Episode 365

Could a person be so unlucky? If I had picked a different disguise from the ones embedded in the mask, Dorothy would have walked right past me without a second glance. Instead, I attracted her attention due to my Nalu form.

"Why aren't you answering? Huh?" she demanded. "Are you scared now?"

I said nothing.

She chuckled. "So cute. It isn't like I'm going to eat you. Why are you flinching?"

Cuteness was usually a compliment, but strangely, those words made my stomach twist. It only proved how lacking my mental discipline still was. If a person were truly carefree, nothing they heard would upset them.

I suddenly realized that I still had a long way to go.

So how should I respond? I wondered, pursing my lips.

One of the mercenaries standing behind Dorothy suddenly grumbled, "Aish. Did you rent out this place? Once the line starts moving, you're supposed to step forward."

The customers ahead of me were steadily decreasing while I stood still.

Dorothy acted like she hadn't heard him, her eyes never leaving me.

There was no way a mercenary from Airuga would tolerate such blatant disregard. "Aish. Are you treating people's words like—"

A sound cut him off.

The mercenary's outstretched arm twisted like a reed. A black bandage wrapped around his mouth just as he was about to scream.

I had no idea where it came from. In an instant, his mouth was sealed shut, and he clawed at his face with his free hand.

Dorothy continued staring at me with a faint smile as she pointed toward the street.

The mercenary snapped to attention and marched toward the street with stiff movements like a toy soldier. Before long, he disappeared into the crowd.

Magic that manipulates a person's body at will... It's black magic, a witch's specialty.

Dorothy shook her head. "I don't think you're mute. Your tongue couldn't have been cut out in the meantime. No. I suppose I can't be certain, so let's check."

The moment Dorothy's smile widened and she reached out her hand, I spoke without thinking. "What reason would I have for waiting in line at a dessert store? I'm obviously here to buy desserts."

"Running an errand?" she asked.

"Yes. I trust I don't need to tell you whose errand it is." I deliberately avoided mentioning the person directly. A clever woman like her would figure it out without difficulty.

Dorothy's smile faded, and her eyes narrowed even more.

This was a gamble. Delac's actions had only become known because of Seren. She was the master of the intelligence guild, but if the Iron-Blooded Lord truly intended to move in secret, he could have done so without anyone noticing. In other words, it was highly likely that others in this city also knew his whereabouts. I could only hope that this woman was one of them.

A heavy silence settled over us.

The mercenaries behind Dorothy didn't urge her. They merely looked around. They had already witnessed what had happened. Anyone who survived long in a neighborhood like this had to know when to stay quiet.

At present, everyone was waiting for Dorothy's reaction.

"I never expected that man to like desserts," she remarked.

The answer I had hoped for finally came. I inwardly sighed with relief. More than anything, I was relieved that she avoided mentioning that man directly.

I said, "Preferences aren't something you can judge just from appearances."

So if you have no more business here, just disappear already, I added inwardly.

"Next customer!" a voice called out.

Silence ensued.

"Customer?" the employee of the dessert store prompted. Before I realized it, it was already my turn.

Surely she won't try to control me like that mercenary if I move on my own, right?

I stole a glance at her, and she nodded. "What are you doing? If the line gets shorter, shouldn't you move forward?"

Is she insane? I sighed and stepped forward.

The smiling employee kept talking, but none of the words registered. I moved toward the dessert section and looked over the tempting selection, though my attention was only fixed on the woman following behind me. I pretended to choose a dessert while organizing my thoughts.

So far, I had identified three Colorless believers: the inquisitor Verita, the hunter Root, and finally, the witch Dorothy.

Verita had warned me to be wary of Dorothy. Honestly, I felt the same way. There was Verita, who would feign death, no, actually die if I ordered it. Then there was Root, who at least showed me some degree of respect and obedience as a priest. After all, he had foamed at the mouth at the thought of fighting me.

On the other hand, Dorothy had calmly observed me from beginning to end, evaluating me like an object. That attitude had naturally caused friction with Verita.

I kind of miss her. I had never imagined that I would miss that fanatic, but if Verita had been here, she would have probably sorted things out.

In any case, in the form of Nalu, I was no match for Dorothy. The same applied to Luzard, my other identity. To put it bluntly, I couldn't guarantee victory even if I fought as Luan. It was true that she was a Colorless believer, but she was also a Middle Name on equal footing with the Iron-Blooded Lord.

Damn it. Lost in thought, I ended up selecting every dessert in sight. If I delayed any longer, it would become obvious that I was stalling. Thus, I went to the checkout counter.

"Let me help you with the payment."

I handed the chosen desserts to the employee and accepted a large bag, hugging it to my chest. I hadn't intended to buy so much, but I ended up with an absurd number of items while trying to stall for time.

Could I pretend not to notice and slip away while Dorothy is choosing her desserts? This thought crossed my mind for a moment, but that woman didn't even glance at the desserts. She followed right behind me.

Is she a leech? Separating her from me through ordinary means seemed impossible.

Dorothy looked at me and said, "Follow me."

Then, as if she had fastened an invisible leash around me, she turned and started walking somewhere.

I sighed again and followed. At this point, I had already accepted that shaking Dorothy off immediately was impossible.

She headed toward a dark back alley that didn't suit her at all.

There were two main types of back alleys in Airuga. One formed the city's underworld, filled with shady mercenaries, gangsters, and punks. The other was little more than a garbage dump that people didn't dare to step foot in.

