4. Rynella’s fate is decided by Rynella (47)
The bloody clearing fell into silence.
It was the same until the man said “Tak” and brushed off the blood on his sword once.
It was an unbelievable result.
Mitram’s ‘masterpieces’ had the power to live up to their title. Even Seria, who was second only to Ian in the avant-garde, was beaten while doing it.
They were monsters that regenerated even severed body parts.
However, those terrifying enemies were annihilated at the hands of the man without even knowing why.
It was to the point where the past, which had repeated struggles and struggles, seemed funny. Besides, the party couldn’t hold out until the end and were even suppressed.
On the other hand, in front of the man, the test subjects were swept away like autumn leaves.
Even Mitram’s vaunted regenerative ability, such as immortality, had no effect.
The dismembered body did not come back to life, and Mitram also showed no sign of resurrection after his head was blown off.
It was clear that the man had done something.
Even so, there was no one who wanted to ask the man a question.
The party only looked at the man with wary eyes while raising their bodies hesitantly.
Their instincts were warning them.
different.
That man was different from ‘Ian Percus’.
If it had been in the past, I might have overlooked it.
It was because Ian and I didn’t have a deep connection at that time, and if there were any oddities, I thought it was because of my mood and passed it on.
In fact, it was not easy to think of other possibilities.
The body remains the same, but the personality changes.
It was a story I had never heard before encountering Mitram.
Even if you heard it, it was a story that often came up when talking about the mysterious ability of monsters or powerful curses.
Even the truth of the rumors were unclear. What’s more, even putting together all the information he’d picked up, he couldn’t explain the man’s existence.
Magic that manipulates the mind is usually accompanied by enormous side effects.
It was fortunate that even fragments of his original personality, let alone reason, remained. However, not only was the man thinking clearly, he was adapting very naturally to the possessed body.
This was the reason that even Celine, who had been with Ian for a long time, did not notice it.
At most, it just felt a little out of place.
It was even more difficult for the rest of the party to be suspicious of the man, even if Celine was like that.
However, the party had no choice but to realize now.
The man in front of them was not the Ian Percus they knew.
If it was Ian, the countless crises he had been through could not be explained. Also, there was no rational reason to hide such skills until now.
Following the dragon blood character, there was another existence of Ian.
The party couldn’t hide their confused mind at the secrets that were revealed one after another.
At least it was the saintess who made up her mind first.
She was a woman who stood on the thin ice of the political arena of the Holy Kingdom. Recovering composure and thinking calculatedly in the face of unexpected variables was her specialty.
Of course, even the saintess hadn’t fully recovered from the shock yet, but it was enough to calm her trembling tone.
The saintess asked the man the most essential question.
“… … Who are you?”
“Ian Percus.”
It was an unassuming answer.
No emotion could be read on the man’s face as he said that. It was a carefree tone, as if reciting a very obvious fact.
However, the man only turned his golden eyes towards the saintess.
As soon as their eyes met, the saintess had no choice but to flinch.
She has treated countless patients so far.
Among them were veteran soldiers who had been on the battlefield for years.
There were witch hunters who went out to avenge the witches after losing their families or lovers, and there were also people who lost the will to live due to a series of betrayals.
Even so, the saintess was able to assert.
There is no one with a worn-out heart like that man.
Rather than any emotion, only those fragments were the floating pupils. Even then, only negative emotions such as regret, resentment, and hatred and despair could be seen.
While the saintess hesitated about what to say, there was someone else who actually spoke to the man.
“Uh, what are you saying… This monster scab!”
A woman jumped up and let out her anger.
She was a lovely-looking girl wearing a cone-shaped hat.
The brown hair and blue eyes went well together. It was a beautiful girl with a persevering look that did not match her short stature.
Her name was Elsie Rainella, and she was also a woman who had always claimed to be Ian’s loyal dog.
At first, it was Elsie who was fascinated by the appearance of the dragon blood text and the man’s unbelievable inaction.
However, as time passed and I looked back, I realized that there was one major problem.
