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‘Even the memory of the land had been wiped clean. They didn’t use a higher spirit or powerful force; they dispersed it.’

The methods were different. Power that had been forcibly erased could be restored, but they had scattered the spirit’s memories instead.

‘Gnoum, do you really not remember anything?’ Davey asked.

Nature spirit Gnoum trembled, unable to answer. As Davey nodded, the higher level earth spirit next to him started radiating a powerful energy, making Gnoum shudder and nod frantically.

The memory wasn’t gone; there was simply no memory of that time at all. Davey knew this wasn’t something that could be achieved with simple magic. It had to be related to that strange smell.

“Your Highness, is there a reason we came here? If you can’t prove anything, your position will be in danger,” Marquis Peiltris said, following closely behind him.

There was no clear physical evidence that Davey had killed the victim, but there was enough circumstantial evidence.

“Marquis, I don’t think this incident was just a random crime.”

“Your Highness…”

“So, I’m going to get them so hard they won’t even have a chance to cover their tracks.”

The incident of women all over the continent disappearing, along with this incident—it was all the work of the same person. But he couldn’t figure out their goal.

Davey contemplated for a moment and decided to go back to the basics. He asked himself why the criminal would smear the young man’s blood on a longsword and then kill him with a dagger.

“They could’ve just used the longsword,” Davey muttered.

“Your Highness?”

“Perserque, what do you think?”

“I believe it’s because they knew they couldn\'t get the results they wanted with a longsword but only with a main-gauche-type dagger,” Perserque replied calmly.

The longsword was a red herring; the culprit had used a short dagger to kill the victim.

“Your Majesty, what do you mean…?” Marquis Peiltris asked.

“It means the dagger wielded some special power. The royal palace has plenty of tools that can detect unusual mana wavelengths and blood scents,” Perserque explained.

"Yes,” Marquis Peiltris answered.

“The way the scent of blood spread so quickly doesn’t make sense. It was like the scent had been suppressed, waiting to be released. Even the strange smell Davey detected and the fact that the spirit energy had been completely erased is all too strange.”

Thinking these through, the answer seemed clear.

“Then.. the answer to this whole incident lies in that weapon?” Marquis Peiltris asked.

At his question, Davey turned to Perserque.

“Davey.”

“...”

“I’ll find out things on my own as well… Don’t worry too much.”

“Take care of yourself, Perserque.”

As the two watched her leave, Marquis Peiltris looked at Davey with curiosity in his eyes.

“Your Highness?”

“We’ll catch them right now, and then you can ask them yourself,” he said calmly, kicking a rock on the ground.

Bang!!

The rock hit a large tree and created shockwaves. Then someone hiding behind it suddenly bolted.

“I-Isn’t that?!”

“Let’s catch them and find out.”

“Yes?! Yes!”

“Murderer bastards often return to the scene of their crime.”

Even if they weren’t the murderer, he knew they’d be a lead—he had no intention of letting them go. At his words, Marquis Peiltris surged forward, energy radiating from his body as he sped after the fleeing figure.

As Davey watched him go, he grabbed something from his Pocket Plane and followed.

‘Mana restraints? Even if they could seal things up to the 7th circle, did they really think this could stop me?’

***

Psss!!!

“Pant… Pant!”

The person running for their life glanced back in panic.

"You! Stop right there! You\'ve got a lot of nerve, murdering someone in the palace and then showing up here again!"

The runner was quick, but fleeing from the Sword Master Marquis Peiltris was impossible.

Swoosh!! Bam!!

Marquis Peiltris closed the distance in an instant and kicked the runner, sending them tumbling to the ground. The man rolled several times, groaning in pain.

“Cough! Cough, cough!”

“Gotcha!” Marquis Peiltris said after subduing him and drawing his sword. But before he could act,

“Hmph?!”

The man on the ground pulled something from his pocket. It was a short, main-gauche-type dagger. He thrust it at him. Peiltris moved to deflect it, but,

Thud!!

