”The Man in the Mask”
He was presumed to be a companion of the Dark Cult. He appeared wearing a pure white mask, and there was a peculiar characteristic that anyone who caught a glimpse of him would faint on the spot.
My companions had seen him three times. However, it was the first time today that I would confront him face to face.
The fourth time.
There was no chance it was a coincidence. I didn’t know the reason, but I hoped this battle would provide a good opportunity to uncover it.
I thoroughly etched the appearance of the enemy into my retinas.
The opponent was a powerful figure who had effortlessly knocked Lady Airen unconscious. There was no guarantee that I would fare any better. Therefore, I needed to cram as much information into my mind as possible.
First of all, the atmosphere was unusual.
Was he male or female? I understood why there had been no mention of it. The figure’s shape was utterly indecipherable.
A slim waist suggested femininity, but the flat and hard muscles were distinctly masculine traits. Even the Adam’s apple was ambiguously pronounced.
Above all, the strange aura exuded by the man in the mask.
That ambiguous feeling, caught between human and monster, continually stimulated my nerves.
As if to say to strike down this hybrid at once.
Though the time was brief, the impression of the masked man was seared deeply into my chest.
It felt as if time had stopped. In the stillness where nothing moved, I could read the faint vibrations in the air.
Something was coming.
The moment I realized that, my upper body was jerked backward at an angle. I felt a long trajectory brush closely past my chest.
How?
The speed was such that I could barely react. If my aura hadn’t recently grown and my senses hadn’t advanced, I would have been rendered unable to respond at all.
Was it a sharpened weapon or a blunt one?
Even that was unclear. The opponent should have been responding to the hatchet I had thrown.
The mystery was solved shortly afterward.
My hatchet, which had been traveling in a straight line, was struck by something and drifted through the air. And in a moment where timing was perfect for a counter-move, several strikes followed in succession.
It implied that he was well aware of my combat style.
I quickly bent my arched upper body and kicked off the ground to propel myself forward.
Meanwhile, the masked man had already begun to retreat, subtly searching for an escape opportunity. I couldn’t let this chance slip away.
“Where do you think you’re going, you bastard!”
In a rush, I threw my sword.
It had been so long since I felt this panicked in battle. My single-minded focus was to apprehend that ‘man in the mask,’ even if it meant slinging all my primary and secondary weapons aside.
This was a risky action for me as well.
As such, the opponent had no choice but to accept my decision unexpectedly. For the first time, the masked man hesitated to turn his back to flee.
A heavy pressure seeped into my feet as I kicked off the ground, a testament to my full-throttle dash.
At that moment, I felt a strange tremor once again.
Immediately after, my body rolled on the ground and advanced forward. In that process, I realized something new.
I couldn’t hear any sounds.
When I concentrated, there was only a faint ringing in my ears. My hearing had been fine just a moment ago when I had shouted, so there were only two possibilities.
I had just gone deaf, or I had lost my hearing at specific moments.
Simultaneously, I sensed the wind fragments brush past my back.
At first, I was flustered and didn’t notice, but my clothes were fluttering. When I forced myself to look up, I saw that the masked man was in a similar state.
It wasn’t that there had been no warning.
It was just that everything had happened too quickly. So much so that I couldn’t catch it properly, and it felt like magic.
The man in the mask was a physical type.
As I rose, bouncing back to my feet, my thrown sword had to flutter about in a pitiful manner for several moments. Even that short time was precious enough.
Just in time, the hatchet seemed to be sucked into my hand. It was thanks to my previous accomplishments.
The field I had advanced wasn’t just my aura. Thanks to the overall rise in skill, my understanding of vision had grown as well.
Naturally, the essence of my techniques was no exception.
With my recent developments, I could add an extra one or two changes compared to before.
The result of that was now in my hand.
Before long, my arm, poised before the masked man, swung without hesitation.
Bang!
With an explosion, a shockwave erupted. It was a vibration heavy enough to drown out even the ringing in my ears. I was gripping the hatchet with both hands, a rarity for me.
Otherwise, I might have been overwhelmed by physical strength.
The mage was not human. It was appropriate to assume that all physical abilities were fundamentally superior.
And it was quickly proven that my choice had not been wrong.
There was not a hint of concession.
