TLNOTE : I’m really sorry! The timeline glitched, and Chapter 8 posted before Chapter 7 was fully posted. I’m fixing it now!
“Impossible…impossible, impossible, impossibleimpossibleimpossible–“
On his knees and hunched over, Zervis continued casting spells.
He tried repeatedly generating more to stop the [Decomposition] of his [Fortress].
But at an even greater rate, the [Fortress] crumbled away.
By linking the [Philosopher’s Stone] in Kurtz’ hand to the ore vein, drawing out mana endlessly, Zervis’ magic was rendered powerless against the virtually infinite mana force.
“I…must fulfill Ornament’s ambition…!! To repay the other ducal houses who looked down on us, to absolve the resentment borne by the heads who endured such humiliation for it, I have devoted my entire three hundred year life just for that purpose…!!”
As if to punctuate those words and thoughts, the constructs he had built up collapsed around him.
“I shall grant that wish alone, Zervis-Ornament.”
Regarding Zervis with a cold gaze, Kurtz reached into his pocket.
A small handgun, a bit too large for a child’s grip.
“For I too have lived to absolve the resentment of a family head.”
This stemmed from an event in his previous life before his regression.
At a regular council meeting Kurtz attended under Artesia’s guidance,
she explained her condition and proposed installing Kurtz as her successor after her demise. But citing violation of the covenant as grounds, Zervis told her to “show some decorum.”
Obeying those words, Artesia knelt with her head bowed.
To that subservient Artesia, Zervis hurled insults at House Eisenhut.
A disgraceful house that forgot the pride of nobility.
A pitiful house that could only take in commoners.
Kurtz remembered Artesia’s profile as she endured the denigration of the house she loved, head bowed.
Yet Zervis refused to acknowledge her chosen successor.
The only thing he permitted was having Kurtz serve as an attendant to care for Artesia.
“Keep your head bowed, Zervis-Ornament.”
Leveling the gun barrel at the head of the kneeling, powerless Zervis.
“That is a fitting end–for the sinner who insulted my lord and took her life.”
With those words, Kurtz quietly pulled the trigger.
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Shot through the head by the gunshot, Zervis met his demise.
With eyes wide open, an expression of utter despair as he gazed up at the sky.
After observing that final moment for a while…Kurtz let out a small breath.
“–Lucia, it’s over now so you can come out.”
Calling out into the darkness, a figure emerged from the rubble strewn about the passageway.
“Ugh… you were right, young master. Good thing I didn’t do anything reckless.”
The voice that came next wasn’t the usual girlish one.
It was a deep, heavy male voice.
And–the one speaking had taken on the familiar appearance of a ‘man’.
Fidel Jade.
A close aide to House Ornament who had been secretly advancing their plans.
However, Kurtz sighed before giving a small wave to the man.
“How long are you going to keep that form? You can change back now.”
“Okey-dokey, now I can say goodbye to this troublesome job!”
With those light words, the man grabbed his face–and underneath appeared a familiar face.
“Phew, my shoulders were so stiff! This guy was totally work-obsessed and all ‘Long live Lord Ornament’ and stuff.”
While complaining like this, Lucia rolled up her sleeves to match her own build.
“Sigh… can I change clothes here now?”
“Actually, I thought it would be more trouble, so just change back to your original form.”
“Aww… You finally got to reunite with your beloved maid after two weeks, so be nicer to me!”
“Who’s your beloved maid?”
“Me, of course.”
“Don’t say it like it’s obvious.”
After brushing off Lucia’s jokes, Kurtz confirms again.
“So, there were no signs of your existence being detected by others?”
“As if I’d screw up like that. I made a living off this sort of thing, you know.”
Lucia grinned and gave a thumbs up.
This was a story she had whispered to him before her demise in the previous world regression.
In the underground world, there existed a group that accepted requests for intelligence gathering and assassinations.
But no one knew their true nature or details.
