Chapter 444: Proof of Existence (32)
Chapter 444: Proof of Existence (32)
The silence that settled over the secret room did not last long. It was broken when the girl finally rose to her feet.
An elegant ghost began to dance.
The woman, clad in a pure white dress, moved with light, airy steps. Having stood up, she held the hem of her skirt and placed a hand over her heart, looking for all the world like a prima ballerina.
She looked defenseless and precarious.
Logically, I should have drawn my sword right then and there.
Her posture was riddled with openings. Since I had already identified her as an enemy, I should have shown no mercy.
And yet, I couldn't bring myself to move.
It wasn't just me. Yuren, Celine, and Senior Elsie were all frozen in place, without exception.
My hands were trembling.
A bead of sweat rolled down my forehead. My instincts were screaming at me incessantly.
If you act rashly, you die.
In just a few seconds, the black-haired girl had completely seized control of the area.
Tapping the floor with her toes, she spun around and around.
She hummed a playful tune as she moved.
"Ah, I've been caught. I've been caught... How did I get caught?"
Round and round she went. In time with the girl's dance, the faceless entities let out hideous screeches.
Krr-agh! Kieek! Ke-he-ek!
It was an unpleasant noise that grated on the vocal cords, yet it followed a melody and rhythm, making it all the more grotesque.
The ghost's dance came to a halt beneath the blood sun.
With a liquid rattle, tentacles flowing from the sun coalesced into the shape of a throne. The woman sat upon it without hesitation, resting her chin on her hand with a weary, bored smile.
Behind her, the faceless monsters lined up in a perfectly synchronized military formation.
A blood-red cocoon dangled from the ceiling above, and a legion of dozens of monsters with distorted skin stood at her back. In the center of this macabre landscape, only the girl’s beauty remained sublime.
Her golden eyes flashed with a strange light as they turned toward me.
"How did you know? I thought I was quite perfect... See? I even replicated the mole on her collarbone."
She lightly tugged down her shoulder strap, revealing her pale collarbone.
It was around then that I felt liberated from the suffocating pressure. To be more precise, I had finally finished adjusting to it.
The heavy air, the tingling atmosphere—it felt as though something catastrophic could happen at any moment.
But I couldn't stay intimidated forever.
I forced myself to sound calm as I spoke.
"Where is my sister?"
My voice, squeezed out with effort, trembled slightly.
The reason I had come here, even going so far as to force the Saintess's hand, was to find my sister's whereabouts. I wanted to recover my precious family member without prematurely provoking the enemy.
In other words, the girl before my eyes was not Ria.
She was merely someone masquerading as her.
Ever since I realized this, I had spent every night in agonizing anxiety. I wondered if something had happened to Ria, if she was crying somewhere.
It was a question born of such desperate longing.
But instead of answering, the girl let out a soft snort.
"...Sister?"
"Yes, my sister... Ria."
I repeated the words, grinding my teeth.
The girl couldn't hold it back any longer and burst into laughter. She tried to suppress it by biting her lip, but she couldn't stop the giggles from leaking out.
My heart flared with anger, and I took a step forward.
I wanted nothing more than to cut her down. But the price of such an action would likely be paid by Ria and the girl trapped in the blood-red cocoon.
I had to endure.
As I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood, the girl finally erupted into boisterous laughter.
"Si-sister? Pfft, haha, ahahahaha! Fi-fine! I'll tell you. Of course I should tell you, shouldn't I?"
Thump, thump. Every time the girl's hand struck the armrest of the blood throne, a ripple spread through the air.
The faceless monsters flinched in sync with the sound. It was painfully clear that this entire space was under her control.
After laughing for a long time, a deep arc formed on the girl's lips.
"But it's unfair if I'm the only one giving information, isn't it? We should make a trade. Yes... a contract."
At that moment, she slammed her hand down on the armrest.
A blood coin appeared out of nowhere and spun in the air. It soon landed neatly in her pale palm.
I wasn't the only one who felt an ominous premonition.
"...Master."
"I know."
I had to cut off Senior Elsie's concern. For now, I had no other choice.
From the moment hostages were involved, I had to accept that I was at a disadvantage.
I spoke with a heavy voice.
"A contract? What do you mean?"
"Don't be so guarded. I'm very fair, you know? We're just going to make an unbreakable promise by mutual consent. That's only fair... Good, shall we make the first contract like this?"
As if she never intended to listen to my opinion in the first place, the girl flicked the blood coin with her thumb.
A Bloodscale Balance appeared in the air. The blood coin was sucked into one side of it.
The scale began to tilt with a click.
"The circumstances of how Party A's identity was discovered shall be exchanged for the whereabouts of Party B's 'younger sister.'"
A blood-red mist began to form in front of me. It soon took the shape of a coin, and when I instinctively reached out, it settled slowly into my hand.
Was it a trap?
I wasn't sure yet, but I was out of options. The girl's leisurely urging followed.