My hatchet was blocked from advancing by some invisible ‘something.’ It was then that I revealed a rough smile.
“An invisible weapon? No, could it be magic?”
Though I believed it was a mage, I couldn’t rule out any possibilities.
Of course, the masked man did not return my question.
He was merely gazing at me with his hollow gaze. Or should I say, was he gazing?
There were no gaps for eyes in that pure white mask. It was truly an object that covered the entire face.
That must have meant no vision was needed.
Such was a truly mage-like judgment.
Grinding my teeth, I pressed harder against the masked man. Judging by the faint groans I could hear, he didn’t seem entirely at ease either.
“Not going to answer? Even so, well…”
The silver aura dancing above the axe blade solidified.
“…It doesn’t matter!”
The concentrated aura soon dispersed like mist, and during the confusion, my axe bounced off the transparent weapon.
It was the union and dissolution.
Nevertheless, there was no change in the opponent’s weaponry. Only a faint silver hue was visible. In other words, it meant that it had not been a phenomenon created by temporary magical concentration.
It was a weapon.
That was also something extraordinarily rare. At that moment, the magic cloaking the weapon nearly unraveled but quickly restored.
Taking advantage of that, I took a step forward, attempting to close the gap.
Had the man not retreated and withdrawn his weapon beforehand, my hatchet might have struck his chest.
Such was the judgment of an experienced operator.
It was a blessing that could only be obtained by someone who had gone through numerous actual battles. There was information only gained by confronting a weapon directly.
If only Lady Airen had been a tad more skilled.
A fleeting sense of regret brushed through my mind, but now was not the time to dwell on such distractions.
Just as I was about to launch my next offensive.
The angle of the white mask shifted slightly.
This indicated a change in focus. However, considering my vision was completely blocked, sight held no meaning.
I quickly realized that intent.
The man in the mask tried to look at Perry, who was collapsed and bleeding. Strictly speaking, he was trying to convey that feeling to me.
It was a kind of a dilemma.
Would I continue to fight, or would I save the life of that man?
There was a Lady Virgin Saint in the orphanage. While the injury looked grave, it appeared she was still holding on to life. If I wanted to save her, I could.
But in that case, the masked man would escape.
My head began to spin. I couldn’t determine what choice to make.
Regardless, a faint vibration coursed through my skin.
He was coming again.
Feeling that instinct made me clench my teeth. Ultimately, my choice was one.
“Damn bastard…!”
I threw my hatchet, striking the imaginary trajectory. With a hollow sound, the axe rebounded, but whatever had been hit didn’t escape unscathed.
I could feel that the trajectory had completely gone off.
The sudden change in direction had left my stance compromised. I couldn’t bear the full brunt of the recoil.
Taking advantage of that moment, the masked man naturally chose to flee. Left behind, I had no choice but to gnash my teeth and abandon the pursuit.
First, I needed to save Perry. Moreover, the speed at which the masked man was fleeing was beyond my expectations.
Chasing after him would have no meaning. I let out a sigh and looked at the collapsed man, as well as the trembling legs of the girl trying to stand.
For a moment, my gaze, tinged with compassion, shifted from Liya to Perry.
He had nearly died. The man in the mask had truly intended to kill Perry.
Why?
Hoping that the answer would connect to the critical clue of the incident, I looked silently up at the sky.
The moon shone brightly. The deity still offered no responses.
As it always had.
*
After calming the sobbing Liya, I leaned against the wall, waiting for someone.
In the corner of the room, a bed began to pulsate with a pure white light, then faded repeatedly. After a while, a woman with a tired expression turned her back to me.
It was the Lady Virgin Saint.
A question slipped from my mouth without preamble.
“How is he?”
“He’s not in danger to his life.”
As if she had already anticipated my question, the Lady Virgin Saint’s response was smooth and unimpeded.
“He has lost consciousness, but he will likely regain it by tomorrow or the day after. He’s not someone who has treated his body like you.”
“That’s a relief.”
I caught her words with a subtle prick of barbs and shifted my gaze toward Perry.
His breathing was stable. Though traces of pain remained on his face, they would vanish in due time.
Rather, I had other concerns.
“…Are you sure he has lost consciousness?”
“Of course. Am I supposed to be unaware of that?”