A mysterious wave dispersed the aura around his sword.

Wham!!

But he hadn’t become a Sword Master just by goofing around. Just because the aura disappeared didn’t make his skills disappear as well. He instantly kicked the man, knocking the dagger from his hand, and once again aimed his sword at his throat.

“Who are you?! Reveal yourself!” he demanded. He then ripped off the mask off his face, and his eyes widened in shock.

“Vi-Viscount Betthorpe?! What?!”

Viscount Betthorpe was a normal noble from the capital who had sided with the King, just like Count Gulan. Davey had never had any direct dealings with him, so he couldn’t figure out why he was here.

Marquis Peiltris was stunned, but the Viscount only glared back with a wicked expression. Realizing something was off, he tightened his grip on him. But before he could react,

Psss…

A deadly force surrounded Peiltris, and daggers flew toward him from all sides. He quickly deflected them away, but the attacks kept coming. Men in black uniforms, clearly well-trained, emerged from the shadows and encircled Peiltris. They pushed forward, trying to take the Viscount to safety.

“How dare an assassin come here!”

“Kill him.”

"Alright then, have it your way! How dare you show up at His Majesty\'s palace so boldly and try to kill me?! I\'ll show you just how foolish that is!"

Enveloped in wrath, he flared up his Auror Blade with fierce intensity. The assassins that wielded aura themselves couldn’t match his skill.

It was just the way things were.

He then moved like a tiger, swiftly taking them down. The sudden clash created the sound of metal clanking and sprayed blood all over.

The assassins tried to overwhelm him by tag-teaming, but their efforts were futile. He kept moving like a tiger, and his sword was as sharp as one’s claws. As the dazzling sword energy filled the air, the assassins fell one by one. He made his way through them, killing them as if he was performing a sword dance.

He had subdued them in an instant.

He deflected the dagger aimed at him, struck the attacker’s wrist, snatched the blade out of the air, and threw it.

Squelsh!

The dagger sank deep into the leg of the fleeing Viscount.

“Gahhhh!” he screamed, stumbling in pain, his voice distorted and grotesque.

Marquis Peiltris, the kingdom\'s Sword Master, paused for a moment, taking a steady breath.

“Whew… I guess I really am getting old,” he muttered to himself.

Even after effortlessly taking down a group of high-ranking assassins wielding auras, Marquis Peiltris didn\'t seem completely satisfied with his own performance. There were dozens of assassin corpses on the ground, but the Viscount, now crawling on his hands and knees with his leg bleeding, was still alive.

Peiltris needed him to stay alive, but the moment he was about to capture him,

“Hmph?!”

A sudden, cold shiver ran down his spine. He turned quickly, his eyes widening in shock. The assassins he had just killed by clearing attacking their vital points, were now up again and attacking as if nothing had happened. He had let his guard down thinking they were dead.

Instinctively, Peiltris thrust his sword into the heart of one assassin. But the moment he tried to pull it out,

Grasp!!

“W-What?!”

The assassin whose heart had been pierced grabbed his sword with both hands, holding him in place. The others charged, their weapons aimed to end his life. In an instant, a sword came toward his eye. He knew they weren’t undead, but he also knew that it was impossible for any human to survive with their heart pierced. Even so, the impossible was happening in front of his eyes, taking him aback.

Thud!

Of course, the assassin wasn’t able to pierce his eyes with their unique dagger. Davey silently moved closer, catching everyone by surprise, and kicked the attacker away before they could strike.

“Y-Your Highness!”

“Move aside,” Davey muttered calmly. He reached into the air, making the space break, and pulled out a plain ordinary sword from within.

“It’s a bit frustrating that I can’t use Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon.”

He had their powers currently sealed while he was attempting to modify them with Arbit\'s Dragon Heart. Still, it didn’t matter too much since the results were going to be the same regardless.

Clink, clink!!

Slash!! Squelch!!

The assassins kept rising, despite suffering fatal wounds that made their blood splatter.

