Make Dark Fantasy Great Again

Chapter 122 "Even so... what kind of Master assassin would give a Black List to an outsider for personal reasons...!" Unable to contain herself any longer, Tua raised her voice. "Must have been an assassin with a rather peculiar personality." "The person who was at the scene said they were quite worldly for an assassin." "See! I knew this would happen!" "How mysterious indeed. Lord Dray. How do you know everything in such detail?" "No, not that." "Pardon?" "I definitely said so! That you would be able to help with this matter!" "...Ah." No. So this is how it turns out. Risir felt an inexplicable sense of indignation. "..." Tua, who had been watching their conversation in bewilderment, gave up trying to understand. *** "So, what do we do now? Should I just write 'Face Thief' on this parchment?" Risir brought the ink pen he had somehow produced close to the parchment. "W-wait!!!" Not only Tua, but even Dray was horrified and stopped him. "Ah, is this not how you use it?" Risir scratched the back of his head with the ink pen and asked the two of them. This time, even Dray burst into laughter. "Even if you ask me that-" "Since Lord Dray immediately recognized what this item was, I thought you knew it in detail." "Know it in detail? I just mentioned a name I'd only heard in rumors." "...In such an important situation?" "Yeah. It's you, after all." Risir felt indignation once again at Dray's matter-of-fact attitude. What is this? This guy just blurts things out without thinking, so why do his predictions keep coming true? "Don't you know anything about this item either, Lady Tua?" As if she would. Tua looked at him with a weary expression. At this point, the sharpness her eyes had once held had dulled considerably. "Then, let's try writing 'Face Thief' on the parchment for now. You said that Face Thief was a former Master of the Assassin Guild, right? Perhaps he might have belonged to the same organization as the person who gave me this item." "No, no. Risir, wait a moment. Are you really sure it's okay? To use such an item for something like this?" "..." Risir scratched his head with a complicated expression. "To be honest, this item is quite troublesome for me to handle. It's rare for me to hate someone enough to want them dead. The only one that comes to mind is... my father, perhaps?" "?" "?" "Well, that's also ancient history now. I can't think of anyone right now. And I probably won't in the future either. So, I think using it for you two on this occasion wouldn't be a bad choice. Since you both seem to know the value of this item, you'll pay a fair price for it, won't you?" "..." "..." Both of their brows furrowed. Pay the price for a Black List? "Risir, let's put that item away for now." "Pardon?" Tua stopped Risir with a complicated expression. "Since someone of Lady Tua's stature came personally, I thought it was an urgent matter." "It is an urgent matter." "Then why?" "No, that's not the problem-" As Tua, who wasn't yet accustomed to dealing with Risir, was flustered, Dray spoke on her behalf. "I never thought I'd use this expression against the Face Thief, but it might be like using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken." Both in terms of the power it possessed and its value. Right now, even the great noble houses of Mastien and Devilan, who ruled parts of the continent, might have to sell off a pillar of their foundation to pay for that item. "It's not just for individual assassins, but an item that moves entire organizations." "..." Risir stared at the parchment. An item that moves entire organizations? 'What the hell did that girl give me?' From what he heard, it definitely wasn't something you'd give as repayment for a personal favor. From the beginning, it wasn't something a Master assassin should give to others. He suddenly felt pity for the complete strangers in the Assassin Guild. "That's unfortunate. I wanted to help you both." Risir reluctantly put the parchment away again. The two great nobles unconsciously let out sighs of relief. "Ah, come to think of it- I have something I'm curious about, Lady Tua. May I ask?" "What is it." "I understand that the Face Thief committed the terrible crime of killing a Hero. But why is the Devilan House pursuing him? Even going so far as to dispatch special forces from their knight order-" "He was receiving sponsorship from our house." "Ah, I see." Risir understood immediately. It was common for noble houses to sponsor artists or adventurers for their reputation. 