By the next day, Ex barely managed to wake Lola, who had slept right up until their meeting time, and drag her to the rendezvous point.
The female dormitory warden nearly caught him, but he narrowly escaped disaster by using the Disguise Mask to pass himself off as a woman.
“I almost had my entire social life destroyed.”
“I’m sorry…”
“I knew something like this would happen, so I came early.”
“Urgh…”
They met up, went over the operation one last time, and made sure they both understood the plan. Before they knew it, it was already eight in the evening.
There was still about an hour left before the Masquerade began.
“We should get moving. You brought the ring, right?”
“Wear it on the index finger of the left hand so we can recognize each other. Right?”
“That’s right. Now let’s put on our masks.”
Ex and Lola used the Disguise Masks to alter their appearances.
They took on the same forms as before, Tersha and her attendant.
“What do we do if we run into Lady Tersha…?”
“According to my sources, she won’t be coming. Even if she does, we’ll be wearing a mask, so she won’t recognize us.”
The two of them activated the spatial magic within their rings.
The magic power stored inside enveloped them and burst into light. A moment later, the scenery before their eyes changed.
A massive, incomparably lavish mansion appeared before them.
Countless glowing objects floated around it, dazzling the eye. The sight was magnificent, yet it also brought to mind the open jaws of a demon.
“I’ll lead the way.”
“O-okay…”
The thought of stepping forward made Lola hesitate, but Ex steeled himself and advanced.
When they approached the entrance, a well-dressed man of late middle age came out to greet them.
The butler’s uniform made his identity easy enough to guess.
‘So this is the bastard.’
“Welcome to the Masquerade. My name is Eren Berin, the Head Butler responsible for managing tonight’s banquet.”
After introducing himself, Head Butler Eren calmly studied Ex and Lola.
Behind his kindly smile, he was scrutinizing the two of them with cold and meticulous precision.
Ex had no intention of standing there and patiently waiting for the man to finish his inspection.
He immediately spoke in an arrogant, imperious tone.
“How long do you intend to keep staring so insolently at Young Lady ‘Tersha’? My lady is already exhausted from her journey. Do you intend to take responsibility if your behavior causes any harm to her health?”
“My apologies. I ask that you forgive my discourtesy.”
Even under such heavy-handed pressure, Eren merely continued observing them with a calm smile.
‘He’s not easy to shake. Then again, he’s probably dealt with more obnoxious nobles than he can count.’
Fortunately, the inspection did not last much longer.
“Then may I see your tokens?”
Ex and Lola raised their hands and showed him the rings.
Eren’s reaction upon seeing them was exactly what Ex had expected.
“May I ask you a few questions?”
‘Just as I thought. He noticed that we removed the curse.’
Eren’s posture changed.
His entire body shifted into a state of extreme vigilance, yet the kindly smile never left his face as he asked his question.
“Would you mind confirming whether any alterations were made to your tokens?”
Ex barely managed to suppress the tension rising inside him.
He had anticipated this situation and prepared for it.
He answered without hesitation.
“There is no reason my lady should use an object tampered with by filthy common vermin. We washed the disgusting filth off the ring long ago. Is that going to be a problem?”
“…”
He deflected the suspicion with a perfectly reasonable answer.
They could hardly criticize him for removing the curse from the ring.
The moment they did, they would effectively confess that they were connected to the curse.
On top of that, the identity of a duke’s daughter had been chosen precisely for a situation like this.
No matter how many unruly nobles Eren had dealt with, he would find it difficult to disregard someone of that status.
‘There’s no chance you’ll let a duke’s daughter walk away.’
Ex held the initiative.
“If it is a problem, we will leave immediately. We will also file a formal complaint regarding the price of wasting my lady’s valuable time.”
He turned as though he intended to walk away.
“Please wait a moment.”
Eren stopped them.
“There appears to have been a misunderstanding. It has been quite some time since we last welcomed guests, so…”
“That is no excuse. I distinctly warned you that my lady was fatigued in both body and mind after her journey.”
“I ask for your forgiveness.”
Ex had secured the upper hand.
He was now confident they could enter without further trouble, but since he had already come this far, he decided to see whether he could extract any additional information.
“You do not intend to beg for ‘forgiveness’ with nothing but words, do you?”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“I have heard that you possess ‘that.’ Is it true?”
As always, Eren answered with a composed smile.
“It is precisely what you are imagining.”
That was the entirety of his answer.
There was no way to determine what ‘that’ actually referred to from those words alone.
Ex pressed him further.
“Where did you obtain such a thing? It could not have been easy.”
“I am afraid that is difficult to answer. However, I can assure you that there will be no problems whatsoever.”
