“That was genuinely terrifying.”
It had only lasted a moment, but the very instant Duke Speda heard the name Frost Mane, the force he gave off changed completely.
Just as Luciana, who had entered a dungeon for the first time, had given herself over to instinct and destroyed every last pattern, Duke Speda also seemed to feel rejection and killing intent toward demonkind in his very bones.
The problem was that Frost Mane, his target now, was me.
“I have ended up crawling into the fire pit myself.”
But there was no helping it.
[Quest Issued!]
[Tell the duke the false information that the other demon is Frost Mane.]
[Reward: ?]
It was a quest that did not even tell me the reward properly.
On top of that, it carried the extreme risk of being branded demonkind.
But there was an unchanging law in this game.
The greater the risk one took, the greater the return.
“After I’ve gone this far, it had better not be disappointing. If it is, I’m ignoring every quest from now on.”
Fortunately, the reward was satisfying enough to silence my grumbling.
[Duke Speda has heard that Frost Mane, the Phantom Thief who has accumulated Notoriety in the North, is in fact an unidentified demon.]
[The deeds of the unidentified demon are synchronized with Frost Mane.]
The fictional demon I had created through quick thinking and excuses had gained a connection to Frost Mane.
Then.
Messages appeared one after another.
[Frost Mane has successfully deceived the vampire noble, Batory Erzebet, into believing that he is demonkind through his smooth speech.]
In other words, even talking my way through a life-or-death situation before Batory.
[Hans Byron’s testimony has made Frost Mane, who had been outside House Speda’s attention, a top-priority target.]
And the fact that a demon had been hiding and acting in this North, where countless soldiers watched with their eyes wide open, without anyone knowing.
All of it was treated as Frost Mane’s accomplishment.
[Phantom Thief Frost Mane’s (Demonkind) Notoriety has increased greatly.]
[Thieves’ Guild Perception Shift]
[Neutral -> Interest]
[Demonkind Perception Shift]
[Neutral -> Interest]
[House Speda’s Perception Shift]
[Neutral -> Hostility]
That was the result.
New blue windows filled my vision.
[You have fulfilled a hidden condition. The linked quest, <Find the Collaborator>, is now available.]
[The Phantom Thief’s Reputation has exceeded a certain threshold. A reward from the Thieves’ Guild....]
[There are districts that even elegant nobles cannot enter freely. Where there is light, darkness is bound to follow. New items at the black market....]
The summary was simple.
Hidden quest conditions fulfilled, valuable information acquired, and access to the black market.
I had easily obtained all of that with what I had said moments ago.
By raising the Notoriety of Frost Mane, who had not only dared to set his sights on noble houses in the North but had even confronted demonkind.
“...Still, I should lie low for a while.”
Being an enemy of none other than House Speda, the power that ruled the North.
Since I had stirred up a hornet’s nest,
I would likely have no use for the useful mask Amen while watchful eyes were heightened for a time.
“Hans!”
Just as I was considering how to use this Notoriety, the door flew open.
“Are you feeling better?”
“I am more worried about the young lady. I was not the one who was actually attacked by demonkind. Lady Luciana was.”
‘How frightened I was when I heard that her Vitality had fallen below 30%.’
She had nearly died before even seeing the Crown Prince break off their engagement. I had nearly been buried with her.
Seeing that Luciana looked perfectly healthy reassured me.
It was fortunate that House Speda had an environment where even such a grave wound could be healed quickly.
“You need to pay more attention to your safety. From now on, even when hunting, please take guards with you. And in case something happens, I will prepare spare equipment—”
My worried nagging was cut off before it could reach an end.
Luciana had approached my bedside and was silently staring at me, her face far too close.
“M-My Lady?”
“You do not have a fever, it seems.”
My mind froze and would not work properly.
The faint warmth that touched my forehead burned as though it had scalded me.
‘...W-Who measures someone’s temperature by pressing their foreheads together?!’
If this was an attempt to make me shut up, it worked perfectly.
Since falling into this world,
I had never been this flustered.
“In any case, coming here because I was worried was pointless. You are saying exactly the same thing as Yegor.”
Her softly murmured voice carried a disappointment she was trying hard to hide.
Before I knew it, my tongue began to move smoothly.
“...But! In a way, all of this is my fault. I was the one who suggested hunting snow rabbits, and I was the one who suggested entering a cave that might have monsters.”
