Inside the Persona Gate, which took the form of the Wind Empire, the city appeared deserted, a silent remnant of a once-bustling place. Yet, not every corner of this world was devoid of life.

Life did exist within the Persona Gate—albeit as NPCs who moved according to scripted stories and predetermined fates.

The noisy chatter surrounding them made Hong Bi-yeon’s expression sour. It was the kind of look she only wore when she was truly annoyed, which would normally make Baek Yu-seol tread carefully. But today was different.

“Oh... this looks like it’s set 150 years in the past, doesn’t it?”

“How do you know that?”

Baek Yu-seol wandered into the bustling marketplace, observing his surroundings with interest. Hong Bi-yeon glanced around skeptically.

Though she hadn’t visited the Wind Empire often, the clothing styles and the architecture were undeniably old-fashioned, not modern at all.

“See that mask with the nine wheels? It’s what an infamous assassin wore about two centuries ago. They were known for killing corrupt nobles and distributing wealth to the poor, becoming a sort of folk hero. To the people of that time, they must have felt like a legend.”

Masks with nine wheels painted on them were scattered everywhere, and some people even wore them. 

Understanding why such a thing would be considered fashionable was beyond her. Trying to grasp the culture of an unfamiliar foreign nation from 150 years ago seemed futile.

“So, is this the ‘Legend of the Nine-Wheel Mask’?”

“No, it’s just a story. Like Hong Gil-dong or Sherlock Holmes...”

“Sherlock?”

“Never mind that. Anyway, there’s no reason for us to stay here, so let’s go.”

Once again, Baek Yu-seol took Hong Bi-yeon’s hand and led her through the crowd. The marketplace was teeming with people, and it would be easy to get separated. Although he could use his monocle to find her if needed, he saw no reason to waste time.

The fake crowd’s artificial noise no longer reached Hong Bi-yeon’s ears.

She had no desire to be distracted by something fake.

According to some mages, the NPCs within Persona Gates might actually be living beings from another world. But that was only a theory.

She wasn’t inclined to waste time or attention on beings whose true nature was uncertain.

After they left the market, night fell quickly, and a bright half-moon rose into the sky.

This was the phenomenon where time and place shifted whenever one moved from one story to another.

For example, when stepping into the legend of a werewolf that transforms under a full moon, the full moon would appear in the background. Similarly, the story of the Nine-Wheel Mask, a hero hiding among people, would take place in a bustling daytime market.

“Night tales are more dangerous, so be careful. No messing around.”

Even though Baek Yu-seol had his monocle, which provided more accurate guidance than any “guideline message,” he made sure to remind Hong Bi-yeon to stay vigilant.

In the original game, she was always the first to trigger a death flag.

Normally, this kind of teasing would make Hong Bi-yeon snap, venting her irritation, which, oddly enough, helped ease the tension. Baek Yu-seol often provoked her on purpose in such situations.

“...I’m not a child.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I know.”

But this time, Hong Bi-yeon just muttered under her breath, without scolding him as usual.

He had expected to be scolded but found her quiet grumbling just as awkward.

Baek Yu-seol advanced through the story cautiously and steadily. While it seemed like an ordinary children’s tale promoting moral lessons, it was riddled with hidden dangers: tigers with intelligence that walked on two legs, disguised themselves, and even mimicked human voices. Caution was essential.

The idea of a powerful beast with human-level intelligence was terrifying.

‘...What are those guys doing?’

By the third day, Ryuderyk was growing weary of tailing Baek Yu-seol. Or rather, bored might be a better term.

He hadn’t expected that following behind a junior would be so maddeningly tedious.

‘Are they on a date or something, those cursed brats...’

By now, Ryuderyk was almost certain. Baek Yu-seol was hard to read, but Hong Bi-yeon’s reactions were more telling.

As an A-Class second-year, he had kept an eye on the first-year students, and Hong Bi-yeon, being famous, was no exception. He knew her reputation well.

‘Was she always like this?’

She was known for her sharp tongue, her words like blades that cut into her opponents with brutal precision.

