Chapter 125: Oz Independence Association

After dragging Count Wiesbaden into the Governor-General’s Office and interrogating him for about two days, we found out that he was one of the patrons secretly sponsoring an Oz independence group.

It was literally like a cow stumbling backward and catching a mouse.

Currently in Oz, numerous independence groups were operating in the shadows.

The core of the independence movement was mainly the former ruling class of Oz, but perhaps because life was better for the common people now that it was a colony, the idea of regaining the nation’s sovereignty didn’t seem to resonate.

Anyway, based on the information we extracted from Count Wiesbaden, we raided a secret independence group and were able to round up and punish the nobles connected to it, one after another like beads on a string.

Honestly, I didn’t expect it to escalate this much when I did it out of spite, but hey, all’s well that ends well, right?

Thanks to that, I even got a hefty bonus.

“Master! I’m here!”

Saturday evening.

On my way home from the Governor-General’s Office, I bought two whole chickens and stopped by the Magic Tower for a bit.

The only ones who knew that I was still alive and that I was the same person as Patraash, the second-in-command of the Oz Governor-General’s Office, were Master and his secretary, Olivia, at the Magic Tower.

In other words, most people thought I was dead.

As I rode a levitation stone to the top floor of the Magic Tower, Olivia-ssi, who was working, acted as if she didn’t recognize my face, which I had changed using Polymorph.

“Hello. Kaldraash-nim.”

“Why haven’t you left work yet? It seems like your work hours ended a while ago.”

“Heh heh… For now, it’s self-development. I have a thesis presentation soon, so I’m working on it while sacrificing sleep.”

I glanced at the thesis she was writing from the side.

“It’s about Aether, the artificial element. If you get stuck on anything, feel free to ask me. I know a bit about Aether.”

“Really?! In that case, I’d be grateful!”

“Oh, this is a gift. Eat it while you work.”

Saying that, I handed her one of the whole chickens I was holding in both hands.

‘Chicken is the best for a late-night snack.’

Before going into Master’s room, I asked, just in case.

“Master, you haven’t gone anywhere, right?”

“Yes! He’s inside!”

Then I can relax.

I flung the door open and said,

“I’m here. Master.”

Then, leaning back in his chair as if about to lie down, Master, who was reading a grimoire, waved a hand dismissively and said,

“Oh, you’re here.”

His lack of enthusiasm annoyed me slightly, but I forced a smile and said,

“I brought chicken, so let’s eat this together.”

Master’s reply was something else.

“No. You’ll gain weight if you eat it at night.”

What? Excuse me?

Chicken was a food filled with memories for Master and me.

It was his first time taking a disciple, so Master, who was clumsy at teaching, decided to show me through actions rather than words. He beat me, a mere fifteen-year-old, black and blue like a stray dog on a sweltering summer day.

Whenever I couldn’t take it anymore and ran away, he’d forcibly drag me back and make me sit down, and this chicken was what we ate as an apology.

Slurp! Slurp!

“You’re really not eating it, are you?”

As I asked, mouth full of a plump chicken leg, Master covered his face with a white feather fan and said,

“I don’t mind you eating it, but could you perhaps go somewhere else to do so?”

“Master, you have strong willpower, so surely it’s fine even if I eat it in front of you? I mean, your resolve to lose weight wouldn’t crumble from a temptation like this, would it?”

“…You, just you wait.”

“Heh heh, they say people who say ‘just you wait’ aren’t scary at all.”

As I dangled the chicken leg teasingly to provoke him further, Master averted his gaze and brought up another topic.

“More importantly, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it all of a sudden?”

“Recently, a group called the Oz Independence Association sent me something called a petition circular. Since I maintain a neutral stance, I politely refused, but they were quite persistent.”

I stiffened at Master’s unexpected words.

“Could you tell me in more detail?”

Master replied, crossing his legs.

“Details, shmetails, that’s all I know. The names on the petition circular were complexly encrypted, so I couldn’t recognize them at a glance. If I had taken a rubbing, maybe, but I couldn’t do that.”

I meticulously deboned a chicken wing while thinking hard.

“It seems they believe they need your help to reclaim Oz’s sovereignty.”

