Chapter 54 : Strange Guy (4)

I didn’t know how to express this joy trembling from within my body.

I thought it was a good thing I was wearing the skull mask.

If not, my face, brimming with excitement, would’ve been plain for all to see.

If it were up to me, I’d have burst out laughing until my throat gave out, hugged Luis tightly, and danced around gleefully.

But I held it in.

We weren’t alone here, after all.

I settled for savoring the joy by clenching my fist tightly.

“Hauling a guy on my back in the dead of night all the way here was worth it. Tell me more.”

“There’s not much more to explain.”

Luis pointed to the pendant on the table and said,

“Daybreak. This is the artifact Rendal-nim used.”

I remembered hearing about Rendal from Luis.

He was an executive of Shadow, ranked fourth, a thief who reached the pinnacle when it came to evasion and escape.

“Daybreak was a sacred relic that symbolized him. Its special ability is [Unbinding]. It forcibly releases physical restraints or magical bindings imposed on a target.”

That’s on par with my Raven.

In other words, a ridiculously overpowered artifact.

“Now the puzzle pieces are coming together. With Rendal-nim’s Vision and Daybreak, escaping from the cult’s prison must’ve been nothing.”

“Exactly.”

“But how did Rendal-nim’s possessions end up in his hands? It couldn’t be that someone stole from Rendal-nim… could it?”

Luis shook his head, as if realizing it didn’t make sense even as he spoke.

I agreed.

I didn’t know exactly how skilled Rendal was, but it was hard to imagine a guild executive representing an entire region and nation getting done in by some petty crook.

“We’ll find out by asking him directly.”

Saying that, I turned to the other side.

The corner of the liquor storage.

There, tied to a chair by his limbs, was the artifact thief.

His posture had changed from before.

His breathing was irregular.

“Stop eavesdropping like a pervert and get up already, will you?”

The guy flinched, trembling, then slowly opened his eyes and looked up at me.

Yeah.

He was awake.

One eye covered by an eyepatch, the other uncovered.

A sparse mustache, a narrow jaw, and upturned eyes.

Overall, he gave off a sleazy vibe, but his right eye, reflecting me, was as clear and transparent as a crystal.

Come to think of it, Luis, that guy, stripped him of everything else but didn’t take off the eyepatch.

“Didn’t check the eyepatch?”

“It looked like an ordinary leather eyepatch.”

It did look like one at a glance.

Eyepatches themselves were rarely made into artifacts due to their limitations.

But what I was curious about was what lay beneath it.

The moment I saw his emerald-green eye, something crossed my mind, like, “Could it be?”

“Check it.”

“Understood.”

Luis approached.

The artifact thief stared at Luis silently.

It was at that moment that a glint flashed in his eyes.

Up he went!

In an instant, the artifact thief stood and grabbed Luis from behind.

A blade gleamed in his hand.

A palm-sized dagger was now pressed against Luis’s throat.

“Move even a little, and I’ll slit this guy’s throat.”

“Oh?”

I couldn’t help but let out an exclamation.

I was sure I’d seen him tied up just moments ago.

When did he get free?

Pretty slick.

“Don’t act all calm, skull mask. Want to see a hole punched through your lackey’s throat?”

“Ah, sorry. I’ll try to be a bit more serious.”

I quickly apologized.

Luis was a vital human resource for our guild.

A hole in his throat would be absolutely unacceptable.

Nope.

But there was a problem.

“Hey. I want to be serious, but it’s not working.”

“…What?”

The guy’s eyes, staring at me, filled with disbelief.

“I said I want to be serious, but it’s not happening.”

“You damn bastard, can’t you grasp the situation!?”

He didn’t finish his sentence before he was sent flying.

Luis’s headbutt had struck his face dead-on.

The guy immediately swung the dagger he was holding, but Luis had already slipped out of his grasp.

“Here it is.”

“Nice. Good job.”

Luis approached me and handed over the eyepatch as if nothing had happened.

“Ugh. Damn it…”

The guy spat blood-mixed saliva onto the floor.

He was covering his left eye with one hand.

“Hiding it that desperately only makes it more suspicious.”

“Mind your own business!”

“You. It’s that, isn’t it? Evil Eye.”

“…”

As expected, his reaction confirmed it.

I had a hunch because of the emerald green eye.

Sure, plenty of people on the continent had green eyes, but call it a gut feeling?

Now I understood why he was so desperate to hide it.

Evil Eye.

The secret elite unit of the Naimus Empire, a task force dedicated to eliminating great mages.

In Frey, they were treated worse than villains, and naturally, the eyepatch was a crucial tool to conceal their identity.

“What’s an Evil Eye doing all the way out here in Frey? Secret mission? Or, what, did you desert?”

The last bit was a joke.

Guess it wasn’t funny, as there was no response.

“We know who you are, so you don’t need to hide anymore.”

As if giving up, he lowered his hand.

The hidden left eye was revealed to the world.

A purple pupil.

Called the eye of the devil, it truly held the power of a great demon, and it gazed at us.

