Chapter 128: The Identity of the Elemental

[Suspicious Residue]

You should be proud!

By defeating the Face Thief, you have protected the uniqueness of countless individuals!

Thanks to your efforts, the Hero and Knight Order members all met their final deaths—but still!

There is no reason to feel guilty.

Surely, the Face Thief didn’t steal their faces out of a desire to become a kind neighbor or a loving family member.

Thus, this is a mark of glory!

This is a suspicious lump of residue that oozed from the corpse of the slain Face Thief.

Its unique viscosity, which allows it to maintain form despite any external stimuli, gives the illusion that it is still alive.

Perhaps… it really is alive.

If so, then what exactly is the driving force that animates it?

──────────

1. Destroy it

2. Pick it up

3. Ignore it

   ──────────

   ▶ 2. Pick it up
   ──────────

   As you bring your hand close, it actively entangles itself with you.

   As if it had fallen from your body.

   Or perhaps… as if you had fallen from it.

   Now that the Face Thief is dead, is it simply looking for a new friend?

   You, who remember his end, flinch and distance yourself from it.

   ──────────

   ▶ 1. Destroy it
   ──────────

   Did that do it!?

   Oh no–! it didn’t.

   It remains perfectly intact even against your most powerful attack.

   Don’t be discouraged, at least the attempt was meaningful.

   Now you know ordinary attacks don’t work on it.

   You find yourself suddenly admiring the Face Thief.

   He really swallowed something like that?

   Ah—though maybe, when he did, its state was a little different.

   Whatever the case, it had to be better than the one you’re seeing now, which looks freshly born from a corpse.

   A thought suddenly crosses your mind, one steeped in deep unease.

   Perhaps this isn’t a friendly little companion that grants mystical powers to its master, but rather a greedy creature that endlessly hungers for strength and existence.

   ──────────

   [Ominous Residue]

   The Face Thief is dead.

   And yet, it still feels like his presence lingers.

   Squirm.

   Wait—did that just move?

   —Saaaaa…

   It’s as if someone is speaking to you.

   Surely, it’s just your imagination.

   But a sinister energy fills the air.

   Ah. No, this is definitely not your imagination.

   ──────────

   1. Ignore it

4. Ignore it

5. Ignore it

   ──────────

   ▶ 3. Ignore it
   ──────────

   You turn away from the unsettling presence and walk off.

   ──────────
   …
   …
   …
   ──────────

   The sky is red. The land is dry.

   A single weed enters your view.

   You know what kind of weed it is.

   The kind known for its tenacity, earning it glorious nicknames from farmers like “devil’s,” “damn,” and “fucking” weed.

   When you reach out to touch it, it crumbles like dust.

   It’s as if every blessing and life force in this place has been ravenously devoured.

   You know this place.

   Was it always this barren?

   As far as you remember…

   No.

   Everything in the world changes, but this… this has changed far too much.

   Of course, you don’t blame the passage of time.

   Because you know exactly who’s responsible for this cruel transformation.

   [The Faceless One’s Residue]

   You remember it.

   And it remembers you.

   Though both of you have changed, you recognize each other in an instant.

   One might even call it fate, but you feel no joy in this reunion.

   Because now, you know exactly what it is.

   Thump!

   Its shape begins to pulse like a fetus.

   You are witnessing the rebirth of a great evil.

   ▶ Fate 80: One Who Hungers for Faces

   ──────────

   ***

   “Aagh, Ver! Why would you eat that!?”

   Everyone at the scene fell silent.

   There was simply nothing left to say.

   “…Ah!”

   Just then—

   The tall woman who had been beside Pallarg and Drey barely came to her senses.

   Her name was Verlotta.

   One of the six Holy Sword of the First Hero.

   She was part of the party of the sixth sword’s wielder, the Hero ‘Jane.’

   Having accompanied the party to Bondalles for some reason, she was picked up by Drey’s talent-hunting network, and eventually joined the investigation to identify the residue.

   And she proved her worth as a scholar of the hero’s party.

   Among the countless scholars drawn by Drey and the Frozen Breath’s call—

   Verlotta was the one who most accurately deduced the residue’s true identity.

   That’s why Verlotta understood better than anyone present.

   Just how dire the situation unfolding before her eyes was.

   She accepted the Faceless One’s Residue…?

   The Faceless One’s Residue.

   It was a fragment of a high-ranking devil titled among its kin as “One Who Hungers for Faces.”

