Chapter 45
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Chapter 45
4. Dad Has Disappeared
Dad has disappeared.
It was the conclusion I'd reached after searching the entire Village all day long.
"This man is really...!"
Ten years have passed since Rachel left this Village.
Which meant it was finally time for the original story to begin.
The original story begins when Dad disappears and I, Vivian, go searching for him and head up to the Capital.
And Vivian never finds Dad—not until her death, or more precisely, not until the original story ends.
'Considering he never appeared even while Vivian married Allen and lived her life, Dad probably....'
Even if he'd left of his own volition at first, the odds were high that he'd suffered some unforeseen accident along the way.
Knowing the future as I did, I feared losing Dad far more than I feared the unhappiness that awaited me in the original story.
But since I couldn't exactly tie up a grown man and lock him away, I'd subjected Dad to brainwashing for the past several years.
[I'm going to stick to Dad's side forever and live off your earnings. So Dad, you can't abandon me and go anywhere, right?]
[If Dad dies, I'll die right along with you! So don't get caught up in anything dangerous. Understand?]
I'd carried out this brainwashing—or rather, this coercion wrapped in concern and affection—all this time.
I'd thought that becoming friends with Rachel, meeting Kamang and becoming a Spirit Master, and twisting the original story so much might mean I could avoid parting from Dad....
But in the end, this man simply ignored his precious daughter's words!
'If I'd known this would happen, I should have tied him up and locked him away last night.'
Last night, when Dad returned from the neighboring Village, his demeanor had seemed strangely off.
But since the Festival had just ended, I—who'd been running the Bakery in Dad's stead—had succumbed to exhaustion and fallen asleep.
This morning, when I opened my eyes....
My dear.
Don't skip meals just because Dad's gone, don't wear thin clothes in this cold, and always lock the door at night.
Of course, our princess is smarter and wiser than Dad, so you'll manage just fine on your own.
Only a single note had been left behind.
It was the same affectionate nagging as always, but there was one thing different from usual.
If the Shop work ever becomes too difficult, there's a space under Dad's bed—open it and look inside.
No matter what you do or where you are, Dad will always support and love you.
Forever.
There was no mention of when he would return.
And most critically, under the bed Dad had mentioned....
'...Gold coins?'
There were countless gold coins packed inside—I had no idea when he'd started saving them.
At first glance, it seemed like an amount I could live off for over ten years without working.
But I felt no joy whatsoever.
Because Dad saving this money for so long meant....
'He'd been preparing to leave me all along.'
A wave of hurt surged up inside me.
I vented my resentment—pointless resentment that would never reach the person it was meant for—in loud, bitter words.
"What if you leave your rabbit-like daughter behind and run off, you thoughtless fool!"
* * *
Late at night, at a Villa near the Capital.
The Mercenary Captain hiding there swallowed hard upon seeing the silver-masked man who appeared outside the Villa.
'He actually showed up.'
That man was none other than the head of the guild Terrak, whom he'd only heard rumors about.
Terrak was an information guild that began operations two years ago, and despite being a newcomer, it had become the most influential guild in the Capital in just two years through remarkable acumen.
Their operations weren't particularly different from other guilds, but there was one peculiarity.
Apart from the guild master being male, his age, status, and even his face remained unknown.
In other words, the guild master's identity was shrouded in mystery.
From the perspective of other guilds that had endured countless hardships in the Capital to establish themselves, Terrak could hardly be viewed favorably.
The other guilds, desperate to find the Terrak Master's weakness, began taking interest in his identity.
The reasoning was that the reason for hiding his identity must be because it was his weakness.
Then one guild managed to plant a Spy within Terrak and discovered a way to lure out the Master.
'The Master moves personally whenever information related to Former Emperor Leopfried is purchased.'
And the Terrak Master truly took the bait.
Fortunately, the Terrak Master brought only two subordinates with him.
Moreover, one of them was their Spy planted within Terrak, so removing the mask seemed easy.
'Finally, I'll see that bastard's face.'
The Mercenary Captain prepared fake documents detailing the information the Terrak Master sought and descended to the Reception Room on the first floor.
There stood the Terrak Master, dressed in a black robe and wearing a silver mask.
When the Mercenary Captain's eyes met the blue eyes behind that mask, he flinched involuntarily.
Their eyes had merely met, yet an inexplicable sense of pressure emanated from that gaze.
It was instinct.
The Mercenary Captain, pretending to be an information broker, began speaking with appropriate obsequiousness.
"You must be busy, so thank you for going through the trouble of coming here. Since this information concerns a traitor, there are many watchful eyes...."
He pulled out the fake documents he'd prepared and handed them to the Terrak Master.
The Terrak Master, who had been examining the documents carefully for a moment, spoke in a desolate, low voice.
"This doesn't seem to be everything."
"Once you confirm half the payment, I'll provide the rest."
Normally, gold coins were heavy, so subordinates carried them.
There was no way the Master would carry heavy gold coins himself, so he'd instructed the Spy beforehand to make sure he carried the coin purse.
When the Spy approached the Terrak Master to confirm the payment amount.
The plan was for the Spy to drop the coin purse, spilling the gold, and in the moment the Master's attention was diverted, to remove his mask.
'Meanwhile, the remaining subordinate would be subdued by the mercenaries waiting nearby.'
The plan proceeded smoothly.
The Terrak Master, unaware of the plan, simply gestured to the Spy.
The Spy approached him as planned and pretended to hand over the coin purse before dropping it.
Clatter—
The sound of gold coins spilling echoed loudly through the quiet Reception Room.
At that, the Terrak Master's gaze instinctively shifted toward me.
'Now!'
The Spy seized the opening and reached for the Master's mask.
In that instant.
"Ahhh!"
The Terrak Master seized the Spy's fingers, snapped them, and in a heartbeat repositioned himself behind the Spy's back.
By the time the Spy regained awareness, his own dagger—stolen without him even noticing when—had already drawn across his throat.
'What... that reaction speed...!'
The Mercenaries froze solid as they watched the Spy collapse without landing a single proper counterattack.
The Mercenaries hadn't even subdued Terrak's subordinates yet, but in terms of sheer numbers, they held an overwhelming advantage.
But the moment they witnessed the Terrak Master's movements just now.
Without ever clashing directly, they instinctively grasped the truth.
Their own defeat.
The silence, thin as a sheet of ice, was shattered by the Terrak Master's cold voice, tinged with mockery.
"Has truly no one ever lived to see beyond this mask?"
He offered no answer, yet the Mercenaries instinctively knew the reply.
That answer lay dying coldly at their very feet.
"Curiosity is best abandoned at this point."
The Mercenary Captain finally understood.
The Terrak Master had long since identified the Spy and deliberately brought him before them.
A warning of sorts.
Should another Spy be planted and such schemes attempted again...
A warning to prepare for all-out war with Terrak.
Observing the Mercenaries with their mouths agape, he casually hurled the dagger aside and turned to leave.
One remaining subordinate followed in his wake.
After using teleportation to distance himself from that place, he located a hidden portal nearby.
As he closed his eyes once upon that portal and opened them again...
The desolate alley vanished, and before him stretched the interior of a dimly-toned Estate.
The Master accepted the towel offered by his waiting subordinate and wiped the blood from his leather gloves as he issued his command.
"Dispose of that wretch's remains as you see fit."
Dismissing his subordinates and entering the Bedroom, finally alone at last, I removed the mask I'd worn all this time.
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