Nozomanu Fushi no Boukensha

Chapter 4 : Rina the Adventurer (Part 3)

Sounding more and more like a shopkeeper of sorts with each

passing second, Rina showered me with praise…if being called a Wight

could be considered praise. Withdrawing a mirror from the seemingly

bottomless bag, Rina once again set it down upon the ground.

While Rina’s refusal to directly hand the mirror to me was a little

saddening, I suppose there was little discussion on the matter.

Rina’s thoughtfulness in bringing me the mirror alone was definitely

a helpful gesture. After all, I had been unable to see how I looked like

ever since becoming a Skeleton, and the question had been floating in

my head all this time.

Of course, I was not expecting to look like how I

used to—I had had a somewhat youthful face that seemingly did not

change between the ages of 15 and 25. Just for the record, my

appearance was by no means stunning or breathtaking in life.

If anything, a fearsome face was not too much of a bad thing either.

It was good to have an intimidating expression; at least, it was for an

adventurer.

With those thoughts in mind, I picked up the mirror, its surface

apparently some sort of polished metal. Peering into it, I was hardly

prepared for what I saw.

“…Th… This… Is…”

That’s not to say that I hadn’t anticipated this, however, to see the

dried-up face of a corpse.

It was also very dead, with eye sockets

sinking deep into my skull.

In fact, one of my eyeballs was missing—

that was one thing I did not anticipate. While it was a mystery as to

why I could still see out of both eyes, that was not the problem I

currently saw reflected—

No matter how I looked at it, this was the face of a corpse.

The one thing that did stand out, though, was a series of

complicated, glowing tattoos on my face, pulsing in a soft, blue hue.

Although they were actually somewhat pretty to look at, the tattoos also gave off a mysterious, almost incomprehensible aura. I deduced

that these tattoos had something to do with my transformation into a

member of the walking dead.

But putting that all aside, it was undeniable that the situation was

dire, and my efforts at disguise were all but ruined by these glowing

tattoos.

If anything, they made me stand out like a sore thumb.

The tattoos themselves would have been fine, but the fact that they

were glowing made matters so much worse.

After all, they could

clearly be seen even if I had my hood raised.

Determined to see if I

could remedy the situation, I raised my hood several times and tried

out different resting positions, but my efforts proved fruitless.

Light

steadily streamed out from inside my hood—no matter how anyone

looked at it, this was not a very human thing to occur.

In the end, I would have to live my life as a Wight; one with a

fearsome and terrible glowing blue hood.

…No. No!

That would be bad!

What should I do?!

I held my head in despair.

“Ah, that’s right. You didn’t ask me to buy this, but it was cheap, and

I figured you’d like to have something like this… What do you think?”

Rina asked, once again retrieving something from her bottomless bag.

The item that Rina held out was not something I recalled seeing

upon my first inspection of its contents.

Was it truly a magical bag of

some sort?

For the time being, I was forced to put aside that thought.

More importantly here, the object that Rina had taken out of it was none other than a mask.

It was a large, full-sized face mask, made of

what appeared to be bone. As its size suggested, it was large enough to

completely hide my face, tattoos and all.

“…What… Is that…?”

I had meant to ask her why she’d purchased this to begin with, as

opposed to the nature of the item. Rina, however, quickly offered a

cheerful response.

“Mister Rentt… You do want to go back to Maalt, right? You’d have

to hide your face to do so, and I don’t think you’d be let in with a

glowing face, you know?”

Again, it was as Rina said.

This girl… She really was something else. While I felt my facial

regions heat up, there were regrettably no tears of gratitude to be

found.

I tried my damnedest to cry, but Rina likely did not notice any

changes in my demeanor.

Approaching the mask that Rina had set on the ground, I picked it

up, inspecting it closely. It appeared to have adequately-sized holes for

one’s eyes and mouth, so it did not seem like I would have many issues

seeing or breathing. Whether I could even breathe as I currently was,

however, was another issue altogether.

With that in mind, I held the mask up with both hands, and tied it

on. Without warning, the mask suddenly adhered itself to my face,

almost plastering itself into my dry, dead skin.