   It could have become a relic that bestowed the power of a high-ranking devil—

   Or an egg that contained a high-ranking devil’s very being.

   The last time Verlotta saw the residue, it was closer to the latter.

   It had amassed vast power inside its host, and after the host’s death, absorbed their strength and life.

   It was about to “bloom.”

   For now, it was just a mass of vast power, but with just a few conditions met, a will and corruption would take root within.

   The rebirth of a devil.

   In short—

   That little elemental girl had accepted the fetus of a devil into her body.

   It was a reckless act, one that could corrupt even the thick essence of a high-grade elemental.

   No child elemental could possibly withstand it.

   Her energy would soon be tainted.

   And after that?

   Corruption?

   Demonic rebirth?

   Whatever it was, considering the overwhelming force and nature within that residue, the outcome would be horrific.

   “You!!!”

   In the span of a heartbeat, Verlotta shouted at Risir, the girl elemental’s master.

   “You must extract the residue from her body immediately!”

   “Ah, yes!”

   Startled, Risir lifted the elemental girl by her armpits.

   Scowl!

   Even as she furrowed her tiny brows in displeasure over the bad taste, the elemental girl obediently let herself be held.

   Her small arms and legs dangled, and her eyes met Risir’s.

   “Ver, why did you do that!”

   “I thought it’d be tasty! But it wasn’t!”

   “You can’t do that!”

   “I can’t!? Okay! Then it’s not yucky anymore!!!”

   “Oh my, how precious—no wait! That thing! You’re not supposed to eat that! Spit it out!”

   “Spit it!? Okay!!!”

   The baby elemental clenched her tiny fists with all her might.

   “!!!”

   Her brows furrowed fiercely in wrath.

   And then—

   Poof.

   Her little chest bounced slightly, and a small puff of wind escaped her lips.

   The meaning was obvious.

   The Faceless One’s Residue was already digested inside the elemental girl.

   “…”

   Verlotta slapped her hand over her wide-open mouth.

   What… did I just witness?

   She was a scholar, a woman of reason.

   Naturally, she didn’t take what she’d just seen at face value.

   A baby elemental absorbed a devil fetus?

   That’s not even possible!

   Surely, this wasn’t all there was to it.

   She couldn’t just feel relieved. additional measures were needed.

   This required the full cooperation of the Elementalist, and in the worst case, the elemental might need to be destroyed.

   Verlotta reached that conclusion firmly.

   There was no room for doubt.

   It was the most rational and correct judgment possible.

   Drey and Pallarg were probably thinking the same thing.

   If the Frozen Breath and the Collector agree, that Elementalist won’t be able to refuse!

   With her judgment complete, Verlotta looked toward Pallarg and Drey.

   She wanted to confirm their reaction, surely they had reached the same conclusion.

   “Lord Pallarg. Don’t tell me… did that residue get absorbed? By Risir’s ‘elemental’?”

   “Seems like it. Judging by how stable her energy is.”

   “If that’s the case…”

   That’s right!

   Say it!

   Drey looked at Risir and the elemental.

   Verlotta urged him inwardly.

   “Then everything’s resolved!”

   “?”

   Her head tilted to the side.

   Her eyes flew wide open.

   “What are you even saying…?” That was Verlotta’s expression.

   Verlotta remembered it clearly.

   How Drey had interrogated her alongside Pallarg with relentless questioning throughout the investigation.

   He absorbed information with stunning speed and kept up with discussions that even other scholars struggled with, sometimes even surpassing them.

   Verlotta had been overwhelmed by Drey more than once.

   Only her knowledge of the residue had allowed her to steer the conversation.

   Had they met in another setting, she would’ve been utterly swept away by him.

   Verlotta couldn’t help but feel bewildered.

   That Collector… showing such a clueless reaction?

   With a growing headache, she turned toward Pallarg.

   Unlike her, an Archmage might be able to correct the foolishness of a high noble.

   After some serious contemplation, the Archmage nodded slowly and spoke.

   “Yes. Just as you said, it seems this resolves everything.”

   “W-wait just a moment!”

   Unable to hold back, Verlotta practically lunged at the two.

   “E-everyone…!? Could it be that I explained something poorly!?”

   “Hm? No, Verlotta. You’ve done your part excellently. You deduced the true identity of the residue, something no one else managed, and provided sound reasoning. You also presented proper measures and solutions. It was an impressive performance. I’ll remember it.”

   Their responses only deepened Verlotta’s confusion.

   Just a moment ago, they had seemed completely out of sorts, yet now, they had returned to their usual selves.

