“Kreup-”
After fulfilling his role, Towah, who had collapsed on the ground, rose to his feet.
“Urk-”
Magnus, who had been flung and pinned against the wall, also managed to stand up.
“Leader!!!”
“Magnus Squad Leader!”
The special operatives, recovering their senses a bit late, approached them.
“Leader, are you alright!?”
“Yeah…”
“I’m fine too, so calm down.”
The two had resolved to create an opportunity for Rishe by lunging at the Face Thief. In other words, they were prepared to act as bait.
Because they had been prepared for this, they focused all their strength on defense in time, allowing them to withstand the Face Thief’s brutal attack and preserve their bodies intact.
Their claim of being unharmed was true.
Moreover, thanks to their excellent performance, the battle had reached its best possible conclusion. They had defeated the terrifying creature – the Face Thief – without any casualties.
The special operatives had completed their mission. It was an amazing feat.
“…”
“…”
Still, Magnus and Towah’s expressions were extremely complicated.
“Leader…?”
Was there some lingering issue?
The operatives followed the gaze of the two men.
“Ahh…”
Their expressions mirrored that of Magnus and Towah.
The Face Thief.
The being consumed by the lifeless fluids was truly a monstrous entity.
The bloated mass of its body seemed to be composed entirely of pure mana rather than flesh and muscle. Its sturdy form easily withstood the all-out attacks of Magnus and Towah.
The special operatives reflected. Could they have defeated it on their own?
To be precise, it wasn’t impossible.
The Face Thief, stripped of its self-awareness, wasn’t much different from an enraged beast. Though dangerous, it wasn’t overwhelmingly powerful.
In that sense, defeating it was something the special operatives could achieve.
However—
“…”
What about this?
The Face Thief.
Face, Thief.
That enormous mass was now cleanly split into two parts.
Would the two separated pieces reconnect and come alive again?
It was an alarming thought. The cross-section where the creature had been cut was almost eerily clean.
The special operatives felt a deep sense of reverence for the incredible blow that had carved through the creature. But this reverence soon transformed into something more complex.
After all, that blow wasn’t the work of any knight or sword master—it was the craft of a mage belonging to the Gray Mage Tower.
Rishe.
Everyone’s complicated feelings were mirrored in their gaze, which was now focused on him.
“Leader?”
At that moment, Towah slowly approached Rishe and spoke. He was crouched before the Face Thief’s corpse, carefully examining something.
“Rishe, are you alright?”
Rishe met his gaze as he stood up again.
“I’ve suffered some minor injuries from overexertion, but I’ll be fine. This is routine for me; I’ll handle it myself.”
Huff. Huff.
Even as he spoke, Rishe was breathing heavily.
Towah’s expression twisted.
“No. Tell me your symptoms. I’ll call a healer. This guy is skilled; he’ll surely be of help.”
Towah gestured to the group, and an officer wearing glasses quickly approached.
“This is Hans. In terms of healing abilities, he rivals even intermediate-ranked healers. In fact, if he hadn’t joined the special operatives, he would’ve definitely become an excellent healer. Tell us your symptoms—whatever it is, he’ll take better care of you than you could yourself.”
“Where does it hurt?”
“Really, it’s fine…”
As Rishe smiled bitterly, Towah spoke seriously.
“You’re an benefactor of our special operatives… no, a hero. Without your help, we would’ve suffered far greater casualties during our mission. The Face Thief’s abilities far exceeded our expectations.”
At this, Hans pushed up his glasses and spoke sternly.
“Incorrect handling by non-professionals could worsen your injuries. Please follow my directions, if you would be so kind.”
The atmosphere between Hans and Towah was slightly tense, as they were aware how rigid members of the Mage Tower could be.
They knew such individuals believed their knowledge was supreme beyond all others. A mage saying, ‘Ah, I know that too,’ was akin to a calamity.
‘He’s a mage of the Mage Tower, right… convincing him will take some effort.’
Just as Hans felt an impending headache…
“I agree. In that case, I gladly accept your offer and request your help.”
“?!”
Hans’ eyes widened in surprise at Rishe’s response.
‘Is he really a mage of the Mage Tower?’
Recognizing and respecting someone else’s expertise despite their own knowledge was an uncommon trait for mages.
– So, you’re a professional healer? Alright, so what?
Previous experiences had prepared Hans for such dismissive reactions, and he was bewildered but couldn’t help feeling goodwill toward Rishe.