If that man isn’t ‘Master’, isn’t it a matter of not knowing where the real ‘Master’ is now?
It was such a car that I was in the middle of the day. It was then that the man’s insincere reply came.
Elsie stopped crying.
The feeling of gratitude for saving a life that was almost dead had long since disappeared. Elsie was more concerned about the safety of her beloved master than she was.
Soon, a voice soaked in anger spilled from Elsie’s dainty mouth.
“Da, can’t we get our master back right away?! Ian Perkus?! Don’t f*ck up! Our master is much nicer than you! And more kind, cruel, ruthless… … !”
“shut up.”
It was a cool tone.
Elsie’s expression became dumbfounded at just one word, the man’s words.
It was Elsie, who hadn’t heard a single harsh word from anyone in years.
Of course, I was bullied in my childhood and insulted at the academy.
It was only later that Elsie paid off the debt herself, even the interest.
After that, people who recklessly provoke Elsie became rare.
At most, it was only to the extent that Delphine responded when Elsie started a fight.
It had been a long time since he had been suddenly told to shut up.
After the time when her mind went white, the flames heated up Elsie’s neck.
The girl’s eyes instantly became bitter. If left as it is, Elsie’s boastful wit might show the line.
It was then. The man added a tired voice.
“I was thinking of giving it back even if it wasn’t… If you want to get the ‘Ian’ you know back quickly, get ready to leave. There is still a lot of work to be done.”
It was a surprisingly cooperative attitude.
Elsie flinched, trembling, and had no choice but to stop the words she was about to say.
In my mind, I had to pour out all the bad words that shimmered in my mouth to clear my mind.
However, I was at a loss for what to say about returning my master, and I was afraid that only Ian would be in danger if he provoked the man.
For now, it was best to follow the man’s words, even if he was in doubt.
In case the man’s heart changes, Elsie hurriedly started to pack her things. It was the same for the rest of the group.
On the contrary, the person who hesitated for a moment was a man.
He looked back with a rare look of disbelief.
The narrowed forehead testified to the fact that he was not comfortable with his planting.
“… … By the way, ‘Master’?”
“Muh, what! why!”
Elsie stopped getting ready and shook her tiny fist.
It was an attitude that made him wonder if he would even stick with the growl.
Against a human who single-handedly sliced 10 test subjects with powers above Expert.
The man who stole my master, even for a moment, didn’t seem to like it very much.
However, the part that shocked the man was a little different.
He stood and stared blankly at Elsie, then shook his head and swallowed a laugh.
“… … under.”
Since then, the man has not spoken to Elsie.
He only looked at Elsie a few times with complicated eyes from time to time.
After preparing to return like that, the Rainella family’s magic corps decided to deal with the horrors of the empty lot.
Entering the clearing for the first time, Reynolds hardened his expression.
It was because he could tell just by looking at the quantity and quality of the fallen specimens.
The fact that Mitram’s subjects they dealt with were nothing more than bait.
“This one was real… How did you do it?”
Without a word, the man touched my knife sheath.
It was an unspoken signal, but the meaning was clear.
Only the question of whether the words could be trusted remained.
Anyway, Reynolds couldn’t afford to question the truth of the testimony right away.
He hesitated for a moment, then finally let out a deep sigh.
“… … All right, more details later. We’ll fix this place for now.”
The journey continued to the mansion of Percus.
For half a day or so, an awkward silence lingered between the man and the group.
Even Celine, who is the most sociable, was intimidated and just looked at her eyes.
As much as that, the man’s performance was astonishing, and more than that, there was a terrifying aspect to it.
If he put his mind to it, it wouldn’t be impossible to turn the party into a handful of blood.
As it was impossible to accurately determine the identity of the opponent, the party’s anxiety was inevitable.
Surprisingly, it was the man who couldn’t stand the subtle tension.
“… … Aren’t you curious how he killed him?”
As always, it was a question without emotion, so even the intention was unclear.
It was a rather clumsy topic to start a conversation that transcended time.
Ian catches the irony here.