Ch 127
“Kugh-“
Toua, who had fulfilled her role and collapsed to the ground, rose from her place.
“Ugh-“
Magnus, who had flown and crashed into the wall, also raised himself.
“Captain!!!”
“Magnus, Second-in-Command!”
The Special Agents belatedly regained their senses and approached them.
“Captain, are you alright!?”
“Yes…”
“I’m fine too, calm down.”
They were two who had initially thrown themselves at the Face Thief with the determination to create an opportunity for Lisir.
In other words, they intended to be bait.
They, who were prepared, concentrated all their strength on defense in time, and thanks to that, they were able to protect themselves even from the Face Thief’s reckless attack.
Their words that they were alright were true.
In addition, thanks to them fulfilling their duties admirably, the combat achieved the best possible result.
Without any casualties, they were able to eliminate that terrifying monster—the Face Thief.
The Special Forces completed their mission. It was an amazing feat.
“…”
“…”
Nevertheless, Magnus and Toua’s expressions were very complex.
“Captain…?”
What other problem remains?
The Special Agents looked where the two were looking.
“Ah…”
Then, their expressions became similar to the two.
Face Thief.
The one devoured by the Faceless One’s Remains was truly a monster.
The swollen body seemed to be made of pure magical power, not flesh and muscle.
That sturdy body easily withstood Magnus and Toua’s combined strike.
The Special Forces considered.
Could they have eliminated him by themselves?
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t impossible.
The self-lost Face Thief is not much different from an excited wild animal.
He was dangerous, but not a powerful being.
Thus, eliminating him was entirely possible for the Special Forces.
However—
“…”
What about that?
Face Thief.
Face, Thief.
That reckless mass was bisected.
If those two pieces were joined together, wouldn’t it come back to life?
The cut surface was so clean that such a thought naturally occurred.
The Special Forces felt awe at the trace left by that wondrous strike.
And, that awe transformed into a very complex emotion.
That strike, which none of the Special Forces could replicate, was the work of a wizard from the Grey Tower, not any knight or Sword Master.
Lisir.
The gazes of the Special Forces, reflecting their complex state of mind, focused on him.
“Captain?”
At that time, Toua slowly approached Lisir and spoke.
He was crouching in front of the Face Thief’s corpse, intently observing something.
“Lisir, are you alright?”
Lisir stood up again and faced her.
“I seem to have sustained a minor injury due to overexertion, but I’m fine. I’m used to this. I’ll take care of it.”
Hoo.
Hoo.
Lisir, speaking, was breathing heavily.
Toua’s expression contorted.
“No. Tell me your symptoms. I’ll call a healer. He’s a skilled one, so he’ll definitely be helpful.”
Toua gestured towards the group.
Then, a Special Agent wearing glasses approached with a quick action.
“This guy is Hans. In terms of healing ability alone, he’s comparable to a mid-level healer. In fact, if he hadn’t joined the Special Forces, he would have become an excellent healer. Tell me your symptoms. Whatever it is, he’ll take better care of you than you doing it yourself.”
“Where are you uncomfortable?”
“I’m really fine…”
When Lisir smiled wryly, Toua said with a serious face.
“You are our Special Forces’ benefactor… no, hero. Without your help, our Special Forces would have suffered even greater losses in the process of carrying out the mission. The Face Thief. His abilities exceeded our expectations.”
Thereupon, Hans pushed up his glasses and said with a stern face.
“Improper treatment by a non-professional can worsen the injury. I beg you, will you follow my instructions here?”
The atmosphere between Hans and Toua was somewhat tense.
Because they knew how stubborn a wizard belonging to the Magic Tower was.
They believed that their knowledge was absolutely superior.
A wizard who says, ‘Ah, I know that too-‘ was a kind of disaster.
‘This person is also from the Magic Tower… it’ll take some effort to persuade him.’
Just as Hans was already feeling overwhelmed,
“Understood. Then, may I gratefully accept your favor and ask for your help?”
“?”
Hans’s eyes widened at Lisir’s reaction.
‘Are you really a wizard from the Magic Tower?’
To acknowledge and respect that the other person’s knowledge is more professional than his own knowledge.
It was a rare sight in a wizard from the Magic Tower.
-You’re a professional healer? So what? I’m a wizard from the Magic Tower.
