The stillness that settled in the closed room did not last long. This was because the maiden soon rose to her feet.
A graceful ghost dances.
The footsteps of the woman dressed in a pure white dress were light. Before long, the girl, standing while holding up her skirt and placing a hand on her chest, seemed like an extreme dancer.
Vulnerable and precarious.
Logically, it was right to immediately draw my sword.
This was an endlessly careless scenario. Once I recognized the opponent as an enemy, there should have been no mercy.
Still, I could not bring myself to move.
I was not the only one. Yulen, Celin, and Senior Elsi were also stiff with fear.
My hands trembled.
A drop of sweat ran down my forehead. Instinct was constantly warning me.
If I acted rashly, I would die.
In just a few seconds, the girl with black hair completely seized control of the area.
Bouncing lightly on her toes, her body spun and spun again.
Accompanied by a playful tune.
“Ah, I’ve been found out. How did that happen?”
Round and round. Faceless beings made grotesque sounds to match the girl’s dance.
Grrr, kyaa, keeeek!
The unpleasant noise scraping on vocal cords was all the more eerie because it possessed pitch and rhythm.
The ghost’s dance stopped beneath the blood-red sun.
A tentacle, slick and draping from the sun, formed the shape of a chair. Sitting there without hesitation, the woman rested her chin on her hand and wore a bored smile.
Behind her, the faceless monsters paraded, displaying their knife-like formations.
Above, blood-red cocoons hung like ornaments, with a distorted-skinned army lurking in the background. In the middle of this bizarre landscape, only the girl’s beauty was noble.
Golden eyes shone with intensity and directed toward me.
“How did you know? I thought it was perfect… Look, I even got the spot on the collarbone right.”
Then, she casually slid her shoulder strap down, exposing her pure white collarbone.
It was around that time that I was freed from the suffocating pressure. More accurately, I had finally adapted to the situation.
This heavy air and prickling atmosphere felt as if an incident would occur at any moment.
But I could not remain intimidated forever.
I forced myself to sound calm and opened my mouth.
“Where is my sister?”
The voice I barely squeezed out trembled slightly.
The reason I had ventured here, even resorting to coercion with the Virgin Saint, was to find my sister’s whereabouts. Without provoking the opponent, I aimed to retrieve my beloved family who had gone missing.
In other words, the girl in front of me was not Liya.
She was merely someone impersonating Liya.
After realizing this fact, I spent many restless nights in anxiety. What if something happened to Liya? What if she was crying somewhere?
It was a question thrown with such desperate feelings.
But instead of answering, the girl burst out laughing.
“……Your sister?”
“Yes, my sister… Liya.”
It was a gritting reassertion of my words.
Unable to hold back any longer, the girl laughed out loud. Although she bit her lip afterward in an attempt to suppress it, the chuckles escaped her lips despite her efforts.
I took a step forward, my heart pounding.
I wanted to unleash my sword. However, the price for that would likely fall upon Liya and the girl trapped in the blood-red cocoon.
I had to endure.
As I bit my lip until it bled, the girl erupted in laughter.
“Y- Your sister? Pffft, haha, ahahahaha! Okay! I’ll tell you. I have to, right?”
Every time the girl’s hands tapped on the armrest of the blood-red chair, ripples echoed through the air.
In response, the bodies of the faceless monsters twitched. It was clear that this space was under the girl’s control.
After a prolonged bout of laughter, a deep line of amusement appeared at the girl’s lips.
“But, it wouldn’t be fair if I told you all by myself, right? We need to make a deal… yes, a contract.”
Simultaneously, the girl banged the armrest of the chair loudly.
A blood-red coin appeared, spinning in the air. Then, it landed on her white palm.
I was not the only one to feel an ominous premonition.
“……Master.”
“I know.”
Yet, I still had to settle Senior Elsi’s concern. There was currently no other option.
Since the moment of taking hostages, I had to prepare for the worst.
My calm voice continued.
“A contract? What does that mean?”
“Don’t be too wary; I’m very fair, you know? We’re just going to make a promise that cannot be broken through mutual consent. That’s what makes it fair… So, how about the first contract goes like this?”
As if she had no intention of listening to my opinion, the girl flicked the blood-red coin with her thumb.
Then, a scale of blood-red appeared in the air. A portion of the blood-red coin was being absorbed into it.
Tap, the scale began to tip.
“The identity of the principal shall be revealed, and in exchange, the principal shall exchange the whereabouts of the ‘sister’.”
Blood-red mists began to form before me. It soon took the shape of the coin, and as I absentmindedly reached out my hand, it slowly settled onto my palm.
Is it a trap?
I was not entirely sure, but I had no other options left. The girl continued her leisurely coaxing.
“What will you do? Accept or decline is your choice. But keep in mind that the contract is absolute; once made, deception is impossible.”
