Chapter 167
Chapter 167
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 167
Chapter Title: The Face of the Past
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There was no reason for him to be surprised that I'd suddenly revealed my true face.
After all, I hadn't exposed my real face to Lis Ganior.
Even if I'd shown him the face I used on the Island of the Dead, his reaction wouldn't have been this extreme.
It was understandable that he'd be a bit flustered, suddenly encountering someone he never expected to see again.
But this man's reaction went beyond mere shock; he was utterly dumbfounded.
Because the face that emerged from behind the mask was that of Cain Riverune.
In other words, my face from my past life.
"It's been twenty-two years, but you still recognize me, I see. Then again, to annihilate the Riverunes, you would have needed to know the key figures well."
A chilling voice that echoed as if it had risen from hell.
A gaze filled with a strange yearning and murderous intent.
None of this was an act.
It was merely the avenger hidden within me, awakened and roaring.
“...”
Lis Ganior stood with his mouth agape, stammering intermittently.
He couldn't comprehend the situation before him.
"Are you wondering how I returned? Knowing that won't change your fate."
“...It's a lie. This must be a trick to deceive me.”
The words he finally managed to utter after a long hesitation were a denial of reality.
His reaction brought me a great sense of pleasure.
'A relief.'
There was only one thing I had feared until now.
The possibility that the target of my revenge had found enlightenment and spent their life in repentance.
Cutting down someone who had thrown themselves into a life of penance would only leave a bitter aftertaste.
'Though I would have still taken my revenge.'
In any case, what I had worried about had not come to pass.
Without hesitation, I raised the Black Dragon Sword and stabbed Lis Ganior in the thigh.
*Shunk!*
"Kuaaargh!"
Every time the man let out a pained scream, a thrill filled my chest.
But at the same time, a strong backlash followed.
The cry of reason, warning me that being swept away by madness would only bring me suffering.
'Let's make this clean.'
I gazed at the terrified vice-captain and spoke.
"Surprisingly, incomprehensible things happen quite often in this world. For example, a man thought to be dead returning alive."
“...”
"I could just kill you, but aren't you curious why I'm doing this?"
"D-Don't tell me you'll spare me if I apologize?"
"Oh? It's a cliché, but it could be interesting."
Lis Ganior desperately tried to find an answer.
As a result, the conversation didn't go in the direction I wanted.
I had intended to just monologue and finish him off, but it seemed listening to his story might not be so bad.
He looked like he had a lot to say.
But Lis Ganior soon shook his head.
“...You're not going to spare me no matter what I say, are you? Do you think I'd fall for such false hope?”
"You're quite perceptive for a mage. That's right. I never intended to let you live in the first place."
"In that case, let me have a clean..."
Lis Ganior fumbled with his right hand, then shut his eyes with a resolute expression.
A dreadful silence fell upon the deserted forest path.
After a moment, Lis Ganior's eyes shot open in confusion.
"Why isn't it activating?"
"Ah, you mean the self-destruct magic?"
The mages of Everfilt all had self-destruct magic embedded in their bodies.
It was so they could end their own lives cleanly in a disadvantageous situation, while also dealing a severe blow to the enemy.
It was rarely used these days due to the absence of war, but twenty-two years ago, it was activated quite frequently.
Which meant that a proper countermeasure had been developed long ago.
Of course, by then, the tide of war had turned so drastically that it couldn't be used.
"Did you think I wouldn't be prepared for such a petty trick?"
I gave a meaningful smile and tapped the Black Dragon Sword embedded in his thigh.
Why else would I have stabbed an opponent who had lost the will to fight?
It was all to prevent his cowardly act.
The secret to blocking self-destruct magic was to send aura into the target's body to obstruct the signal.
Lis Ganior let out a hollow sigh.
"Hah..."
"Now, shall we have you spill what you know?"
"You'll never make me talk, no matter what you do."
Despite feeling extreme despair, Lis Ganior did not break.
Seeing him vow through gritted teeth with a resolute gaze, it was clear he intended to hold out.
But I had various means to make him submit.
Among them, the most effective was a psychological attack.
"It's fine. We have plenty of time. Now then, let's start by revealing an interesting fact."
*Crack! Cracrack!*
Soon, the gruesome sound of bones shifting began to emanate from my face.
I was transforming into the face I'd worn while carrying out missions with this man.
When the comrade he had shared life and death with suddenly appeared before him, Lis Ganior's face turned ashen.
His skin looked so pale it was almost white.
"H-How...!"
"Hahaha! How much preparation do you think I made to deal with you?"
The light in Lis Ganior's eyes wavered drastically.
It was the moment his firm resolve shattered in a single blow.
I twisted the corner of my mouth into a smirk, my eyes flashing with a cold, blue light.
"Now, let us begin."
***
"Hmm-hmm-hmm!"
A woman in a shimmering, light blue dress hummed a tune as she gazed out the window.
An endless wasteland and the occasional sandstorm.
It was a desolate scene, but it couldn't dampen her excited mood.
This woman was none other than the rising star of a ducal family, Adelle Richter.