“No. It happened because I was weaker than that vampire. I must work harder.”
Her face still looked bitter despite my consolation, which made me feel a little sorry for her.
But this was a good development.
She was already a genius of swordsmanship, and now she had motivation too. Her skill would improve by leaps and bounds.
There would be no harm in having martial strength when facing the dangers to come, so I quietly nodded.
“Then once you recover, you will have to keep me company.”
“What?”
What was that supposed to mean?
Why was she dragging me into this? I blinked in confusion.
“I spoke to Father and had him reduce the share of time spent on my other lessons for a while. From now on, the only place you will guide me to is the sparring hall.”
“You managed to get his permission.”
As the Crown Prince’s fiancée, Luciana invested much time in other forms of education to acquire the proper qualifications.
Duke Speda could not have been pleased by the idea of devoting all that time to sparring.
“I told him that I wanted to prepare for the Martial Arts Tournament that will be held soon, and he readily agreed.”
The Martial Arts Tournament.
In some ways, it was a larger event than the coming-of-age ceremony. Under House Speda’s supervision, it was held every year for all minors in the North.
Since commoners could participate as well, it also served the purpose of uncovering talented fighters.
The victor would receive not only a considerable prize and honor, but even a relic from House Speda’s vault.
‘A relic from the vault...’
“Do you happen to know what this year’s Martial Arts Tournament prize is?”
As a member of House Speda, Luciana might have heard a hint from her father.
“I hear that this year, the prize is permission to enter the vault.”
“That means...?”
“Your guess is correct. It means the winner earns the right to freely take any relic in the vault.”
Several relics flickered through my mind, which had memorized the entire list through the game.
My mouth watered. If I could enter, I might even be able to get as far as the underground levels where the guards wandered about.
“My brother won last year, so I must follow in his footsteps. I am going to enter special training.”
The mission of protecting the family’s relics, combined with her previous defeat at the hands of demonkind, seemed to have set her heart ablaze.
“Well, the winner is already decided.”
Flattery slipped from my lips as naturally as breathing.
Of course, I meant it.
The North was a place where collisions with demonkind and monsters never ceased, so it had no shortage of gifted people.
But I could not imagine any of them being able to handle Luciana.
“You know nothing! Never let down your guard.”
‘It seems her previous defeat has made Luciana more cautious.’
Her reaction was more intense than usual, but I was satisfied.
Although she was overwhelmingly favored to win, she had no intention of neglecting her special training.
“Then get up quickly and spar with me.”
And she wanted to use none other than me for it.
...It reminded me of the days when I had been run ragged under her.
That noble face clicking its tongue at my miserable skill....
“I-I think I may be feeling dizzy all of a sudden.”
“I heard that you were perfectly fine when speaking with Father earlier.”
My pathetic act of playing the patient was exposed at once.
“I do not mean only that I wish to improve my own skill. You should participate in the Martial Arts Tournament as well.”
“Me?”
I blinked because I had never considered it at all.
The Martial Arts Tournament accepted participants regardless of their status, but it was still an event of the North.
There was no way I could participate in a tournament that accepted only those from the North.
But the person responsible for creating it soon explained my question herself.
“The Martial Arts Tournament is open to everyone in the North. You are from the West, but if we press the fact that you are my personal attendant, you are more than qualified.”
In short, she was going to use her connections to push it through.
With such dependable patronage, I immediately nodded.
“Then there is no reason not to enter.”
I was confident in personal combat, at least.
If I could somehow close in and merely press Tute against my opponent once, any armor would become useless.
“Are you sure that is all right? Since I am entering anyway, I intend to aim for victory as well. Are you not supporting your strongest competitor for no reason?”
“...Oh? You are quite arrogant just because you have won once. I pray that confidence continues in the sparring hall as well.”
Luciana took the hand of mine that had been resting on the bed and pulled me to my feet.
“I have no intention of losing this time. I will avenge that defeat at the Martial Arts Tournament.”
It was a little burdensome to meet her gaze, burning fiercely with determination, straight on, so I subtly looked away.
“If you are thinking of going easy on me, stop. That would be an insult to me above all else.”
“...You do not need to worry about that.”
The prize for winning was nothing less than access to the vault.
Opportunities to acquire relics were rare, so I had no intention of letting this one slip away.
“Good eyes.”
My strongest competitor was Luciana, right in front of me.
To defeat her, I would have to try every means available.
After Luciana left.