“…Ugah!” That strange sound escaped my lips.

Before I knew it, the mask was firmly fitted over my entire face.

“Wow… It fits you, you know?” said Rina, once again showcasing

her unique sense of praise.

At her words, I looked up into the mirror Reflected there was what appeared to be a suspicious-looking

swordsman of the dark magic persuasion, who also conveniently had a

skull-shaped mask covering his entire face.

Indeed, it seemed to fit me well. I had, after all, been a Skeleton

mere days ago; as such, a skeletal mask would definitely fit me.

—At least, that was my logic.

However… This mask felt very tight, almost like a second skin.

Would it even come off?

Suddenly filled with a sense of unease, I attempted to remove the

mask, positioning my fingers to pry it from my face. It was then that I

realized—

“…Stu… Stuck. Won’t… Come off.”

“Ah…”

At my words, Rina’s cheerful praises quickly died down.

◆◇◆◇◆

“…Is it really stuck on that bad?” Rina inquired, sympathy evident

in her voice as I continued wrestling with my mask.

While I had valiantly fought to remove it after putting it on, my

efforts were in vain.

As if it were plastered to my face, or perhaps fused

to it, the mask remained resolutely in place.

“N… No… Good. It’s no good…”

Rina offered an apology, a remorseful expression on her face.

“…Oh, no… I’m sorry, it’s all my fault… Actually, now that I think

about it, the person who sold me this mask was kind of weird… He had

this stall on the street, and all of his products were surprisingly

cheap…” Rina said, seemingly unaware of the gravity of her words.

Rina’s description of the merchant fit the bill, with the exception of

his incredibly low prices. I came to the conclusion that the merchant in

question was probably a fraudster, although some merchants were

swindlers to some degree to begin with.

“By… The way. How… Much? How much… Did it cost…?”

“Three copper coins. It was made of metal and looked pretty solid…

I guess it was too cheap…? I mean, it looked kind of cool, and I really

liked it, so…”

She liked it.

I suppose there was no choice… But this was not something I could

easily accept, of course. Also, it was three copper coins.

It was perhaps worth noting that masked adventurers were not all

that rare, nor were the existence of masks catered to such a clientele.

This was due to the fact that many adventurers often accumulated

scars and injuries over their careers, with many of the scars not able to

be removed or healed with simple first aid or healing magics.

Severe

injuries to the limbs and body were often only treatable by churchsanctioned priestess-saints, and those seeking such treatment were

often expected to pay an exorbitant price for the church’s services.

As

such, those unable to afford healing were, quite often, resigned to

living with their injuries or prosthetic limbs.

Wounds to the face, such as burns or severe scarring, were in turn

commonly hidden by masks.

After all, even a low-tier Slime’s Acid

Blitz attack contained enough power to melt one’s features. To make

matters worse, such monsters were not exactly rare.

This was why masks were quite a common adventurer’s accessory,

with most adventurers wishing they would be able to live a full life

without ever having to use one.

With that being said, I should mention that the metallic mask

currently stuck to my face did not feel cheap at all. If anything, one would at least have to pay one silver coin for it, as purchasing an item

like this with bronze coins was almost unheard of, unless the merchant

in question was in the business of accruing losses. In other words, the

scrap value of the mask itself was definitely worth more than three

bronze coins—and yet, that was exactly the price Rina had purchased

it for.

She should’ve had some reservations about such a cheap item, but

she purchased it anyway, probably unable to resist its value at that

price.

“…” I stared at Rina intently, despite the fact that I was missing one

of my eyeballs.

As I did so, Rina frantically waved her hands in front of her face, as

if to deny all responsibility.

“Ah, um, no, see, it’s all right, isn’t it! It didn’t feel like it was cursed

or anything… See, look—I held it with my bare hands and I’m fine!

Although I did think there was a reason for it being so cheap… And I

did hope it wasn’t cursed…”

It would seem it was as Rina said. She did, for her part, also take out

the mask without much fanfare, and had placed it upon the ground

without incident.

So… Was the mask not cursed after all?

—No.

Focusing my attention on the mask that was currently stuck to

my face, I felt a trace of evil: the unmistakable stench of dark energy.

