Ch.278Third Eye

The place where Anastasia greeted me wasn’t the Great Sage’s villa, but a corner room in Sam McClain’s mansion in Riverside.

The very place where the Book of Adventure was kept—the book that had led to my meeting with Anastasia.

“Oh, you’ve come at just the right time. I was just thinking I might need to send word through the Adventurer’s Guild again.”

“Since we’re here instead of the villa, I’m guessing there’s been another change in the Book of Adventure?”

“Indeed. This time it’s not just some half-formed text—it’s been completed into a proper sentence. Look here.”

The Book of Adventure lay wide open on a bookstand.

At the top of the page was the keyword that led to Anastasia’s dwelling.

And now, just below it, a new sentence had appeared that wasn’t there before.

[Grant mercy, part the veil, to the coastal city of the forgotten isolated island]

Like Anastasia’s keyword, this sentence alone gave no clear instructions on what to do, but at least it was certain that the destination was a remote island.

More importantly, though, was why this sentence had appeared at this particular time.

If this sentence was the same one that had begun to form during the Corcas Ravine dungeon incident, then inferring the causal relationship wasn’t difficult.

“Hmm… it seems the condition for this sentence to appear isn’t ‘when we get close to a dungeon’ but rather ‘when we get involved with the Third Eye tribe.'”

“What? We’re to face the Third Eye tribe again?”

“Ah, I’m pretty sure it’s the same one we met before…”

I told her about Calliope falling into a coma after being attacked by a member of the Third Eye tribe, and how the perpetrator was likely the same drug criminal we’d encountered in Corcas Ravine.

As I explained the situation to Anastasia, it helped organize my own thoughts as well.

Previously, the Book of Adventure had shown a reaction when we conquered—or were in the process of conquering—a dungeon created by the Gentleman.

If the reaction had occurred from the moment the dungeon was created, we would have received contact while waiting at the atelier until the dungeon entrance opened.

In other words, the condition for a new sentence to appear in the Book of Adventure was when one of us—or rather, when I—came close to the “special kind of power” that the Gentleman wielded.

The power that created dungeons and inscribed high-level curses on Calliope—that must be the trigger.

Then why does the Gentleman possess such special power?

The answer is quite simple.

When he first removed his mask and revealed his true face, the Gentleman used words like “minion” and “taboo” while treating us like monsters. Considering that, there’s only one conclusion I can reach.

“I think the Gentleman is either a Demon Lord like you, or at minimum, someone as significant as Iris in relation to Demon Lords. What do you think?”

Seeing my attitude that clearly expected confirmation, Anastasia merely wore a bright smile.

“Hohoho… how interesting. You truly are a child who tells fascinating stories.”

“I was hoping you’d evaluate the truthfulness of my theory rather than its entertainment value…”

“What could I possibly say? Should I praise you for getting it right? Or should I tell you you’re wrong to help steer your thinking in another direction? You know very well that neither option is possible for me.”

Ah… even telling me I’m “wrong” would provide a clue through the process of elimination, so it would violate the taboo.

That means I can’t get any advice from Anastasia regarding the “Gentleman = Demon Lord?” theory.

Just like with Lois Reich, I need to gather sufficient evidence and expose the truth right in front of the Gentleman to impose a “penalty” on him.

“Then let’s set aside the Demon Lord talk. I’d like to hear more details about the Third Eye tribe.”

“What would you like to know? I don’t know that much about the Third Eye tribe myself.”

“Their basic way of thinking, their objectives… or even their relationship with the Dark Elves. Both clearly oppose the colonists, so I’m curious why the Gentleman targeted Calliope.”

“Hmm… I can help you somewhat with that. But it seems awkward to keep standing. Let’s move somewhere more comfortable to continue our conversation.”

With those words, Anastasia clapped her hands once, and the surroundings warped momentarily before changing to the familiar villa living room.

The reception room at McClain’s mansion would have been several degrees grander and more luxurious, but she must have grown quite fond of this villa.

After we sat down on the living room sofa, Anastasia brought out teacups filled with a dark brown liquid from a porcelain teapot.

Just seeing the fizz rising with a hissing sound was enough to guess what this liquid was.