Beautiful as an angel, purer than a fairy, but with a smile that oozed sarcasm and words that shredded even one’s soul.

That was the Hong Bi-yeon Adolevit everyone knew.

‘Is that really the same Princess Hong Bi-yeon?’

The version of her he knew seemed to have vanished, replaced by a simple, ordinary girl standing before him.

“How do ducks tie their shoelaces?”

“I don’t care.”

“Tightly.”

“Pffft.”

Suddenly, a ball of fire shot towards Baek Yu-seol. Seeing this, Ryuderyk quickly corrected himself.

‘Ah, I was mistaken after all.’

Watching her burning anger flare up, it was clear that the Hong Bi-yeon he knew hadn’t gone anywhere.

They had been walking for who knows how long when the moon had risen and set multiple times. Finally, they arrived at a place that seemed like their destination.

‘...So this is it.’

Ryuderyk frowned as he read the guideline message.

He hadn’t expected them to reach the final location so quickly, and without trouble.

It looked like all they did was wander around chatting, but when he examined their progress, it was thorough, calculated, and flawless—leaving nothing to criticize.

‘Well...’

Ryuderyk sighed and dropped the score sheet he had for Baek Yu-seol and Hong Bi-yeon.

No point in hoping for a chance to intervene now; it would only be a waste of effort.

---

Three days had passed since Anella found herself trapped in the village. She was starting to realize that whatever force held her here, it wasn’t an illusion or a barrier.

Her appearance was pitiful as she hid among the bushes, alert like a squirrel, constantly on edge.

Her clothes were torn and ragged, her body covered in small cuts that left streaks of blood across her skin. She had tried to use the remnants of her clothing to stop the bleeding, but that only left her more vulnerable to further injury if she encountered the villagers again.

‘How do I get out of here?’

Her hair was damp with cold sweat, a minor discomfort compared to her immediate concerns.

“There she is!”

“Over there!”

“Damn it, where did that monster go?!”

“If we don’t find her by sundown, we’re done for! Hurry!”

Villagers scurried through the forest, searching for her with movements far from ordinary. Some leapt great distances by bursting mana from their feet, while others sketched magic circles on the ground to cast tracking spells.

Yet, Anella felt no strangeness about this scene.

‘Of course farmers use magic.’

Such nonsensical logic had embedded itself in her mind.

‘Sigh...’

Why couldn’t she leave the village?

She still hadn’t figured it out.

There was no magical interference; if there were, Anella, a Black Magus skilled in mental manipulation, would have sensed it.

‘It feels like the space itself is twisted.’

Even though she had run straight out of the village, she found herself back at its center whenever she came to her senses.

Running, being chased, running, and being chased again.

There were about ten villagers in total, taking turns to chase her in groups of five. They showed no signs of exhaustion, while she felt her stamina waning.

Three days without sleep or a sip of water had drained her, despite her nature as a Black Magus who relied more on human blood than regular food. If she wanted, she could grab one of the villagers now, snap their neck, and drink their blood.

It would be easy.

Even in her weakened state, there was no way she would lose to these mere farmers.

Her unique nature allowed her to destroy human minds and draw pure blood. Replenishing her strength would make her untouchable again.

‘...But I don’t want to.’

Her lips were parched.

How long had it been since she last drank blood? She had resisted hunger and thirst for so long.

She didn’t want to harm humans, not now.

‘I’m human.’

I will become human.

‘I can hold out...’

Black Magi used to say:

A starving Black Magus would eventually lose control and become a rampaging beast, their mind overtaken.

But not Anella.

Instead of succumbing, her mind grew clearer and more logical.

‘This proves I’m becoming human.’

She believed it firmly.

With trembling hands, she reached for her chest, where she would clutch the talisman Baek Yu-seol had given her whenever she felt anxious.

But it wasn’t there.

‘Ah...’

The talisman that had been taken by the Witch Queen was gone.

Why did its absence feel so overwhelming?

—“Oh dear, why are you just lying there, bored?”

The sinister voice reached her ears. It was unmistakable—the Witch Queen’s tone.

