TOOCM 96

Chapter 96

Arteon wore an expression of undisguised admiration for Crensia’s intelligence network, whose main base was in the North yet stretched all the way to the capital.

In truth, even without Reina’s unique power, the North’s intelligence capabilities were quite formidable. Crensia already had informants hidden across the capital, constantly monitoring its political climate.

Thanks to this, it was the perfect excuse to package her own ability as the result of Crensia’s network.

Reina smiled and affirmed.

“If I’m unable to stay until the end of the match, please go ahead to the reception and check on things. I have somewhere else I need to stop first.”

“Here, in this place?”

“Yes. I have someone I need to meet.”

Only after arriving at the fighting arena did she realize that the location Michael mentioned was absolutely inaccessible to anyone with a Guest rank. Michael’s rank must be Red or higher.

To contact a member with a rank of Red or higher, one needed a comparable rank. For her, having just arrived at the arena, this was a rather excessive prerequisite.

It occurred to her that Michael had a tendency to continually test her capabilities. She didn’t know the purpose of these tests, but it implied his cautious nature.

To meet Michael, she had to raise her rank as quickly as possible.

And conveniently, a person who would know the fastest way to achieve that was sitting right in front of her.

Reina gazed at Arteon, who was wearing a gold mask.

It was a mask that could not be acquired by anyone lacking considerable skill. Surely he would know how to raise one’s rank quickly.

Reina spoke bluntly.

“Before that, I’d like to raise my rank a bit. Is there a fast way to do it?”

“When it comes to that, I’m an expert. I was already planning to help you anyway, as the white masks restrict you to very few amenities.”

As expected, Arteon grinned, his expression saying, why even ask?

When Kaiden gave him a skeptical look, he patted his chest and boasted confidently.

“I will guide you quickly and safely to the Red Mask rank by the end of today.”

* * *

Sitting in the fighter waiting room, Black fiddled with his black mask.

No one here knew his face, as he always fought with his mask on. The specially made mask was designed to prevent anyone from discerning his features.

When the mask was off, Black’s face had a rather cold impression.

Shaggy silver hair, halfway covering his eyes.

Through it, brilliant, sharp, light-blue eyes flashed.

He was highly sensitive due to an incident that occurred a few days ago.

On the day Duke Helio was assaulted, Black was at the opera house.

He was the one who had attacked the Duke.

“Who sent you? Do you think you can creep into my territory like a rat and walk out alive?”

Duke Helio was severely wounded in a vital spot, yet his momentum was still fierce.

As the Duke claimed, the venue was overflowing with Helio’s knights. This theater was practically his main fortress. For any ordinary assassin, escaping through the gaps would have been impossible.

His words stemmed from confidence, but they didn’t apply to Black.

“I know the Helio knights are excellent, but they will be useless against me.”

“You are exceedingly arrogant. I shall watch how long you can keep up that insolent talk.”

The knights had already surrounded Black, and to escape alone would mean facing certain death.

However, the one who was horrified was not Black, but Duke Helio.

“A monster…?”

The face, pale as if he had seen a ghost, was a reaction Black was used to.

As a Helio knight cut Black’s arm, the knight’s own arm was severed instead.

The knights who tried attacking again, thinking it was a trick, stopped after the third attempt.

They hesitated, watching a monster that couldn’t be wounded, and Black gracefully slipped through them.

“I suggest you stay still. It would be troublesome if I accidentally killed His Excellency, wouldn’t it?”

Black’s operation seemed to be perfectly concluded.

It probably would have been, had he not encountered the Duke of Crensia.

The Duke easily detected him, even though Black had completely suppressed his presence.

Had an employee not called out, announcing the start of the performance at that very moment, he might have been apprehended right there.

Crensia.

It was an unfamiliar name, yet his heart kept thumping uneasily. He didn’t know why.

He couldn’t even recall who he was anymore, yet the name Crensia—or more accurately, the old name of the Duchess of Crensia—kept revolving in his mind.

‘Reina Eve Mernier…’

The name never left his mind, even during the long period of experimentation in solitary confinement.

That was why Black had planned to meet the Princess first the moment he was released from the isolation chamber.

But in the meantime, Kaiden Crensia, the Guardian of the North, had married and taken her away.

If they were lovers, he might have felt betrayed.

The emotions Black felt then were bewilderment and relief.

He didn’t know why he felt those things, and he wasn’t given the time to dwell on it.

And so, living as a shadow, he just happened to coincidentally run into the Duke of Crensia.

Black couldn’t shake the nagging, uncomfortable feeling. An inexplicable fire boiled within him, yet it felt painfully familiar.

Just then, someone entered the fighter waiting room.

The person who installed him here, the one who acted as a proxy for the Emperor’s command.

The one who would become the next Emperor, provided nothing went wrong.

It was the Crown Prince of this nation, Siegfried Julid Mernier.

Black did not bow, even though he knew the person’s identity. Instead, he lifted his gaze and met his eyes.

This was possible because Wolyung (the Shadow organization) was loyal to the Emperor, not the Imperial Family as a whole.

Despite this apathetic attitude, Siegfried’s reaction was indifferent.

“Today will be your last match. The operation was excellent.”

“Now that the job is done, am I returning to solitary confinement?”

The other man chuckled at Black’s dry question.

“Why? Do you wish to go back?”

“Hardly.”

He had no pleasant memories from that place. Forced into the awakening of his power, he was, as Duke Helio had called him, close to a monster.

An unkillable body.

A body that regenerates even after being cut, and an ability to reflect damage back to the opponent if the conditions were met—traits specialized for assassination.

It was precisely this power that led him to be chosen as the Emperor’s shadow in the first place.

Black didn’t remember how he joined Wolyung. He only knew the instinct that betraying the Emperor meant certain death.

“You won’t be returning. Because you have someone you need to impersonate next.”

“Is this another deep cover infiltration?”

“Something similar. You’ll probably handle it well.”

“Who should I imitate?”

At Black’s question, Siegfried smiled elegantly and placed an arm around his shoulder.

“The Prince who went missing four years ago.”

“?”

“Jeffrey Eve Mernier is your next target for disguise.”

“Jeffrey Eve Mernier…”

Black quietly recited the name, which sounded strangely familiar.

Seeing this, Siegfried broke his contemplation.

“First, ensure you complete today’s match safely. As a matter of fact, since your younger sister is here, you might want to meet her.”

“My younger sister…?”

“Reina Crensia Mernier. She is Jeffrey’s only younger sister.”

“!”

The moment he heard that name, Black felt something utterly collapse inside him. It was the shock of the name that constantly dominated his mind being spoken by a third party.

Black hid his agitation and asked in a low voice.

“Princess Reina is here?”

“Yes. She’s sticking to her husband all day, diligently trying to raise her rank. Well, newcomers usually get quite obsessed. Haha.”

Siegfried let out a mechanical laugh. It was a bizarre smile, as if he were merely imitating a human emotion. The feeling that he was only laughing because he should was chilling.