Reincarnated User Manual

“Hey, kiddo, isn’t your mouth a bit too sharp? Do you eat rags for every meal?”

Instead of getting angry at Shiron’s taunts, the slender-framed man just shrugged them off as if they were amusing.

“Heh.”

Shiron wiped the blood smeared on his face with his sleeve.

It was as expected. Outside the cave, there was a body without a single scratch. The only person within Shiron’s knowledge who would do such a bizarre thing was the ‘woman’ before him.

‘Why is this person cross-dressing?’

A woman.

For some reason, the woman in front of him was dressed as a man.

He didn’t know why… and didn’t care to find out. What mattered was that her disguise hadn’t fooled Shiron’s sharp eyes.

‘One more to the count.’

Shiron gripped his longsword in reverse. His combat excitement was waning, lessening the anger in his voice. Yet, his irritation towards his opponent had not subsided. He didn’t like being threatened in this situation.

“You act so arrogantly without even knowing your place. How amusing.”

“Arrogant? Amusing?”

Unfamiliar words.

The person… no, the woman, lost her smile and frowned. Being looked down upon by this audacious kid, even for her, wasn’t an easily dismissible situation.

“Kiddo, we just met, but what do you know to be talking so big? I’m genuinely curious.”

“I know as much as I know.”

And he truly did. It wasn’t an exaggeration, nor bravado.

Shiron knew very well who she was.

Her slender body, the unique way she spoke, and, crucially, the shape of the short sword she carried. Even with her disguise, he was certain of her identity.

“Special Task Force of the Police Bureau, Berta. By rank… maybe by now, a lieutenant?”

Unlike the bandits he just dealt with, she was a character frequently seen in the game. He was glad to see her, but he was bothered by the fact that she shouldn’t have been here.

In this bonus stage, [Brother’s Relic], there shouldn’t be any NPCs.

“…Berta? I am Alrain. And the Police Bureau…”

Was it because he revealed her identity? Her voice was slightly trembling. Shiron cut her off as if he couldn’t tolerate any more of her words.

“Don’t dodge it. Did you think I would be fooled by such a pathetic disguise?”

“…Is that so? Then it doesn’t matter.”

Berta touched her face and removed her human skin mask.

A graceful lady with shiny black hair cut to her shoulders. Her face, which had been hidden, was now revealed.

“Until now, no one ever realized my disguise.”

Berta’s heavily modulated voice returned to its original tone.

“And I’m not a lieutenant. I was promoted to inspector not long ago.”

Berta smirked.

The fact that her identity was revealed by this little kid was something.

Due to the nature of the Special Task Force, where they had to operate in secrecy, she didn’t reveal her identity readily, and most enemies who knew her face met their end at her hands.

In ways that left no trace, making them impossible to identify.

That was why Berta was more shaken than usual.

“So? Who are you? I even doubt if you’re genuinely this young. It’s the first time I’ve heard of a kid who knows about me.”

“Darn. You’re tense.”

It was understandable why Berta was this tense.

How could she not be when a kid, seemingly wet behind the ears, saw through her disguise and knew her true identity?

Shiron chuckled.

In the game, she makes her appearance roughly ten years from now. At that time, she was still an inspector, so it was funny that she hadn’t been promoted in 10 years.

Slowly.

Things were going as planned.

“I don’t care why a high-ranking person like you is in disguise and teaming up with thieves. Don’t you think your life is too precious to be wasted for the nation?”

“Precious life?”

“Why are you so relaxed? Your skills are mediocre.”

Suddenly, Berta felt the weight of her sheathed blade lessen.

Clang!

“Don’t move. I’ll kill you.”

“…….”

Berta realized that her beloved weapon, the Formless Sword, was now placed right near her neck.

“…Damn.”

‘Was it not one, but two of them?’

Berta swallowed her saliva. She hadn’t noticed their approach.

However, she felt aggrieved. Her senses weren’t so dull as to be easily threatened by a mere kid who slays people like animals.

Suddenly, she wondered if the kid had deliberately deceived her, knowing her identity.

She felt sickened.

“… I’ve never been so careless.”

“Oh really? Maybe you’ve just become weaker than that guy. If you survive this, you should train harder.”

Berta felt the warm sensation of the blade on her neck. The person behind her pressed the blade without hesitation as if ready to take her life.

“Don’t even twitch a finger. Your breath reeks of alcohol, so breathe softly. And… Shiron. What do you need to watch out for next?”

“…….”

“Keep an eye on that one. He might use magic, so be careful if he moves his lips.”

“Got it.”

The boy spoke as if he was joking, but the girl emanated a palpable threat. Berta instinctively sensed the warning without needing words and broke into a cold sweat.

‘How did I not notice someone giving off such a strong presence? What kind of kid is this?’

Berta decided to start with an explanation.

“Young man… Shiron, right? Let’s resolve this with words. There’s probably some misunderstanding between us.”

“You’re quite concise.”

“… Won’t we talk?”

“You talked about killing me earlier. You’re quite the comedian.”

“I often hear that I’m funny. Sir.”

Berta forced a laugh to survive. It seemed like Shiron thought of something amusing, as he smirked.

“Now, strip.”

“…What?”

Berta looked stunned.

---

Inside a cold cave.

A woman, wearing only her underwear, was tied up and shivering.

“Hey, you have a better figure than I expected. Quite sexy.”

“… It’s just clothes. I usually look skinnier. Sir.”

Berta responded with a forced laugh, trying to match Shiron’s mood. She faced an unexpected form of harassment, but she didn’t object, wanting to survive.