This was, without a doubt, some sort of lingering curse.

As for why Rina had not been affected… Well, it was simple: the girl

naturally did not attempt to try the mask on in the first place.

Even I

myself did not feel anything amiss when handling the mask with my

hands.

To be precise, it was a curse that only took effect once the mask

was placed on a potential victim’s face.

How terribly unlucky—and that was perhaps an understatement.

A curse… If it really were such a thing, I had several ideas of my

own.

With a deep breath, I focused my thoughts, activating my inner

reserves of divinity. Responding to my summons, a faint, blue glow

spilled forth from my body, enveloping the mask in a silent aura.

“W-What is…this? Don’t tell me… Is this divinity…?” Rina said,

surprise plainly written across her face.

Once again, I could not possibly blame her. Divinity, and the

aptitude to utilize it, was a very rare ability indeed. Although one could

observe it being used by priests or other such divine peoples during

festivals, watching it actually being used up close was not exactly an

everyday experience.

The reason for me using this ability now was self-explanatory, as

divinity had the ability to cleanse that which was most foul and

unnatural. It could also, of course, lift curses and the like, and this was

often a skill monopolized by the aforementioned priests and their ilk.

Even I had no precise knowledge on how to lift curses. Instead, I

simply worked with the assumption that a burst of divinity, even

without the acute understanding of how curse-lifting worked, would at

least serve to weaken the curse imbued in the mask.

This would have been impossible for me in life. The most I could do

back then was purify water so that it was safe to drink—and that was

that. I would have been unable to lift curses even if I had tried.

But I was different now; I had undergone Existential Evolution and

defeated numerous monsters. Thus, I put my mind to the task.

Honestly speaking, there were some results. While the mask had

remained stubbornly stuck up until a while ago, it suddenly began

rattling in response to the aura generated by my divinity.

Will… Will it come off?

I certainly hoped it would

“…Eh… Oh? Mister Rentt… That white-blue aura of yours… Is it

getting dimmer, or is it just me?” Rina spoke in a worried voice,

continuing to observe me.

Like she said, my aura had definitely begun to dim. My inner

reserves were running dry, to be more precise. Although the amount of

divinity I had at my disposal had certainly increased, it was not an

overwhelmingly huge difference.

Up until now, the force within the

mask seemed almost threatened by my divinity.

Now, however, the

tides had turned, and it almost felt like my divinity was being pushed

back. I supposed this would be too much for me to handle—for now, at

least.

Giving up, I slowly halted my aura release. Similarly, the mask

stopped rattling a short while later. Immediately after it stopped, the

mask once again glued itself onto my face—it did not feel like I had any

chance of removing it as of now.

As I suspected, I was still not strong enough to lift its curse quite

yet.

“…So… I suppose it was no good…”

“Yeah… No… Good. No good.”

Tired out by my exertions and initial shock of the unmoving mask, I

sat down upon the labyrinth’s ground.

“I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean to buy a cursed thing like that…” Rina

promptly apologized.

Did she interpret my actions and behavior as disappointment,

perhaps? Rina, with her eyes half-filled with tears, seemed incredibly

remorseful about this unfortunate turn of events.

It was unexpected, to say the least. While true that the mask could

not be removed, I had no reason to blame Rina for what she did.

She

had merely found me a mask out of the goodness of her heart.

I offered some words of comfort to Rina:

“Don’t… Mind. It’s… Fine. I… Must hide… Face. Anyway. I will be…

Fine. Like this… For a while.”

“But—”

“It felt like, it would come off… Just now. I… Become stronger, it

may… Come off. Also could… Get a priest… A priest. Lift… Curses.”

I tried to comfort Rina to the best of my ability. I held out my hand

to pat her on the shoulder, but stopped myself in time.

My hand

awkwardly remained suspended in the air.

How could I forget?

I was a

Ghoul now, and Rina was not yet used to me—I shouldn’t traumatize

her any further.

However, as if to accept my gesture, Rina reached out, holding my

outstretched glove with her hands.

“Wh… What… Are you…”

I was shocked.

