The Mother's Name
— Mother
“So, why are you telling me all this?”
The Black Museum, Hotel Snark, Solomon’s secrets—everything was tangled together in a single, complicated thread. From the very start, it had all been part of one current. Nothing could truly be called someone else’s problem.
In the end, every last piece could be summed up in two words.
Fate.
“You’re quite special, you see.”
— Cough, hack…!
Special. The blood-winged angel with no face said it while still refusing to release his grip on O’Neil’s throat.
“Special?”
“Yes. In both the best and worst possible ways.”
Whether O’Neil was choking or not didn’t seem to matter. The faceless being continued speaking with perfect calm.
“I felt it the first time I saw you. At this point, it’s no longer even a ‘feeling.’”
“…What exactly makes you think that?”
Solomon asked carefully. Setting aside how awkward it felt to hear it from his own mouth, he didn’t deny the claim. He was special. So special, in fact, that listing every reason would take all day.
“Well, it’s hard to explain. It’s a kind of instinct that only beings like us can sense.”
Fortunately, the entity before him didn’t seem to know the concrete details behind that special quality.
His talent. The fact that he was the bastard child of the Veil family’s duke and a prostitute. Or that he was an ‘outsider’ to this world. The list was endless.
“Besides, I’m certain the Great King carries the same kind of ‘feeling.’ I’d bet on it.”
“…”
It was only intuition, yet the faceless one’s instincts had been accurate. In other words, even apart from Beelzebub knowing the secret of Solomon’s birth, the demon lord’s interest stemmed from the same source.
“That’s also why Oberon got entangled with you. The bastard’s got a foul mouth, sure, but he’s not so bored that he’d mess around with a mortal for no reason.”
“I see.”
“Actually… now that I think about it, he really is a fairy with nothing better to do.”
“…Yeah, he did seem that way.”
No matter the legend or myth, the mortal protagonists were almost always tied to angels, demons, or fairies—divine beings of some sort.
Even the fact that the guide waiting in that occult shop on his first visit had turned out to be the Fairy King wasn’t mere coincidence. …Aside from the part about the fairy having nothing better to do.
“Either way, your special nature draws beings like us in. In a sense, it’s closer to an ‘attraction.’”
The faceless one said.
“Mortals who leave irreversible marks on history. People like King Arthur or Guinevere.”
“That’s a massive exaggeration.”
Solomon quietly swallowed at those names. The faceless one paid no mind and kept speaking.
“Well, believe it or not. It’s up to you.”
“Whether I believe it or not doesn’t matter, does it?”
Solomon replied.
“…The fact that everyone else believes it is what matters.”
Insight Success!
“Exactly. Whatever you think, the important part is that we think so.”
The faceless one nodded.
“Besides, just think about it. Every time some noisy incident has broken out lately, who’s been standing at the center of it all?”
The events revolving around Solomon these past few days couldn’t even be called coincidence. They were clearly part of a current driven by deliberate intent.
“This is all advice I’m giving you with the pure heart of an angel.”
“…”
At that point, Solomon understood.
Whether he believed it or not, the fact that they believed it was what mattered. And their belief was, in essence, correct.
“So are you telling me to join your organization?”
“You say that like it’s the neighbors’ business. Have you already forgotten which hotel you’re staying at?”
“…I’m just a guest.”
“Think whatever you like.”
The faceless one shrugged without confirming or denying it. Only then did he release Dr. O’Neil’s throat.
— Kehk, cough…! Haaah! Haaaaah!
Finally freed from that grip, O’Neil gasped for breath as if he had forgotten he was a soul.
“How was your trip to the afterlife, Dr. O’Neil? Shall I let you take another look?”
— Hiiik! No, no thank you! I’ve seen plenty!
“Good. Now let’s have an honest conversation.”
“…”
“Tell me, Dr. O’Neil. What kind of golden calf is hidden inside that head of yours that has every bastard in this city losing their minds? Can I take a look too?”
— !
The faceless one spread his hand as he spoke. Once again, O’Neil’s face turned deathly pale. Seeing that, Solomon realized something.
On the throat of Dr. O’Neil—who should have been glowing blue in his soul state—there remained a pure white handprint.
“Besides, who knows? There might be a job opening at this hotel that would give you a proper excuse to stay. Honestly, how many safe places do you even have left in this city?”
Two faces overlapped on one body. Good cop, bad cop.
Silence fell. But it didn’t last long.
— I-I… it really was just…
After the silence, Dr. O’Neil carefully opened his mouth.
— F-for the sake of academic and scientific progress, absolutely not for personal desire or trivial greed, but truly following the conscience of a scholar, I…
With extreme caution and elaborate justification.
— I transplanted a certain male corpse… onto my own body.
Only then did Solomon recall the disgusting sight the man had shown while still alive.
A corpse collector. A body splicer.
At this point, that hardly mattered.
— F-from Raspberry Street… a high-class male prostitute.