Their tracks and movements were cleverly concealed, leaving not even a suspect’s profile to go on.
Despite clear signs of being killed by others, no one ever witnessed their presence.
The face actors who appeared to accept contracts varied wildly in age and gender, leaving uncertainty whether they were hired help or part of the organization, making the group’s scale impossible to gauge.
From such circumstances, the unidentified assassination group came to be whispered about as the [Faceless Ones], eventually circulating under the code name《Mugao》among certain circles.
No one knew their true faces.
They had no distinct appearance.
That is why they could take on the appearance of anyone.
With keen powers of observation, they would assume another’s identity, infiltrate places where they should never have been able to reach, gather secrets from deep within enemy ranks, and carry out assassinations without arousing suspicion.
The true identity was that of one person: Lucia Dienes.
If she hadn’t been betrayed by her supporters or met her end in the field, her alias “The Faceless” would likely still echo throughout the underworld.
However, during a covert investigation in the Empire—renowned for its advanced magical technology—she ended up making an enemy of the Six Great Ducal Houses. Her disguise was compromised, and she was assassinated by an Imperial agent.
This failure stemmed from one key fact: her disguise technique was based on magic.
“How did you notice that I could use [Innate Magic], when I’ve never told anyone about it?”
“Anyone who spent time in Eisenhud would know. The history books contained detailed records and descriptions of all [Innate Magic] that had manifested until then.”
It was simply a matter of piecing together various pieces of information after that.
The peculiar existence known as ‘Faceless.’
The fact that Faceless’s activities completely ceased right after an unidentified female corpse was found.
Following the testimonies from the mountain bandits’ beheading incidents, former staff of the orphanage who conducted special training, and former servants of the Dienes household, I ultimately explored why they “couldn’t complete the requests that had been perfectly executed until then,” and determined it was [Innate Magic] involving magical power.
“After Eisenhud’s fall, [Innate Magic] came to be known by various names in the world – supernatural abilities, miraculous powers, special constitutions – and few remained who knew its connection to magical power. That’s why I thought your true identity would be exposed when you went to the Empire without understanding the true nature of your ability, caught by techniques like magic detection used among magic users.”
“Ohhh… That’s quite perceptive, but it feels complicated,”
Lucia pursed her lips with an indescribable expression.
Since they had already aligned their knowledge about magic-related matters from the beginning, Kurtz had preemptively taught her methods to evade and disguise against magic detection.
That’s why she could impersonate Fidel without her true identity being exposed.
“I taught you how to handle it, but keep its use to a minimum within the Empire. If they suspect your power originates from [Innate Magic], suspicion will fall on Eisenhud and our comrades. That’s also why I reversed your appearance – to prevent that necessity.”
“I know, I know. Besides, young master prefers me in my usual form, right?”
“I don’t particularly care what form you take.”
“So you’re saying you like me no matter what form I take!?”
“Instead of this pointless conversation, let’s take care of the remaining work.”
Cutting off the conversation, Kurtz turned his gaze toward the deceased Zavis.
He felt no sympathy for Zavis.
Ornament had committed far too many crimes in the future to allow for such sentiment.
Not only did they kidnap Feiyu and degrade her to slave status, trampling her dignity, but they also used her death to bring the nation of Sylvayu and the elves under their control, treating the sub-humans not as equals but as research materials for magic and the [Philosopher’s Stone].
Even if they didn’t hold them accountable for future crimes, Ornament had already stained their hands with numerous evil deeds, burying everything in darkness.
That’s why–
“Lucia, step away from that corpse for a moment. I’m going to use it.”
While glaring at Zavis’s corpse, Kurtz raised the [Philosopher’s Stone].
Using Zavis’s imitated magical power, he cast magic toward the body.
“–I have no intention of granting the peace of death to this criminal who took her life.”
As he said this– Kurtz drove the [Philosopher’s Stone] into the corpse’s heart.
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