Ch 122
“Even so… how could any Master Assassin give a Black List to an Outsider for personal reasons?!”
Toua, unable to bear it any longer, raised her voice.
“I suppose the Assassin had a rather unique personality.”
“The person who was present at the scene at the time said that, for an Assassin, he was quite mundane.”
“See! I knew this would happen!”
“This is truly remarkable, Sir Dray. How is it that you know everything so thoroughly?”
“No, not that.”
“Yes?”
“I clearly said it! That you could help with this!”
“…Ah.”
No.
This is how it turned out.
Lisir felt an inexplicable anger.
“…”
Toua, who had been blankly watching their conversation, gave up on trying to understand.
✦✦✦
“Then, what should we do now? Should we just write ‘Face Thief’ on this parchment?”
Lisir, having somehow taken out an Ink Pen, was about to put it to the parchment.
“W-Wait!!!”
Both Toua and Dray were horrified and tried to stop him.
“Ah, perhaps this is how it’s used?”
Lisir scratched the back of his head with the Ink Pen and asked them.
This time, Dray burst into a chuckle.
“Even if you ask me that━”
“Because Sir Dray immediately recognized this Item, I thought you knew the details.”
“Know the details. I only mentioned a name I’d heard in rumors.”
“…In such an important place?”
“Yes. It’s you.”
Lisir felt anger again at Dray’s nonchalant attitude.
What?
This guy just blurts things out, but why do his predictions keep coming true?
“Lady Toua, do you also know nothing about this Item?”
As if I would.
Toua looked at him with a weary expression.
At this point, the sharpness in her eyes had dulled.
“Then, let’s just write ‘Face Thief’ on the parchment for now. You said that the Face Thief was the former Master of the Assassin’s Guild, right? Perhaps they were affiliated with the person who gave you this Item.”
“No, no. Lisir, wait a minute. Are you sure it’s okay? To use such an Item like this?”
“…”
Lisir scratched his head with a troubled expression.
“To be honest, this Item is a problem for me. It’s rare that I hate someone enough to want to kill them. The only person that comes to mind is my Father?”
“?”
“?”
“Well, that’s also a thing of the past. I don’t have anyone in mind right now. And I don’t think that will change much in the future. So, I think it’s not a bad choice to use it for the two of you this time. You both seemed to know the value of this Item, so you’ll pay a fair price, won’t you?”
“…”
“…”
The two of them frowned.
To pay the price of the Black List?
“Lisir, let’s put that Item away for now.”
“Yes?”
Toua stopped Lisir with a troubled expression.
“Since someone of Lady Toua’s standing is here, I thought it was an urgent matter.”
“It is an urgent matter.”
“But why?”
“No, that’s not the problem━”
Toua, still not used to dealing with Lisir, was flustered, so Dray spoke on her behalf.
“I never thought we’d use this expression against the Face Thief, but it might be like using a butcher knife to kill a chicken.”
That was true considering the Item’s power, and also its value.
Even Mastien and Devilan, Grand Noble Families who ruled parts of the Continent, would have to sacrifice a pillar to pay for that Item.
“It’s not an individual Assassin, but an Item that moves an entire group.”
“…”
Lisir glared at the parchment.
An Item that moves an entire group?
‘What did that guy give me?’
Apparently, it wasn’t an Item that could be given as payment for a personal favor.
In the first place, it wasn’t an Item a Master Assassin would give to someone else.
He suddenly felt compassion for the unknown Assassin’s Guild members.
“It’s a shame. I wanted to help you two.”
Lisir reluctantly put the parchment away.
Haah.
The two Grand Nobles unconsciously sighed in relief.
“Oh, by the way━ Lady Toua, may I ask you something I’m curious about?”
“What is it.”
“I understand that the Face Thief committed the heinous crime of assassinating a Hero. But why is the Devilan Family chasing him? Even to the point of dispatching special forces from the Knights’ Order━”
“He was under our family’s sponsorship.”
“Ah, I see.”
Lisir immediately understood.
It was common for Noble families to sponsor artists or Adventurers for fame.
‘Grand Nobles have a different scale of sponsorship.’
At that moment, Dray organized the chaotic atmosphere and spoke to Toua.
“So, do you have a plan? How do you intend to find the Face Thief who has hidden himself in this vast city?”