“Thank you for your cooperation. Could you perhaps describe your symptoms?”
He said enthusiastically.
Because it was the leader’s order.
Because he was a benefactor who aided the special operatives.
Beyond all else, Hans simply wanted to genuinely help this man.
“My symptoms… well, it’s this. Overload.”
“Huh?”
“Overload?”
“?”
“?”
Both Towah and Hans, who had been attentively listening to Rishe, looked puzzled.
“Didn’t you say it was just a minor injury earlier…?”
“Yes, correct. Minor overload.”
“…”
“…”
Minor overload.
The two could not help but find the phrase unfamiliar.
How could there possibly be a ‘light’ or ‘heavy’ level in the phenomenon where the body collapses due to uncontrolled mana flow? In such cases, the body usually gave out before one could process anything.
The pair of them now realized Rishe’s condition anew. He was bleeding from every orifice on his face while breathing heavily.
They had mistakenly thought he was fine because he was acting casually, but in reality, he was dying right before their eyes.
“Overload?! Rishe, are you alright?!”
“Yes, I’m alright. I’m used to it.”
“Used to it…?”
“So, Hans, what should I do?”
“Uh, but why are you asking me…?”
“Hm?”
Rishe stared at Hans in silence.
– Didn’t you just insist that I follow your directions?
It sounded like that at least.
Hans felt wronged.
– Didn’t you say it’s just a minor injury?
What kind of lunatic calls overload a minor injury?
After all, the sight of Rishe bleeding profusely from every orifice was anything but minor by anyone’s standards.
His very being was causing those around him to experience cognitive dissonance.
“…Hans, since you’re dealing with overload, can we just… leave it alone?”
“Is it alright to leave him be?”
Towah asked with a dubious expression.
“…With blood flowing from every orifice in his face, under normal circumstances, he would either become disabled or die.”
“But Rishe seems accustomed to it… Ah.”
Eventually, Towah nodded as if understanding.
“Well, have you figured something out!?”
“Yeah. Something like that could happen with Rishe.”
“…?”
Was that it?
Hans was confused.
That once iron-hard captain seemed to be being overtaken by Rishe.
“Rishe, earlier you said you’d take appropriate measures—does that cover the overload?”
Finally, he asked with a tone filled with curiosity.
Hans yelled out in frustration.
Without a priest on standby, such a thing was near impossible.
“Oh yes. Usually, the way to deal with an overload is to control the surging mana.”
Surging mana to the point of causing overload?
If one could control it, why would it surge in the first place?
If it surged, how could anyone control it?
Why do overloads happen?
Why are eagles’ beaks yellow?
‘Hmm… Did his mana power suddenly increase? Has he unknowingly consumed some kind of elixir?’
At that moment, Rishe closed his eyes and began focusing on his breathing.
What followed was strikingly simple.
The surging mana gradually stabilized and began to assimilate with his body.
“Wow.”
Beside him, Towah sighed with an air of resignation.
Hans grabbed his head with both hands.
Before his constitution could change any further, he hurriedly fled back to the troupe.
***
“Hmph, it seems to have worked.”
Once Rishe gained control over the overload, Towah brought up a question that had been on his mind.
“Rishe, may I ask you something?”
“Please, speak freely.”
By then, the special forces were gathered closely behind her, waiting anxiously for what Towah was about to say.
“Sword Energy…”
Towah said the word with a complicated look on her face.
“How are you able to wield that power…?”
Rishe was at the 6th tier level.
He was originally a mage.
And yet…
There was seemingly no end to the details if one started questioning everything. That’s why Towah had no choice but to ask thus.
“Explain.”
Rishe, after some deliberation, replied.
“I possess an Ego Sword. It’s called Blue Lotus, an Exiled Sword received from a renowned Exiled Swordsman. I believe the reason I can use Sword Energy is entirely due to this Ego Sword.”
“Huh!”
Towah and the special forces’ eyes widened significantly.
The Exiled Swordsman, famous for his Ego Sword and Named Sword, the Blue Lotus.
The tale that came from Rishe’s lips was more incredible and shocking than they had imagined.
“So, it’s thanks to Exiled Swordsman’s Ego Sword, you say…”
“Indeed, with such an incredible sword’s power—!”
Towah murmured as Magnus nodded in agreement.
The other members of the special forces also nodded, appearing to have understood.
All except one.
