Chapter 114
Chapter 114
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: Heading to the Masquerade
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“No, I only found out where it was while getting this for you.”
I smiled at Paiyan, who was frowning with a why me? expression after I told him to write one invitation himself.
“Why leave you out? Isn’t this a great opportunity?”
Normally, people couldn’t get that far because they lacked the skills to forge a proper identity.
Paiyan shuddered at my offhand remark.
“That’s exactly the problem. You know the requirements for nobility. Pure human bloodline within three generations! I’m a half-blood. What the hell are you planning?”
If he got caught, the empire cherished that bloodline so much that at minimum, three generations of everyone involved would be dragged off for the crime of insulting it.
“You think the noble kids at the academy, aged fifteen to twenty-five and just pretending to be something at a gathering like this, would bring bloodline detectors?”
I felt bad for always making Rif, Luna, or Zero do it, so I brewed the tea myself and handed it to Paiyan. His expression was odd.
“The taste… No, before that, wouldn’t it be more helpful to pick one of your amazing party members and bring them along?”
“Why do you think I’m not?”
Zero would go boldly with an invitation.
Cain was already planned to tag along unofficially, right in my heart.
Paiyan tilted his head as if a hook had appeared above it at my calm question.
“Th-then why me…?”
Fascination. There was no reason not to use that dangerous trait in a place like this.
“Gather some good intel for me while you’re there instead. And get a taste of who might fall into your hands ahead of time.”
According to Paiyan, it didn’t work on the same sex, but that was wrong.
It was poison to aura users or those without mental resistance traits.
“It must have been more effective on the opposite sex back when the rank was low.”
Not anymore. If Paiyan put his mind to it and schemed, no ordinary person could resist.
At most, fewer than ten would fall deeply under the trait’s power.
For the rest, he’d have to open the floodgates with fascination and turn it into genuine loyalty—that was up to Paiyan now.
So he needed to learn other skills beyond the secret ace he’d revealed to me. Persuasion and mercenary tactics too.
Puppetry alone couldn’t fully leverage the trait.
And he needed to find his own loyal retainers. He couldn’t control everyone with fascination alone.
‘She’s got the basic potential.’
That’s why I chose her. Once she shed that deep-rooted distrust stemming from her trait, it would be easy.
“So I expect you to pull off the noble act perfectly.”
If she botched it clumsily and got exposed, I might not get tired, but Paiyan would be exhausted—and her entire family line could be wiped out.
Paiyan glared at me like I was a demon. Talented people had to be worked hard, after all.
After sending out the slumping Paiyan, I watched Rachel slyly reaching for the carriage I’d been riding in.
“What are you doing?”
“No, I’ve never drunk from the cup you humans use. Everyone who rides always… There’s a reason for that!”
Of course. It wasn’t for nothing that I asked Luna, Rif, or Zero to handle the tea.
“Wow, what is this? It’s not bad, but it makes you think, ‘Life’s limited drinks before death are finite—do you really need to waste one on this?’”
I didn’t ask for such a blunt review, man.
Everyone crept up one by one to taste it.
“The young master’s tea is as consistent as ever. Wonderful.”
“That’s not comforting, Luna.”
Yeah. What talent did this body have anyway? At least it wasn’t undrinkable.
“Zero, you’re entering the front gate with me using the invitation. It says the hosts take full responsibility for safety, so no escorts allowed.”
No reason to follow that to the letter.
“Luna, Rif, Rachel—wear the perception-lowering badges, suppress your presence as much as possible, and wait near but not at the ballroom.”
Then I looked at Cain.
“Cain, you follow without getting spotted by any of the ballroom guards.”
Depending on the situation, I might need to kidnap, kill, or instill near-death terror in someone.
For a solid alibi, it was better to hide Cain like a dagger instead of using Zero.
“If nothing happens, Zero and I just dance the night away.”
Tomorrow night would be fun.
* * *
“Didn’t you say he had no real talent?”
As Berburt placed his foot on the back of the cowering man, the cultist bowed his head.
“That’s correct.”
“Then how did he win the bet and get an invitation?”
“According to the bribed casino staff, he didn’t do it himself—he used an exceptional servant. And…”
The cultist hesitated before whispering slowly to Berburt.
“The people he has with him are supposedly so stunningly beautiful that the casino staff said they’d never see the likes again.”
“Is that so?”
Some idiots were like that. Lacking innate ability, they tried to fill the gap with others.
Or like collectors who only felt satisfied owning rare items.
A wastrel with that kind of hobby, huh.
“Not bad.”
Stealing someone else’s collection sounded fun.
“We’ve been sending in people dosed with doppelganger potion to sow chaos, right? So we can at least check appearances, even if traits are hidden?”
“We even got that black hair we couldn’t obtain before. I’ll show you.”
Just one strand, snapped while dodging an attack in the casino basement.
Berburt nodded at the cultist presenting it proudly.
“We don’t have many potions left after smuggling them out…”
They were meant to topple Gadia anyway. Confirming the looks of the ones Adelrian kept around and snatching them himself wouldn’t be bad.
Berburt nudged the man serving as his footrest with his toe and grinned.
“Drink it.”
“Y-yes… Yes.”