   The sharply articulated tone, typical of high nobility, made it sound like they were asserting their superiority.

   The Archmage’s scrutinizing gaze seemed to place others on trial with its intensity.

   There was no doubt about it.

   These were the very two individuals Verlotta had been dealing with for the past several days  powerful figures who never ceased to question and doubt until they reached full understanding.

   It was then—

   “Um… everyone. What should I do? It seems like… well, our little one may have… digested that thing… What was it called again? The Residue of the Faceless One?”

   The Elementalist, Risir, said this with a troubled expression.

   Beside him stood the little elemental girl, arms crossed.

   “!!!”

   Her face was stiff with defiance, as if daring anyone to scold her.

   “Hey, it’s fine. Don’t worry. After all, you’re the one who caught the Face Thief and earned that thing, right? Besides, it was something that spread malice just by existing. Disposing of it is worthy of praise. Who could fault you for that?”

   “Drey is right. You simply did what had to be done. In fact, you did what only you could do.”

   “Sorry? What only I could do?”

   “Many scholars gathered and racked their brains trying to figure out how to deal with that thing. Yet not a single clear solution emerged. No one could completely eliminate it until your elemental swallowed it.”

   “…Ah! Is that so? Oh, what a relief. I was momentarily terrified. I thought Verdande—ssiu had done something terrible.”

   Verlotta, who had been listening blankly, looked horrified in an instant.

   “W-wait a moment!”

   She hurriedly cut into the conversation and questioned Risir.

   “Wh-what did you just say!?”

   “Ah! Is that so!?”

   “Not that! What did you just call the elemental?”

   “Verdande… ssiu!?”

   “Verdande…”

   As she mouthed the name, Verlotta’s pupils began to tremble violently.

   Her breath came in ragged gasps.

   Huff. Huff.

   At a loss, she suddenly grabbed both Drey and Pallarg by the hand and dragged them away from Risir.

   It was a breach of etiquette no one should commit against a high noble or an Archmage, but Verlotta was far past caring.

   “Please… listen calmly, without panic.”

   Despite being the most panicked of all, Verlotta tried to steady herself.

   She was convinced that the two of them would be even more shocked than she was once they heard what she had to say.

   “That elemental… the one Risir is with. She might be, Verdandes.”

   “Verdandes?”

   “The Sand Mountain That Shrouds the Sun. The Eternal Night of the Desert. A devil of far greater stature than the Faceless One.”

   “Are you certain?”

   Pallarg asked seriously.

   “If she’s not… then what else could survive after absorbing something that ominous?”

   Verlotta answered as if fleeing her own conclusion.

   A devil of the highest order, posing as an elemental, infiltrating human society… It was a matter of catastrophic scale.

   Tense beyond reason, she awaited their response.

   “No wonder.”

   Said Pallarg.

   “I had a feeling that wasn’t just an ordinary elemental.”

   Said Drey.

   And then—

   “…?”

   That was it…?

   “E-Everyone…?”

   Now Verlotta, her worldview shaken, asked the two with visible fear.

   Do they not understand the gravity of the situation even after all I’ve said?

   “Ah!”

   At that moment, Drey seemed to recall something.

   “Verlotta, just now, you mentioned ‘The Sand Mountain That Shrouds the Sun’ and ‘the Eternal Night of the Desert.’ Could those be related to the sandstorm?”

   Finally!

   Verlotta nodded vigorously.

   “Yes!”

   Snap!

   Drey flicked his fingers brightly.

   “Lord Pallarg, do you remember? That Spiritual World we saw from Risir—”

   “Ah, yes. Now it makes sense. I had wondered how such a small elemental could conjure such a dreadful sandstorm… so that’s what it was.”

   “…?”

   Wait, now it makes sense?

   What are they talking about?

   Verlotta’s gaze darted back and forth between the two in bewilderment.

   “Verlotta.”

   Then Drey turned to her again.

   “Y-yes…?”

   She sensed something ominous.

   “By any chance… is there an elemental—or rather, a devil—you know of that’s related to all of this?”

   A pillar of black flame reaching the sky.

   An endlessly spreading sea of blood.

   Those were the two things Drey mentioned.

   “…”

   Verlotta, grasping the implication behind the question, collapsed where she stood.

   No…

   It’s too early to jump to conclusions.

   Clinging to the hope that she might be mistaken, she asked them.

   “Where… did you see those?”

   “In Risir’s Spiritual World.”

   “…???????”