Chapter 435: Proof of Existence (23)

0% ‘The masked assailant’.

A figure presumed to be an associate of the Dark Order. Always appeared wearing a pure white mask–and every time someone caught a glimpse of them, they passed out almost instantly.

My companions had spotted them three times already. But today was the first time I faced them directly.

The fourth time, no less.

Of course, it couldn’t be a coincidence. Though I couldn’t fathom the reason, I hoped this battle would serve as a chance to uncover it.

I etched the enemy’s appearance thoroughly onto my retina as we finally met.

The opponent was a powerful individual who had knocked out Dame Irene in one go. There was no guarantee I’d fare any better. So I had to cram as much information as possible into my mind.

First, their presence was… strange.

Were they a man or woman? I now understood why there had been no mention of this. Their physique was utterly indiscernible.

Their slim waist reminded me of a woman, but their flat, hard muscles were characteristic of a man. Even their Adam’s apple was oddly underdeveloped.

And above all, the masked assailant exuded a bizarre aura.

An uncanny sensation–like something straddled the line between human and monster–kept scraping at my nerves.

As if urging me to strike down this hybrid thing immediately.

Though it was only a fleeting moment, the assailant’s impression was deeply engraved in my heart.

It felt like time had stopped. In the midst of a silent stillness where nothing moved, I detected a faint vibration in the air.

Something was coming.

The instant I realized, my upper body jerked diagonally. I felt a long arc barely grazing my chest.

How?

It was a speed that made a proper reaction nearly impossible. If my aura hadn’t recently grown stronger allowing my senses to sharpen, I wouldn’t have been able to react at all.

Was it a sharp weapon, or a blunt one?

Even that was unclear. Meanwhile, the assailant was already moving to counter the hatchet I’d thrown.

The mystery unraveled soon enough.

My hatchet, soaring in a straight line, was struck by something and sent adrift in the air. At the moment I could use the principle of movement within stillness, a flurry of additional blows followed.

This meant they knew my fighting style well.

I quickly bent my tilted torso and sprang off the ground.

By then, the masked assailant was slowly backing away, looking for a chance to escape, but I wasn’t about to let that happen.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going, you bastard!”

With no time to spare, I hurled my sword.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this desperate in a fight. My only thought was to catch that ‘masked assailant’, even if it meant throwing away both my primary and secondary weapons.

It was a risky move for me too.

As expected, my opponent couldn’t help but find my choice surprising. The masked assailant, who’d been turning to flee, hesitated for the first time.

A heavy pressure was transmitted to the soles of my feet as I kicked off the ground, evidence that I was running at full speed.

Then, I felt another strange tremor.

My body instinctively rolled forward across the ground. At that moment, I noticed something.

I couldn’t hear any sound.

When I concentrated, I could only feel a faint ringing. Since my hearing had been fine up until I shouted just moments ago, there were only two possibilities.

Either I had just gone deaf, or I was losing my hearing at specific moments.

Simultaneously, I sensed fragments of wind brushing past my back.

While I was initially too startled to notice, I was now aware that my clothes were fluttering about. When I forcibly lifted my head, I saw the masked assailant was no different.

It wasn’t that there’d been no warning.

It was just too fast–so fast I wasn’t able to even register it, almost like it was magic

The masked assailant was a physical type.

As I sprang back to my feet, my thrown sword flailed pitifully in the air. I thought at least I could buy some time with it.

Then, my hatchet snapped back into my hand as if it was magnetized. This was thanks to my recent progress.

My progress wasn’t limited to my aura. With my overall skill rising, my grasp of the secret techniques had deepened too.

Naturally, this included the principle of movement within stillness.

Lately, I could weave one or two more variations than before.

And that achievement was now in my grip.

With the masked assailant right before me, my arm swung without hesitation.

Bang!

A thunderous blast and shockwave erupted. The vibration was so strong that even the ringing in my ears couldn’t mask it. Unusually, I clutched the hatchet with both hands.

Otherwise, I might have been overwhelmed by the force I put into it.