Clink, clink!!

With the eerie sound as background noise, Davey smoothly and slowly made his way through the assassins as if time was flowing slower for him, taking them down effortlessly. He even used their joint lock attacks on them, eventually stepping on them and breaking their necks.

Even though their bodies were torn and broken from fatal blows, they continued to rise, brandishing their swords.

But…

After snapping their necks, Davey looked down at the bodies, slowly pulling their arms back as if they were being pulled and restrained by an invisible thread from the ground.

Clink!! Ting!!

But then a short dagger, aimed directly at his head, suddenly stopped mid-air as if caught by something.

‘They stopped attacking. Why?’ he thought.

He couldn’t understand what was happening, but the assassins froze as if time itself had stopped for them. He remained calm, not even bothering to look at them.

Clink… Clink…

Marquis Peiltris, sensing the strange noise, started to move, but something brushed lightly against his cheek. He noticed something solid shining with a silver glow, reflecting the light in a way that made it almost invisible.

“Mithril... Strong Shot?!”

Finally, he realized what Davey had done despite the mana restraints. Dozens of nearly invisible mithril threads were spread throughout the area, wrapping around the assassins\' arms, legs, and necks, binding them completely.

Clink…

‘He laid out mithril threads while moving that quickly, cutting down the enemies without using magic in order to make it easier to subdue them? And that with all the mana restraints still on?’ Peiltris thought.

If anyone had asked Marquis Peiltris if such a feat was possible, he would’ve said no without skipping a beat. In fact, no sword master could do this without the use of mana.

A cold sweat ran down his back. Even though he had lived his entire life as a sword master, he realized Davey’s combat skills were on another level—peerless, bizarre, dazzling, and terrifying.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

"I... Your Highness... How did you..."

“The situation was getting out of control, so I stepped in. I didn’t expect assassins who weren’t even undead to act like they were.”

Davey then slowly got up and tightened his grip on the threads, constricting the assassins who were still trying to move.

Squelsh!

Their blood sprayed through the air as their bodies couldn’t withstand the strength of the threads. His swordsmanship was terrifying to begin with, but he had wielded the threads with such natural ease that the assassins had no chance to react. They were so sharp that even the slightest move could sever their limbs.

“But… Why did these guys…”

“They probably came to kill this one,” Davey said, grabbing the Viscount\'s body.

Davey could sense the power he had consumed lingering within the Viscount\'s body. But given the Viscount\'s unstable state, he proceeded to use the new power on him. It was like hypnosis.

A unique, pervasive scent began spreading. As the smell filled the air, the Viscount\'s body began to tremble violently. His eyes widened with fear, and he started convulsing.

“Ah… Aaaa!! Aaaah!!!”

Marquis Peiltris, shocked by the sight of the Viscount screaming in agony, tried to intervene, but the Viscount collapsed and died. They lost one of their only leads just like this.

“Oh shit!”

Marquis Peiltris stood still, making a face of not knowing what to do next. But Davey didn’t stop. He reached down to the corpse and began to draw out the devil mana.

Gleam!!

The dark magic that manipulated souls began encroaching on the Viscount’s soul. Slowly, Davey saw the soul that left his body.

“Almighty... Save me... On the path forward...”

Davey locked eyes with the spirit, which was muttering nonsensical phrases as if possessed. It was impossible to change the core of the soul, regardless of what power he used.

[I command thee in the name of the Imperfection Death Lord.]

[The dead must respond to the monarch’s call.]

The Viscount\'s body quaked violently at Davey’s voice.

[The dead must respond to the monarch’s call.]

Davey repeated his incantation. The Viscount, who had been mumbling, fell silent and looked at Davey with a hollow gaze. Satisfied that he had subdued the soul in two attempts, Davey asked it,

“Viscount, did you kill Count Gulan’s young man?”

- I… I blood… blood smell…

He spoke in a mechanical tone. His incantation that was on the level of the Imperfection Death Lord could only make it forcibly talk; more than half of the Viscount\'s soul had already been destroyed.

