Chapter 114 : Chapter 114
Chapter 114: Taking Off the Mask (1)
The dark city of Krom was a place with an extremely harsh environment.
Not only the miasma called ‘Gloom’, which was mentioned before and covered the entire city, but the island where the city was located was a place difficult to enter or leave, with storms raging all year round.
For that reason, the days one could come and go were fixed to about once or twice a month.
The days when the storms subsided a little.
But even when they subsided, the storms were impossible to break through without a skilled navigator, so to the people of the continent, Krom was treated as an unknown island that was almost impossible to get to.
Well, not that anyone wanted to go in the first place.
Who would want to go?
To a place where just getting to the island was a life-risking endeavor, where even if you somehow arrived, those not adapted to the miasma could barely breathe without wearing a gas mask, and moreover, where dark elves, known to be second to none in fierceness and cruelty, were scattered everywhere.
And because of those storms, the dark elves, likewise, did not often venture outside of Krom.
The greatest influence in them becoming a reclusive race that looked down on the races outside of Krom who lived and breathed in an atmosphere without miasma, seeing them as weak and almost refusing to interact with them, was that very environment.
Although you could find a certain number of dark elves in Tiaria, which was the closest to Krom and the largest city on the continent where all sorts of people gathered, most of them were half-breeds born and raised in Tiaria.
Ibi was one of them.
Anyway, for that reason, Krom was not a place one could go to immediately just by wanting to.
First, a sturdy ship that wouldn't break in most storms was needed, and a skilled navigator to handle that ship was also needed.
──We will prepare that part on our side.
Of course, as long as Logan, who had made this confident declaration, was here, there was no need to worry about those preparations.
So, we just had to wait for him to prepare the ship and navigator, and for the storms surrounding Krom to subside a little.
Logan said that considering the usual cycle of the storms, it would probably take about a week.
It was the perfect amount of time for maintenance to take care of things that would be good to handle before heading to Krom.
“Ah, u-uh, welco--”
Like picking up the artifact I had commissioned from Nero.
“──!?”
Perhaps she bit her tongue while trying to greet me, as Nero, clutching her mouth, started hopping on the spot, with tears welling up in her eyes.
Truly, it was a shop with an intense welcoming performance(?) every time I came.
“Oh, today, is it just the two of you…?”
Nero, who approached us after we pulled back the hoods we had worn low to hide our appearances, asked, looking around.
It was because, unlike last time when all six of us had visited, today only Rine and I had come to the shop.
Miki had gone to meet the butler, Sebastian.
It was to help with the cleanup of the burned-down mansion and to discuss its reconstruction.
Lily had gone to offer prayers, which she had been too busy to do often.
Although Tiaria was a city that revered Tia, the Goddess of the Moon, as its main deity, it was a city where so many people gathered that there was a separate pantheon where other gods could be worshiped.
Naturally, the statue of Sistina, who had the most followers after the 12 Gods, was also there.
Toric had no particular god he believed in, but he accompanied Lily to the temple to act as her guard.
He said we had to prepare for any potential threats.
Toric was right.
On the surface, it might not seem much different from usual, but it was safe to say that the entire city was in a state of tension.
It seemed that rumors of an ‘unidentified explosion’ at the Cartel's mansion last night and Don Paulo's resulting disappearance had spread quickly through the streets.
And, stories that someone was already aiming for the now vacant ‘throne’ of the underworld, with its king suddenly gone.
As I said before, it was a situation where the Hydra's head had been cut off.
Well, for now, it was a Schrödinger's Hydra, where it was unknown whether it was cut or not.
So, to observe that state, all the members of the Cartel were scouring the streets with fire in their eyes, searching for Don Paulo.
Of course, I had no intention of letting them find him.
We planned to have him play the role of a ‘key’ for us to use when we went to Krom.
Just like Allen.
Because he was the only link we had to confront Kain, who was at the center of the conspiracy.
For that reason, Ibi had remained alone at the safe house, partly to watch over Don Paulo who was still being held as our prisoner.
And so, we decided to spend our time individually today.
That’s why I had actually left the safe house alone, but when I turned to close the door, Rine was already quietly following me.
“Huh? You want to go together?”
“…? Yes.”
At my question, she tilted her head as if asking why I would even ask such a thing.
“Is that not allowed?”
“No, it's not that it's not allowed, but…”
I said that since we hadn't had much personal time, it would be good to spend our own time for today.
“Do you not have anything? Something you wanted to do alone.”
“Something I want to do, you ask?”
“Yeah.”
Rine lowered her gaze slightly as if lost in thought, but it was truly just for a moment.
She soon raised her head again and said, in a tone that suggested this was the only thing she could think of no matter how much she thought.
“It is to be by Lord Yubin's side.”
“…Is that so?”
I had a slight hope because she had been showing more emotions lately, but it seemed it was still too early for independent action.
The fact that Rine was following me so naturally, like a duckling following its mother, was merely the effect of the imprinting.