Hans, who had prepared for such an otherworldly reaction through past experiences, could not hide his bewilderment, but directed a favorable gaze towards Lisir.
“Thank you for your cooperation. Then, could you tell me your symptoms?”
He said enthusiastically.
The Captain’s order.
The benefactor who helped the Special Forces.
Apart from all that, he felt like he wanted to help this man purely.
“Should I say symptoms—it’s this.”
“This?”
“Overload.”
“?”
“?”
Question marks were drawn on the faces of Toua and Hans, who were seriously listening to Lisir’s words.
“Didn’t you say it was a minor injury a while ago…?”
“Yes, that’s right. A minor overload.”
“…”
“…”
Minor overload.
The two found the combination of words unfamiliar.
In the phenomenon where the body collapses due to the influence of uncontrolled magical power, how can there be light and heavy?
It’s just a matter of getting screwed.
The two looked at Lisir again.
Bleeding from every hole in his face, he breathes heavily.
Because he was acting nonchalantly, they thought he was really fine, but it turned out that he was dying in real time as he appeared.
“O-overload…! Lisir, are you alright!?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I’m used to it.”
“Used to…?”
“So, Mr. Hans. What should I do?”
“No, even if you ask me…”
“Yes?”
Lisir stared at Hans.
-Follow my instructions here, right?
It seemed as if such a voice was heard.
Hans felt wronged.
-A minor injury, you said?
What kind of insane person calls an overload a minor injury?
However, his condition, bleeding from every hole in his face, was not light to anyone.
His existence was causing cognitive dissonance in those around him.
“…Hans, it’s an overload, is it okay to leave him as he is?”
Toua asked with a dubious expression.
“…Bleeding from every hole in his face…normally, that would result in disability or death.”
“But Lisir said he’s used to it…ah.”
Soon, Toua nodded, saying she understood.
“W-what did you figure out!?”
“Yes. Lisir could do that.”
“…?”
That’s it?
Hans was confused.
The Captain, who was as strong as steel, was being consumed(?) by Lisir.
“Lisir, you said you would take appropriate measures just now—do you have a way to deal with the overload?”
He even asks the question with an excited look.
Hans was shouting in frustration.
Unless he carries around a priest(?), there’s no way he would have such a thing.
“Ah, yes. Usually, I deal with it by controlling the rampaging mana.”
Controlling mana that rampages enough to cause an overload?
If you can control it, why is it rampaging?
How can you control it if it’s rampaging?
Why is the overload happening?
Why is an eagle’s beak yellow?
‘Did your magical power suddenly increase? As if you ate an elixir without knowing it?’
At that time, Lisir closed his eyes and began to concentrate on his breath.
What happened afterward was very simple and clear.
The rampaging mana gradually stabilized and began to merge with his body.
“Wow.”
Toua, who looked resigned, let out a soulless exclamation.
Hans grabbed his head with both hands.
He returned to the group as if escaping before his constitution changed.
✦✦✦
“Whew, it seems to be done.”
Once Lisir controlled the overload to some extent, Toua brought up the question she had put off.
“Lisir, may I ask you something?”
“Please speak freely.”
By now, the Special Agents who had drawn closer were standing behind her.
They waited for Toua’s words with tense expressions.
“Sword Qi…”
Toua uttered the word with a truly complex expression.
“How can you wield that power…?”
Lisir’s realm is Rank 6.
He is originally a wizard.
And, and—
Since there was no end to listing them one by one, Toua could only ask that way.
How did you do it?
After much deliberation, Lisir answered.
“I have an Ego Sword. It’s called the Blue Lotus, which I received from the one called the Outer Sword. I believe I can use Sword Qi entirely thanks to that Ego Sword.”
“…!”
The eyes of Toua and the other Special Agents widened.
Sword Master Outer Sword.
His Outer Sword, famous as his beloved sword, the Blue Lotus.
What came out of Lisir’s mouth was more amazing and stimulating than they had imagined.
“I see, thanks to the Outer Sword’s Ego Sword…”
“Certainly, if you borrow the power of such an amazing sword—…!”
Toua muttered, and Magnus responded.
The other Special Agents also nodded with faces that said, ‘I understand!’
Except for one person.