“Even if my lady wishes to know?”
“That is correct.”
Unfortunately, he had failed to obtain any meaningful information.
Questioning him any further would only invite unnecessary suspicion, so Ex decided to stop there.
“Then when can we receive it?”
“Please come to the hall alone at eight, when the banquet begins.”
With that, his conversation with Eren ended.
Eren soon ordered a servant to escort Ex and Lola to the banquet hall.
As he watched their backs disappear, the kindly smile on Eren’s face faded into a cold, expressionless stare.
He quietly spoke to something nearby.
“Two sacrificial lambs have entered. The rings have lost their function, so keep a close eye on them.”
Flap, flap.
The sound of wings came from a nearby tree, followed by something flying away.
Only after the sound had completely vanished did Eren bare his teeth and mutter with a vicious expression.
“I would love nothing more than to grind that bastard’s mouth into pulp and drink it down, but I must endure for the sake of our great cause. When the time comes, I will personally drag you into hell.”
Eren swept the forest with an icy gaze before returning to his post.
A short while later, someone pushed through the bushes beyond the mansion.
It was Circe, a girl with straight violet hair and venomous eyes.
“Where the hell am I now…?”
Circe had realized long ago that Ex and Lola were plotting some kind of operation together.
She had continued following them and traced the destination of their teleportation.
Analyzing the magical traces to determine where they had gone was not particularly difficult.
“I used another page from the Book of Eibon. I’m starting to wonder if this is really worth it.”
Circe glanced uneasily at the Book of Eibon tucked against her chest.
It was a magic device powerful enough to let Circe, a Fourth-Tier mage, cast Sixth-Tier magic. Considering the backlash, however, she could not help but feel concerned.
Even so, she was desperate enough to accept the risk. She needed to know the truth behind her missing memories and the mysterious Mental Barrier inside her mind.
“A huge mansion that can only be reached through teleportation…”
Circe concealed herself in a suitable location and began watching the mansion.
Now that she was close, she wondered whether the Eavesdropping Magic she had attached to Ex might reconnect, but there was no response whatsoever.
She quickly identified the cause.
“The flow of magic power throughout this entire area is being disrupted. What is this place, an imperial palace? And there’s something else…”
Circe sensed an unpleasant, clinging presence in the air.
She knew exactly what it was.
“I never expected those demon bastards to be hiding in a place like this.”
Demons.
She had fought them in her previous life.
There was no mistaking that alien presence.
Why creatures even harder to find than cockroaches were gathered here was a mystery, but Circe had an even greater question.
Why had Ex and Lola entered this place?
‘They mentioned some operation at a masquerade. What are those two plotting?’
Circe continued closing in on the truth.
***
After arriving in the banquet hall, Ex and Lola surveyed their surroundings.
The hall was decorated in a style reminiscent of an imperial palace, and approximately fifty people had already gathered inside.
Most of them were masked nobles.
‘There are a lot more than I expected. I suppose that just shows how deep the rot goes.’
There was still time before the banquet officially began, but nobles continued to trickle in.
Every one of them wore a mask, making it difficult to recognize anyone.
Most had already formed small groups and were deeply engaged in conversation.
“My lady, do you recognize anyone?”
“It’s not as though I know every noble in the Empire. Besides, everyone is wearing a mask.”
Just like Ex, the nobles had thoroughly concealed their identities as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
That meant none of them were stupid enough to reveal who they were in a place like this.
Their identities were not important anyway.
What mattered was the incident that was about to occur here.
It was time to put their plan into action.
“My lady, I’ll get moving.”
“I know. Don’t worry about me.”
Lola made her way toward the groups of nobles. She had experience in high society, so she should be able to handle herself.
“I need to gather some information too…”
Ex slowly looked around the hall.
The banquet hall had two floors.
At the center of the first floor was a vast space intended for dancing, surrounded by buffet tables where the guests could enjoy refreshments.
The second floor was designed like an observation gallery, allowing its occupants to sit and look down at the first floor.
‘Only approved nobles are allowed onto the second floor. It’s reserved for the true upper crust.’
Beatrice would most likely be up there.
Before approaching her, however, Ex needed to prepare the next stage of the operation.
“You there.”
“Did you call for me?”
Ex immediately stopped a passing servant.
The man had a build similar to his own.
Ex slowly examined the servant’s physique before asking in a domineering voice.
“How long have you worked here?”
“Pardon?”
“Must I repeat myself before you understand? I asked how long you have worked here.”
“A-about three years.”
“Tsk… Get lost.”
“Pardon? Y-yes…”
Ex continued searching for servants of a similar build and asked each of them the same question.