Demonic humans weren’t human. It was only right to assume that all their physical specs were basically superior.

And the fact that my decision wasn’t wrong was soon proven.

There wasn’t an inch of give.

My hatchet met an invisible ‘something,’ halting its advance. Only then did I flash a rough grin.

“An invisible weapon? Or perhaps magic?”

Although I had already inwardly concluded that they weren’t a mage, I couldn’t rule out the possibility entirely.

Of course, they didn’t give me an answer.

They merely gazed at me with hollow eyes–or could it even be called a gaze?

From the start, there wasn’t even a gap for eyes on the pure white mask. It was truly an object that covered the entire face.

I guess it meant that eyesight wasn’t necessary.

Truly a demonic human-like trait.

Gritting my teeth, I pressed the masked assailant even harder. Judging by the faint groaning, the assailant didn’t seem to be in a comfortable situation either.

“Not gonna answer? Well, that’s…”

The silver aura dancing along the hatchet’s edge solidified.

“……fine by me!”

The aura I gathered dispersed like mist. As the masked assailant hesitated at the shift, my hatchet deflected the transparent weapon.

‘Shackle’ and ‘Liberation’.

Yet the foe’s weapon showed no change. Only a faint silver light was visible for a moment. In other words, it wasn’t a phenomenon created by a temporary concentration of mana.

It was a weapon.

And an extremely rare one at that. The magic cloaking it nearly unraveled for a split second before restoring itself.

Seizing the momentum, I stepped forward to close the gap.

Had they not retracted their weapon and retreated first, my hatchet might’ve struck their chest.

Sharp instincts.

It was a blessing that only those who had gone through numerous real battles could obtain. Indeed, some intel could only be learned through clashing blades.

If only Dame Irene had been a bit more capable.

A flicker of regret crossed my mind, but this wasn’t the time for distractions.

Just as I was about to continue my attack.

The white mask tilted slightly.

It meant the direction of their gaze had shifted. But since their eyes were completely covered, their sight shouldn’t matter in the first place.

I soon realized their intention.

The masked assailant was trying to glance at Perry, who was bleeding out on the ground. More precisely, they tried to give me that impression.

It was a kind of dilemma.

Keep fighting, or save that man’s life?

The Saintess was at the orphanage. Though his wounds looked dire, his life was barely hanging by a thread. If I wanted to save him, I could.

But the masked assailant would slip away.

My head started to spin. I didn’t know what choice to make.

Regardless, I felt a faint vibration on my skin.

It was coming again.

Sensing it, I clenched my teeth so hard they might break. In the end, I had only one choice.

“You, son of a bitch……!”

As if throwing my body, my hatchet was slammed into an imaginary arc. With a clang, it recoiled, but whatever it hit wasn’t unscathed either.

I could feel through the vibrations in my hand that its trajectory had been completely altered.

Because I turned so suddenly, my posture wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t enough to fully withstand the recoil.

Seizing the opening, the masked assailant naturally chose to flee. I was left grinding my teeth and abandoned the chase.

Perry came first. Besides, the speed of the assailant’s escape was beyond my imagination.

It was at a level where chasing would be meaningless. I sighed and looked at the fallen man and the girl with trembling legs trying to stand.

For a moment, I looked at Ria with compassion before shifting my gaze to Perry.

He’d nearly died. The masked assailant had truly meant to kill him.

Why?

Hoping the answer would unlock a vital clue, I silently stared at the sky.

The moon shone brightly. God still wasn’t offering any answers.

As always.

**

After calming a sobbing Ria and sending her off, I leaned against the wall, waiting for someone.

In the corner of the room, a white light flickered on and off repeatedly from the bed. After a while, a weary-looking woman turned her back and looked at me.

It was the Saintess.

A question naturally spilled from my mouth.

“How is he?”

“His life isn’t in danger.”

As if she’d anticipated my question, her reply came smoothly.

“He’s unconscious, but he’ll wake in a day or two. He’s not someone who abuses their body like a certain someone.”