Hmm.

It definitely felt different seeing it in person compared to in the game.

The contrasting colors of his two eyes gave off an eerie mix of otherworldliness, mystique, and instinctive unease.

“You want the Secret Tome?”

“Yeah.”

“And if I can’t give it to you?”

“You’re asking the obvious. I’ll make you give it up one way or another.”

I clenched and unclenched my fist, and the guy gave a sinister smirk.

“Heh heh. You think I’m easy prey, huh?”

He stretched his hand forward.

Ripples formed in the empty air, and from within, a sword slowly emerged.

That’s when I realized how he’d gotten the dagger and undone the ropes.

This guy could use Subspace.

So I drew my weapon too.

“Luis.”

“Yes.”

“Looks like he still doesn’t get the situation he’s in. Teach him.”

“Yes.”

Luis gripped the sword he’d propped up on the table and strode forward.

Then he swung it, still in its scabbard.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

For reference, I estimated Luis’s level to be a whopping 50.

He could easily take down a provincial knight and had mastered every technique and Vision Shadow currently possessed.

No way this guy could match him.

As expected, a one-sided beatdown unfolded before my eyes.

Thwack!

“Guh!”

Thud!

“Argh!”

The cramped, confined space restricted the guy’s agility, his greatest asset and even as an Evil Eye, he wasn’t much of a threat to a swordsman like Luis, who wasn’t a mage.

Wait a second.

He didn’t seem to be using the Evil Eye’s power at all?

Given how desperate he looked, it didn’t seem like he was holding back on purpose.

It felt like there was some condition required to use the Evil Eye’s power, or maybe a reason he couldn’t use it.

“Still, he’s dodging pretty well in this tight space.”

Part of it was Luis not taking it seriously, but even accounting for that, the guy’s evasion skills were impressive.

Was that the [Ghost Step] Luis mentioned earlier, Rendal’s technique?

[Luis.]

[Yes. I’ll finish it.]

Luis’s movements changed.

As if done playing, his actions became twice as sharp, his attacks far more menacing.

Just as the scabbard was about to crack the guy’s skull,

Something absurd happened.

Clang!

Out of nowhere, the Evil Eye guy threw down his sword and dropped to his knees.

“I surrender.”

“?”

“I said I surrender. Ask me anything. I’ll answer everything.”

The sudden shift in attitude made Luis look down at him with suspicion.

Then he turned to me, his expression asking, “What do we do?”

I shook my head.

“Look ahead.”

And then a gunshot rang out.

Bang!

Luis swiftly drew his sword and deflected the incoming bullet.

But it wasn’t an ordinary lead round.

The bullet collided with the blade and suddenly unleashed a fierce chill.

“Frost Explosion?”

Crack, crack. Icy frost devoured the surrounding area like a ravenous beast.

Naturally, the sword Luis was holding was caught in it too.

“Damn…!”

Luis had no choice but to abandon the sword and retreat, a wise decision.

“Thought I’d freeze at least one arm, but not a scratch. Shame.”

“You filthy…”

Luis’s face twisted like a demon’s as he glared at the smirking guy.

His aura surged fiercely.

It looked like he’d charge in and turn the guy into a bloody pulp any second, but surprisingly, Luis didn’t move recklessly.

He’d noticed the objects in the guy’s hands.

The first thing that stood out was the One Hand Musket, likely the one that fired the frost bullet.

The problem was the object in his other hand.

“Mana Bomb?”

At my question, the guy smirked, one corner of his mouth curling up.

“You’d be mistaken to think it’s an ordinary Mana Bomb. Azester’s Small Calamity. A thief dealing in information would’ve heard of it at least once, right?”

Heard of it? More than that.

I’d experienced its destructive power firsthand in the game.

Created by a man called the god of destruction despite his human body, Valkron Azester, it was his final masterpiece and legacy.

Its power was so immense that great mages gathered to split it into twelve pieces, numbered 1 through 12, and named “Azester’s Small Calamity.”

If it went off here, half of Icata would vanish from the map in an instant.

It was hard to believe such a powerful and dangerous object was in this guy’s hands.

So I used [Focused Gaze].

To check the number engraved on its surface.

And, as expected.

“Pfft.”

I couldn’t hold back my laughter.

“Why’d you pull that out? What, planning to blow us all up?”

“Heh heh. I’ve got nothing left to lose, no lingering attachments to life. Up until yesterday, I was even thinking about just dropping dead.”

“Looks like it. And?”

“…So I’m saying don’t provoke me further and just let me go. I’ll disappear quietly. Otherwise, it’s annihilation.”

He waved the Small Calamity threateningly.

“Let you go? You’ll just get caught by the cult in no time. I guarantee it.”

“That’s not your concern.”

“Not my concern? You’re the one who knows where our Secret Tome is. If something happens to you, we’re back to square one.”

“…”

“So you’re not taking a single step out of here until you talk.”

His eyes narrowed viciously.

“You really want to take this to the end? You think I won’t detonate this?”

I laughed.