“…But even if you borrow the power of an Ego Sword, for a level-six mage… To begin with, you’re not even holding that sword right now—”
It was Hans.
He revealed his confusion openly with a puzzled expression.
It was a very reasonable question. And that was the problem.
“Yik!”
Hans suddenly realized the menacing glares from his comrades. Hastily catching on, he began nodding apologetically.
Thus, the reason Rishe could use Sword Energy was attributed to the Ego Sword imbued with the power of the Swordsman.
It had to be.
“Of course… So that was it…”
“Expected much, huh? The Exiled Swordsman’s Named Sword!!”
“Indeed, Rishe is extraordinary! To be recognized by the Exiled Swordsman and given the Blue Lotus!!”
Hahaaha.
The Special Forces created a cheerful atmosphere.
However, their gaze was somewhat unfocused.
-Poor souls.
Clanar muttered internally with a sneer.
“By the way, everyone. Do you know what this is?”
“What are you talking about?”
Towah’s gaze followed Rishe’s hand.
The corpse of the Face Thief.
Near it, a fist-sized lump of fluid lay on the ground. Its ominous texture and black mercury-like coloration were unsettling.
Towah recalled the Face Thief’s final moments. How something had devoured his existence, tossing him around like a puppet.
“Perhaps this is somehow connected to his power.”
The Face Thief’s ability was something anyone in the world would covet. Despite this, none of the special forces showed any signs of desire toward the substance.
Was it due to their superior restraint?
No. It was because the energy emitted from the substance was suspicious from a glance.
Blood flowing from the Face Thief’s corpse gathered around the substance and was absorbed into it.
Rishe attempted to use the power of purification on it, just in case.
There was no reaction.
Observations continued fruitlessly for a moment.
“Rishe!”
“Are you alright, lad!”
A little later.
Drey and Palrag arrived belatedly after receiving the news.
“Ah, Lord Palrag! Excellent timing!”
Rishe immediately asked Palrag about the substance.
“Seems I’ve arrived just in time.”
“Can you identify what it is?”
“…”
Palrag approached the substance closely and looked down at it. He muttered something under his breath.
“An extraordinary thing, indeed.”
“Can you identify it?”
In response to Rishe’s question, Palrag flicked his finger.
Instantly, the Face Thief’s corpse froze solid, the two halves of his body, and even the blood it had spilled.
In that moment, the substance and the Face Thief were completely isolated.
“…”
Shock spread across the faces of Rishe and the special forces.
The substance.
Suddenly, from the fist-sized lump, an immense flow of mana began to emanate.
It turned out that the massive mana, which they had thought was coming from the Face Thief’s corpse, actually originated from this substance all along.
“It seems not that the Face Thief was the master of this substance, but perhaps this substance was the master of the Face Thief.”
“Everyone?”
Drey, who had been observing the substance with interest, spoke.
“If it’s alright, may I take this substance for further examination? I assure you, I’m willing to offer a proper compensation.”
“Ah, Drey. This is something beyond your handling.”
“Is it that dangerous?”
“Further investigation is required.
It seems that the investigation is complete. Make sure no one approaches this body until the examination is finished.”
Palrag efficiently organized the situation.
Rishe asked him.
“Lord Palrag, does that mean there’s nothing more I need to do at this moment?”
“That’s right. Why do you ask?”
“I feel like I’m about to collapse.”
“?!”
“Everyone, I leave the rest to you. And if possible, please bring me a Saint.”
Rishe sank into his seat, leaned back, and immediately lost consciousness.
“…Isn’t the person we need to investigate the one who just passed out?”
Hans inadvertently muttered.
Everyone nodded in unison.
***
The ceiling was familiar.
“Doesn’t it get old?”
And the situation was also familiar.
Pamon greeted me as I regained consciousness.
“Speak intelligibly. How could Pamon’s face get old?”
“You seem ready for pointless chatter, so I assume we can get to the point.”
“Are we okay becoming used to this process?”
“Don’t make it sound like a mutual problem.”
Three days.
According to Pamon, that was the duration I was unconscious.
During those three days, Pamon informed me of the events that had unfolded.
“First, the date for your investiture has been set.”
“Oh, when?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Isn’t that a bit sudden?”
“If you hadn’t passed out three days ago and had listened to me then, it wouldn’t have felt so sudden, would it?”
“Aha.”
“And there’s another thing. There was quite the commotion while you were asleep.”