"What will you do? You're free to accept or refuse. However, the contract is absolute; from the moment it's formed, deception is impossible."
Holding hostages and calling the choice 'free.'
It was a joke. I exchanged a subtle glance with Senior Elsie.
If we didn't know how the opponent would act, we had to prepare first.
We obtain the necessary information, or if we judge we've been deceived, we strike immediately.
This silent agreement passed between the group.
Amidst the strange tension, I flicked the blood coin into the air.
The coin spun through the void and, as expected, landed on the opposite side of the scale.
Thud. The scale balanced perfectly.
"Fine, I accep—Gah!"
A sudden jolt of pain made me clutch my chest. Just as my companions were about to rush forward in alarm, the girl added a casual explanation.
"Contract established. You can't take it back now, okay? We have to fulfill the contract from here on... Oh, and you're not allowed to say anything outside the terms of the contract."
It was a highly coercive contract.
I could tell just by the throbbing in my heart what would happen if I broke it.
I could feel the intense anxiety of my companions behind me. If I left things as they were, a battle would break out before we were ready, so I had to start talking quickly.
"Actually, it was strange from the beginning."
"Ho-oh?" The girl's eyes narrowed.
She gave an arrogant tilt of her chin, as if telling me to go on. I feigned agitation and took a subtle step forward.
I had to close the distance bit by bit.
And it was time to reveal when and where my sister had disappeared.
"Why did the demonic beasts attack the camp that day of all days? Even the faceless assailants only targeted Ria."
"She's a possession of the Dark Cult, isn't she?"
It was a blunt rebuttal that made my skin crawl.
I felt a surge of emotion at the girl's dismissive way of speaking about Ria.
"Naturally, they might want to recover her. Even that fake—she's a precious replica, you know? A special item..."
"Then why was Ria unharmed?"
"Hmm." The girl finally fell silent.
I pushed my reasoning even harder.
"Ria has no combat ability. Even when I arrived, she showed no sign of trying to resist. She was just sitting there, trembling, wasn't she?"
Meanwhile, my companions were stealthily adjusting their formation. Fortunately, the girl didn't seem to care.
Fearing she might shift her gaze, I continued my tirade.
"And the second strange thing was when you suppressed Sir Reynold."
"Ah, then? That felt good. Smacking that unpleasant old man on the back of the head is always a thrill."
The girl winked at me as if seeking agreement.
Of course, I didn't give her an answer. I simply continued my deduction.
"No matter how much a battle is raging, would a man who has reached the level of Archmage fail to notice someone's presence?"
"Ahaha, I see! You realized that 'our' presence is uniquely faint?"
At the girl's laughter, which came with a clap of her hands, the faceless monsters erupted into grotesque laughter all at once.
Uke-ugh! Ggh! Keke-kek!
I frowned at the hideous sight, but the girl maintained a bright smile.
"I wasn't being very thoughtful, I admit!"
I wanted to point out that 'thoughtful' is a word used when considering others, but I deliberately held back.
We were going to be at each other's throats as soon as this conversation ended anyway.
There was no reason to waste time.
"And you... you're too fearless."
"Hmm?"
The girl tilted her head as if this was unexpected.
I took another step forward and added more words.
I could feel my companions exchanging glances. It felt as though their secret signals were being transmitted to me as well.
"Ria is naturally timid. She almost died, yet the next day she forgot all about it because she was excited about money... She clings to me crying one day, and the next she's out in the city laughing and chatting like nothing happened?"
"Hmph." The girl's gaze drifted to the side.
She seemed to be retracing her own actions. It didn't take long for a smile to return to her lips.
"Aha, I guess I was in a bit of a hurry?"
I had no intention of asking what she was in a hurry for.
I simply took another step, further closing the distance between us.
"But that wouldn't be decisive evidence, would it? The human heart is fickle, and that old fogey might have just been particularly careless. Also, during the attack, you might have arrived just before the kidnapping."
My steps faltered at the barrage of counterarguments.
She was right.
Perhaps it had been a misunderstanding. If I had been certain, I would have sought the Saintess's cooperation from the start.
I wouldn't have gone through this deliberate verification process.
It was only after seeing her follow Perry so naturally that I became certain this girl wasn't my sister.
And yet, there was a reason I had instinctively doubted her.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I tried to remain silent. Immediately, a sharp pain throbbed in my chest.
As I grimaced, the girl smiled brightly, as if to say it was useless.
"It's no use trying to hide it. We have a 'contract,' remember? You have to uphold the principle of good faith."
I cursed inwardly.
I see, so she had this in mind as well. There was no way out of it.
Finally, a confession mixed with a sigh escaped my lips.
"......The scent."
Silence fell at the sudden remark.
I could feel the attention of not only the girl but also my companions, who were preparing their secret operation, focusing on me.
My face flushed hot.
"The body scent was different. And Ria prefers being kissed on the lips rather than the cheek..."
And then, silence descended.