“Good to hear.”

Brushing off the subtle jab hidden in her words, I slightly shifted my gaze to Perry.

His breathing was steady. There were still traces of pain on his face, but these too would disappear over time.

Rather, I had a different concern.

“…..Are you sure he’s unconscious?”

“Yes, do you think I wouldn’t even know that?”

Still uneasy, I grabbed the Saintess’s hand and led her outside. She looked baffled by my behavior.

It was time to cut to the chase.

“Did you examine Perry thoroughly?”

“Of course I did. At the very least, I’m not lazy when it comes to caring for patients.”

My question seemed to offend her; her brow furrowed slightly. If it were anyone other than me saying this, they might’ve paid dearly for such doubt.

Truth be told, I was a bit nervous too.

After all, I was one of the people who knew her temper best.

But I had to say what needed to be said. A more cautious question followed.

“Any traces of magic or…….”

“You mean, is he under the control of the Dark Order? Such things are all obvious. Don’t worry too much.”

The Saintess was indeed quick-witted.

She immediately caught on to what I was worried about and began to explain calmly.

But I had information I hadn’t yet conveyed.

“Could you please check one more time? I’ve heard there are types of contract magic that are difficult to detect. Like those faceless monsters that attacked Ria in the military camp last time……”

“lan.”

It was a low and strong tone.

She then confidently assured me.

“I understand what you’re worried about. But… after investigating, the Shylock Trading Company doesn’t have anything particularly suspicious about them. Their funding sources are clean too. And even if they were a hidden branch of the Dark Order, it has nothing to do with this orphanage at the very least.”

“Why is that?”

“Because the Holy Nation runs it.”

I fell into silence with a groan. My gaze slightly shifted to the side.

I wanted to say I wasn’t convinced.

But how do you tell a nation’s representative you suspect her homeland?

Her claim had its own basis.

“No matter how much the Shylock Trading Company wants to plot something, as long as they take children or goods from here, they’ll be under the surveillance of the Holy Country.”

“Isn’t Archbishop Aindel the person in charge here? The one who, uh, clashes with you……”

“Archbishop Aindel is also a cleric.”

With that, the Saintess’s delicate index finger rose sharply. And soon, a pure white light began to rise from its tip.

I could roughly guess what she was trying to say.

“He’s a person granted the miracle bestowed by the Lord. He may have some flaws, but he wouldn’t betray our Lord in heaven.”

Because there was no way the Heavenly God would grant holy power to such a person.

Although she didn’t explicitly add this, I knew well that it was the core of her argument. I couldn’t think of any proper rebuttal to this.

To be honest, religion wasn’t a realm of reason or logic.

What could one say in front of someone who chose to believe in it? At this point, there was only one option left.

“Still, please check one more time.”

“lan…..”

It was a request bordering on unreasonable. The Saintess was also starting to get irritated.

Moreover, she had just woken up.

She couldn’t help but be sensitive as a faint heat was exhaled from her mouth.

“Are you sure? Are you saying you can’t trust my words that much?”

“No, it’s not that…….”

“FINE.”

While grinding her teeth, her sharp gaze turned towards me.

“I’ll examine him properly again. I’ll check everything, down to his blood vessels and internal organs… If nothing comes up even after that, be prepared.”

Her attitude was more severe than I had ever seen before. Unease began to creep in.

But it was already too late.

Fuming, she stormed back inside. Then she placed her hand on Perry’s chest and closed her eyes. Judging by her appearance, sweating cold sweat, she seemed to be concentrating intensely.

This was bad. It would probably take at least a few hours to soothe the angry Saintess.

And a few hours later.

The Saintess, who opened her eyes while panting, had a blank look.

“…….Huh?”

My eyes, which had been dozing off, snapped open. Anyone could see that she had a bewildered face, and I immediately realized one thing.

Something went wrong.

After noticing this, I asked back smugly as if I hadn’t been worried at all.

“Are you done with your examination?”

‘Perry Quartz’.

Buried deep within him lay a contract with the Dark Order.