“…However, even if you borrow the power of the Ego Sword, a Rank 6 wizard… initially, he doesn’t even have that sword—”
Hans.
He expressed his doubt with a puzzled face.
It was a very reasonable question.
That’s why it was a problem.
“Hick!”
Hans was horrified, belatedly feeling the fierce gazes of his comrades.
He nodded, belatedly getting the hint.
Thus, it became that Lisir could use Sword Qi thanks to the Ego Sword imbued with the Sword Master’s power(?).
It had to be that way.
“As expected… it was like that…”
“No wonder! The Outer Sword’s beloved sword!!!”
“As expected of Sir Lisir!!! To be recognized by the Outer Sword and receive the Blue Lotus!!!”
Hahaha.
The Special Forces created a cheerful atmosphere.
Their gazes were somewhat unfocused.
-Poor things.
Klana muttered from the Inner World.
“Anyway, everyone. Do you know what this is?”
“What are you talking about?”
Toua’s gaze followed Lisir’s hand.
The Face Thief’s corpse.
A fist-sized mass of remains was lying nearby.
Its ominous texture and color resembled black mercury.
“…”
Toua stared at it intently, and suddenly recalled the Face Thief’s end.
His state of being devoured by something and losing his existence.
“Perhaps, this might be related to his power.”
The Face Thief’s power was an ability that anyone in this world would covet.
Nevertheless, none of the Special Forces members showed any desire for the remains.
Was it because of their excellent self-control?
No. It was because the energy emanating from the remains was suspicious at a glance.
The blood flowing from the Face Thief’s corpse gathered around the remains and was swallowed by it.
Lisir tried using the Normalization Power on it, just in case.
The remains did not react.
‘It’s not related to Black Magic, is it.’
After a moment of fruitless observation.
“Lisir!”
“Are you alright!”
A little later.
Dray and Pallag arrived late after hearing the news.
“Ah, Duke Pallag! You came at just the right time!”
Lisir immediately asked Pallag about the remains.
“It seems I arrived at just the right time.”
“Can you figure out what it is?”
“…”
Pallag approached right in front of the remains and looked down at it.
He muttered.
“A formidable item.”
“Can you figure out what it is?”
Pallag snapped his fingers at Lisir’s question.
Then, the Face Thief’s corpse instantly froze.
Including the bisected body and the blood it had scattered.
Thus, at the moment when the remains and the Face Thief were completely isolated.
“…!”
Horror appeared on Lisir and the Special Agents’ faces at the same time.
Remains.
Suddenly, a vast amount of mana began to be felt from the fist-sized lump.
The source of the vast magical power that they thought was coming from the Face Thief’s corpse was none other than the remains.
“Apparently, the owner of these remains wasn’t the Face Thief, but rather, these remains were the owner of the Face Thief.”
“Everyone?”
Dray, who was looking at the remains with interest, said.
“If it’s alright, may I recover these remains? I will pay appropriately.”
“Leave it alone, Dray. This isn’t something you can handle.”
“Is it that serious?”
“It seems an investigation is necessary. Everyone, make sure no one approaches these remains until the investigation is over.”
Pallag efficiently organized the situation.
Lisir asked him.
“Duke Pallag. Then, there’s nothing more for me to do at the moment, right?”
“That’s right. Why?”
“I’m starting to feel like collapsing.”
“?”
“Everyone. I entrust you with the aftermath. And if possible, please take me to a Saint.”
Lisir sat down, leaned back, and lost consciousness.
“…Isn’t the person who needs investigation him?”
Hans blurted out unconsciously.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
✦✦✦
It’s a familiar ceiling.
“Don’t you get tired of it?”
And it’s a familiar situation.
Pien welcomed me after I regained consciousness.
“That’s nonsense. How could I ever get tired of Pien’s face.”
“Seeing you talk nonsense, I guess I can go straight to the main point.”
“Is it okay for us to get used to this process?”
“Don’t talk as if it’s a shared problem.”
Three days.
Pien said that was how long I had been unconscious.
Pien told me what had happened during those three days.
“First, the date of your award ceremony has been set.”
“Oh, when is it?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Isn’t that too sudden?”
“If you hadn’t lost consciousness three days ago and had listened to my story, you wouldn’t have felt it was too sudden, right?”
“Aha.”
