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Chapter 117: Second Informal Meeting ③

When I slashed at the empty space with Shiranuemaru, the sound of metal colliding against metal resounded.

「I’m surprised you saw through it. No, it was my mistake for losing focus for a second.」

From that space which had been empty up until now, a deeply hooded figure with an eerie mask emerged, stopping my Shiranuemaru with a sword. I could tell from his physique and voice that he was a man.

Not only was he able to almost completely conceal his presence, but he also had the strength to block my blow…

「Who the hell are you?」

「I’m quite infamous in the Empire, though.」

「Empire? Infamous? No way you’re famous or shit with that crappy mask.」

From the corner of my eyes, I saw that Princess Luna was trembling.

「No… Face…」

「Ah? No Face?」

Looking at Princess Luna’s current state, I could tell that this masked man was as famous as he said he was in the Empire. And in a bad way…

「Why are you here!? State your purpose!」Luna.

「I don’t really have a purpose. If anything, I just thought that something interesting was going on.」

「It is not that easy to enter this room… No, more importantly, since when have you been eavesdropping?」

As Ruzark said, a special barrier was put up in this room using magic tools. He wouldn’t have been able to sneak in beforehand, and we should be the only ones who knew about the unofficial meeting being held here.

And who the hell is “No Face”? It’s probably not his real name.

There is too much unknown information…

Let’s put aside who this guy is for now. If we ask Princess Luna later, we’ll be able to learn the details. Dealing with this guy is the first priority right now.

「I came here at the same time as Princess Luna. Thus, I’ve heard everything you said here.」

「Awfully honest now, aren’t we?」

「Well, consider it as a thanks for letting me hear something interesting. Besides, it just seemed like things would get more interesting this way…」

「How carefree. Do you think you can escape from this place?」

「Kukuku… Can I escape from this place, you ask? I don’t even have to think about it. Some of you are non-combatants. And they are important people. Do you think you can fight while protecting them?」

「No problem. You wanna give it a try?」

Considering that he was able to block my attack just now, I’m sure he’s good not only for infiltration and covert actions, but also for combat.

[Expert Appraisal] was completed while buying time with conversation.

Status

【Name】Hidden

【Race】High Dark Elf

【Condition】

【Level】72

【Attribute】Darkness/Wind

【HP】6200/6200

【MP】880/880

【STR】110

【VIT】60

【DEX】Hidden

【INT】Hidden

【AGI】Hidden

【LUK】5

【Title】No Face, Emperor of Darkness, The Slaughterer

【Skill】

・ Dark Incense Shadow: Hidden

・Moon Cloud Dew: Hidden

・Wind attribute magic (Lv.6)

・Darkness attribute magic (Lv.6)

・Expert Evaluation

・Stealth

・Perception Inhibition: Inhibits perception of the user by sight, smell, and hearing from surrounding targets. Once seen through, it cannot be used again unless the user moves away from the target for a certain distance.

・Detection

・Air Dance

・Sword Technique (Lv.6)

This guy is even more dangerous than I thought… Level 72 is considerably higher than me. Moreover, he also has the [Expert Appraisal] skill.

In other words, it would be better to assume that I was also appraised just like I appraised him.

Since the level of his magic is also high, we should be equal in one-on-one… He has the power to back up his bragging.

「Aun, wasn’t it? You’re quite an interesting man…」

「Appraisal, huh? Well, since you saw my status… you should know.」

………

………

Silence reigned this space for a short time as we silently kept each other in check.

It was Princess Luna who broke the silence.

「No Face, I have no intention of making an enemy out of you. I can’t imagine that you are acting in the interests of the Empire right now. As long as you don’t put us at a disadvantage in terms of our purpose in the Council of Seven Sphin Nations, I will pretend as if nothing happened here.」

「Didn’t I just say that I have no purpose? I heard an interesting story, so I just investigated it out of curiosity.」

「What kind of story was it?」

「I heard that there was a party of five that turned the war upside down. I was curious as to what kind of fellars they were. Well, I only found out here that one of them was you, Aun…」

「If it’s a fight you want, I’m all for it. Or should I make the first move?」

「Let’s take it slow. How about next time? Right now, I’m really furious at the fact that I was “used”.」

「What does that mean?」

「In your discussion, you said that the demons and the Emperor were secretly plotting, didn’t you? What’s more, they are using the prime minister whom I killed as a pretense. This is a roundabout way of using me. The thing I hate the most is being used or being bound by someone.」

「Are you saying you’re not hostile towards us?」

「For now… what you guys are trying to do sounds like it’s going to be interesting.」

Judging from the flow of the conversation, it’s clear that Princess Luna doesn’t want to be hostile towards this man.

As for me, I don’t think I’ll make the first move as long as he is not hostile.

But that will be for Ruzark to decide.

「Ruzark, decide what we should do.」

「…Hmmm. I’m curious about what kind of existence you are, but… the priority now is to prevent our plans from being leaked outside.」

「I would leak the information, you say?」

「Yeah, I can’t trust you.」

「Don’t underestimate me. Even if it means death, I would never serve under someone else. Besides, I keep my promises.」

「Your Highness Ruzark! Would it not be possible for you to pretend that nothing happened here for my sake? I will tell you what I know about this man later.」

「…………It can’t be helped. Alright.」

「Then I shall do as I please. Aun, our fight will be soon …」

After saying that, No Face melted into the shadows and disappeared completely.