From among my belongings on the bedside table, I took a small pink orb out of my bag.
***
Batory bit her nails as anxiety washed over her.
Just as the nameless doppelganger had said, there was an underground chamber where goblins lived hidden from predators.
The camouflage was thorough, making it a suitable place to hide.
She immediately dealt with all of the prior occupants and absorbed their blood.
“Not enough....”
But it was a woefully insufficient amount to restore her strength.
She needed more blood, and she needed it as quickly as possible.
If she had not been worried about pursuit, she would have run outside at once and started hunting.
“How long does that man intend to make me wait?”
“That man who can hear you is feeling a little hurt.”
Stopping her monologue, Batory flinched and spun around.
She had not noticed him approaching even this close.
“I clearly set up a security magic circle...? How are you here?”
Using an extravagant spell like the maze mechanism in her previous hideout right away was beyond her means, so she had taken the minimal measure of setting up alarm magic.
She could accept that this doppelganger was skilled at hiding. It was a racial trait of his kind, after all.
But even with him standing right in front of her, the alarm magic had failed to perform its role and remained silent. That was still a mystery.
“Oh, that? It was getting in the way, so I deactivated it on my way in.”
At his casual reply, Batory lost her temper and bared her fangs.
“Have you lost your mind? Do you know how much Magic Power I spent and how much effort I put into that?!”
“Haha, it was a nuisance, was it not?”
He was cackling without the slightest concern for the fact that he was driving someone else mad with anxiety. Was that just like a doppelganger who fed on others’ emotions?
“Now, now. Calm down. Here is the order you placed.”
But when he produced something next, she could not continue scolding him.
For some reason, a jar as large as her own body popped out from within his clothes.
But its contents mattered more. Even though it was sealed, the scent inside stimulated her nose.
“Deer, bear, wolf.... I brought blood of every sort, so please calm your anger.”
As though enchanted, Batory swallowed her saliva and stared blankly at the doppelganger.
It was an amount incomparable to the blood of wild animals that her bats had brought back as servants in the past.
It should be more than enough to restore her strength for a while.
“How did you get so much...?”
“I may not look it, but I hold a fairly high position among humans. With just one request, it is as easy as eating cold porridge.”
A demon asking humans for a favor.
Once again, Batory understood just how perfectly he had assimilated among humans.
“...Thank you. This will certainly be of help.”
“No need to thank me. This is a transaction, is it not?”
He shrugged and continued.
“I received an answer last time, so this time it is your turn to ask a question.”
It was a continuation of when they had first met.
She would give him information about Evildun before she left, and he would give her information for survival and resurrection.
Though it was late, Batory straightened her back and asked with confidence.
Negotiations were originally about momentum. From now on, she had to stay alert.
“Ahem. Is there perhaps any monster or human blood among those jars?”
Those two were far more efficient than the blood of wild animals. If he could obtain them, her recovery of strength would be accelerated.
But after hearing her question, the doppelganger groaned.
“Let us leave human blood out of it. If something goes wrong, my identity might be exposed.”
Come to think of it, he seemed to be living ordinarily among humans.
It would not be easy for him to obtain human blood as though he were on a battlefield.
Then perhaps monster blood...
“Monster blood is difficult as well. It is all valuable property, after all.”
“An asset?”
“Magic is not exclusive to vampires. It seems humans find monster blood ideal for making scrolls.”
Even a doppelganger that had adapted so well found it difficult.
Batory felt a profound disappointment and helplessness.
She had to return to Evildun as soon as possible and reclaim her territory.
“Of course, if I exerted myself a little more, it would not be impossible to obtain some....”
The eyes of the despondent Batory widened.
“I-Is that so? Then I ask you. Could you bring monster blood next time as well?”
“There is no such thing as a free meal. It is my turn to ask a question now.”
The gold mask answered as though it had been waiting for that.
For an instant, Batory thought she saw greed rippling beyond the gold mask.
And it was not an illusion.
“Could you teach me magic?”
For a moment, she recalled the Evildun Empire.
A place where the rule of the strong devouring the weak prevailed.
That was why it was common for others’ possessions to be taken by force.
He was no different.
Only his method was not strength.
Batory’s eyes sank deeply.
Magic honed over decades.
Secret arts passed down only to a single disciple or a direct descendant, even within a bloodline.
That this doppelganger demanded them meant he was, without doubt, an evil and cunning demon.