[V13C3] Enough!

Yuan led them into a modest-looking room, which was likely the general store’s break room. All of the furniture seemed worn-out.

“Please, have a seat wherever you like.”

Yuan gestured towards the table set at the room’s center. The table was relatively large and had three chairs on each side.

Isaac quickly checked for any traps on the chairs and table, also making sure there were no strange odors in the room.

After making mental note of the windows and doors as potential escape routes if needed, he pulled out a chair and offered it to Monica.

“Here, Monica.”

“Oh, um, t-thank you very much!”

Once Monica was seated, Nero quickly took the seat to her left and Isaac took the seat to her right.

Yuan remained standing by the window, arms crossed.

From that position, it was possible to fill the room with poisonous smoke while escaping to safety through the window.

Isaac discreetly tapped his pocket a few times, signaling his spirit to be wary of poison. Wildianu could purify most poisons, and aerial-based poisons could be blocked with a water membrane.

“I would love to offer my guests a drink, but that’s probably a waste of time. You’re not going to drink anything I give you, right?”

“I could go for a drink,” Nero replied. “Preferably with alcohol.”

The unexpected response left Yuan speechless.

Isaac shrugged with a light chuckle, saying, “If accepting a drink is enough to prove my sincerity, then I’d be happy to oblige.”

“Sincerity?” Yuan scoffed. “After barging in so brazenly? …By the way, how did you manage to find me?”

“I didn’t do anything special, really.”

Yuan was here to keep an eye on Monica and Isaac, so the suspects could be limited to ‘people who came to Sazandol after Monica started living there.’

A master of disguise like Yuan could also kill a long-time resident and assume their identity, but that was very risky. He would require constant vigilance to avoid exposing himself to that person’s acquaintances. Thus, Isaac reasoned that Yuan was unlikely to consider this route.

The properties spies preferred had easy escape routes, came with furniture, weren’t too new, and most importantly… they needed a point to observe the target.

Monica and Issac frequented Lana’s Flux Company and the Sazandol branch of the Mage Association, and they used the Central Gate when leaving the city.

In which case, Isaac speculated that Yuan’s base was somewhere along the route between Monica’s house and one of these locations.

Furthermore, Isaac had encountered Yuan at Ylmarch Palace, meaning that Yuan was absent from Sazandol around the time of Ashelpikeh’s Festival.

Once he narrowed it down that far, it was only a matter of checking all the remaining options.

“You see,” Isaac continued. “Hideouts are easier to find the more logical they are.”

The general store used as Yuan’s hideout had everything a spy might need for a long-term operation. Everything was based solely on logic.

All Isaac had to do was follow the trail of logic.

In contrast to Isaac’s calm demeanor, Yuan made a face of exaggerated displeasure——likely intending to redirect their attention away from his hands. Or perhaps, the change in expression was a signal to a hidden ally. Both were techniques commonly used by spies.

Under Isaac’s careful vigilance, Yuan chuckled and raised both hands in surrender.

“There’s no need to be so worried. Heidi isn’t here right now,” Yuan explained.

Isaac could not sense other presences or stares, so this seemed to be the truth. Nevertheless, he remained wary of Yuan’s movements.

“Ridill has been experiencing some incidents recently…” Isaac began. “I assume you already have some idea what is happening?”

Currently, the general public was only informed about the Starseer Witch’s prediction of a large-scale dragon disaster. The presence of the ancient artifact Gluttonous Zoe was kept hidden.

The collapse of the Jade Chamber, the attack on Minerva, and the black rain falling on Sazandol——these would likely be officially classified as accidents of some magical device or magic gone awry.

However, after a series of events of this magnitude, it was not hard for a perceptive individual to make some educated guesses.

“It’s because of an ancient artifact, right?” Yuan answered.

Those words caused Monica to visibly tense up. Despite her efforts to suppress her reaction, her small fists could be seen clenched above her knees.

Isaac stared right at Yuan and confirmed his answer.

“Yeah, the ancient artifact Gluttonous Zoe is behind everything.”

Monica looked at Isaac in shock. She seemed concerned at his decision to mention Gluttonous Zoe by name.

Isaac reassured her with a gentle smile and said, “It’s fine.”

Yuan had yet to reach the answer of Gluttonous Zoe, but there was a good chance that he would get there eventually.

Isaac made the judgment swiftly, as only fresh information maintains any value.