“I… I get it. You’re not a bad person… Or, um, monster? Mister

Rentt—you’re not scary… Not…scary at all…”

Despite her words, Rina’s hands shivered, albeit slightly.

I understood. Contrary to her claims, Rina was still afraid. Even so,

she had thought of reassuring me—that much I understood.

This was why I said to Rina, “Thank… You. But… Until the day…

When you really… Are not… Scared. No need… To force… Yourself.”

Saying so, I let go of her hand gently, taking care not to injure her.

Rina, however, was adamant.

“I’ll get used to it quickly! Really quickly! Really!” She smiled,

without a shred of evidence to back up her declaration.

An almost childlike view, as if this were a normal situation one

could observe anywhere.

It was at that point, however, that I felt like I

was truly alive. I was filled with happiness at being able to hold a

proper, human-like conversation with another human being.

◆◇◆◇◆

“Um… So, this may be sudden, but do you just…want to go back to

Maalt now?”

Such was the question posed to me as soon as I finished equipping

the rest of Rina’s provided clothing.

I found myself at a momentary

loss at those words, if only because I remained unsure if such a feat

was even possible.

Although I had set out to achieve Existential Evolution just to return

to town, the prospect of it actually being possible now was somewhat

baffling to me. To actually carry out the task, I thought, was deeply

unsettling.

“Do you think… It will go… Well?”

—That was why I asked Rina such a question.

To an average human, I was robed, gloved, slouched over, and

equipped with a sword at the waist. I wondered if this would be

sufficient enough for me to walk around town.

I had no one but Rina

to provide a human opinion, after all.

“Hmm… You do look a little strange, but then, many people are like

that. Even if someone demands that you show your face, that mask is

cursed, for better or worse. It simply won’t come off, right? Then you

should just tell the guards at the gate that. Hey, maybe they can even

try pulling it off for themselves. That way they’ll know it really won’t

come off.”

Rina’s response was surprisingly detailed.

“But… If I do… That. My… Skin…”

“You’re supposed to bluff your way through that…! Say a monster

got you good and sucked the life out of your face or something like

that. If they knew the truth, they’d probably identify you as an undead

monster, but common sense would tell them that speaking with an

undead is impossible. Even though you still have some trouble

speaking, they won’t immediately jump to the conclusion that you’re

an undead. If anything, they’ll think that you’re some veteran

adventurer who has scars all over from combat. If they could see your

face, that would certainly be a long shot—but now they can’t! It’ll

work!”

Rina’s words gave me great courage. If I thought about it calmly,

most of what Rina said was right.

Only extremely high-tier undead

monsters would be capable of communication and logic in the first

place.

While one would feel the strength of its aura should one

approach such a being, I currently did not give off that impression. For

starters, if I really did have such powers, I would not trouble myself

over something as simple as finding a way back into Maalt.

I would bluff if the guards became suspicious, and then it would

work out. I felt like I could do at least that much. The rest was up to

my own personal performance.

“All right, then… Let’s… Give it… A shot.”

“Yes! Let’s go!”

I tilted my head to one side at Rina’s statement.

“What… Do you mean?”

“Eh? Aren’t we going together…?”

Rina’s response to my question was swift. If anything, she seemed confused as to why I was even asking.

I was terribly surprised; of all things, I did not expect Rina to go

with me, given that I was currently an undead monster.

She was

undertaking a great risk, facilitating the entry of a monster such as

myself into town.

If we were somehow found out, she would be treated

as an abnormality who had allied herself with a monster, and would be

readily persecuted.

Was she not thinking of the consequences? I had to ask her at least

that much.

“…If… You went… With me. You would be… In danger… Rina.”

“Ah… That’s probably the case… But there’s an even greater chance

of success if you come with me! If someone were with you and spoke of

you as a human, why would a guard at the gate have any reason to

think of you as a monster?”

“That… Is true. But is this… Fine? If… If anything hap… Happens…”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it! …Mister Rentt, if it

hadn’t been for you, I would already be dead. I feel like it would be all

right for me to risk my life at least once for you, no?” Rina spoke these

words as if it were the most obvious thing to do.

