Chapter 157: The Identity of the Faceless Man (part four)


    “Now, this is troubling. What should I start with, I wonder? I hold too many secrets.”


    Han yson looked around and turned his gaze directly upwards.


    Bright, white light descended from the ceiling of the reference room.


    “Everything. Such as, why were you reduced to being the head of such disreputable vampire-yers?”


    After hearing Eduard-oniisama’s words, Han sighed deeply.


    “Since when and how I became who I am now…that’s right. Everything started with that fateful day at sea.”


    Han yson was born as the second son of the previous Margrave of Urs, y.


    Han’s path to take over his family was quickly cut off because of his excellent older brother.


    Because of that, Han relied on his maternal connection to join the Royal Navy of Ignitia.


    Then, just as Han had been climbing the ranks of the Royal Navy, a turning point urred in his life.


    It was a mission to seize a smuggler.


    The cargo was Aurelia’s star crystal and Lucanrant’s snowsilver, which had been prohibited for export to the southern continent.


    Therefore, it was reported that people from Aurelia and Lucanrant would embark on the vessel under Han’smand as senior officers.


    On board were the infamous evil woman Bort, and Sigríeur, a noblewoman of his homnd.


    “That was my first encounter with those two.”


    It was one of the mostmon missions that had turned Han’s fate upside-down.


    Horrifyingly, all crew members apart from the three of them on the vessel were vampires.


    “They showed their true nature when we were in the middle of the sea. I was bitten and torn all over my body by several 〈Hounds〉, and was left without an arm and a leg.”


    Right knee, left hand, nk.


    Han pointed to the said body parts in turn.


    The one who rescued him from his plight was Sigríeur.


    Han, who had narrowly escaped death and was able to return home alive, pledged loyalty to Sigríeur.


    Han waster informed by Sigríeur and Bort that this kind of incident was frequently caused by the vampires.


    Bort and Sigríeur seemed to have been secretly settling the incidents involving vampires at that time.


    “That’s why I wanted to help that person somehow.”


    For that reason, Han did everything he could.


    He regenerated his body tissue and restored his body via alchemy.


    In order to secure free funds and position, he snatched away the family headship from his esteemed older brother by plotting against him.


    He gathered and led the vampire incident survivors and organized them as a group of vampire-extermination specialists.


    Heid power base not only in the North, but also in the northwest, the Royal Army, and the Church.


    He learned everything he could learn, and acquired whatever he could acquire: pharmacy, alchemy, magic, and telepathy.


    He killed many vampires.


    He also killed many innocent people.


    While doing so, he was nearly assassinated by a vampire for the second time and thus began to hide his face.


    “While repeating that cycle for who knows how many times—killing in order to kill, nearly getting killed, barely surviving—that person, Frederica Bort, sank into the sea while taking down several hundreds of underlings, along with the ancient vampire.”


    So my mother’s death, which should have been due to a maritime ident, was actually—


    The truth that spilled out of Han’s mouth pierced my heart.


    The visage of the young girl on the other side of the mirror crossed my mind.


    That girl died in such a way…?


    “You know what kind of person your mother was, right, Sir Eduard?”


    My brother looked at me for a moment, then turned his gaze back to Han and nodded.


    “Yes. I know that from some point on my mother started chasing and killing vampires.”


    What kind of person had Frederica Bort been?


    ording to Han, his prototype had been our mother.


    “And then, that case from eight years ago happened. After also losing Sigríeur-sama, I, who had been left alone, took over the work that they had left behind.”


    The werewolf massacre case.


    The tragedy that killed the entire family of the Ducal House of Lucanrant.


    The day Chloe lost her family and her past, Han also lost his savior.


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    A smile appeared on Han’s face.


    “That is my story. It is your choice whether to believe it or not.”


    Saying so, Han looked at us again.


    “Is that why you were so afraid of us?”


    Perhaps she was finally convinced, Chloe asked so.


    “Oh, yes. It feels like the dead have been resurrected, and every time our eyes met, I wanted to ask for forgiveness. For not being able to protect them, and for not being able to help them.”


    Citrouille who confessed like that felt simr to Jan Carlson on that day.


    Survivors who had been saved.


    They are heavily bound in ways that the people who saved their lives could not imagine.


    “Let’s talk about the purpose of this time’s farce. I wanted to know about that no matter what.”


    Han continued his words while fixing his gaze on my brother.


    “I came here to find a way to dispel the curse of the Golden Wolf, in other words, a way to save ude Lucanrant without killing him.”


    “…ude Lucanrant.”


    My brother repeated the name.


    I felt a slight sway of emotion in that voice.


    “After the incident eight years ago, he was given to me. However, he had suffered too much damage from the curse…the form he had ended up in simply could not be made public. There should be clues in this archive, so I really wanted toe here.”


    I had to check it with my own eyes, Han continued.


    Eight years ago, he arrived at the scene of the tragedyte, and came across ude and Sigríeur about to strike each other.


    At a great cost, Han was finally able to capture ude alive.


    The curse of the Golden Wolf, for some reason, had transferred to Sigríeur, despite her holding a snowsilver sword.


    And Sigríeur requested him to behead her before the transfer of the curse waspleted.


    “The one who killed that person, your mother, was me.”


    Chloe covered her mouth with her hand.


    After a while, my brother opened his mouth.


    “I see. So you—”


    When my brother turned a gaze filled with pity at him, Han averted his line of sight.


    His eyes were nk.


    “I had wanted to be a man who could protect that person, but this is how things are.”


    He then rescued Chloe, who was hidden behind arge clock in the depths of the burning castle, and erased her memory as much as possible.