Captive and yet, the choice was free.
It was a laughable statement. I exchanged glances with Senior Elsi, communication through silent signals.
If we couldn’t predict how she would react, we needed to prepare in advance.
Obtaining necessary information or judging that we were deceived would trigger an immediate counterattack.
This silent consensus passed among our group.
Amidst the strange tension, I flicked the blood-red coin into the air.
As the coin flew, it naturally settled on the opposite side of the scale.
Thud, the balance of the scale was restored.
“Alright, accept… ugh!”
Suddenly struck by pain, my hand clutched my chest. It was right at that moment that my companions stepped forward in surprise.
The girl added with a nonchalant demeanor.
“Contract established; now you can’t say anything different, okay? We need to follow through on the contract from now on… Yes, anything outside the contract is also prohibited.”
It was a contract with quite a strong coercive element.
I could easily imagine what might happen if I violated it, just by the throbbing pain in my heart.
I sensed the anxiety of my companions standing behind me. At this rate, a battle could break out before we were ready, so I quickly needed to gather my thoughts.
“Actually, it was strange from the start.”
“Oh?” The girl narrowed her eyes slightly.
It was as if she was inviting me to speak further, and with a confident gesture, I took another step forward.
I felt the companions exchanging glances. It was as if a secret signal was being transmitted to me.
“Why did the monsters specifically attack the military camp that day? And the faceless beings were only targeting Liya.”
“Isn’t it something from the Dark Cult?”
Her response was blunt, almost irritatingly so.
I felt anger rising at the girl’s flippant attitude toward Liya.
“Of course they might want to reclaim her. That fake, a precious replica? Something special…”
“Then why was Liya unharmed?”
Hmm, only then did the girl’s lips close tightly.
I continued with firmer reasoning.
“Liya has no combat abilities. In fact, when I arrived, she showed no signs of resistance. She was just sitting there trembling in fear.”
Meanwhile, my companions were stealthily rearranging their positions. Fortunately, the girl did not seem particularly concerned about this.
Worried that she might shift her gaze, I pressed on with my argument.
“And the second strange thing was when you overpowered Mr. Raymond.”
“Oh, that time? It felt amazing… there’s something thrilling about hitting an unpleasant old man from behind.”
As she spoke, the girl winked at me as if seeking agreement.
Of course, I offered no response. I simply continued my reasoning.
“Even amidst battle, a person who has reached the level of Archmage cannot sense an approach?”
“Aha, I see! You realized that ‘our’ presence was unusually faint?”
The girl’s laughter burst forth, accompanied by applause, and the faceless monsters simultaneously erupted into grotesque laughter.
Ugh, ack, keh-ck!
My expression twisted at the grotesque scene, but the girl maintained a clear smile.
“I wasn’t thoughtful; I admit!”
I wanted to point out that ‘thoughtful’ is a word for considering others, but I held my tongue.
After all, once this conversation ended, we would be aiming for each other’s throats.
There was no reason to waste time.
“And you, you’re too fearless.”
“Hmm?”
The girl tilted her head in surprise.
I took another step forward and continued.
I sensed my companions exchanging glances. Subtle signals seemed to reach me as well.
“Liya is usually very timid. She nearly died, yet the next day, she was excited talking about money as if she had forgotten everything… the day after she cried and clung to me, she was casually out in the city, laughing and talking?”
“Hmmm,” the girl’s gaze lightly turned to the side.
It seemed she was reflecting on her actions. It didn’t take long for a smile to return to her lips.
“Aha, I must have been a bit hasty?”
I had no intention of asking what she was hasty about.
I merely took another step, further narrowing the distance between me and the girl.
“But that’s not conclusive evidence, is it? Human emotions are fickle, and that old man might have just been off guard. Also, it’s possible that she arrived right before the abduction.”
The barrage of counterarguments made me falter in my step.
Indeed, that could be true.
Perhaps it was a misunderstanding. If I had certainty about it, I would have sought the Virgin’s cooperation from the start.
I wouldn’t have gone through a confirmation process like this on purpose.
Only after observing Perry following the girl without a care did I firmly believe she was not my sister.
Even so, the reason I instinctively doubted the girl.
Embarrassed, I felt like invoking my right to silence. Just then, a sharp pain shot through my chest.
When I frowned, the girl smiled as if it were of no concern.
“Hiding it won’t work, we ‘contracted,’ remember? You must adhere to the principle of good faith.”
I cursed inwardly.
Indeed, was that part of her plan? I was hopelessly trapped.
Ultimately, a sigh mixed with confession escaped my lips.
“……It smells.”
An unexpected silence fell.
I felt the gaze of not just the girl but even my companions preparing secretive plans turned toward me.
My face flushed with heat.
“The scent was different. And Liya prefers kissing on the mouth more than on the cheeks…”
And then silence enveloped the room.