“Oh my god… Your Highness, what is this...?”

Even though it was a spiritual entity, he could see it—likely due to the fact that Davey had manifested it using devil mana.

"Your Highness... How did you manage this?”

“What do you mean? I sealed the soul before it dissipated,” Davey explained calmly.

Essentially, he had hijacked the soul. Marquis Peiltris looked at the Viscount\'s spirit with a conflicted expression.

- Sm… Smell… Smell... A unique smell... I don’t remember anything else...

‘A strange smell? He’s probably talking about the smell I detected.’

- I don’t have any memories after… Nothing, I can’t remember anything.

“Tell me only what you remember.”

- In the forest... In the forest, I waited for Count Gulan’s young man... Then a voice told me… Ugh?!

“Tell me nice and slowly, step by step.”

- Kill him. Kill him, kill him. Him. Him. Him...

Davey frowned at the mechanical tone. “Who? Who told you to kill him?”

The soul stopped its mechanic muttering, then slowly twisted its neck at an unnatural angle to focus on Davey.

- Crown Prince… Sullivan...”

"S-Sullivan? Crown Prince Sullivan?! The Palan Empire was involved?!” Marquis Peiltris blurted out, clearly shocked. If Prince Sullivan had bribed a noble from Rowane to frame Davey, this was far more serious than they had initially thought.

- Sullivan... The crown prince\'s voice... The voice calling himself Crown Prince Sullivan… Wait for the young man in the forest, and when he appears, stab him with the dagger you prepared... To hide the weapon... Disguise it with a longsword...

“A disguise? Any investigation would show the dagger was the real weapon,” Peiltris said.

“Unlike those assassins, the Viscount’s condition was unstable. Maybe things didn’t go exactly as planned by whoever was behind this,” Davey explained.

The weapon was supposed to be perfectly disguised as the longsword. Unfortunately for them, the Viscount\'s severely unstable state made him leave traces, and so the two had discovered them.

‘Crown Prince Sullivan…’ Davey thought.

Davey stared at the Viscount’s soul in silence.

“You must go and fight for your innocence! I will formally demand an explanation from Crown Prince Sullivan!” Marquis Peiltris declared.

“Ha, this is fun. They did something very entertaining,” Davey muttered coldly.

He realized it was a trap within a trap. Soon, Marquis Peiltris widened his eyes.

“Y-Your Highness, the Viscount might be implicated, but he was known for his noble and upright character!”

“That’s probably why he was chosen.”

Ssss…

At that moment, Davey gathered a strange energy in his hands. It was a power different from mana; it was the power that had created this entire situation. Though Davey hadn’t fully grasped its nature, he could feel its influence. He began to absorb and assimilate the unknown power that was within the Viscount\'s soul. As he gained control, he pulled it out completely.

- Grrr… GRRR!!! GAAA!!!

The soul let out a desperate scream. He had been exposed to power, but he had been exposed very unstably, creating a gap. Davey didn’t miss the opportunity, absorbing the power and causing the dark, twisted soul to gradually turn white.

Thud!!

The soul, now free from the unknown force, fell to the floor seemingly gasping for breath as it looked up at Davey.

- Ugh...

The soul, having been wailing in pain, seemed like all its energy had been drained.

“Viscount.”

- Nothing... I don’t remember… anything. I don’t remember anything!

The fact that Davey couldn\'t get him to answer even by the incantation of the Imperfection Death Lord meant he genuinely couldn\'t recall what happened. He knew he needed to try a different approach.

“Viscount, no one will harm you here. Take your time, and think slowly,” Davey whispered in a hypnotizing tone.

- A weird… singing sound… On my way to my daughter’s room... A strange smell… Then nothing… I can’t remember anything… How... How come I don’t remember anything?!”

As the Viscount obediently spoke, Marquis Peiltris made a troubled face.

“A singing voice? What in the…?” Marquis Peiltris wondered aloud.