Anything already known by the other party is worthless. Value only lies in information they don’t know, or aren’t confident about.

In other words, this was the perfect time to mention Gluttonous Zoe, as Yuan had yet to reach a firm conclusion. Only now could the information be used as leverage.

“Oh? You’re even telling me the name of the artifact? …How very generous of you.”

Isaac muttered internally, I’m sure you reach that point eventually, then pointed at his own face.

“The body manipulation magic cast on me was taken by Gluttonous Zoe. We’ve already resolved the incident, and I’ve reclaimed what was stolen, but for some reason, the spell came undone again.”

Isaac was offering information on the ancient artifact Gluttonous Zoe, including a portion of its abilities.

And in return, he sought Yuan’s knowledge.

“I’d like to hear your perspective as a caster of body manipulation magic.”

Yuan stared at Isaac’s face in silence, but eventually, he squinted his eyes as if having observed something that intrigued him.

“Do you mind if I touch your face?” Yuan asked.

“Go ahead.”

Yuan approached while muttering a short incantation. Isaac could not recognize the chant, so this was likely a spell unique to the Empire.

Monica watched Yuan with tension. Despite having little mana left, she was ready to counter with chantless magic if necessary.

Yuan touched Isaac’s forehead with his fingertips, then slid his fingers down to press against Isaac’s right eyelid.

His hand paused right there. If he exerted additional pressure, he could gouge out Isaac’s eye.

“Sorry if my hand slips, okay?” Yuan said with a grin.

Isaac felt no need to indulge him, so he returned with a smile of complete composure.

“You’re a mage serving directly under the Black Lion Emperor. That means your skills are solid, right?”

Isaac was implying that any ‘mistakes’ would tarnish the reputation of the Black Lion Emperor. As a result, Yuan had no choice but to get serious.

“When the body manipulation magic returned to you, did it work at first?” Yuan asked, now wearing the expression of a professional physician.

“Yeah, I assumed the face of Prince Felix, but when my mana decreased, it suddenly reverted back.”

“Hmm?”

Yuan performed another short incantation, then touched Isaac’s jaw and the back of his neck. This time, his fingers did not apply any pressure, only brushing lightly against the skin.

After completing a thorough examination, Yuan walked over to a cupboard. He retrieved a wooden board about the size of a cutting board, as well as a flyer and a bottle of glue.

He placed the board on the table, applied a thin line of glue, and stuck the flyer onto it.

While pressing the flyer against the board, Yuan glanced at Isaac from the corner of his eyes.

“Should be about time, right?” Yuan asked.

Isaac also thought that it was about time. He lifted his hands to cover his face from Monica.

After all, the transformation of a person’s face was probably not a pleasant sight.

“Ike!” Monica exclaimed, looking at him with worry.

After confirming that his skin had settled, Isaac slowly lowered his hands.

“…What do I look like now?” Isaac asked.

“P-Prince Felix…”

“Ah, there’s Sparkles again.”

Isaac traced a finger above his right eye, and indeed, he did not feel any scar.

Apparently, the body manipulation magic had reactivated once his mana recovered above a certain level.

Yuan raised the board to eye level and began his explanation.

“Think of this board as your original face and this flyer as the body manipulation magic.”

“Then I suppose the words on the flyer represent the magical formula for the body manipulation magic?” Isaac asked.

“Precisely. So in your case, the body manipulation magic was taken from you via the power of an ancient artifact.”

Yuan tore off the flyer from the wooden board.

The flyer was mostly in one piece, but the glued part got ripped, leaving part of it illegible.

Then, Yuan overlaid the torn flyer over where it had been earlier.

“Even if the body manipulation magic returns, it won’t stick perfectly anymore. The glue is already dry, and the words along the tear are illegible… In other words, the magical formula itself is damaged.”

“But as you can see, I am currently maintaining the face of Prince Felix. How do you explain that?”

“Your mana is probably acting as the glue. As long as you maintain a certain amount of mana, it can compensate for the damaged formula, keeping the body manipulation magic attached. …But once your mana diminishes, the strength of the adhesive becomes insufficient, and it peels off again.”

In other words, Isaac could maintain Felix’s face for as long as he has enough mana. However, he would revert to Isaac’s face once his mana falls below a certain level.

“I see,” Isaac murmured, deep in thought. “If my mana were to be completely exhausted, would the body manipulation magic peel off completely and disappear for good?”

“Not likely. The magical formula has been engraved on you, becoming a physical part of your body… As a visual example, maybe something like this?”