“Yeah. I don’t think you will. Or rather, I don’t think it’ll go off.”

He blinked.

“…What?”

“Azester’s Small Calamity. Numbers 1, 5, and 7 are in the Vision Star Coffin not far from here, and 6 and 8 are held by the Naimus Empire folks. Where’s number 3?”

My words seemed to spark some unease in him.

I could see the growing agitation.

“Number 3 is in a place no human hands can reach, so it could never be here. In other words, that thing you’re holding is a fake.”

“Stop spouting nonsense! This is real!”

“Then throw it.”

“What?”

“Throw it. What? Can’t do it?”

“F-For real, I’ll throw it!”

“Go ahead, throw it.”

I stepped back, kindly clearing a space for him to toss it.

“Right here’s fine.”

“Tch, damn it…!”

His eyes darted around, and finally, as if saying “screw it,” he hurled the Small Calamity with all his might.

And when it hit the ground,

Splat!

It burst.

Oozing bright yellow yolk.

“You damn—! Just all die…!”

Realizing he’d been caught in a lie, he immediately raised the musket.

But Luis wasn’t the type to fall for the same trick twice.

Thwack!

Struck squarely in the face by Luis’s roundhouse kick, the guy flew like a kite with a cut string and crashed into an oak barrel.

His legs dangled limply outside the barrel.

Through the gaps, liquor leaked out, coincidentally as red as blood.

Was the liquor in that barrel red wine?

I thought it was white wine. Hmm.

…Staring at it, I asked Luis.

“He’s not dead, is he?”

“No, sir. He’s alive.”

“He’s not moving.”

“…Probably.”

“…”

“Ahem.”

I shook my head at Luis, who was awkwardly cleaning his glasses.

Looked like we wouldn’t be finding out the Secret Tome’s location today.

“Are you leaving, Master?”

“Gotta go. He looks like he won’t wake up until tomorrow.”

“…My apologies. I’ll have everything perfectly prepared for your next visit.”

Perfect preparation, huh.

“Planning to torture him?”

“If necessary.”

“Don’t provoke him unnecessarily. Just chain him up so he can’t pull any stunts and cover all his eyes. That’s the Evil Eye’s weakness.”

“Understood.”

With that, I returned to the dormitory.

I lay on my bed, but sleep wouldn’t come.

My mind was tangled with thoughts about the Evil Eye I’d just met.

Questions lingered.

The Evil Eye were enemies from the late main storyline.

Elite units of the Naimus Empire, each one as strong as a mid-tier boss.

Their ability to control surrounding mana and interfere with magical fields was the quintessential overpowered skill in Heroes of Frey, reducing mages to ordinary people.

That’s why the magical empire of Frey went berserk and executed anyone with heterochromatic eyes on sight.

But this guy?

“Peculiar.”

Yeah. Peculiar.

The fight wasn’t long, but the combat style he showed was completely different from the Evil Eye I knew.

The skill gap was obvious, and he didn’t even use the mana manipulation or magical interference typical of an Evil Eye.

“All he did was pull some cheap bluff.”

That childish tactic was absolutely not the way of the Naimus Empire, which operated on the logic of power.

My overall assessment: a half-baked Evil Eye who just happened to have our Secret Tome. That’s about it.

Yet, the reason I couldn’t sleep and kept thinking about him was this.

“The bullet that caused the Frost Explosion.”

I’d never heard of or seen such a thing in all the dozens of times I cleared Heroes of Frey.

And that wasn’t all.

An Evil Eye operating in Frey, using a decommissioned One Hand Musket to steal artifacts and firing frost-explosion bullets?

All of it felt unfamiliar to me.

“What’s going on?”

It all boiled down to one answer.

The result of a future altered because of me.

If so, where was the turning point?

I recalled the first time I encountered him.

The moment he suddenly appeared and demanded I return the Might of the Giant.

“Could it be… back then?”

It was a plausible theory.

I let him live, but the original Gerard wouldn’t have.

In that world, he was killed.

In this world, he was framed with a false accusation.

Now that I thought about it, to him, I, Gerard, was worse than Satan.

Was this what they called human compatibility?

“…Everyone’s got their own circumstances. At least I didn’t kill him here, so that’s that.”

Anyway, if I visited him tomorrow, he’d likely be just as uncooperative.

There were plenty of options.

Persuasion or coaxing.

If that didn’t work, I was considering resorting to dark magic as a last measure.

One way or another, since I knew the Secret Tome was with him, it was as good as in our hands.

“From our perspective, there’s no rush at all.”

But.

This was a development I hadn’t anticipated.

“What’s that? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

The next day.

Back at the underground liquor storage in Lunatic.

“Hey! I said, why aren’t you talking?”

“Ugh, shut up for a sec.”

I rubbed my eyes.

It was still there.

A faint glow was emanating from his body.

That aura was unmistakably the light of my trait, [Gaius’s Insight].

“Ha, what kind of messed-up situation is this?”

The great thief, Gaius, was speaking.

This guy.

He’s a treasure, so don’t let him slip away.

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