Chapter 103
Chapter 103
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: In the Name of Hayes
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Only follow the royal family.
Swear loyalty to the royal family.
The blade must never turn toward the royal family.
The moment we fail to uphold that, our very reason for being vanishes.
Why?
Because that is the purpose of our lives.
Our one and only mission.
Where there is light, there must be shadow.
We have dwelled in that shadow, exterminating anything harmful to the kingdom.
No matter what it was, we handled it discreetly, without the world ever knowing.
Thus, we do not exist.
Or rather, we exist, but we must never reveal our presence.
We are mere shadows.
Nothing more, nothing less.
If the kingdom commands death, we kill. If it orders us to die, we die.
We are the blades hidden in the shadows, existing solely for that purpose.
We were raised that way from birth and taught that way ever after.
There were never any other reasons.
That is what we are.
That is why we have wandered the continent, accepting missions from many over the years.
No mission was too dangerous.
Even if our lives hung in the balance, we had to succeed—for the kingdom alone.
The remote southern border town of Small City Parten was no exception.
Suspicious movements had been detected there long ago.
Multiple investigations followed, with reports exchanged back and forth.
Various eyewitness accounts, missing slum residents.
Ledgers with unusual entries, and the shady dealings of Baron Valkins.
It was already one of the cities under constant watch.
Yet the lord of that very city had died.
At the same time, facts about experiments involving black magic came to light.
The cause: an unidentified intruder.
That single individual had slaughtered half the black mages, along with their leader, Regull Valkins.
And then, the culprit vanished without a trace.
A hero shrouded in mystery.
Or perhaps not even a hero—who could say?
The title was just something the residents of Parten had coined.
The investigation team had announced it accordingly, but they weren't thrilled about it.
Multiple follow-up probes yielded no solid traces or clues.
What was the intruder's purpose?
Why had they killed the black mages?
Nothing was clear.
Perhaps they had taken something from the lab.
The royal family couldn't rule out that possibility.
But tracking them down proved difficult.
Events tied to Parten were starting to fade into obscurity.
No leads.
Recognizing this, the royal family reluctantly issued a withdrawal order.
They reassigned us to our original mission.
Investigating those who rebelled against the kingdom.
The revolutionary army.
Of course, that path was far from smooth.
In fact, it was even harder than the Parten case.
It felt like searching for a needle in a sandstorm.
Our intel on them was that scarce.
Yet the royal family rated the revolutionary army's threat level as top priority.
Two pieces of information.
Former Prime Minister Del Mark had contracted with a demon.
And he had entrusted something obtained from the demon to one of his trusted subordinates.
It might become a blade threatening the kingdom in the future.
That was why the royal family had been hounding it from the start.
Perhaps that explained why.
Nearly all our forces were focused on catching even a glimpse of their tail.
Especially after sightings of groups plotting rebellion increased recently, intensifying our efforts.
Three goals.
Find Del Mark's hidden legacy before they do.
Then locate their base and nip the rebellion in the bud.
And destroy the demon's power before it becomes a threat to the kingdom.
That was our task.
But then.
"The bandits occupying Bilbar Mountain turned out to be revolutionaries!"
"The revolutionary leader was apparently a demon."
"Taking down a monster like that... adventurers are incredible."
"Nonsense. Iron Mask Man did almost everything. Without that hero, they wouldn't have cleared them out at all!"
The revolutionary leader was dead.
Their main force in the temporary mountain stronghold, even the leading officers.
All lost their lives to Viscount Chainber's forces and adventurers.
The second incident resolved by outsiders' hands, after Parten.
They urgently summoned Viscount Chainber to the capital to uncover the truth, but the viscount himself seemed utterly bewildered by the situation.
His territory had been invaded.
His lands rife with all sorts of crimes.
He had simply pursued those bandits, only to discover they were revolutionaries by chance.
The royal family could hardly believe it.
In the end, they brought the viscount into the fold and publicly praised his achievements, resolving the external issues—but not the internal ones.
The location of their base.
The purpose of building the temporary stronghold.
The secret map they had kidnapped residents to find.
And the demon's power possessed by leader Drawder.
Many things remained unresolved.
And not just that.
The hero of Jermi who had slain the revolutionary army's key members—despite their overwhelming power gap—and nearly single-handedly finished off Drawder, even after his demonic transformation.
Iron Mask Man warranted investigation on multiple fronts.
The royal family wanted contact with him too.
That was why we had come down to the dungeon city of Jermi with our subordinates.
To carry out the royal command.
"The royal family holds Iron Mask Man's abilities in high regard. However, as an adventurer shrouded in many secrets, we must prioritize learning more about him."
Thus, make contact with Iron Mask Man through the viscount's arrangements.
Acquire the necessary information, and if his identity checks out, bring him into the royal fold.
"If needed, sweeten the offer. But if he firmly refuses, withdraw immediately. There are many eyes watching now."
"Understood."
And so we waited in the lord's castle.
For contact with Iron Mask Man.
And finally, that moment arrived.
"What else is left?"
"Well, there's actually someone who wanted to meet you."
"Me?"
"Yes."
"Where is this person now?"
"As a matter of fact..."
The elusive Iron Mask Man had come straight to the lord's castle.
This time, we wouldn't let him slip away.