She was currently on her way to the Quad-Sector Autonomous Zone.
"The terrain isn't bad. Plenty of flatlands."
Adelle nodded mechanically as she surveyed her surroundings.
Ostensibly, she was visiting the autonomous zone to establish a new route for the magitech train.
She had to do her job, after all.
Of course, her mind was elsewhere.
"Carter... It's a common surname, but it shouldn't be too hard to find him."
For the past few months, she had been suffering from a terrible lovesickness.
The real face Ray had shown her last.
That image hadn't left her mind for a single moment.
"It got to the point where he appeared in my dreams every night."
In the end, Adelle had to embark on a long journey to find Ray Carter.
She felt she wouldn't be satisfied until she saw his face.
Her first destination was the new villa district in Marquis Penant's domain.
It was the only address Ray had given her.
But she couldn't find Ray.
All she heard from the managers there was:
'Hmm? I've never seen him before.'
'We're just part of the villa district support division. We don't have a personal contract with the owner of this place.'
It was all meaningless talk like that.
When she inquired at the Penant domain's office, it seemed he hadn't visited at all recently.
So where on earth could he have gone?
The most likely place was Ray Carter's family home in the Quad-Sector Autonomous Zone.
And since she had the perfect excuse of establishing a new train route, there was no reason to hesitate.
"We're entering the Veltia Autonomous Zone now. Shall we proceed directly to the central district?"
"Yes, it's all open country, so there's no need to survey it separately."
"As you wish."
She nodded immediately at her escort knight's question.
In truth, there were a few places to look around, but the most urgent matter was finding Ray.
Upon entering the autonomous zone, the group first found lodging.
She planned to start her inquiries after recovering from the journey.
But cooped up in her room, she grew restless and couldn't stay still.
"I'm going to go look around for a bit."
"We will accompany you."
"It's alright. I'm just going to walk around nearby."
"Then I alone will accompany you."
"Very well. But please, dress casually."
"Yes, my lady."
Adelle left the inn with the captain of her guard, who was dressed in plain clothes.
She had said she would only look around nearby, but she actually traveled quite far.
She wanted to confirm the location of the merchant company.
"This place... seems a bit dangerous, my lady."
"I agree. There are a lot of rough-looking men here."
Merchant companies and mercenaries were inextricably linked.
The two naturally found themselves strolling near the mercenary guild.
A clean-cut man and a beautiful woman.
Their appearance didn't fit in among the rough men who lived and died by the sword.
As a result, they were constantly being accosted.
"Well now, a rare beauty, aren't you? Forget that pathetic dandy, it'll be more fun over here."
"We're the kind of guys who don't know when we'll kick the bucket, so we put our lives on the line in the bedroom."
"Uwahahaha!"
Crude jokes and personal attacks.
The guard captain's brow furrowed at once.
Who was Adelle Richter?
She was the only daughter of Aiden Richter, the Chancellor of the great Bertos Empire.
A noble existence beyond comparison to such dead-end lives.
*Shing.*
The guard captain slowly drew his sword.
He intended to scare off the gathered mercenaries by showing a hint of his aura.
But there was no need.
*Swish!*
Because Adelle had sprung forward in an instant and unleashed a sword strike at the men.
"Hah!"
The startled guard captain immediately followed her.
He intended to support and protect her somehow.
However, the scene that unfolded next left him staring blankly, blinking his eyes.
The situation was already over.
*Swish! Fwip-fwip-fwip!*
"Judging by your skills, you'll die before you get to have much fun in the bedroom."
Amazingly, Adelle had, in a single moment, slashed the belts of the two men who had been spouting crude jokes.
The two men hastily grabbed their trousers and stumbled backward.
"Th-This...!"
"What are you dawdling for? Get lost."
At her chilling words, the two mercenaries fled without another word.
They had judged her an opponent they couldn't possibly beat and bolted.
After all, the skill to neatly slice only their clothes without leaving a single scratch on their bodies was not common.
The guard captain asked Adelle in a bewildered voice,
"That's an incredibly sharp sword technique. Did you learn it in Venderford?"
"Someone used a technique like this to humiliate others. I just picked it up by watching."
"Who on earth would..."
"There is. Someone like that. Let's go."
"Yes, my lady."
Adelle immediately entered the merchant district.
There were truly countless traders here.
It was like finding a needle in a haystack, but her determination was formidable.
After wandering around until dusk, she finally found the Carter Merchant Company.
"It's here!"
"Whoa, my lady! Slowly..."
Despite the guard captain's attempt to stop her, Adelle ran into the company's grounds and looked around.
The area was chaotic with unloading work in full swing, but she quickly achieved her goal.
She spotted a young, black-haired man who looked to be the young master of the Carter Merchant Company.
Adelle ran up in a single bound and grabbed the man's shoulder.
*Grab!*
But her face, filled with anticipation, froze in an instant.
It seemed he was completely different from what she had expected.
"S-So this was real? It's not, right? Tell me it's not! Hmph!"
She then began to squish and pull at the black-haired man's face.
"Uwaah! What are you doing?"