“And another thing. There was a commotion while you were asleep.”
The Faceless One’s Remains.
That was the exact name of the remains that emerged from the Face Thief’s corpse.
Pien said that there was a commotion because of those remains.
“Magical power erosion phenomenon…?”
“The power contained within the remains is so strong that it has begun to affect the surrounding environment. Some say it should be completely annihilated now, others say that if we rashly touch it, we don’t know what kind of result it will bring, the opinions of the investigation team are sharply divided.”
“Heh heh…”
While I was still half-asleep after waking up, I was barely accepting that serious story, when
“Master!”
Verbande…siu!’s strong voice was heard.
“You’re already awake!!!”
“Oops, sorry. Was I not supposed to do that?”
“It’s delicious!!!”
“Oops! Delicious delicious!”
For some reason, he appeared through the door of the room.
“Verbande…siu! What is it? Where have you been?”
“This!”
Ber held out his palm.
“It looked delicious, so I brought it!”
A dark red remains was placed on that small palm.
No way?
“Hey, hey…! You, that—”
It seems so.
The color was different, so I didn’t recognize it for a moment, but those remains seemed to be the Faceless One’s Remains that Pien had just talked about.
I hurriedly told Ber.
“Verbande…siu! You can’t do that. That’s not for eating. You can’t eat that.”
“…”
Ber looked at the remains with a regretful face.
No.
“…!”
He glared.
As if he were having a staring contest with something inside.
I immediately got up and approached Ber.
“Lisir?”
“This. Go with Ber and put it back in its place.”
“L-let’s go!”
We went with Ber to the place where the remains were originally located—
Goose Manor’s backyard where the Face Thief had fallen.
As expected.
The place was in chaos.
“What’s the meaning of this!? The remains suddenly disappeared! What, are you saying it moved on its own and went somewhere!? Do you know how dangerous that item is!?”
Several people were busily searching the place, and a tall woman I had never seen before was scolding her subordinates in a near-panic state.
“What do we do? If that item reacts to external stimuli or a changed environment, and causes an abnormal phenomenon—”
The woman was fidgeting and biting her nails.
Dray and Pallag were standing next to that woman.
“Oh, Lisir!? You’re awake? Are you feeling a little better?”
Dray found me and greeted me cheerfully.
Pallag also found me and smiled wryly before opening his mouth.
“You must be wondering what all this commotion is about. I’ll explain.”
“Ah, I’m fine. I know what’s going on.”
“Hmm? That child is—”
I patted Ber’s head next to me, and attention focused on Ber.
That is, on Ber, who was glaring at the remains on his palm.
“M-my goodness! Why is that there—you there, it’s dangerous!!!”
The tall woman was the first to react.
She saw Ber and exclaimed in horror.
“Li, Lisir!!! Quickly, separate your spirit from the remains!!!”
“This is crazy, why is that there!?”
Dray and Pallag also showed similar reactions.
“Hey, hey! Calm down! Give me that, give me that…!? Sister will give you something better—”
The three of them approached Ber cautiously with their hands outstretched, but Ber didn’t care.
“…!!!”
His attention was consistently focused on the remains.
At that moment, Ber’s eyebrows became extremely sharp as he glared at the remains.
Nom!
Ber swallowed the remains without hesitation.
✦✦✦
Huak!
Everyone in the place gasped.
In the end, disaster struck.
The young spirit had swallowed the Faceless One’s Remains.
“This—”
A mixture of emotions appeared on their faces as they looked at the spirit.
That young spirit had already crossed an irreversible river.
The powerful energy of the remains would erode the spirit.
Now, what they had to worry about was not the spirit’s safety, but the spirit’s condition after being eroded.
“!!!”
At that moment.
The young spirit, who had been mumbling, opened its eyes wide.
It’s coming!
They steeled their determination and prepared for the situation that would follow.
Young spirit.
She raised both arms with all her might and shouted.
“It’s not delicious!!!”
“…”
“…”
“…”
Silence fell over the place.
How long did that last?
“…?”
“…?”
“…?”
Their serious expressions stiffened awkwardly.
-That’s it?
Their expressions seemed to say that.
Soon, their gazes, which had been directed at the spirit, turned to Lisir.
What is that?
What are you carrying around?
✦✦✦
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