Looking closer, I noticed the snacks on the table had also changed from the usual fare to crispy crackers.

“I’ve never seen someone pour cola into a tea set before.”

“How would I know the etiquette of your homeland? This is my way of expressing my attachment and reverence for this beverage called cola.”

After taking a few sips of the cool cola from her teacup, Anastasia carefully avoided burping, caught her breath, and only then began her explanation.

“First, regarding the relationship between the Third Eye and Dark Elves… to put it simply, there isn’t one.”

“There isn’t one?”

“The Third Eye tribe fundamentally hates all living beings other than themselves. It wouldn’t be strange if they went to kill humans one day, Dark Elves the next, and then turned their blades toward succubi the day after.”

“…What? Those lunatics.”

When thinking of naturally violent humanoid monsters, trolls or goblins might come to mind, but they share the common trait of relying on animal instincts rather than intelligence.

However, considering the Gentleman’s case, the Third Eye tribe must possess intelligence comparable to that of ordinary humans.

It’s quite shocking to hear that such a race indiscriminately attacks everything they see and every race they encounter without even considering their own interests.

“The only Third Eye tribe member we’ve met was the Gentleman, but he didn’t seem like he belonged to a particularly combat-proficient race.”

“Indeed, that is correct. While their ability to freely manipulate curse power is certainly worthy of being called a branch of the demon race, they are not a race that excels in direct confrontation.”

“Yet they still antagonize everyone they meet? It’s a wonder they haven’t gone extinct. What are they so dissatisfied with that they’ve developed such an extreme disposition? Is anger management their racial trait?”

“Well, I cannot fathom the minds of the Third Eye tribe, but wouldn’t you be dissatisfied if your lifespan was less than 20 years?”

The information that came from Anastasia’s lips was quite intense.

A lifespan of less than 20 years? Does that mean the Gentleman we met was actually a teenager?

His face when he removed his mask certainly didn’t look that way.

“…I didn’t know there were races with such short lifespans. When you say demon race, I imagine they’d live for a very long time.”

“The demon race, like the beastkin, is a name for a confederation of various tribes. Just as there are large ones and small ones, ones with horns or wings, ones with beast-like lower bodies, there are also those with long lifespans and those with short ones.”

“So the Third Eye tribe picks fights with anyone who lives longer than them out of spite?”

“Precisely. Did you say that you ruined plans he had been preparing for years? If that’s true, he will definitely appear before you again. He won’t be able to sleep peacefully at night from the frustration unless he tears your flesh apart with his teeth.”

After hearing Anastasia’s words, I could understand why the Gentleman suddenly started cursing and lashing out back then.

If their average lifespan is less than 20 years, the time remaining after growing to adulthood would be even shorter.

If a significant portion of that short life was poured into preparing a plan—only to have it shattered by unexpected elements like an otherworldly gunslinger or the Great Sage’s magic—I’d probably want to curse a bit too.

Another thought occurred to me: perhaps the reason Gerald and Calliope were attacked this time was that the perpetrator was actually targeting “a young human male who travels with several beauties, including Iris (a Dark Elf)”—in other words, me.

When they actually attacked, they found completely different people and were disappointed, but since they encountered a long-lived Dark Elf, they decided to vent their frustration by driving in a cursed needle… such a scenario seems entirely plausible.

“That’s about all I know. I don’t feel like I’ve been much help.”

“No, this was actually much more important information than all that Demon Lord stuff. Thank you, Anastasia.”

“Let me offer one more piece of advice: if you face this man called the Gentleman again, be sure to protect not only yourself but also those elf sisters. Their hatred for long-lived races is beyond imagination. Perhaps even the curse you mentioned was meticulously crafted to destroy long-lived races.”

“So it could be especially lethal to Phyllis or Iris. I understand, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Until I came to meet Anastasia, I had simply thought of the Gentleman as an ill-tempered drug dealer, but it seems I need to consider countermeasures more seriously.

‘Perhaps this was why I felt I needed to meet Anastasia. Worth the ten years off my life.’

With an inward sigh of relief, I drained the cola from my teacup and bid farewell to Anastasia.