    And so Chloe would no longer be involved with ude and the curse of the Golden Wolf.


    It was also Han who left Chloe to a merchant couple, and he had been providing funding for her ever since.


    “I was nning to wee Chloe-sama after saving ude-sama.”


    As he spoke up to that point, Han covered his face with both hands, exhaling deeply and quietly.


    “However, the analysis of the curse has been extremely difficult.”


    The snowsilver chains were able to seal the Golden Wolf itself to some extent, but they did not break the curse.


    He said that he only knew, after much difficulty, that it is a type of time magic that infects one by tracing back their past.


    I see.


    In order to guide a person to the target stage of ‘being cursed’, it goes back in time and applies the curse at a point where infection is possible.


    It is simr to the 〈Cursed Sword of Fire〉 that appeared over Knot Reed.


    No wonder the snowsilver ore and Dispel are ineffective.


    “But, there was a clue in the manuscript stored in Sigríeur-sama’s secret archive.”


    “You mean, the books possessed by the 〈Association of Mysterious Story Collectors〉?”


    “Yes. So I thought the original copy should be here.”


    Han looked around the pure white archive.


    “But that artificial spirit is in charge of the index. This is a stupid story, but the reason for the kidnapping was because I made a blunder when I was searching for the original copy and the artificial spirit stopped working.”


    To think that Dolores’ character was the indirect cause of the kidnapping.


    Somehow it gives me an indescribable andplicated feeling.


    “If people discover my true identity, I wouldn’t be able to stay in the academy. I didn’t have time. So, I made a n to win over mages who were assembled separately from the útf?r knights and duplicate the entire space.”


    “That’s why you made use of All Souls Day, huh.”


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    Duplication is a bold method.


    However, the books in the archive are nk until they are lent by the artificial spirit, so they cannot be looted.


    Although, because it is aplicated mechanism, it seems that analysis and duplication of the space require time.


    There is a limit to how long arge number of people can stay for a long time, even if they utilize All Souls Day, the time when outsiders can sneak in.


    “I needed to keep talented mages and alchemists out of the school, especially you guys. For that reason, I found it best to kidnap w-jou.”


    “So you chose Beatrice.”


    “Yes, that’s right, Chloe-sama. Naturally, she was going to be returned safely.”


    Han was always observing us.


    He could easily see how important Beatrice was to Chloe.


    “My body-double also entered the academy, of course, to earn time and prevent the principal and the rest of the teachers, the Crown Prince, and us Hafan from leaving.”


    If that is the case, I wonder if the person that Han wanted to stop in the third scenario where I was taken away was my brother.


    Although it’s still a mystery why I was drowned then.


    But there is no way to see now what could have happened in the third scenario.


    “I heard you also cleaned up the rebels.”


    “Yes. I wanted to put the Military Order of útf?r under Ignitia’s control.”


    “You wanted to expose what was going on behind the scenes?”


    “That’s one part of it. But the bigger part of it is that I simply wanted to stop them. If one faces vampires, one’s spirit would inevitably be shaved. I wanted to get them out of my Wild Hunt, before the real limitse to their heart.”


    So he thought that it was better to break the wheels than kill the horses to stop the runaway carriage, huh.


    Hearing Han’s words, I remembered the conversation we had during All Souls Day.


    “Now, this is the most important part.”


    Han took a deep breath twice before opening his mouth.


    “121 days ago the cursed wolf awakened and we couldn’t prevent his escape.”


    “…Escape…!?”


    Chloe remarked as if groaning.


    “Chloe-sama, this is what I couldn’t tell you in detail when we were escaping from the cave castle. As a result of this incident, my control of the Military Order of útf?r was broken.”


    ude Lucanrant has escaped.


    Moreover, in a state where he’s bearing a serious curse?


    This is more serious than an old vampire incident.


    “Even only counting the Military Order of útf?r alone, it seems that at least 50 people have been victim to him, right?”


    “More than a hundred. I intended to keep that information confidential. As expected from you, Sir Eduard.”


    “Since about four months ago, the state of affairs in the North has been easier to probe. But for that to be still going on means that ude is…”


    “Yes, even now he may still be wolfing down all over the ce.”


    Han nodded when my brother asked in return.


    The figure of a werewolf who devours and eats people while wandering in a dark forestes to mind.


    My goodness.


    “We must catch him as soon as possible.”


    A curse that possesses the opponent who kills the infected, even upon death.


    How does one defeat such a thing?


    Before that, we still don’t know how to catch him.


    Considering the situation at the time of thest capture, if we weaken the wolf enough to be captured, the curse will also infect the other party.


    —No, there is just one certain way.


    I realized that for the first time.


    To capture him, someone needs to do what Sigríeur and Han did at that time.


    But, who is going to take such a cruel role?


    “Sir Han, could you leave that role to me?”


    “…No, I can’t. Your role is to unravel the truth. There is something that only you can do.”


    “Aren’t you here because you can’t shoulder that burden anymore?”


    My brother’s gaze collided with Han’s.


    “I also have a deep connection with him. I can’t run away now.”


    “That is why I don’t want you to be involved with the curse of the Golden Wolf anymore in the future.”


    “What if I say that I am one of the reason why ude became like that?”


    “…!”


    Han’s expression stiffened.


    “Please let me do my best to give salvation to my old friend and myself, Sir Han.”


    Han lost his words and thought it over.


    My brother turned to me.


    The usual gentle and sweet expression was mixed with a little sense of urgency.


    “For that reason, Erica, could you help me too?”


    The alchemist Eduard Aurelia.


    He stared at me with eyes that seem to see through everything and said so.