On the fifth attempt, he finally received the answer he wanted.
“I’m new, sir. I’ve only been working here for three months.”
“Is that so? Perfect.”
“Pardon? What do you…?”
“Do you happen to smoke?”
“I do, but…”
Ex draped an arm around the servant’s shoulder and suddenly adopted a friendly tone.
“As one man serving nobles to another, I’ve been dying to vent my frustrations. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find the right person.”
“Pardon? Pardon?”
“Be honest with me. Dealing with nobles is absolutely miserable, isn’t it?”
“Pardon?!”
Since ancient times, complaining about someone behind their back had been one of the easiest ways for people to bond.
Complaining about untouchable figures of authority like nobles was even more thrilling and entertaining.
The servant felt a stab of recognition, but barely managed to hide his true feelings as he denied the accusation.
“N-no, sir. You shouldn’t say things like that here…!”
“Listen, my friend. I’ve been serving nobles for ten years longer than you. Consider this advice from a senior.”
“B-but…”
“Ah, you’re right. There are too many ears around here. We should move somewhere more private. Do you know a good place?”
“W-well, I… I’ll show you somewhere…”
The servant floundered helplessly, but after Ex continued pressing him, he finally gave in and led him away.
Their destination was a secluded spot in the forest outside the mansion.
Whenever an obnoxious noble had worn his nerves raw, the servant would come here to smoke and vent his frustrations in private.
This was the first time he had ever brought someone else with him.
“‘Bring me the red socks this instant!’ What the hell is that supposed to mean? You’re already wearing red socks! Do you expect me to take them off your feet and hold them in front of your face?! Every time I hear something that stupid, I want to smack them right on top of the head!”
“Ah! I know exactly what you mean! Every time they make some impossible demand, I feel like I’m losing my mind! One time, someone screamed, ‘I asked for wine, so why did you bring me champagne?’ They didn’t even realize that the bottle in their own hand was white wine!”
“You’ve dealt with that too? What a coincidence. My lady does the same thing! ‘Belphegor~ Bring me some white red wine~ And make sure it’s a warm iced one~~’”
“Bwahahaha! S-stop, I can’t breathe…!”
“Easy there, my friend. Put this cigarette in your mouth and calm down.”
The servant placed the cigarette Ex offered him into his pipe and lit it.
Sitting there laughing, he felt as though it were the first time he had smiled in the past three months.
It almost felt as though he were opening his heart to an old friend.
Naturally, everything had gone exactly as Ex had designed it.
‘You can’t survive ten years in corporate life without mastering the art of becoming someone’s friend with a few carefully chosen words.’
A proper corporate survivor had to know how to flatter executives in the smoking area while appealing to the frustrations of younger employees.
Once Ex believed he had built enough rapport, he began carefully extracting information.
“Now that I think about it, why the hell did they build a mansion in a place like this? I’ll never understand how nobles think. Do you have any idea?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve wondered about it throughout the three months I’ve worked here, but everyone just says it’s a ‘secret.’ Mana Phones don’t work inside the mansion, and we’re not allowed to leave whenever we want. It’s so suffocating I feel like I’m going insane.”
“As though nobles only have one or two ‘secrets.’ Honestly, I don’t think I’d be surprised if my lady turned out to be a demon. She’s already the devil incarnate!”
“Hahaha! Sometimes I wonder if every noble is secretly a demon. Oh, that reminds me! I did hear a rather strange rumor.”
The servant glanced around before lowering his head.
He leaned closer and whispered quietly enough that only Ex could hear.
“Some objects were delivered to the mansion recently, but things were different from usual. Normally, when supplies arrive, we carry them inside ourselves. This time, a group of people wearing hoods handled everything.”
“Come on, is that all? That’s hardly much of a strange story.”
“The objects were stored in the ‘basement,’ a place none of us are allowed to enter.”
‘The basement?’
That was an important keyword.
Something had been brought here and stored underground.
That single clue significantly narrowed the range of possible incidents.
‘Could this be the Mass Demonization scenario? If the ‘thing’ the Head Butler mentioned can be used by ‘everyone,’ then…’
“But according to one of the maids, they’ve been continuously taking ‘meat’ into that basement. The way she described it, it sounded like they were feeding a wild beast.”
“…What?”
“There’s also been a rumor that someone saw a demon. Supposedly, ‘the host may be a demon.’ Of course, the maid who spread that rumor… well, she was dealt with.”
‘Meat’ was a keyword connected to the Large-Scale Demon Attack scenario.
‘The host may be a demon’ was a keyword connected to the Blood Masquerade Incident.
The appearance of every keyword could only mean one thing.
Every scenario was going to happen.
–TL Notes–
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