Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 28: [Appraisal]
Hyde, having parted ways with Monica, stood before a full-length mirror in the guest room assigned to him in the Ahre Palace.
[All-Seeing god’s eye]
In the reflection of himself in the mirror, familiar appraisal information appeared, overlapping his own image.
Appraisal Information
Name: Hyde Ryugen
Skills Possessed:
- Guidance of the War God
- Source of the Divine Spring
- All-Seeing God’s Eye
- Clay Doll of the Divine Realm
What he was about to attempt would determine the course of his future life.
Thinking that, a wave of tension suddenly overcame him.
“――[Clay Doll of the Divine Realm].”
He focused his mind.
On a version of himself… without any skills.
“Guh…!? What, is this—?”
The moment he activated the skill, a sharp pain surged through his entire body.
It was an excruciating agony, as if his body were about to burst apart from the inside.
“Gah… ugh…”
Writhing in pain, he reflexively stopped using the skill halfway through.
As soon as he did, the unbearable torment that had wracked his entire body quickly subsided.
“What the hell was that just now…?”
He steadied his ragged breathing and wiped the sweat from his forehead, deep in thought.
The skill had undoubtedly activated.
He had used [Clay Doll of the Divine Realm] to erase his own skills, attempting to transform himself into a version without any.
However, the result was a searing pain coursing through him, as if something was outright rejecting the change.
(Rejection… Could it be that there’s a limit to what [Clay Doll of the Divine Realm] can interfere with? Or maybe, at a more fundamental level, the other skills repelled the effects of this skill?)
Countless possibilities came to mind.
But what was more important than theorizing was the undeniable fact that he hadn’t succeeded in erasing his skills.
“No, wait… instead of erasing the skills… what if I try hiding them?”
He recalibrated his thoughts and tried again.
This time, instead of imagining a version of himself without any skills, he envisioned a version of himself with his skills concealed.
“――”
This time, as usual, he felt the mana drain from his body, only to be replenished immediately by [Fountain of Divine Blessings]
Relieved that he didn’t have to endure that searing pain again, Hyde once more turned to his reflection in the mirror and activated [All-Seeing god’s eye].
Appraisal Information
Name: Hyde Rugen
Skills Possessed: (Empty)
“…It worked.”
The four skills that were supposed to be there had disappeared, leaving the section blank.
While he couldn’t guarantee that the information visible through [Appraisal] would always match, he was confident that nothing would surpass the level of detail seen through [All-Seeing god’s eye].
Just as he exhaled in relief, another issue quickly surfaced.
“So this makes it look like I don’t have any skills at all, huh?”
He recalled what the god had told him before his reincarnation:
In this world, everyone is born with skills.
And as someone from another world without any skills, he had been summoned before the god.
“Being ridiculed as a useless nobody without skills wouldn’t bother me. …But if they misunderstand things in the opposite way, that’s a problem.”
In other words, people might suspect that he possessed skills so powerful that even the appraisal abilities of royalty couldn’t detect them.
He wasn’t sure if skills in this world had rankings or rarity levels, but given the existence of superior and inferior versions of abilities, it was prudent to assume they did.
(Actually, the reason [Clay Doll of the Divine Realm] failed to erase the skills might be because they were on the same tier… skills of equal standing. That makes sense.)
The most powerful skills bestowed upon him by the god.
If rarity were a factor, it was hard to imagine that any of them were inferior to another.
“…In that case.”
Hyde activated [Clay Doll of the Divine Realm] once more.
Then, he used [All-Seeing god’s eye] again to reassess his own skills.
◆ ◆ ◆
The next day, the time for skill appraisal had finally arrived. Hyde, accompanied by Dolph, made his way to the royal castle.
They were escorted to a reception room within the castle.
The spacious interior was adorned with undeniably luxurious furnishings, and numerous paintings lined the walls.
Suspended from the ceiling were mana stone-powered lights, their presence a testament to the prestige of the royal castle, the heart of the nation.
As the two quietly sat on the sofa, waiting, the door suddenly opened with a click.
Dolph and Hyde immediately stood from the sofa and turned toward the door.
Entering the room, flanked by several guards and officials, was the Fourth Princess, Monica Bernard, whom he had just met the previous day.
This time, she wore an even more splendid dress, and a tiara graced her head.
Her clear, sky-blue hair was styled with intricate arrangements, making her appearance elegant yet endearingly charming.
Ad
Hyde, not expecting to see her again so soon, was inwardly surprised.
As their eyes met, Monica’s gaze widened slightly as she stared back at him.
She, too, seemed startled by something.
“Princess Monica. I am deeply grateful for your gracious response to my request despite your busy schedule.”
Dolph’s words seemed to snap Monica out of her thoughts. She turned toward him and resumed her usual smile.
“Raise your head, Count Dolph. I have heard of your commendable efforts. His Majesty the Emperor himself remarked that a request from someone of your caliber could not be disregarded.”
“Your words are far too generous.”
Compared to the version of her they had seen in the garden, Monica now seemed every bit the dignified princess.
After an exchange so refined it was almost mesmerizing, Monica seated herself on the sofa across from Hyde and Dolph, then gestured for them to sit as well.
“Well then, let us proceed with the appraisal. Haido, I will now use [Appraisal] on you to see your skills. …Is that acceptable?”
This must be the “consent” she mentioned yesterday.
Hyde nodded in agreement, albeit nervously.
“Yes.”
The moment Hyde nodded, a chill ran down his spine, covering his body in goosebumps.
He could feel something watching him. It was that kind of sensation.
Ad
No, he was being watched.
Monica’s deep navy-blue eyes were fixed on Hyde, glowing with an ethereal light as if they were focused on somewhere far beyond this room.
Then, she murmured softly.
“…[Swordsmanship].”
“—!”
The instant she murmured, Dolph sprang up from the sofa in alarm.
However, he quickly regained his composure, adjusted his attire, and sat back down.
Monica’s gaze, which seemed to peer into a distant place, gradually returned to normal.
She then formally announced:
“Hyde Rugen’s possessed skill is [Swordsmanship].”
At that declaration, Hyde finally felt a sense of relief.
If no skill were detected, there was a chance he might be suspected of possessing an unusually powerful one.
To avoid such suspicions, Hyde had used [Clay Doll of the Divine Realm] to grant himself a different skill.
Just like when transforming his body, he had chosen a skill he could concretely imagine.
That skill was [Swordsmanship], which he had seen countless times in his childhood within the Rugen household.
As Dolph beamed happily beside him, Monica’s sharp voice suddenly rang out.
“Count Dolph.”
“Yes!”
“May I speak with your son alone for a moment?”
“With my son… Very well, I understand.”
Sensing something, Dolph stood up, lightly patted Hyde on the shoulder, gave him a meaningful look, and left the room.
The guards and officials also exited at Monica’s urging, leaving only Hyde and her in the room.
“Um, Princess Monica…”
As Hyde attempted to ask the reason for the dismissal, Monica fixed him with a piercing gaze.
“Who are you?”