, she unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes with her fingers.

“No need to explain. I actually know what that kind of reaction means for boys.”

“And…”

She leaned forward a little, a faint smile on her face, her tone gentle as she said, “Seeing you react to me like that actually… makes me quite happy too.”

“Huh?”

Red was taken aback.

“Happy about what?”

Before Red’s mind could catch up, Litt darted off like a rabbit fleeing for its life, escaping in just a few quick steps.

“N-no… nothing, just pretend I misspoke!”

“Huh?”

After the girl left, Red finally figured out what Litt’s words had meant, and his face, old as it was, couldn’t help but redden a little.

Maybe he really was a bit embarrassed;

On the other hand…

The trauma in his heart caused by Letia and that monkey measuring him up before had also been healed a fair amount.

Back then, when he’d accidentally entered the bath and seen that monkey’s body, he really hadn’t been able to control his “dragon raising its head”… but that was a normal man’s reaction.

Could he blame himself for that!?

He couldn’t.

After a long silence, Red sighed.

“Clearly, both have the title of clergy, but one is an angel that makes you feel as if you’re bathed in spring, and the other… is just like a Primal Primate, isn’t she?”