My magical senses tell me that the treasure is somewhere nearby... Actually, I know the other rooms are empty, but going straight to the room where the prize is would be very disappointing.
I adjusted the strings around my face to secure my wooden mask as I walked slowly toward the door, trying to look as natural as possible.
What could it be? Gold? Jewels? Some kind of summoning scroll? I don't know, and that makes it even more interesting for the end of the third act.
Come to me, my treasure… Treasure? Why is there a little girl here?
My eyes swept over the bloodstains in the cracks of the walls and the assortment of whips surrounding the operating table, before returning to the silver-haired girl, who radiated some kind of strange energy.
Ah, I see. This must be the revenge plot; I almost mixed up the roles in the play.
"Do you hate them?" I asked as I broke the unsightly chains that marred the scene.
The girl stared at me for a few seconds… Or was she looking at the chains next to her? No, the play goes on; those eyes—those fervent eyes—reflect the fire of purgatory at its peak.
This is worthy of a Greek tragedy short film. I can hear the high-pitched notes of the violin ringing in my ears, heralding the rebirth of the scarlet phoenix.
"I… want… revenge," she confirmed, writing her name with the blood from her fingers on the list of destiny's unlikely actors.
***
Although I can't see him, I can feel the incredible purity of his soul. What's more, I don't know how he did it, but my magic has returned; I can feel it flowing through my chest.
This man must be a true hero sent by the world in answer to my prayers.
I tried to reach out toward the white figure standing before me, but my body betrayed me… I'd forgotten that my situation remains the same, no matter who saves me. I don't even have enough strength to thank my savior.
"Hmm. This is a problem; your condition is clearly far from that of the Herald of Vengeance," murmured the mysterious man.
I don't know what he said, but he seems concerned about me.
I tried to utter a word, but my mouth refused to move… Move, move… You can't let your savior shoulder everything; for the first time in your life, don't be a burden to others.
"Thank you very much," I said to the mysterious man.
Wait a moment. I feel as if my body is filling with vitality, dispelling the burning sensation in my muscles, and my eyes… My eyes were able to make out the mysterious man standing before me.
He was wearing an all-purple suit with a wooden mask covering his face.
But what surprised me wasn't his appearance, but… the Yang elemental magic. My parents had told me that only a small portion of the empire possessed either the Yin or Yang element, and that they were considered figures of great prestige among elemental mages.
If this person possesses the Yang affinity, in addition to their refined mana, then this person is… an angel like the ones in stories?
The boy slowly removed his mask, revealing his youthful, smiling face.
"We haven't introduced ourselves yet. My name is Vikir, Vikir Ironheart," he said, holding out his gloved hand to me. "Tell me, avenger, what is your name?"
My name? What was it? I've been locked away for so long that I don't even remember it; perhaps it was important at one point, or maybe my mind simply decided it wasn't worth remembering.
"So you don't have a name…" said Vikir, slowly rubbing his chin. "That's a problem, too."
That's a problem, too? Will he abandon me as well? Will they chain me up again? Come on, remember, remember… you have to remember.
"M-my name is…" My mind was racing, trying to come up with a convincing name.
"Seraphine. That will be your name from now on," he said calmly.
Seraphine… Seraphine. Thank God. If I have a name, I won't be useless.
I took his hand with a new purpose in mind. I won't be useless anymore; I'll never be useless again.
***
Crack, crack, crack!
A sharp pain shot through the hole in my chest as my body writhed among the rubble on the ground.
It was as if millions of needles were piercing deep into my skin, leaving me drenched in sweat as my body temperature soared
I spat out a huge gush of blood as I massaged my chest.
"It's been a while since I've taken a beating like that," I muttered, leaning clumsily against what was left of the walls. "Luckily for me, I've only died once today."
And you seem to be okay… I guess she really is with him; the Church won't be able to use her as they please.
The salty raindrops in my mouth brought me back to reality, reminding me that I still have a mountain of paperwork waiting for me in my office.
"…I think it would have been better to have died at his hands."
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
***
It's been eight years since I started training the actresses, and you might be wondering: actresses? Well, yes—it seems I underestimated the complexity of the revenge plot, which forced me to improvise a temporary hideout outside the mansion.
The villains seem to have a preference for kidnapping girls with good acting potential and locking them in secret rooms, which means we're on the right track.
Although at first they were pretty mediocre when it came to training… Well, they still are; most of them haven't even been able to shorten the elemental summoning poem to a single word, but let's not talk about that. At least they managed to pull off a decent combat choreography as we moved toward the climax of the long-awaited scene.
"Go and write your names on the board of destiny, stained with the red blood of your enemies," I commanded solemnly, before several shadows infiltrated the underground base in front of us.
***
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Following my Lord's teachings, I gave the order for them to stop in front of the base.
"Brunilda, conceal our presence," I ordered the hooded elf standing beside me.
"L-leave it to me, Seraphine-san," she said, spreading her mana throughout the surrounding area. "Focus Blur!"
I nodded slightly as I watched the translucent aura envelop my body. I must carry out the plan to the letter. I will not disappoint you, my Lord.
I turned toward the white-haired girl and the hunched girl waiting at the back of the formation.
"Eira, Beatriz."
A chant tinged with frustration began to echo. Eira, despite her impassive demeanor, is actually the one who most laments her inability to meet our master's demands.
"Acoustic Insulation!" she shouted as muted colors enveloped the surroundings, plunging everything into deep silence.
"Pocket…!" Beatriz stammered, covering her face with her wooden mask. "Pocket Dressing Room!"
Our figures vanished from the area in the blink of an eye.
Inside a brightly lit laboratory, we found ourselves walking among a group of scientists in lab coats.