Anella flinched and looked up in shock. The tree she was hiding behind suddenly snapped and fell to the ground.

—“

If you’re going to play, do it properly!”

“Wha—?!”

Crash! Thud!

Anella tumbled over rocks and hit the ground hard as villagers, alerted by the noise, came running.

“Over here!!”

She tried to stand, but her legs gave out, leaving her kneeling. Refusing to stay down, she clutched a nearby tree and forced herself up, gathering what little strength she had left to run.

But she couldn’t go far.

Zap!

A blue magic circle appeared midair, striking her with lightning. The ground rose with jagged stones that pinned her limbs in place.

Water blasts, then flames followed.

Only when Anella’s body slumped, motionless, did the villagers—no, Stella’s first-year students—stop their assault.

“Finally, we caught her...”

“Whew, that was tough.”

“This has to be the ‘forgotten tale’ the guideline message mentioned, right?”

“Yeah, the senior confirmed it.”

The students cautiously approached Anella, bound by the stone restraints and seemingly unconscious. Her black-streaked form looked grotesque, like a being impersonating a human.

The sight instinctively triggered a deep aversion among the students.

“Do... do we kill it? It’s disgusting.”

“What else would we do? Offer it a handshake and make peace?”

“If you’re too scared, step back. I’ll kill it and claim the extra points.”

“N-no, I’ll help too.”

They inched closer to Anella. When her fingers twitched and her head shifted slightly, they collectively stepped back in alarm.

“Scaredy-cat!”

“It’s because of you we’re stepping back!”

Embarrassed by their fear of an already weakened creature, they lashed out at each other.

“Let’s just finish this. I hate this.”

“Being born a monster is unfortunate, but... it’s just a fake life anyway.”

“Yeah. No need to get sentimental over something fake.”

Despite their words, no one moved forward until a male student from A-Class stepped up, rolling up his sleeves.

“Move aside, I’ll do it myself.”

He pointed his staff at Anella’s head, preparing a spell.

—“Last chance.”

A cold wind swept through, and suddenly, a thin cut appeared on the boy’s arm, dripping blood.

“Ouch!”

He recoiled, but the small pool of blood that gathered didn’t vanish.

‘That smell...’

Familiar, unsettling, yet irresistible.

Anella’s eyes opened involuntarily, focusing on the blood pooling on the ground.

Just a small bend of her neck, and she could reach it.

‘A mage’s blood...’

It was only a handful, but enough for her.

Enough to shatter the minds of every student present and destroy the village in its entirety.

—“No more chances! Be human, or be a Black Magus! Everyone has their ‘fated role.’ You foolishly tried to defy yours.”

—“Now, look at the consequences—being trampled by mere children who haven’t even lived twenty years. Do you understand the price of trying to defy fate?”

The Witch Queen’s voice seeped into Anella’s mind, making her feel dizzier.

—“Accept it. Obey. Did Baek Yu-seol say sweet things, promising you could change your fate? Lies. All lies. You’re a Black Magus, a foolish one, meant to be used.”

A drop of sweat fell, mixing with the blood. Anella’s gaze remained fixed on it.

—“Drink. You have the qualities of a witch. If you do, I’ll share my blood with you. You won’t be human, but you’ll live a life better than that of a mere Black Magus.”

Temptations clawed at her mind.

The blood of humans.

The life of a witch.

The thought of consuming it all, destroying the humans before her.

—“Isn’t it thrilling, just imagining it?”

It was.

The thought alone brought joy, excitement, and pleasure welling up from deep within her heart.

And so, Anella...

“...Kill me.”

Closed her eyes.

—“Huh?”

“I... don’t even have the soul left to enjoy pleasure anymore...”

—“Wait, what are you saying, child?”

She was too tired, too worn to chase after desires.

Her mind, torn to shreds, her soul, worn and battered, could no longer find joy in anything.

If she wished for one last thing, it was to close her eyes as a human being.

‘I’ll become human this way.’

To cast off all dark temptations and meet death.

‘My dream will be realized in death.’

A truly human death.