With that, though, it suddenly occurred to me that Rina was a very

considerate person—maybe too much so. Either way, I was thankful

for Rina’s kindness.

Thinking about it from the angle of Rina’s welfare, I should have

definitely refused her help; even so, I had to return to Maalt. In

addition, it was like Rina had said: if there was a human being

vouching for me, my chances of success dramatically increased.

It also only took one safe entrance into Maalt for me to pass without

relative alarm in the future. If the guards became familiar with me,

their inspections would surely become much more relaxed.

And so, I decided to entrust my future to Rina.

“Well… Then. I’m… Counting… On you. But don’t… Risk your… Life.

If anything… Happens. Say… Say I tricked… You.” Even if I were to be

found out, Rina would probably be all right if she played that card.

While I had my doubts about the whole thing, it was true that

talking undead were, in general, not very common at all.

In fact,

claiming that I was an adventurer with hideous injuries because of my

battles was far more believable.

Nodding at my words, Rina responded in kind.

“It’d be great if we didn’t have to do something like that… If it really

comes down to it, I’ll definitely think of something,” she said, a soft

smile on her face.

◆◇◆◇◆

“…Next!” The strict voice of a gate guard echoed through the

grounds of Maalt’s western gates.

Upon hearing that, Rina prodded me, encouraging me to move.

“…It’s our turn, Mister Rentt…” Saying so, she walked up to the

guard with her chest out, as if nothing were out of the ordinary.

This girl is really something else…

Thinking so, I quickly followed after Rina.

“One woman and…a man? I think? …Permits, please.”

Although he

had hesitated somewhat, it would seem like the soldier identified me

as a man.

On top of that, he was a soldier I had never seen before.

It would

seem like choosing a gate I had seldom ever used was a good idea after

all.

If the guard had been one who was familiar with me in life, it

would only lead to all kinds of inconvenient questions.

On the other hand, it could have worked out in my favor… It was a complicated

subject, no matter what.

Regardless, Rina handed the guard her permit, which was a

somewhat dull-colored card. Withdrawing my own permit from my

tool belt, I did the same.

“…Rina Rupaage and…Rentt…Faina. Both of you seem to have

acceptable permits; there seem to be no issues here—huh. You there.”

I had thought that we would be able to breeze through the

inspection easily, and enter Maalt before we knew it—it would seem

like that was no longer the case.

Damn. Stopped after all—but I had to do something about it

without panicking.

“…Yes. What… Is… It?”

“…You speak quite strangely, you know that? Could you please

remove your mask…?”

At the soldier’s words, Rina interjected.

“I’m sorry… His mask is cursed, you see. We tried removing it, but it

just won’t come off. The reason he speaks like that is… Ah, a monster

got his throat… Well, not just his throat—his entire face…”

Such was Rina’s explanation.

The soldier listened on, a mixture of suspicion and surprise on his

face.

“…You could… Give it a shot… Too. It won’t… Come… Off.”

Saying so, I leaned forward. The soldier, in turn, attempted to pull

the mask off with all his might.

“…Ughh… Huh. It really doesn’t come off… Is it actually cursed?”

“We wouldn’t lie about something like that… He bought a mask to

hide the scars all those monsters gave him, but accidentally got one

that was cursed instead… He truly has some bad luck… Apparently the

curse doesn’t activate by simply touching the mask with your hands…

It has to be put on first, and it’s been stuck to his face ever since…”

“Ahh… Yes, I’ve heard rumors of items that work that way. Could

you maybe ask a priest to remove it?”

“It seems like a strong curse, and I think a normal priest would have

some trouble with it… We’d have to ask a skilled individual and… Well,

you know…”

“The payment, huh? Yeah, it’d be difficult for Iron- or Bronze-class

adventurers. So, that’s why he still has the scars, huh… I see…”

Rina’s explanation did not show the slightest hint of hesitation. Due

to this, the soldier no longer appeared apprehensive.

“Okay, I get it. You’re good to go!”

And that was all the soldier needed to say.

Upon hearing that, Rina slightly narrowed her eyes, a soft smile

once again lighting up her features.