Still, I couldn’t feel at ease, and I was eventually compelled to grasp the Lady Virgin Saint’s hand and lead her outside. She looked like she didn’t understand why I was doing this.
It was time to cut to the chase and get to the point.
“Did you examine Perry’s condition in detail?”
“Of course I did. I never slack off when it comes to taking care of patients.”
The Lady Virgin Saint’s expression slightly frowned as if my words were an insult. If it hadn’t been me, anyone else who voiced that suspicion would likely have received a severe reprimand.
In truth, I was feeling somewhat anxious.
Among those who knew the Lady Virgin Saint’s temper well, I was one.
But I had to say what needed to be said. I cautiously continued with my question.
“Is there any trace of magic…?”
“Are you asking if he’s being controlled by the Dark Cult? Such things are all too evident. Don’t worry too much about it.”
The Lady Virgin Saint was indeed quick to pick up on things.
She immediately sensed my worries and began to explain them gently.
However, I still held information that I hadn’t shared with her.
“Could you look one more time? I’ve heard that there exist difficult-to-detect types of contract magic. The faceless man who attacked Liya last time at the Holy Kingdom’s military encampment…”
“I-an.”
Her tone was low but firm.
Then, with conviction, she began to persuade me.
“I understand what you’re worried about. But… based on my investigation, the Shylock Trading Company doesn’t have any suspicious aspects. The source of their funds is clean. Even if the Shylock Trading Company is a hidden branch of the Dark Cult, at the very least, it has no connection to this orphanage.”
“Why not?”
“Because this orphanage is operated by the Holy Kingdom.”
I fell into silence with a hum. My gaze subtly shifted sideways.
Part of me wanted to say I couldn’t believe it.
Yet how could I dare to utter the sentiment that my own nation seemed suspicious to one of its representatives?
The Lady Virgin Saint’s assertions had their grounds.
“No matter how much the Shylock Trading Company might want to set plans in motion, taking children or products from here would draw the Holy Kingdom’s surveillance.”
“And doesn’t Archbishop Einadel oversee this place? The one said to have a hostile relationship with you…?”
“Archbishop Einadel is also a clergyman.”
With that, the Lady Virgin Saint’s delicate ring finger was raised sharply. Then a pure white glow began to rise from its tip.
I could roughly guess what the Lady Virgin Saint intended to convey.
“Someone who has been granted a miracle by the Lord. Despite having a few flaws, one cannot betray our Lord in heaven.”
A human like that wouldn’t be permitted celestial authority.
Though the Lady Virgin Saint did not explicitly add it, I knew that that was the crux of her argument. I had no appropriate rebuttal to it.
To be honest, religion didn’t belong to the realm of reason and logic.
What word could be exchanged before someone who wished to believe? At this point, I had only one remaining option.
“Still, please check just one more time.”
“I-an…”
It was a request bordering on desperate. The Lady Virgin Saint couldn’t help but feel her irritation rising.
She had even just been pulled from her sleep.
Her nerves were bound to be frayed. The Lady Virgin Saint spoke in a tone that dripped with annoyance.
“Are you sure? Is it that hard to trust my words?”
“No, it’s not that I can’t trust…”
“Fine.”
Gritting her teeth, the Lady Virgin Saint glared at me with sharp eyes.
“I’ll examine it again thoroughly. Even the blood vessels and internal organs, everything… and if nothing comes up, be prepared.”
The Lady Virgin Saint’s attitude was more stringent than I had ever seen. I felt a vague sense of unease.
But it was too late.
With an obvious display of her anger, she walked into the room. Then she placed her hand on Perry’s chest and closed her eyes. From the look of cold sweat that began to form, she appeared to be deeply concentrating.
This was bad. It seemed I would need to spend at least a few hours soothing the angered Lady Virgin Saint.
And several hours later.
The Lady Virgin Saint, gasping for breath, opened her eyes, wearing a dazed expression.
“…Huh?”
My briefly drowsy eyes snapped open. There was no mistaking it: the Lady Virgin Saint had an expression of confusion, and I soon realized one crucial fact.
Something was wrong.
Immediately after realizing that, I turned back to her with an attitude that suggested I hadn’t been worried at all.
“Are you done preparing?”
‘Perry Kuars.’
Deep within his body lay a contract with the Dark Cult.