“Wow, there isn’t a single place you haven’t hidden a weapon. Why are modern spies so sneaky?”

“Well, it’s just the special forces. Sir. The regular troops respect honor.”

“Honor? What crap. Lucia, this looks good. You take it.”

“…Thanks, Shiron.”

“This woman, she’s like a goldmine. Ah, I’ll take this one.”

Shiron rummaged through Berta’s belongings, humming a tune, while Lucia kept a sharp eye on Berta.

Once he finished, Shiron stretched out.

‘I can’t use that trick again. I need to get stronger fast.’

To divert the enemy’s attention, the blood he had purposefully smeared had a terrible smell.

After all, it was the blood of thieves who had only consumed alcohol and meat. It was sticky and had a foul odor.

But he felt no regret. Thanks to that, he easily subdued Berta, known as the crazy woman of the special forces. Grateful for the fact, Shiron wiped the blood off using Berta’s shirt, which felt quite luxurious.

“Now.”

Shiron faced Berta.

“Let’s hear why a spy like you is with these thieves.”

“Shiron. She was talking about honor earlier. Why don’t we just kill her? If we don’t torture her, she might not talk.”

“It’s a misunderstanding, little lady. I’ll explain everything. Ask any questions you might have.”

“…….”

‘Who was this brat?’

Lucia looked down at Berta with a cold gaze. She was quite displeased. Lucia worried about the empire’s future, wondering how such a woman reached the position of a law enforcement inspector. Such things never happened while Kyrie was alive.

“You should be ashamed enough to bite your tongue and end your life.”

“It’s just a police position, after all. What could I possibly know? Just like you said, I’m also just a salaryman.”

“Enough with the noise.”

Shiron interrupted the conversation as if he couldn’t stand to listen any longer.

“Let’s clear up the misunderstanding. Depending on what you say, I’ll decide what to do.”

A life and death decision.

Berta’s life was in Shiron’s hands.

However, Shiron didn’t have any intention to kill Berta.

Berta played a significant role in a future parliamentary terrorist attack event.

‘Building a relationship now for the future might not be a bad choice.’

He might have chosen a more harmonious method if she hadn’t been so arrogant. But what could he do? She brought it on herself.

“That is to say…”

Berta weakly lowered her head and licked her lips.

“Embarrassingly, I… got lost.”

“And?”

“I was about to freeze to death when I found a bandit’s lair nearby. I thought I’d stay there until the winter ended. Of course, I planned to kill them all when spring came.”

“The corpses up ahead, you killed them as an example?”

“Ah. You saw that? Yes, I did.”

At that moment, Lucia chimed in.

“Where were you headed? If you lost your way, you must have had a destination?”

“……The Devil’s Castle.”

Berta hesitated and then weakly replied.

“You, why are you so hesitant? What’s the Devil’s Castle? Speak clearly, or I’ll cut off your fingers.”

At the mention of the unknown term “Devil’s Castle”, Lucia angrily made a threatening gesture, yet her expression was oddly excited.

“It’s true! I received clear instructions from the higher-ups. It’s the Devil’s Castle. If you check my coat pocket, there’s a piece of paper.”

Shiron, as per Berta’s words, checked the coat pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.

On the paper was a clear mention of the Devil’s Castle. Shiron scanned the document, which even had illustrations. It was quite an official mission order.

‘Isn’t this Dawn Castle?’

The sketch featured a panoramic view of Dawn Castle drawn in charcoal. The true identity of the Devil’s Castle was the Dawn Castle of Prient.

“Heh. How did it turn out like this?”

Shiron chuckled while touching his forehead. Lucia was curious about why Shiron laughed.

“Why? Is there something funny written?”

“Yes, something amusing is written.”

“……?”

Shiron flung his coat at Berta, who looked confused by the situation.

“This girl, the paper is an order to watch the succession ceremony of Prient and then write a report. Dress appropriately, Officer Berta.”

“……First, you have to untie me.”

“Lucia, just untie her legs.”

Following the order, Lucia draped the coat over Berta and tied new ropes above it. After that, she untied the ropes from Berta’s feet. Lucia was quite skilled.

“Officer Berta.”

“……Yes.”

Shiron seemed to have a rough idea of why Berta, who shouldn’t be here, was present and why she hadn’t been promoted until now.

“Are you aware that the succession ceremony is the day after tomorrow?”

“……I don’t.”

“Can you guess who I am?”

“I don’t…”

“You. Are you ostracized within your organization?”

Berta’s face turned pale at Shiron’s pointed question. It seemed he hit a sore spot. Lucia looked at Berta disdainfully.

“To begin with, the Special Task Force never had any expectations of you. They openly employed you, hoping for your failure.”

“…….”

“The mission doesn’t mention Lucia or me. Even if it mentions Lucia, why doesn’t it mention me?”

“That means…”

Berta’s face went pale.

The boy’s identity was becoming clearer.

A child related to the succession ceremony.

Prient.

Shiron Prient.

Berta’s eyes widened in realization. She almost killed the VIP designated by the higher-ups. She broke into a cold sweat at this realization.

On the other hand, Shiron smirked. He saw a path to make Officer Berta his own.

“You, who is so incompetent and rigid. I have quite an interesting proposal.”

“……Yes?”

“For now, follow me.”

Berta blankly watched the retreating figure of the boy.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and follow.”

“Ah! Understood!”

Seeing Berta’s dumbfounded expression, Lucia poked her buttocks with a knife.

‘So damn unlucky.’

Tears welled up in Berta’s eyes, lamenting her pitiful situation.