Raspberry Street is an alias for Downtown’s 7th District. It is the city’s landmark, known as a paradise of all forms of entertainment and gambling—including casinos and the red-light district.
At that name, Solomon silently narrowed his eyes. The ominous premonition was so strong that he was growing tired of being surprised.
“Aha.”
As if he now understood the general situation, the faceless one made an intrigued expression.
“Doesn’t look like he was just an ordinary host. He must have been hiding a golden calf in his head, eh?”
— Inside that man’s head… was a ledger.
A ledger. A document with people’s names written in it.
— The ledger of the City Council’s spies… who were operating as VIP hosts on Raspberry Street, including him.
“City Council. So the bourgeois spies. And now that ledger is inside the good doctor’s head.”
Dr. O’Neil trembled, unable to continue speaking.
“The bourgeois wouldn’t have left physical evidence that could be traced back to them.”
The City Council. The bourgeois of Guild City who stood in opposition to Uptown’s nobles and the High Council. The faceless one gave a cold sneer.
“Right. So there must have been a name in there that made everyone’s eyes roll. Something even the Great King would covet.”
— Th-that is…
O’Neil answered carefully. He squeezed his eyes shut as if he no longer knew what he was doing.
— The name of the Lady… was there.
The smile vanished from the faceless one’s face.
‘Lady?’
It was a name Solomon had never heard. So he tried to let it pass without much thought. Or rather, he meant to.
— The woman who gave birth to the Duke of Veil’s child in the past and then disappeared.
“…!”
Veil Family, Shadow Binders
Solomon quietly swallowed. Unbidden, the Great King’s words rose in his mind.
«As you heard in the mansion, I am searching for a certain soul.»
Bastard
Even the sound of his heartbeat felt like it might be noticed. He desperately cooled his racing thoughts.
«And Dr. O’Neil is like a stepping stone in the task of finding that soul.»
Born in the Red-Light District
Now, even what was inside Dr. O’Neil’s head was no longer someone else’s business. It was Solomon’s story.
Mother
“So that’s why everyone’s eyes rolled back. Even mine feel like they’re about to.”
And the fact that this was his story was a secret that must never be discovered.
“The Lord of the Flies, Beelzebub… said he was looking for that bastard’s soul.”
Recalling that fact, Solomon spoke. He maintained his poker face more carefully than ever.
“Yes.”
“The Veil family’s bloodline can’t be limited to just one bastard. Why is he so obsessed? Over a single illegitimate child.”
“What, have you taken an interest in playing detective?”
“Just curiosity.”
Solomon said as casually as he could.
“Unfortunately, there’s only one thing I can tell you.”
“…And what is that?”
“You’d be better off not knowing.”
The faceless one answered flatly. His voice held no trace of humor.
“For your own sake.”
* * *
That night.
Welcome.
When he opened his eyes, Solomon was not in Room 204 of Hotel Snark. It was the room with the rectangular table. The Tabletop Room, sealed on all sides by velvet curtains.
“Game Master…”
Time really flies, doesn’t it?
The Game Master was there. His face was invisible beneath the deep shadow of his hood.
Congratulations. Your subclass Reaper has leveled up. Would you like to learn a new perk?
“…”
His main level hadn’t risen. But it had been enough to raise the subclass level. After all, he had taken down a mage from the Haunting Family and a considerable number of hound wraiths.
Acquired Perks
「Inevitable Fate」 — 1 acquired
「Excessive Bleeding」 — On successful melee ambush, the Bleed status effect lasts longer and is harder to remove.
Available Perks
→ Finishing Blow
→ Blade of Tuning
→ Blood Harvest (New!)
“Blood Harvest.”
You’ve committed to the bleed route. Was that the build you had in mind from the start?
“…Do I need to answer that?”
Very well.
Among the countless dots embroidered like constellations, the letters for Blood Harvest began to shine brightly.
Blood Harvest
Attacks against enemies with the Bleed status effect deal +2 damage.
Solomon silently examined his character sheet. Just as the Game Master said, quite a few days had passed since he first opened his eyes in this world.
Class, dice, traits… The text filling his sheet was proof of that.
Tag — Special Dice
When attacking, roll this die to add extra damage. When receiving an attack, the same rule applies in reverse.
Tag — Special Dice, Consumable
If an ambush roll results in a critical failure, consume this die to attempt a reroll.
This die is classified as both special and consumable. Up to 1 can be replenished during rest.
Tag — Special Dice, Non-Consumable
When making social interaction rolls against factions with Affinity +30 or higher, add this die’s value.
Next came the various traits he had gained while leveling up.
Insightful
Survivalist
Mage Hunter
Latent Powerhouse
Master of Ambush
Glass Cannon
Blade in the Dark
Foul Mouth
The trait list had become so dense it was hard to remember them all. At the very beginning were three backgrounds he could never forget.
Bastard
Born in the Red-Light District
Veil Family, Shadow Binders
The story he had written with his own hand.