Dorothy walked into the latter. It was filled with foul smells, maggots, and rats drawn by the food waste. Vagrants and orphans looked at us while clutching their empty stomachs.

Even this close to the downtown area, such places existed. The darkness of Airuga lingered in every alley of this city like a shadow.

The sight didn't surprise me. In truth, vagrants and orphans were easier to find in big cities. People like them would starve to death in truly poor cities.

"Give us something to eat..."

"I haven't eaten anything for a week..."

As I passed them, I pulled cookies from the bag and handed them out.

"T-thank you. Thank you."

Dorothy, who was walking ahead, glanced back with open sarcasm in her voice. "You're so kind."

She didn't even glance at the vagrants. It wasn't that she considered them less than human. To her, they were completely invisible, no different from garbage scattered in the alley.

I scattered the desserts I had bought in a splendid manner and followed her deeper into the alley.

We soon arrived at a dark stretch where even the vagrants had disappeared. There was a door in the fence lining the dark alley. Dorothy took out a key and slid it into the keyhole.

Click.

Metal scraped against metal, and the door creaked open. Darkness filled the interior. It wasn't ordinary darkness. It felt almost tangible, as if something was lurking within.

For some reason, the sensation felt strangely familiar.

"Go in," she urged.

Every instinct told me that stepping inside willingly would be a terrible idea. I held up the bag that was still about half full and said, "I need to bring this to the owner as soon as possible..."

"Really? How interesting."

"What is interesting?" I asked.

Dorothy giggled and approached me.

I clenched my fists, ready to react at any moment. However, the woman simply passed by me and stood behind me. The weight of her presence pressed against my shoulder. Her loose hand brushed against the back of my neck, sending a ticklish sensation across my ear.

Dorothy lowered her head slightly. "Delac isn't in the city right now, right?

You're lying."

Shit, really? I gritted my teeth to stop myself from swearing as Dorothy's hand brushed against the back of my neck.

For a moment, I almost broke her fingers. I somehow felt that if I allowed any more contact, she would see through my disguise. Verita and maybe Root were different cases, but this woman couldn't find out that Nalu was Luan.

I stepped forward to shake off Dorothy's hand.

"Huh?" I managed to shake off her touch, but I ended up close to that damn door.

Now, this was the crossroads of choice.

Dorothy wasn't showing any hostility to me right now. She wouldn't be able to act against me easily. I didn't know what kind of scheme she had in mind, but laying a hand on Nalu here meant crossing the Iron-Blooded Lord. Of course, that was only my hope. There was no guarantee that this woman wouldn't actually try something.

I asked, "Where does this door lead?"

"It's one of our hideouts," she replied. "Don't worry so much. There are a lot of people I want to introduce to you."

That actually sounded worse. It was no different than stepping into the middle of the enemy camp.

In any case, wouldn't it be better to fight Dorothy one-on-one here? I was seriously considering this possibility.

"Dorothy? What are you doing here?"

"Oh my. Has that nasty habit surfaced again? Kukukuk."

Two more people suddenly appeared, both speaking with mocking amusement. Judging from their voices, one was a young man and the other a young woman. I couldn't see their faces because both wore hoods.

"Cut it out," snapped the young woman. "Last time, you were the one who showed up late due to that nasty hobby of yours."

"Sometimes, I want to tear you to pieces," said the young man.

"Ah, it's noisy. Shut up, both of you," Dorothy spat.

Judging from the way they spoke to each other, they were colleagues on equal footing. It was like facing three versions of Dorothy at once.

Damn. There is no way to back out now. I looked at the door once more. What is lurking behind it? The Abanaham Witch Society? Or the Dark Church?

Neither group received particularly good treatment in the empire, but I would rather they be the witch society than the main enemy, the church. We didn't have a hostile relationship with them at all.

However, the probability of it being a witch society was low. After all, one of the people who appeared was a man.

If they are Colorless believers, we may be able to communicate.If I reveal that I am a priest, a few of them may follow my orders, like Verita or Root. But what if they don't? Only my identity will be revealed. This is too risky.

By the way, Dorothy didn't seem sane to me. She planned to bring Nalu, who had ties to the Iron-Blooded Lord, face-to-face with the Dark Church. If she made even a single mistake, she would become Delac's next target.

What is she thinking? As I pondered, I stepped into the dark space. A familiar sensation washed over me, as if I were floating. I could clearly sense the space shifting around me.

How far were we from Airuga? I didn't know.

A moment later, the surroundings brightened. Soft, gentle light illuminated the area. A huge round table stood at the center of the space, and two people were already seated there.

That brings the total to five. There don't seem to be many members.

"What? Everyone isn't here yet?" Dorothy asked.

"Shut up. A latecomer like you should try to come early for once."

"Ozma? Are we all here now? It feels like less than half of us have arrived."

At those words, the woman called Ozma turned her gaze toward us. Aside from Dorothy, she was the only one with her face uncovered. Her expression was blank, almost doll-like.

Ozma stared at me, then tilted her head. The movement resembled an owl's a little too much. "What's with this kid?"

"What? He's my new candidate," Dorothy replied.

"Really?" Ozma exclaimed. "Has your tastes finally changed?"

"What?"

"He doesn't really seem to be your taste," Ozma pointed out.

"What do you mean by that?" Dorothy demanded.

"That boy is hiding himself," Ozma said.

The noisy surroundings immediately fell silent.

Ozma yawned, looking bored. "You're wearing a Linchal Mask."

I feel like regressing...