'Since they're great nobles, even their sponsorship scale is extraordinary.' Then, Dray straightened out the chaotic atmosphere of the place and spoke to Tua. "So, do you have a plan? How do you intend to find that Face Thief who's hidden in this vast city?" "Considering his behavior so far, he won't leave this city until he achieves his intended purpose. And he won't just hide quietly either." "His intended purpose?" "What else would it be? Face thievery." "..." "As you can tell from his killing of the Hero, calling his methods bold would be an understatement. He's in a state where he'll stop at nothing if he can steal great power." "Could it be related to you coming directly to this mansion?" "..." She had secretly entered Bondaless with Dray's help, and also established a base here at Gus's Mansion without anyone knowing. Bringing along a small number of elite members. Tua nodded. "Yes, because there's a lot to steal in this mansion right now. So, Dray. And Risir. Both of you be careful." Tua also directed her gaze to Macy, who stood behind Dray. She, who was Dray's guard, nodded. The meeting dissolved in a heavy atmosphere. *** "Huff... huff..." Mangnus, the vice captain of the Devilan Special Forces. For someone of 7th Rank ability like him, having his breathing disrupted was not a common occurrence. Especially if the location was just the shallow back alleys of the city where only thugs would wander about. Having spotted a suspicious individual on the street and pursued him, he was now confronting a person. It was a young man with a gentle impression, contrary to his aristocratic appearance. Despite wearing the insignia symbolizing his affiliation with the Gray Magic Tower, the fact that he carried a sword was both impressive and suspicious. "Huff... huff..." Right now, his situation wasn't much different from Mangnus's. His breathing was severely disrupted from fighting against Mangnus. Thus, in this tense situation where both had reached their limits- The young man's gentle impression suddenly changed. "Since it's come to this, I have no choice. I'll have to use that." "...!" Mangnus unconsciously stepped back. The young man's demeanor was ominous. He suddenly sheathed his sword in the scabbard at his waist and crouched down. Like a four-legged predator just before pouncing. "What now...!" Mangnus was terrified as he readied his stance. At this point, Mangnus was certain. He was the Face Thief. His ability to freely handle countless swordsmanship styles that couldn't even be fully described as diverse clearly transcended the realm of 'swordsmanship.' It wasn't skill displayed as technique, but phenomena manifested through some kind of power. It couldn't be explained unless it was the Face Thief's ability. Indeed, among the swordsmanship he had perfectly wielded so far was even the Hero's swordsmanship. Even Mangnus's own swordsmanship. The terrifying rumor that he could instantly replicate a 7th Rank's Unique Swordsmanship was true. Such a Face Thief was about to unleash yet another, different swordsmanship. Even someone of Mangnus's caliber couldn't help but feel tense. No matter how irregular any swordsmanship might be, it couldn't match his ability to simultaneously and perfectly wield countless sword techniques. Then, the crouched figure's aura surged. 'Here it comes!' Another perfectly replicated swordsmanship! Mangnus focused all his nerves on him. "...!" Nevertheless, Mangnus lost sight of him for an instant. The gentle-looking young man was suddenly standing right in front of him. And the sword gripped in his hand had already been swung. The mysterious swordsmanship had already been unleashed. "Ah...!" Mangnus groaned. He instinctively realized it. That he had been struck by the blow unleashed by that mysterious swordsmanship. A vile smile, unbefitting his gentle appearance, spread across his face. Mangnus braced himself for the coming pain- and death. Soon, the stretched time returned to its original flow. And another brief moment passed. "...?" "...?" They were confused. Why didn't anything happen? Sensing something was wrong, Mangnus and the young man moved simultaneously. Mangnus swung his sword at him, while the young man employed strange footwork to escape from him. The strangeness of the footwork the young man had been using stemmed from simultaneously employing the footwork of multiple sword techniques. He seamlessly mixed the footwork of various sword techniques. It was evidence of how unreasonably and absolutely the Face Thief's ability operated within the realm of swordsmanship. Therefore, they couldn't understand the situation. Mangnus frantically felt around his body, trying to confirm what wounds he had sustained. However, no matter how much he checked, no wounds existed. "...?" Mangnus looked at the young man in confusion. "...?" The young man also looked at Mangnus in confusion. They did not know. That the Face Thief’s absolute ability had failed for the first time. The fact that even that ability had limits. The Face Thief. He only knew the swordsmanship he had stolen as merely 'a strange swordsmanship used by a mage.' He was wrong. It was the sword of a swordsman who had transcended the human realm. That was why his thievery had failed.