“Considering his past actions, he won’t leave this city until he achieves his goal. He won’t just quietly hide either.”
“And his goal is?”
“What else, stealing faces.”
“…”
“As can be seen from the assassination of the Hero, his methods are more than audacious. He’ll stop at nothing if he can steal great power.”
“Is it related to you coming to this Mansion immediately?”
“…”
With Dray’s help, she secretly entered Bondales and, unbeknownst to anyone, established a base here—Goose Manor.
With a small number of elite troops.
Toua nodded.
“Yes, there’s a lot to steal in this Mansion right now. So, Dray. And Lisir. Both of you be careful.”
Toua also looked at Maisy, who stood behind Dray.
Her, Dray’s escort, nodded.
The gathering dispersed in a heavy atmosphere.
✦✦✦
“Huff… Huff…”
Magnus, Second-in-Command of the Devilan Special Forces.
It was unusual for him, a Rank 7 expert, to lose his breath.
Even more so if the place was a shallow back alley in the city where only lowlifes would wander.
After spotting a suspicious person in the street and following him, he was now facing a person.
He was a young man with a plain impression despite his noble appearance.
While wearing the insignia symbolizing his affiliation with the Grey Tower, the fact that he carried a sword was both impressive and suspicious.
“Huff… Huff…”
His condition was not much different from Magnus’s.
His breathing was greatly disturbed after fighting Magnus.
In such a tense situation, where both were on the verge of their limits-
The young man’s plain impression changed.
“At this point, there’s no other way. I’ll have to use it.”
“…!”
Magnus involuntarily stepped back.
Because the young man’s presence was ominous.
He suddenly sheathed his sword in its scabbard at his waist and crouched.
Like a quadrupedal predator just before a surprise attack.
“What else…!?”
Magnus was terrified and regained his composure.
By now, Magnus was certain.
He was the Face Thief.
His ability to freely use countless swordsmanship techniques, too many to describe as diverse, clearly transcended the realm of ‘swordsmanship’.
Not a skill displayed as an art, but a phenomenon displayed by some kind of power.
It couldn’t be explained unless it was the Face Thief’s ability.
In fact, among the swordsmanship techniques he had perfectly mastered so far, there was also the Hero’s swordsmanship.
Even Magnus’s swordsmanship.
The incredible rumor that he had imitated the Unique Swordsmanship of a Rank 7 Swordsman on the spot was true.
And the Face Thief was about to unleash yet another swordsmanship technique.
Even someone as skilled as Magnus couldn’t help but feel tense.
No matter how unconventional the swordsmanship, it couldn’t match his ability to use countless swordsmanship techniques simultaneously and perfectly.
Then, the crouched man’s presence surged.
‘It’s coming!’
Another perfectly imitated swordsmanship technique!
Magnus focused all his attention on him.
“…!”
Nevertheless, Magnus momentarily lost him.
The young man with the plain impression was already standing right in front of him.
And the sword in his hand had already been swung.
An unknown swordsmanship technique had already been unleashed.
“Ah…!”
Magnus sighed.
He instinctively sensed it.
That he had been struck by that unknown swordsmanship technique.
Sneer.
A vile smile that didn’t suit his plain impression appeared.
Magnus braced himself for the coming pain—and death.
Soon, the prolonged time resumed its normal flow.
And a short time passed.
“…?”
“…?”
They were confused.
Why didn’t anything happen?
Magnus and the young man, belatedly sensing something was wrong, moved simultaneously.
Magnus swung his sword at him, and the young man used a strange fighting style to evade him.
The strangeness of the fighting style the young man had been using was due to the simultaneous use of various swordsmanship techniques.
He flawlessly mixes various swordsmanship techniques.
This showed how unfair and absolute the Face Thief’s ability was in the realm of swordsmanship.
Therefore, they couldn’t understand the situation.
Magnus frantically touched his body.
To check if he had any wounds.
However, no matter how much he checked, there were no wounds.
“…?”
Magnus looked at the young man in confusion.
“…?”
The young man also looked at Magnus in confusion.
They didn’t know.
That his absolute ability had failed to ‘steal’ for the first time.
That even that ability had limits.
The Face Thief.
He only knew the swordsmanship he had stolen as ‘a strange swordsmanship used by a Wizard’.
He was wrong.
It was the sword of a Swordsman that transcended the human realm.
That was why he failed to steal.
✦✦✦
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