A few paladins guarded the various entrances, deploying an anti-detection barrier that covered the entire place, but, unfortunately for them, my Lord is not one to be fooled by petty tricks.
It was enough for him to observe the wind to say, "The final note looms over the fallen beneath the scorching desert of metal." And indeed, beneath the nearby desert lay a laboratory of the Holy Church.
My Lord's wisdom is unfathomable; a single clue was enough for him to deduce the horrendous experiments being carried out right under the kingdom's nose.
"Make sure not to damage the documents," I ordered, materializing a crackling sword in my hands. "And I'm saying that mainly to you, Desislava."
The half-human girl was Desislava, possibly the most troublesome of them all—not only because of her destructive unique ability, but also because…
"Hahaha, are you all ganging up on me?!" Her mana began seeping into the structures, reducing all the data to ashes.
That was exactly what I'd told you not to do.
"Enemies!" warned one of the paladins guarding the entrance.
It didn't take long for the enemies to surround us with their anti-magic barrier. Years ago, that would have been a huge problem, but my Lord taught us to remain calm at all times while they attacked us relentlessly and we dodged their blows, blindfolded.
The plan is simple: if they catch us all…
"Eleanor!" I shouted to the invisible girl standing at the entrance.
Her figure lit up the entire room with a blinding flash. This young woman with long pink hair and a few red scales on her skin is Eleanor, my Lord's latest recruit in the territory of the dragons: a sort of hybrid between a human and a dragon.
The Lord of the Eastern Dragons entrusted her to my Lord after he defeated him in hand-to-hand combat. Our acceptance rate from my Lord has only increased since her arrival.
The light finally dimmed, revealing dozens of cleanly severed bodies scattered all around us.
"Fufufu, my Lord will praise me again," said the young woman, walking slowly toward us. "Maybe today I'll get my Lord to give me a kiss."
"You…!" exclaimed Desislava, lunging forward. "Keep dreaming, lizard!"
"Oh, really? Don't tell me the little kitten is jealous of this beautiful lizard," remarked Eleanor with a look brimming with mockery.
Here we go again…
"Stop while I'm still asking you nicely," I ordered.
"Yes, ma'am!" they replied in unison.
They'd better; I won't let them ruin my Lord's plan with their stupidity.
I turned my attention back to the silent Beatriz. The documents in the room had been removed, along with the equipment used to transport the bodies.
It seems the plan is going well… No; according to my Lord, in situations like this, the mastermind behind it all would appear. I have no scientific basis to support this, but my Lord's mind has transcended mortal limits; it would be blasphemy to investigate this further.
BOOM!
A man in his twenties fell from the roof with a broad smile on his face.
"Kukuku! Today will be the day The Ash Stage buries the sacred church under the rubble…!" His laughter stopped short when he saw the paladins' corpses near the entrances. "Why don't I feel the effect of the anti-magic today?"
I infused my body with lightning mana, sharpening my reflexes as I aimed for the mysterious man's neck.
Your head will be a magnificent tribute to my Lord… Or so I thought before hearing the sudden applause.
Clap!
My sword sliced through the air, leaving a deep, smoking gash in the walls; unfortunately, there was no trace of the man.
"Didn't they teach you that it's rude to interrupt an entrance?" asked an unfamiliar voice behind me.
"And didn't they teach you not to let your guard down?" A black hole created by Beatriz opened up, causing my figure to vanish from the scene.
Desislava's hand touched the ground, silently disintegrating into ashes between the walls, with Eira's help.
The man was quickly surrounded on all sides by the spreading ashes; his fate seemed to have been sealed the moment he was distracted.
"Oh, no. I'm in big trouble," he clapped calmly once more, causing a dark dome to appear and envelop him. "Just kidding."
The spread stopped as soon as it touched the dark edges that seemed to distort the space around him.
I see. Antimagic… and in a fairly dense amount, by the way.
He said he'd come to destroy the church, so he's not a hero. Considering his unique ability… The possibilities range from a renegade hero to a heretic, and his ability doesn't seem to conflict with the anti-magic; some kind of spatial distortion or teleportation that requires… That's it! There's his weak point.
"Hey, are you just going to stand there all day?" he asked in a noticeably disinterested tone as he removed the dome.
I gave Eira discreet signals before turning back to the man.
"Don't let him get out of here," I said before launching myself back into the attack.
I surrounded him with residual images of the lightning element, cutting off all his escape routes—physically—while electrifying the oxygen in the area.
My images began their frantic attack, targeting each of his vital points, missing by just a few millimeters, but that was a distraction.
Eleanor was attacking from his blind spots, looking for an opportunity to drive one of her spears of light into him.
That, too, was a distraction.
"Oh, judging by the way you fight, it's clear you've had a good teacher," said the man, "miraculously" dodging Desislava's corrosion and driving anti-magic stakes into the ground.
A subtle smile spread across my face as I watched the man walk slowly toward the guillotine. More spears of light came from behind, keeping both of them busy, while I prepared to finish the job in the name of my Lord.
Swoosh!
"Oh?" The man watched as one of his arms was severed from his body even though it hadn't been attacked. "T-time out! That was cheating!"
I ignored his complaints as I prepared another attack aimed at his neck.
The man tried to clap his hands, just as I expected. But, unfortunately for him… we have an Eira on the battlefield.
The sound of his clapping never came, as the surroundings had fallen into absolute silence while the scythe of death claimed his head… Or so it seemed.
"Kukukukuku! Did you think sound was my weakness?" His figure appeared and disappeared beyond the limits of silence, making it impossible to keep my eyes on him. "Well, I'm sorry to tell you that my weakness was line of sight."
I gritted my teeth, attacking in vain at any shadow that appeared before me.
The enemy had escaped, and we couldn't even do anything to stop him… Have we lost? Have we really lost?