Of course, the 「Slave Brand」 itself had disappeared, but the imprinting effect had not.
But well, time will gradually solve that part.
“Then let's go together.”
Rine nodded with a blank expression and immediately took one of my hands.
It might just be my imagination, but for a while now, I felt that Rine's sense of distance had become much closer than before.
To put it bluntly, she tried to stick to me whenever she had the chance.
As if she felt anxious when we were apart.
Before, she would stop at just holding my sleeve, but now, as if that was no longer enough, she would take my hand like this.
How should I put it, it's like she constantly wants to confirm that we are ‘connected’.
Just like with the brand last time.
Especially since the incident with Luce… that is, ever since I died once, it had felt that way.
“….”
If so, then that would be a responsibility I have to bear.
I held her hand even tighter, so that Rine's anxiety might subside, even for a moment.
***
Therefore, it was just the two of us today.
Realizing that she didn't have to deal with many people at once, Nero immediately let out a sigh of relief, “Phew…”
Certainly, even if they were customers, being the center of attention for six people would have been a burdensome situation for an ‘extreme I’ like Nero.
“I was wondering if the item I requested last time was ready.”
“Ah, ye, yes.”
During my last visit, I had made a request to Nero.
─ Shall I say I want to suppress my beauty?
─ ……Ye, yes? Y-your beauty?
At first, Nero had an expression of bewilderment, as if she couldn't understand what she had just heard, but immediately after hearing the explanation that followed, she understood what I meant.
─Ah, I see… Regardless of your own will, if your face is seen, the other person becomes charmed…….
As if she knew about similar symptoms(?), Nero stroked her chin and fell into thought, then.
─I, I might know… a way to, to control it…!
She had answered with considerable confidence, telling me to leave it to her.
“He, here, this is…!”
This was the result.
The small artifact that Nero presented, resting on the palm of his hand, was.
“Y-you can, wear it, in your eyes.”
No matter how you looked at it, a pair of contact lenses.
“A-at the magic school I attended, there were sometimes friends who were born, with innate magic eyes…. Ah, that is, not that they were really my friends… in the sense of, of being alumni…”
It was a bit sad that he corrected himself on his own when I hadn't even pointed it out, but anyway, the gist was this.
“There were tools to suppress those magic eyes… th, this item was inspired by, by them…!”
The principle was similar to those glasses-like things, Nero said.
“If what you said last time is true, I thought it must be a magical ability…”
That would be right.
While ‘The Beginning’ was controlling my body, the 「The Beauty that Topples a Kingdom."」 trait was not activated, so my companions were not particularly charmed even when they looked directly at my face.
But it's not like my face suddenly changed drastically.
That would mean that rather than my face itself, some magical power inherent in the 「The Beauty that Topples a Kingdom."」 trait was intervening to charm the target.
“If that's the case… th-then it can definitely be suppressed.”
If I wear this, that is.
Nero's hand, holding the lenses, trembled as she stuttered, but it wasn't due to a lack of confidence, but simply a lack of social skills.
“A-and it doesn't just suppress it, you might also be able to utilize… the bewitching energy… uhm, the magical power, that accumulates while doing so…!”
Rather, her confidence, for someone like Nero, could be said to be overflowing.
Sure enough, as soon as I picked up the lenses, a detailed description window popped up as if to prove that confidence.
--
「Witch's Eye」 (Legendary)
Effect - When worn, the 「The Beauty that Topples a Kingdom."」 trait no longer puts targets into a ‘charmed’ state.
When removed, the next Charisma stat-based attack will be a guaranteed critical hit.
Alternatively, a Charisma stat-based spell will ‘unconditionally’ succeed. (1 per rest)
--
“Oh──”
Seeing this, I almost let out a gasp of admiration without realizing it.
With a Legendary-grade artifact I had never seen before popping up at an unexpected timing, it was inevitable.
No matter how early I had started investing, I thought it would take a bit longer until she started making Legendary-grade artifacts.
Besides, it wasn't just the grade.
In fact, what was more surprising was the effect.
Not only did it prevent the indiscriminate charming, which could be called a penalty for the balance of the overpowered trait 「The Beauty that Topples a Kingdom」, but it even strengthened the trait further.
「The Beauty that Topples a Kingdom」, apart from the +5 to the Charisma stat, was a trait that only worked on human opponents.
But with these lenses, it meant that I could land a guaranteed critical hit or cast 「Word Command」 once on a non-humanoid enemy who wouldn't be charmed even after seeing my face, or on a humanoid opponent with ‘charm immunity’ or the like.
It was truly worthy of being called a Legendary-grade artifact.
Moreover, it was an artifact prepared for me now, in fact, for me alone in this world.
Unable to wait any longer, I hurriedly turned my back on Nero, took off my mask, and quickly tried on the 「Witch's Eye」.
“How is it?”
Then, with a grin on my face, I gestured for Rine, who was next to me, to look at my ‘bare face’ and asked.
At that, Rine answered in her usual calm tone.
“You are beautiful today as well.”