### Chapter 34: Complaining
I immediately shut my eyes and covered my mouth and nose, taking a few steps back to withdraw from the smoke. As I opened my mouth to take a deep breath, the icy air rushed into my throat, bringing an uncomfortable itch that made me cough uncontrollably.
“Cough, cough, cough.”
The burning sensation in my eyes was driving me crazy. This wasn’t just some onion chopping level of discomfort; it was a hundred times worse!
What on earth is this?!
A smoke bomb? Tear gas?
Ah—! This is torture!!
With my eyes tightly shut in the alley, tears streamed down my face like a burst dam. No amount of wiping them with the back of my hand could help.
The burning sensation intensified, spreading to my nose and throat, making me feel like I was breathing fire. I was about to jump out of my skin.
This is unbearable! What am I supposed to do? Is there any water…
Wait! There’s snow on the ground!
Thinking of this, I hurriedly crouched down, scooped up a handful of snow, and rubbed it across my face.
The cold snow melting on my skin provided a little relief from the burning.
It works!
I rubbed my face with a few more handfuls. Just as I considered shoving some snow into my mouth, I hesitated—it could be dirty! Who knows if it’s been stepped on? Gross! I quickly stood up, resisting the urge to lift my skirt to wipe my face, and instead, popped a small chunk of ice into my mouth, chewing on it while trying to squint through the haze.
The smoke had spread out, looking much thinner than before, but it still obscured my view, and I couldn’t spot the masked man.
How careless of me.
I never expected this world would have such underhanded traps that completely go against the chivalry code.
Is this also a product of the Central Workshop’s “wisdom”?…
“d*mn it!”
Fury bubbled up inside me, and I wanted to unleash my Ice Mist to blow the smoke away. Just as I lifted my hand—
Wait. The masked man seems to be able to escape using the wind. If I ice-blast now, and he actually has any fight left in him, he could just float away again!
In my current state, chasing him down would be impossible.
So, with a swift flick of my wrist, I transformed the Ice Mist into dozens of ice shards floating above me.
The masked man’s last known position was right in the heart of that smoke… there!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
The shards shot out with whistling sounds, creating crisp explosions in the smoke.
…Wait, that sound is wrong. Did I miss him?
Oh no, he didn’t run away, did he?!
The smoke won’t clear up soon, and I can’t just sit here dumbly waiting—that would be like deliberately letting him escape.
With this thought, I put aside more concerns, raised my delicate hand, and unleashed a wave of Ice Mist.
Whoosh—
The cold mist instantly cleared the smoke.
Scattered ice shards and frost covered the ground and walls, causing the already cold air to drop further; even the snow was dusted with a shiny layer of ice.
The narrow alley came into view, but the masked man was nowhere to be found.
What the hell?!
That j*rk was playing dead just now!
He must have slipped away when the smoke popped up, while I was busy suffering from my burning eyes. I didn’t even notice he used that strange power to sneak out!
But how could he be unaffected by the smoke…? Ah, it’s that mask! It must have provided some protection!
Masks, tear gas, tricky weapons, mysterious powers, and sharp instincts with rich combat experience—he clearly isn’t just some random weakling. Who is he?!
“Cough, cough.”
My throat still burned.
After what felt like forever, my eyes barely managed to open, feeling sore and swollen—probably red and puffy at this point.
You can bet I looked a mess.
I felt incredibly frustrated; even when fighting against the endless Abyss, we faced each other head-on with our skills. I’ve never encountered a brat like him today!
I gripped the ice shards, alternating between pressing them to my eyes to soothe the burning. Then, I ran out of the alley and stared blankly at the empty street ahead.
After waiting for a bit, as expected, no crossbow bolts came flying my way.
Looks like my punch earlier really did some damage to him; he didn’t want to continue the fight.
Clang—
I kicked a nearby lamp post in frustration, and the candle inside flickered dangerously, almost extinguishing.
I can’t let this go!
Masked man, no matter who you are, I will find you. And then I’ll slam you to the ground, hang you up, and smoke you out every day!
You can’t escape from Winter City.
Because I, Silvya, have decided to go complain about this!
…………
Shanter Castle was brightly lit.
The birds roosting on the bridge were silent.
I walked back feeling pent-up. The hunters guarding the entrance were as alert as wolves, but upon seeing me, they let me through without a word.