The bodiless entity.
That was the accurate designation for the substance that had emerged from the corpse of the Face Thief.
According to Pamon, there was significant upheaval because of that entity right now.
“Mana erosion phenomenon…?”
“The power contained within the entity is so strong that it’s starting to affect the environment. There’s a heated debate among the investigation team—some say it should be destroyed entirely, while others argue that it might cause unforeseen consequences if tampered with.”
“Indeed…”
At that moment, as I was still groggy from just waking up, I was trying hard to process this grave story.
“Risheeeennn!”
Verban…deciuuu! A lively voice called out.
“You’re already awake!!!”
“Uh, sorry, was I not supposed to wake up?”
“Quickly!!!”
“Ah! Immediately, immediately!”
For some reason, the little one had appeared by passing through the door.
“Verban…deciuu! What’s going on? Where did you go?”
“This!”
Ver held out her palm.
“I thought it looked delicious, so I brought it!”
On her small palm sat a crimson liquid-like substance.
Could it be?
“Hey, hey…! You wouldn’t—”
It seems so.
It looked different for a moment, and I couldn’t recognize it, but this substance appeared to be the very entity Pamon had just mentioned, linked to the Face Thief.
I urgently called out to Ver.
“Verban…deciuu! You shouldn’t be holding that. Touching it is dangerous—it’s not food.”
“…”
Ver looked at the entity with a regretful expression.
No…
“…!”
She glared at it as if challenging something within it in a silent stare-off.
I quickly got up and approached Ver.
“Rishe?”
“Let’s go. We’ll take it back to where it belongs with Ver.”
“Uh, let’s go together!”
We headed toward the original location where the entity was stored—
the backyard of Guse Manor, where the Face Thief had fallen.
As expected.
The scene was in chaos.
“What do you mean?! The entity disappeared all of a sudden?! What, are you saying it picked itself up and went somewhere?! Do you know how dangerous that thing is?!”
Several people were bustling about, searching the area while a tall woman, who I hadn’t seen before, was nearly in a panic as she scolded the subordinates.
“What shall we do? If that thing reacts to external stimuli or the changed environment and triggers some anomaly—”
The woman anxiously bit her nails. Drey and Palrag stood beside her.
“Hey, Rishe!? You’re awake? Are you feeling alright?”
“Rishe, you’re up? How are you feeling?”
Drey noticed me and greeted excitedly. Palrag also noticed me, smiled bitterly, and opened his mouth.
“You must be wondering what all this commotion is about. Shall I explain?”
“Ah, no, I already know what’s going on.”
“Hm? That child—”
I tapped the head of Ver, who stood beside me, and everyone’s attention shifted to her.
She glared at the entity sitting on her palm.
“Goodness me! What is that doing there?—You, that’s dangerous!!!”
The first to react was the tall woman.
She spotted Ver and gasped in alarm.
“Rishe!!! Quickly, remove your Spirit from that entity!!!”
“My goodness, what is that doing there?!”
Next, Drey and Palrag showed a similar reaction.
“Hey, hey! Calm down! Would you hand that over here…? I’ll give you something better—”
The three cautiously approached Ver with their hands outstretched, but she took no notice of them.
“…!!!”
The girl was completely focused on the substance.
Suddenly, the glare in her eyes sharpened intensely.
Gulp!
Ver boldly swallowed the entity in one go.
***
Heavily!
Everyone in the place gasped at the same time.
It had happened.
That young Spirit had swallowed the bodiless entity of the Face Thief.
“Dear—”
A myriad of emotions crossed their faces as they looked at the Spirit.
That young Spirit had already crossed a point of no return.
The overwhelmingly powerful energy contained within the entity would surely erode the Spirit.
What they had to worry about now wasn’t the safety of the Spirit, but rather the state it would end up in after being eroded.
“!!!”
At that moment.
The young Spirit, who had been smacking her lips, suddenly widened her eyes.
It’s coming!
They prepared themselves and braced for the inevitable.
The Spirit.
She forcefully raised both arms and shouted.
“It’s disgusting!!!”
“…”
“…”
“…”
Silence filled the air.
How long had it passed?
“…?”
“…?”
“…?”
Their solemn expressions awkwardly froze.
—Was that it?
Their faces seemed to ask that question.
And soon, their focus shifted from the Spirit entirely to Rishe.
What on earth was that?
What is this thing you have with you?