We would draw him in somehow and fulfill the royal command.
The royal family's secret organization.
"Already here."
In the name of Hayes.
A chilling silence.
The air grew heavy.
A cold chill crept up his neck.
His entire body froze in an instant.
"When did they enter?"
Before entering the reception room.
And after.
No one besides the viscount and soldiers had been visible.
No presence, no footsteps at all.
"......"
Luke glared at the viscount from behind his mask, his expression hardening.
But the viscount was equally shocked.
"You, leave."
"Me, sir?"
"Yes."
"......Understood."
A viscount of the realm cowering like that.
It only piqued his curiosity about their identity more.
Creeeak.
Thud!
As the viscount exited the reception room.
"You can turn around now."
The sharp voice softened somewhat.
So Luke slowly began to turn his head.
Toward the figure standing behind him.
To confirm their identity.
"What kind of bastard......"
No.
"......!"
It wasn't a man.
What met his eyes was a woman with cold, sharp features.
A black short-haired woman in form-fitting leather.
Level unknown.
Name unknown.
Even rank unknown.
"That means their level is at least 100 higher than mine."
A powerhouse.
A level of strength unfit for this region, like the revolutionaries.
Her NPC rank might even rival Drawder's.
"No need to be so scared. I'm not here to harm you."
"......"
"Jermi's hero......"
She flashed a smile.
An alluring smile.
But a dangerous one too.
"Iron Mask Man."
A brief silence fell.
Judging by her attitude toward the viscount, she wasn't an ordinary NPC.
She seemed to be the one the viscount had meant to introduce moments ago.
Luke eased his tension slightly and asked.
"If you're not here to kill me, what's your purpose?"
"Don't misunderstand. I'm just here to ask a few pure, innocent questions."
"About what?"
"Regarding the recent revolutionary army incident."
Revolutionary army.
The viscount's introduction.
Her exceptional strength.
Several thoughts crossed his mind, but nothing certain yet.
He decided to probe further.
"Why should I answer?"
"Ah, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself."
She uncrossed her legs from atop the desk and stood.
Approaching Luke, she extended her hand.
For a handshake.
"Dania. That's my name. Call me Dania casually."
"......"
"By the way, I'm with the royal investigation team."
"......!"
His eyes trembled.
Royal investigation team.
What was that?
A group that investigated incidents and accidents within the kingdom on royal orders.
And now, they had come for him.
Hard to believe.
"Regarding the recent revolutionary army incident."
Dania's words echoed.
Revolutionary army.
If it was them, it made some sense.
Rebels against the nation.
The royal family must have been monitoring this incident closely.
They had even come to the area and conducted public investigations.
"Now I get why the viscount was groveling."
The royal direct investigation team.
They embodied the king's will.
Still, questions lingered.
Why hadn't her NPC info revealed despite giving her name?
And what exactly did she want to ask?
It might be simpler than expected.
Asking the biggest contributor directly was the fastest way for the team.
But he couldn't let his guard down.
She might ask something unforeseen.
So he feigned cooperation while staying alert.
Del Mark's secret map.
The demon's power.
Drawder's drop items.
He had some skeletons in the closet.
And this NPC before him was no ordinary foe.
Whoosh.
Luke gripped Dania's hand without relaxing.
A light shake, up and down.
Their gazes met.
"So, what do you want to ask?"
"Quick to switch gears."
"Feels like if I don't answer here, you'll tail me and be a nuisance."
"Hmm?"
A surprised look.
His sudden attitude shift must have caught her off guard.
Dania stared at him intently, intrigued.
"Sharp, aren't you?"
"No plans to make enemies of the royals."
"Quick to read the room too."
"I try."
"Personality's a bit much, though."
"What more do you want?"
Dania chuckled.
But Luke was serious.
"No upside to pissing off someone at her level."
Play nice, keep it smooth, and send her on her way quietly.
Luke began answering Dania's questions one by one.
Reason for joining the request.
The officers' abilities.
Situation upon infiltrating the stronghold.
The demon's power Drawder possessed.
Anything else discovered inside.
The questions were mostly like that.
He deftly sidestepped anything incriminating.
And gleaned two facts in the process.
"They don't know about the secret map's whereabouts."
Nor about the nine hearts Drawder had—and how their power had transferred to him.
"Hmm, then lastly, mind if I check your identity? No need for your name, just a quick look at your past activities."
Fame. And infamy stats.
She meant to check those specifically.
"No issue for me."
Why?
Because of his False Identity.
His infamy over a million was hidden from others.
"Even village and city guards never caught on as I passed through gates."
No affiliated organizations or guilds either.
So Luke confidently showed her his status window, excluding name and class.
"Thanks, all clear."
"You're not suspecting the guy who killed the revolutionary leader, are you?"
"......If I offended you, sorry. It was a necessary procedure from our side."
He knew that.
Still, Luke made a show of it.
He was the one being investigated.
Some displeasure was natural.
"That's the end of the questions. Thanks for cooperating, Iron Mask."
All questions done?
"Then I can go now?"
"One moment."
"More questions?"
"No, questions are over. This is separate."
Dania suddenly stopped Luke as he headed for the door.
And made an unexpected proposal.
"Ever thought about working for the royal family?"
[Work for the Royal Family?]
"This is......"