Yuan pressed his fingers against the top of the flyer, then shook the board slightly.

The flyer occasionally curled off the board, but Yuan’s grip prevented the flyer from falling off. Since the body manipulation magic was engraved onto Isaac’s body, it would never disappear completely.

Isaac glanced at Monica briefly.

Losing too much mana would cause his face to peel off. In which case, would Monica lose her memories temporarily at low mana?

(No, we don’t have to worry about that. Monica exhausted all of her mana in the battle earlier, and her memories remained intact.)

This subject led Isaac to his next question.

“What about the other things stolen by the artifact?” Isaac asked. “It was the body manipulation magic for me, but would the situation be different if it were, for example, a part of the victim’s body instead?”

“Things with physical form will be far less stable. It would probably require an enormous amount of mana for adhesion.”

“I see. Thank you for the insight.”

Isaac glanced at Monica, and Monica nodded back with a tense expression.

They needed to convey this information to the capital later.

“Okay then, one last question…”

Isaac raised his head and looked Yuan right in the eyes.

Yuan maintained a smug smile, as if he knew exactly what the question would be.

“Can you repair the imperfect body manipulation magic?” Isaac asked.

“Not possible,” Yuan answered instantly. “I may be the inventor of this spell… but Artur made alterations to this formula. To top it off, the formula itself is partially damaged. No one can repair it. Not me, not anyone.”

Monica gasped in shock, but Isaac remained calm.

“Monica, it’s okay.”

“Ike, but…”

“I’ll say it again. No matter what face I wear, I’ll always be me.”

If he wanted to maintain the appearance of Felix Arc Ridill, he just needed to conserve his mana. If he wanted to go back to being Isaac Walker, he could exhaust his mana.

That’s all there was to it.

Fortunately, Prince Felix was supposed to lack magical talent, so he would never have to spend mana.

Isaac turned back to Yuan with a smile on the handsome face of the prince.

“Thank you for your cooperation. Please convey my regards to the Black Lion Emperor.”

“But of course. Have a good day, Fake Prince… I can only hope that we never meet again.”

＊　＊　＊

Once Isaac left Yuan’s hideout, he gave a light tap to his pocket.

Wildianu peeked his small head out, looking up at Isaac.

“You heard everything, right? I want to maintain Isaac’s face for a while, so take my mana. You can drain twice as much as before.”

“…Understood.”

Isaac covered his face with one hand and waited for Wildianu to absorb his mana.

The handsome prince disappeared, replaced by an intimidating man with a scar above his right eye.

It was more convenient to wear this face at Monica’s house. After all, Karina was still there, and they were likely to be visited by Melissa and other Mage Association officials.

Isaac lowered his hand once his skin settled, only to notice that Monica was staring up at him. Apparently, she had circled around to his front while his eyes were closed.

Her youthful face contained a hint of turmoil.

“Ike, did you make a deal with him…? With the people from the Empire?”

“We share information when our interests align. That’s the extent of our relationship.”

He told me about the deal you made with the Black Lion Emperor. Never carry such a burden alone. Share it with me.——This was what Isaac really wanted to say, but he swallowed those words. They were far too heavy.

Monica began fidgeting her fingers and biting her lips with a furrowed brow. Apparently, she was unsatisfied about something.

As Isaac waited for her next words, Monica spoke with unusually pouted lips.

“…I’m supposed to be your master, but you never tell me anything.”

Was this really happening? Isaac could not believe his eyes.

Monica was sulking right in front of him! This was a sight to behold!

“What do I do, Nero? My esteemed master is sulking. Look, isn’t she just so cute?”

That last part was accidentally voiced out loud.

“Master…” Wildianu muttered with exasperation from Isaac’s pocket.

“What are you, an idiot?” Nero said with a snarl. “There’s nothing cute about a sulking Monica. She seriously stops eating. For real.”

Isaac had little experience seeing Monica sulking or pouting, but it seemed Nero had witnessed it several times.

This fact caused Isaac to feel a bit of envy, but he held it back and proposed a solution.

“In that case, how about we invite Miss Colette to join us at the dinner table?”

“Ah, good idea. She’ll have no choice but to eat then.”

Meanwhile, their little master clenched her fists and shouted, “Enough!”

And so, the Silent Witch returned home with her familiar and her disciple whose face changed based on mana level. Back to where Lana was waiting for her.

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