“The smell I detected and the singing sound. The same person is behind both of them, Marquis.”

“Your Highness? How do you know…?”

“Reina, the Hero of Light, told me about it.”

Marquis Peiltris fell silent as he recognized the gravity of the situation.

“Viscount, are you angry?”

- …

After a moment of silence, the spirit replied.

- My... Daughter... My daughter...

“I won’t know unless I check. Let me see.”

He then spread his mana toward the assassins bound by the silver threads, forcing them into a deep sleep. The assassins had resisted rest as if they didn’t need sleep, but gradually, under the continuous magic, they began to change before finally falling silent.

Crackle!

Davey rummaged through his Pocket Plane and pulled out a set of firecrackers from Heins Territory, shooting them into the sky. He quickly scribbled a note on a piece of paper.

- Cuff these guys with mana restraints and lock them up.

It was a simple, straightforward command.

“I will go myself—to your place.”

“Your Highness?! If you leave the palace now, it’ll be harder to prove your innocence!”

“I’ll leave that to you to deal with,” Davey replied calmly. He let out a sigh in reply.

“I… I will guide you. Then they won’t be able to bring up any objections during court.”

“Then, please.”

The Viscount\'s house was on the outskirts of the capital. Once Davey arrived after being guided by the soul\'s power, he felt a strange, eerie coldness.

Despite being viscounts, nobles from the capital had a lot of servants. Even so, Davey felt nothing from the house in front of him. It almost seemed like it had been abandoned.

“There isn’t a single servant here…” Davey noted, frowning at the unsettling scene. The soul then began to wander.

- Over there… It’s over there.

The Viscount\'s spirit led him toward his daughter’s room. His daughter\'s room had no traces of usage. It seemed like no one had been in it for years.

“Do you remember anything?” Davey asked gently.

The Viscount\'s spirit reached out, trying to touch his daughter’s small doll, but as a mere spirit, his hand passed right through it.

- Ahh… Ahhh… Ahhh!!

Realizing he could no longer interact with the world, his soul began to writhe in torment. Seeing him in pain, Davey gently reached out to steady him.

“Viscount. You’re dead.”

-… Your Highness… I don’t remember anything… My daughter… My daughter…

“Can you entrust your soul to me?”

-Your Highness…

“If you were unjustly killed and manipulated in the process…”

- …

“I’ll search your memories and find the culprit. And I’ll make sure they pay for what they’ve done.”

The Viscount’s spirit looked at Davey, then back at his daughter’s doll. With red, tear-filled eyes, he finally nodded.

- Your Highness… Please… Please find my daughter. Please… I beg you!

Davey silently nodded and placed his hand on the Viscount’s spirit.

‘I’ll first go ahead and use dark magic that absorbs memories…’

- No… Don’t use that…

Davey felt like the devil mana was whispering to him and suggesting there was a better way. It spoke softly—almost seductively.

-You can do it… You can do it now. The method befitting a true Death Lord.

Davey gathered a different kind of devil mana in his hand—the power with absolute control that allowed no interference. He wasn’t supposed to be able to wield the Death Lord’s unique dark magic. Even so, ever since he had absorbed the power with the mysterious smell through Predatory Assimilation, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he finally could.

The Viscount’s memories began to seep into Davey’s mind through his fingertips. At the same time, he activated the video stone he had prepared to capture and record the memories.

The special ability the criminal left behind; it was a power that stimulated the five senses. It was now infused into his devil mana, and had created a gateway for him to step into the realm of an absolute Death Lord.

Davey didn’t fully understand the connection between the ability to manipulate the five senses and the power of the Death Lord, but somehow, the pieces seemed to align.

Whatever the connection, he could now wield her magic if he chose to—a significant breakthrough.

Davey began to feel that defeating Thanatos was becoming more and more possible.

ChubbyCheeks & FriedNook\'s Thoughts

Editorb’s Thought:

Fess up, where’s the girl?!