Crossing the door and entering the internal hall, without the butler to guide me, I wandered alone through the dark castle, following my memory to the top floor.
“Sniff, sniff.”
My little nose twitched as I caught a whiff of something and pushed open the dining room door.
The Duke and his lady were sitting at the table, conversing, with two maids standing by. I looked around but didn’t see Carlos.
He must still be at the orphanage.
“Miss Silvya, you’re back… huh? What’s wrong with your eyes?”
The Duchess initially smiled as she greeted me, but upon seeing my face, she hurriedly stood up, gently pressing down on my swollen eyelids, her face filled with concern.
“Why are they so red… Look, they’re all puffy! Did someone mess with you?”
She probably thinks I’ve been crying. From her expression, I can guess I don’t look so hot right now…
My eyes aren’t as uncomfortable as before; though there’s still a hint of pain around the sockets, I figured it would heal soon if I left it alone.
But my chest still felt tight.
“No.”
I replied in a muffled tone and pulled out a chair to sit at the table.
“Did something happen at the orphanage?”
The Duke seemed to piece things together and casually looked my way as he asked.
“No, it was the smoke.”
“The smoke? What do you mean?” He furrowed his brows with a look of confusion.
“The Workshop Hunter, with a flail and a crossbow, wearing a mask, tried to k*ll me.”
The Duchess had just asked a maid for a towel, and as soon as she heard my last three words, she nearly dropped the towel in shock.
“What? What happened? Who tried to k*ll you, and why?!”
She was clearly getting flustered.
“Calm down. Tell me exactly what happened,” the Duke’s expression turned serious, and he sat down next to me, concern shining in his eyes, making me feel somewhat uneasy.
What is this? They’ve taken it upon themselves. I haven’t even acknowledged that I’m Peilo yet—what if they get it wrong…?
I’m just some—
Just a monster borrowing your daughter’s body.
But their eyes are so warm.
“What are you spacing out for? Speak up, will you? You’re making me anxious,” the Duchess’s voice jolted me back to reality.
“Well, there was someone…”
I gathered my thoughts and started to haltingly recount the events of the night. After hearing me out, the Duke looked contemplative.
“Leather armor, tricky weapons… so you suspect it’s a Central Workshop Hunter?”
“Yeah,” I nodded, my hands moving in the air as I tried to mimic the weapon, “Flail, turns into a thin sword. Very powerful.”
“The flail, that should be one of the weapons displayed in the warehouse, the same place we visited during the day. The defenses there are tight; aside from the hunters guarding the fortress, there’s internal patrols at intervals. It’s nearly impossible for outsiders to breach it. The only ones who could take something out like that must be Workshop Hunters… Miss Silvya, your suspicion is not unfounded. But that smoke you mentioned isn’t from the workshop.”
Here, the Duke paused.
“What’s strange is that if I’m not mistaken, that thing you described is a smoke tube made from a natural plant called tear fungus found in rainforests. When this plant matures, the outer layers crack open, and if you flick it gently, it releases grayish-white dust. This dust causes animals to tear up uncontrollably and feel miserable.”
At this point, the Duchess was holding a towel, wanting to wipe my face, but I couldn’t let her do that. I snatched the towel and hastily rubbed my face before placing it on the table.
“Still so clumsy…” Her voice droned on in my ears.
The Duke smiled at the scene and continued, “No one in the Central Workshop would use this sort of thing. However, I know of an assassin organization from the Empire of Lend; they gather this dust to create smoke tubes. Coincidentally, while this organization has no name, all members wear masks when performing tasks.”
So the masked man really is an assassin!
“Although Central Workshop’s weapons aren’t circulated externally, if someone truly wants to get their hands on one or two, it isn’t particularly difficult. But a flail… that kind of weapon involving disassembly techniques is always heavily monitored by me. Now that it’s in the hands of an assassin, it indicates some internal issues. And according to what you said, this person not only possesses workshop weapons and the assassin’s smoke tube but also has the power of the Order of Wind.”
“Order of Wind?”
“Exactly. Based on your description, it undeniably reflects the power of the Order of Wind, although it’s not exceptionally strong.”
So I’m up against an enemy with the Power of Order… no wonder they’re so troublesome.
But that masked guy wielded that strange wind power with remarkable skill—at least more skillfully than I did—yet the Duke only rated it as “not very strong.” Did I fail to describe it properly?
If someone like that isn’t considered strong, then what kind of strength are we even talking about?