“Well, it’s probably because I’m the only one among humans capable of dealing with Patraash, the Archmage known as the Elder Lich of the Demon King’s army.”

If they had known that Patraash was Kaldraash, they never would have made such a proposal.

“Are you still having a hard time with the Governor-General’s Office work? You look like you’ve lost a lot of weight since I last saw you.”

“No. It’s not that bad. The Governor-General’s Office has stabilized quite a bit now.”

“Make sure you eat properly. It’s lonely getting sick when you’re older.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

Seeing how he subtly cares while pretending not to, I guess my Master isn’t exactly a saint.

“Besides, are you really not going to eat this? It’s incredibly delicious.”

As I said that, dangling the last remaining leg, Master swallowed hard and stood up from his chair.

“…Maybe I’ll just have a taste.”

As expected, the delicious smell wafting right in front of him was too much. He couldn’t stand it any longer.

I offered the chicken leg to Master and said,

“You can start dieting tomorrow. So enjoy today.”

“Ahem! I’ll eat it myself, so be quiet!”

Master scolded me, but the moment he took a bite of the chicken leg, he transformed like a beast and began devouring the large chicken greedily.

I watched the scene with satisfaction and nodded.

Heh heh, mission accomplished: diet sabotage.

Meanwhile-

A mansion somewhere in the capital.

“Alfredo, please prepare Mystic Sword, armament number 11, and Silver Fang, armament number 17, for today.”

“Yes. Young Master.”

Currently featured daily in Oz’s state-run newspaper, the rising star independence fighter, ‘The Beautiful Girl Mask’… no, Papillon Noir, was preparing to head out into the night streets once again.

The vast fortune and mansion inherited from Prince Tipetarius, the rightful heir to Oz.

Chosen as the next Hero by the Goddess of Courage, she, after Oz fell to the Demon King’s army, had spent about two years locked away in the mansion’s underground training facility, repeatedly honing her skills.

As a result, the naive country girl became an Aura Master in a short period.

And this, without having learned any martial arts, from a completely blank slate.

Truly a human weapon perfected through overwhelming talent!

Because she wasn’t bound by convention, she wielded various weapons custom-made by the dwarves of Nidavellir like extensions of her own limbs.

The Glorious family’s immense wealth aided in enhancing her combat power in every aspect.

Not only were there potent elixirs known to benefit the body, but also various martial arts styles available on the market, and even grimoires leaked from the Magic Tower.

Because with money, most problems could be solved.

Wearing a black hat, a black cloak, and perfectly donning a butterfly-shaped mask, Sophia received the sword and claws handed to her by her butler, Alfredo, and equipped them.

“I’ll be back late today. Don’t wait up for me; go to sleep first.”

“Understood. Young Master. May fortune favor you.”

As the gray-haired butler Alfredo bowed slightly, Hero Sophia, receiving his farewell, soared into the night sky like a butterfly.

Once again, to condemn the villains and thugs polluting the capital city of Oz in the name of justice.

Chatting with Master and having a drink with chicken as a side, time quickly turned into the dead of night.

To head home before it got any later, I laid Master down on the sofa and circulated my mana to drive out the alcohol buzz.

As I stepped out with my senses fully restored, the streets at night were pitch black.

‘Creepy.’

It was a night with only a crescent moon, so there were hardly any light sources, creating an atmosphere where ghosts might just pop out.

I adjusted the collar of my coat and quickened my pace towards home.

I was walking down such a dark alleyway when suddenly,

At one point, the dark clouds overhead parted, and between the rooftops, I saw a slender shadow darting about busily.

I realized the shadow’s identity was the recently famous ‘Beautiful Girl Mask’.

It wasn’t surprising, really, because she was just too conspicuous.

Her golden hair shone brilliantly in the moonlight, making her visible even in the darkness.

As she leaped effortlessly between buildings, passing right over my head, our eyes met.

It was only for a moment, but I felt a strange sense of incongruity.

It felt like I had seen her somewhere before.

It was probably just my imagination, but I remembered the striking image of the masked vigilante and hurried home.

If I got any later, the people I live with would definitely chew me out.