A petite rabbit beastkin with pink hair and slightly darker pink eyes.
“Very cute, but a beastkin? Don’t need that dirty blood. Maybe for menial tasks.”
A tall, elegant beauty with a lively vibe, red hair, and red eyes.
“…Nice. I want her.”
Pale, almost white, long green hair and yellow eyes. A slender, fragile girl with a poignant aura.
“Want to see her cry.”
That wastrel Adelrian. Where did he collect all these women? Checking his traits now might even reveal something like ‘Discernment’.
Leaning back on the long chair, Berburt crunched a snack fed to him by hand, then patted his own fluffy brown hair.
“Hmm. Not just women—the men are decent too…”
Ash-gray hair and green jewel-like eyes. A gentle face contrasting his tall stature and broad shoulders.
“Seems very useful. How did he gather people like this?”
Even selling just the eyeballs would fetch a price, Berburt muttered as he lifted his teacup.
Clink, roll—
“Ha.”
The cup slipped from his hand, rolling on the floor and spilling red tea.
“I have to have them.”
An appearance that crushed his trait supremacist views.
Jet-black hair and mesmerizing golden eyes. An aura that felt beautiful despite clearly being a man.
Someone like that would be endlessly useful locked away in the cult for life.
Berburt grinned darkly at the cool golden eyes.
“I’ll join this masquerade ball.”
* * *
Pure efficiency-wise, having Zero consume someone’s hair or blood to alter his appearance and bring him along would be best.
Efficiency alone said so. Easier to shake pursuit later, and even with the weak perception-disruption magic on the masquerade masks, Zero’s face and build were standout perfect—sharp-eyed people would remember.
‘But.’
The Evil God Cult’s potion used target info like hair or blood. Less material cloned just the look, but for Zero, it layered faint memories too.
Even fragmentary glimpses—accumulating them could heavily impact Zero’s identity.
‘It’s a bit different from the Gamur and Bahadi incident.’
That was their choice to awaken abilities in my absence.
Unlike the salon, where we needed specific memories or powers, I didn’t want to use it when alternatives existed.
“Just in case, I’ll hold the badges. If things go south and we need to escape, I’ll distribute them.”
Unlikely unless suddenly attacked. But if it went wrong, faces couldn’t be exposed.
“Yes.”
Zero replied while adjusting his sleeve cuffs to my tossed words.
No artifacts allowed, so the ring-shaped mini-subspace was left behind. But Kruger family head ring was bloodline-activated, so probably wouldn’t trigger as standard magic.
Codex and essentials crammed into Kruger ring’s subspace. I faced the mirror.
“They give perception-disruption masks there anyway.”
“Still no. You know what my real job is, right?”
I knew…
Maids assigned because regular ones couldn’t handle Adelrian’s antics—tough and obedient despite the mismatch.
I watched Luna adjust my clothes silently, then smiled slowly.
“I’ll be back.”
“Human brat. If something happens, should I bust in before you scream?”
“Absolutely not. Just come if I scream.”
—Administrator. I’ll monitor movement.
I trust Rif.
I tugged the black leather gloves tight to my fingertips and spoke to Cain and Zero.
“Cain, don’t get caught no matter what. Zero.”
“I’ll check for kin. Or anyone who resonates even slightly after drinking the potion.”
Doppelganger potions naturally included something stolen from doppelgangers.
As their progenitor, Zero could sense even weak signals.
“Let’s go.”
Zero awkwardly turned his head, slicked-back hair with perfume bothering him. Cain silently donned his black robe.
Rachel cracking knuckles in gauntlets. Rif, expressionless, mimicking my thumbs-up I’d taught her.
Luna beaming, waving like have fun, see you soon.
I chuckled, turned, and stepped out. Waiting spots varied by invitation, so I walked alone from Zero.
Darkening night. Tangled back alleys.
At the rendezvous, cloaked in black, a carriage with magic lamps dimmed like closed for business rolled slowly by.
Then three slow fake coughs.
“What brings you to a place like this so late at night… sir.”
“Seeking romance.”
“What romance is that?”
“Midnight revelry. One night of release.”
The carriage door slowly opened.
Ha… who made this code.
Were they exactly the age to love this stuff?
Did others recite it coolly without cringing, unlike me?
Doubts arose.
A faint laugh echoed from somewhere.
Cain, you bastard—leaving Seiren with Luna meant I took all the one-sided hits.
Grinding my teeth, the carriage veered outward, revealing a flashy, music-leaking mansion anyone would suspect.
‘No, what secret gathering? They’re advertising hard.’
Tsking in disbelief, the coachman spoke.
“Looks like a creepy abandoned estate from outside. Heh heh. No lights, no music. Surprising, isn’t it?”
Past the rusted gate, the coachman glanced at my face.
“So glamorous! You’ve been before, I see. Not surprised.”
Ah, illusion magic, huh.
It looked the same to me, but faking late surprise, the coachman spoke proudly.
“Mask under the seat. Put it on and step out. Then neither I nor anyone inside knows who you are, young sir.”
“Sounds fun.”
I smirked arrogantly, donned the mask, and descended slowly.
The mansion door gushing bright light felt like some giant maw.