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Whoosh!

“Oho…… Is this the famous Fly spell?”

It helped that my reliable companion was a high-ranking mage.

“You wouldn’t suddenly drop me, right?”

“Should I try it? You’re tough, so you probably won’t die.”

“You want to send one of your only friends to the afterlife?”

“You really want me to drop you?”

Exchanging jokes, Milon and I soon reached the bottom of the cliff.

“W-We’ve arrived!”

Everyone’s attention immediately turned towards us.

“……Huh?”

As we just landed, Marquis Foltaine quickly approached us, tilting his head in confusion.

“Why are only the two of you here? Weren’t you supposed to capture him?”

In response to the Marquis’ question, Milon quickly spoke up.

“Well……”

It was as if he had already prepared an excuse.

“We lost him……”

“We let him go.”

“……!”

But I was a step ahead of Milon. Immediately, two puzzled sets of eyes turned towards me.

‘What are you doing?’

Milon asked me with his gaze.

‘No need to lie, especially not to someone who wants to become my foster father.’

Keep this in mind, always.

A small mistake can ruin relationships. Lies pile up, leaving behind only disappointment. If Marquis Foltaine were to find out the truth later……

‘He would probably feel pretty let down by me.’

More importantly, I didn’t want to lie to someone on my side. So, I spoke truthfully.

-He was a spy from the Mask of Night, hired by the Empire. He was part of one of the two groups clashing at Verdant Vale.

“……!”

As I conveyed my thoughts, Marquis Foltaine’s eyes widened.

-Is that true?

-Yes. However, the Mask of Night is now on our side. Personally, I think it’s better to overlook small actions like this for the greater good.

-You call this a small action? A major incident involving fighting in foreign territory at the behest of the Empire?

-If we can gain the Mask of Night as allies, doesn’t that make it relatively minor?

Marquis Foltaine, who had been listening quietly, shook his head.

-You’re truly insane.

-Thank you for the compliment.

-Haah. So, you’ve charmed the Mask of Night with that damned charisma of yours as well?

-You could say that.

At my cheeky response, Marquis Foltaine let out a small laugh. As the conversation grew longer,

“What are those two talking about?”

“……It’s suspicious. Letting that shady guy go on purpose?”

“I doubt the court will accept that.”

“Quiet. As long as we keep our mouths shut, everything will be decided by the Marquis.”

The murmurs among the Marquis’ knights grew louder.

-I’ll explain it to them properly.

Just as I was about to step forward,

Shiing.

“……!”

“……!”

“……!”

A chilling sound of steel echoed through the air. At the same time, a heavy silence fell over the area.

“Listen up.”

Suddenly drawing his sword, Marquis Foltaine spoke in a low voice.

“Everyone, attention!”

“Attention!”

A thunderous chorus followed. It was a glimpse into the discipline of the Marquis’ household.

“From now on, you will forget everything you have seen and heard here. Do you understand?”

“Understood!”

Tension was written all over everyone’s faces. This was the first time since our departure that Marquis Foltaine had drawn his sword and displayed such authority.

‘Well, he is the one who single handedly wiped out the White Lion Brigade, one of the most powerful militant groups under the Marquisate.’

They probably understood better than I did that he wasn’t just all talk.

“Now that everyone’s here, enough idle chatter. We move forward!”

“Forward!”

Our old man sure had charisma in spades.

The entrance to the canyon was quite long. After walking for about another hour,

Shhh.

Without a sound, a man appeared beside me.

“You’re here?”

“……”

It was Narakas, with his incredibly plain face. Some knights glanced at him, but they all pretended not to see him.

That was the Marquis Foltaine’s order. Of course, Marquis Foltaine himself expressed his curiosity without hesitation.

“I thought you were just an errand boy…… But now I see, this person is part of the Mask of Night too, isn’t he?”

“……”

“Don’t worry about them. Ah, I’m the Marquis Foltaine of the Hart Kingdom.”

Marquis Foltaine extended his hand freely. Surprisingly, Narakas accepted the greeting.

“I always appreciate the Marquis’ consideration. My name is Narakas. I am the leader of the current Mask of Night, though I am far from perfect.”

“……!”

“……!”

Both the Marquis and I were surprised, though for different reasons.

‘He revealed his identity?’

Let me say again—the leader’s position is a huge piece of information in itself. He’s someone that the highest-ranking officials of any country, including the king, would want to meet.

And rightly so—he’s the head of a massive organization that deals with all sorts of information.

To put it in more simple terms,

‘If Narakas set his mind to it, he could find evidence of an unfaithful spouse in less than an hour.’

That’s not all. If he wanted to, he could easily uncover the weaknesses of any political rivals.

-Is he really the leader?

The Marquis’ voice echoed in my head.

-Who would dare lie in front of someone like you?

-Ho…… It’s hard to believe even though I’m seeing it with my own eyes.

Marquis Foltaine, whose pupils had been trembling, quickly straightened himself. He had realized the gravity of the situation.

“I apologize for my rudeness. I was just so surprised……”

“Please, don’t worry about it.”

“……Goodness, you’ve charmed an extraordinary person.”

Marquis Foltaine glanced at me with a smile. At that, Narakas grinned.

“Even someone as impressive as you has been charmed, Marquis.”

“Hahaha. You must truly be the leader. Each word you speak makes this old man feel good. If your words say so much, there’s no need for further doubt.”

“If you ever need assistance, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’d be happy to help.”

“That’s very reassuring. I thought this journey would be just another business venture, but it turns out to be quite a profitable one. Haha!”

Marquis Foltaine laughed heartily, clearly in a good mood. Then, he turned to me.

“You really are my golden goose, aren’t you?”

“Well, what about me? Don’t I get something?”

“Of course.”

“Oh?”

My eyes lit up. If even that stingy old man was offering me something, it had to be good.

“What is it?”

“I’m the gift.”

“……?”

Feeling somewhat irritated, I muttered a joke under my breath.

“If that had come from the mouth of a beautiful lady, it would’ve been a real gift.”

“You cheeky brat, already chasing after women?”

“To be honest, even if the most beautiful woman on the continent confessed to me, I think I’d still be happier with your gift.”

“Hmph. You’re a bit too late.”

“That is, assuming you were being serious about the gift.”

“……”

The Marquis fell silent. I could feel his intense gaze on me, but I deliberately didn’t look his way.

“I’m dragging this out. So, why are you here?”

“I came to inform you of some newly discovered information.”

“Newly discovered information?”

I tilted my head at Narakas’ response. He glanced briefly at Marquis Foltaine before continuing.

“It seems that the Swordsman of Illusions is at the end of this canyon.”

“Is that true?”

Both Marquis Foltaine and I widened our eyes in shock.

“Th-The Swordsman of Illusions is at the end of this canyon?”

“Wasn’t he supposed to be in the dwarves’ territory?”

The Marquis and I questioned him in turn.

“Wait. Dwarves? Did you say dwarves?”

Realizing this a step late, Marquis Foltaine was startled once again.

“Ah, I apologize for not mentioning it earlier. It was still unconfirmed information at the time……”

“No, that’s not what I meant……”

The Marquis waved his hand quickly, and I thought I saw a golden gleam flash in his eyes.

“……This trip has turned out to be a goldmine.”

“Excuse me?”

“Hahaha. Does this mean I’ll meet the dwarves before I die?”

“……”

Apparently, we hadn’t been on the same page. Ignoring the old man, I turned back to Narakas. Meeting my eyes, he continued.

“For now, the members of Verdant Vale who were injured during the battle are still recovering in the dwarves’ territory.”

“I see.”

“The problem is that only the Swordsman of Illusions has left the area……”

At that point, I began to grasp the situation.

“He probably doesn’t want to cause any more harm to those around him. The Trevor I know is that kind of person.”

“……I don’t know about his intentions, but the dwarves wouldn’t want any uninvited guests. They must be cautious.”

“So, he left alone to minimize the casualties of his followers?”

“Exactly. The entrance to the Black Swan is through this canyon. There’s no detour.”

“This place is perfect for a small group to hold off a larger one.”

At my comment, Narakas nodded.

“I’ll speak with him personally.”

“You will?”

“He likely holds a significant grudge against us. After all, many of his people were hurt because of our greed.”

“If that’s your reasoning, you might be better off staying away.”

“No. If we’re to maintain any kind of relationship moving forward, I need to apologize properly as the leader. Although I’m not sure he’ll accept it……”

Marquis Foltaine let out a small sound of admiration.

“Sincerity is always understood. I admire your courage, leader.”

“Hmm……”

Still, I felt differently.

Something was still bothering me.

“Now that I think about it, something’s strange.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve fought your people directly, haven’t I?”

“……And?”

“They were certainly skilled for informants…… but nothing that should trouble the legendary Swordsman of Illusions.”

Understanding my point, Narakas smiled bitterly.

“I told you, didn’t I?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t be too surprised when you meet him. He’s quite different from the records.”

“……”

In silence, I stared at the unseen end of the canyon.

“So, he’s at the end of this path? The Swordsman of Illusions?”

My eyes filled with emotion. It had been twenty years since our last meeting.

***