Mistaken for a Masked Monster - Chapter 205

WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 205: OZ (2)

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Eclipse.

In the original story, it was the event that opened the final arc.

An event that served as a bridge before the final battle against the Cult-New Kingdom Allied Forces.

'Things have changed a lot from the original story, though...'

According to the original plot, war should already have been in full swing across the continent.

The Human Ranch, Lunar Eclipse, Project Leviathan, Blue Night, and other tragic events.

It should have been a time when casualties from the Allied Forces' invasion lay scattered everywhere.

The Empire would finally draw its sword and declare war on the Allied Forces.

'But in reality, it hasn't reached the stage of war yet.'

I'd heard rumors that war was approaching, but no official declaration had been made yet.

That was because most of the tragic events from the story had been prevented in advance.

The casualties, which should have numbered in the millions by now, had been kept to only a few hundred.

As a result, the Empire had time to steadily prepare for war.

'In the original, Eclipse was an event that made the war even more of a mess...'

Eclipse.

If we failed to stop it, the world would be dyed in eternal night.

'The bad ending appeared with the message, "The sun loses its power, and primordial night descends"...'

Once my vision went pitch-black, the only sound in the background was that of people being slaughtered.

Then the run ended with the death of Ranne, the protagonist.

An event where failure led straight to a bad ending.

'The one I need to be most wary of... is Oz, after all.'

The Mage of Life, Oz (OZ).

He was the Cult's most dangerous member.

He oversaw countless projects, was a high-ranking black mage, and had taken the lead in planning this [Eclipse].

At the same time, he was Alice's creator.

'His goal this time is probably...'

A weapon.

He intended to summon a weapon the size of a small city into this world.

The fruit of a lifetime spent walking the path of magic, built up piece by piece.

A god's domain he had achieved by sacrificing millions.

'Project-Emerald City.'

Hell would manifest.

The city would gradually spread and consume its surroundings.

Oz's goal was to eventually swallow the entire world.

'I have to stop it.'

Even a brief manifestation could take tens of thousands of lives.

The only solution was to find and kill Oz's true body.

It had to be done before Eclipse appeared.

I idly rubbed the back of my neck as I spoke.

"......So that means it'll happen within a month at the latest."

[As far as this old man could tell, yes.]

"That's troubling. I knew it would happen sooner, but I didn't think things were moving this quickly..."

[Perhaps they're feeling the heat too. Their forces keep shrinking, and Blue Night, their trump card, failed spectacularly.]

A few words were exchanged through the crystal ball.

Lefil's voice came from the other side.

[I've organized and sent over the information I gathered. Besides what you requested, I collected everything I could find on projects that looked important.]

"I just checked it. I have to say, I'm a little surprised. I didn't expect you to compile this much information in such a short time."

[What do you take me for? I'm the kingdom's greatest sword. Of course I should be able to do this much.]

"Did anyone get suspicious while you were digging up all that information?"

[What an amateur thing to say.]

"I'm joking."

My newly hired informant was almost too competent.

We laughed it off, but at this rate, I wouldn't even need knowledge of the original story anymore.

'Not only did he cover everything I asked for, he compiled dozens of pages on each of the other projects too...'

Was this what it meant to be a royal tutor?

I couldn't help but be impressed.

[Oz... He's more insane than I imagined. I lost count of how many times I had to stop my expression from twisting during our conversation.]

"Then why not give him a good punch while you were at it?"

[May I?]

"Of course not."

[I was joking too.]

We traded a few short remarks.

As I looked through the report, several briefly mentioned lines caught my eye.

<Project-Unknown>

A research project that began with the byproduct of a failed project in the past. It was planned for the purpose of opposing [Censored], and after long-term research, it has been confirmed that the project successfully created a perfect replica of [Censored] [Censored] [Censored]. The following contents may only be viewed by the project manager and Level 0 executives. Under no circumstances may anyone other than the aforementioned personnel view them.

"This..."

After the short warning, dozens of pitch-black pages followed.

I had no way of knowing what they contained.

"Sir Lefil? This document..."

[If you're asking about that document, I don't know anything either. I didn't have viewing authorization, so I couldn't dig any deeper. It was categorized as a project on the verge of being discarded, but it had strangely heavy censorship for something like that, so I brought it along. I thought you might know something.]

"I don't know either. Still, this document is certainly strange."

[Be careful. Besides the projects on record, they may be plotting something else.]

"I agree. Oz is exactly the sort of person who would do that."

[Though monster might suit him better than person.]

"I agree with that as well."

That concluded our report session, along with a rather satisfying haul.

To prepare for any eventuality, I instructed Lefil to remain in the New Kingdom.

[Understood. I'll remain on standby.]

"Please do."

[Is Riel doing well?]

"Of course. Didn't I promise you? Your daughter is healthy. She's also safe under the protection of the Border Knight Order. I'll connect you by video call sometime."

[Thank you for being so considerate. Um, and...]

"And?"

[......]

"The princess is doing well too. She still suffers at night from the aftereffects of consuming human blood, but she's enduring it as steadfastly as one would expect of her. You don't need to worry."

[...I see. Thank you.]

His voice was complicated, layered with countless emotions.

The call ended after he left only those few words.

I sank into thought alone.

'Right... One month.'

My hand clenched around the back of my neck.

It seemed I would have to make the first move.

* * *

"L-Lord Viktor? Are you all right...?"

"Yes?"

"You've been spacing out for a while..."

"Ah, sorry. I got lost in thought for a moment."

A few days later, I sat in my dorm room with everyone gathered around me.

"What? How can the person explaining the operation be the one spacing out? Are you out of it or something?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Caitlin."

"Yeah. She's worried. Viktor looked bad, so she must've been concerned."

"W-what are you talking about?! Why are you butting in again? Didn't I tell you not to stand out?!"

"Yes, my lady. I know that too. Miss Caitlin is shyer than she looks."

"That's right. The top student of Class B is always like that."

"Grrr...! Stop ganging up on me!"

A file lay on the table in front of each of us.

I had reorganized and condensed the information Lefil sent me.

The group carefully read through it.

Just like during Blue Night, I had decided to borrow everyone's help.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this. But I couldn't see any way through it on my own..."

"Ah, shut up. Why's a grown man like you whining so much? Just say thank you and be done with it."

"Yeah. She said it harshly on purpose because she doesn't want Viktor to feel burdened."

"Of course. Miss Caitlin is kind."

"I told you to stop...?!"

"It's fine. The top student of Class B is weak anyway. Even if she gets angry, I'll win."

"Grrr! Come on, let's see which one of us dies, you monster bitch!"

Crackle-!

Caitlin grabbed Rin by the collar and shook her furiously.

Leaving the two to their little WWE match, I explained the operation while referring to the files.

"I'm thinking of moving with a small elite group, like last time. Since infiltration and stealth are the basics of this operation, I think this number is best. Of course, I've also prepared a support unit that can follow us in an emergency."

"Mm! Understood. Our target is this man named Oz, then."

"Was it during the school trip? We encountered him once. Viktor stopped him then as well."

"If it's the Mage of Life... he was infamous even when I was active. Countless fellow investigators lost their lives to him. We should be careful. Even I can't guarantee victory against him."

We intended to strike first before Eclipse arrived.

We would attack the base where Oz's true body was located.

"I promise you, no matter what happens, I'll protect all of you in there."

"I don't need protecting. On the contrary, I shall protect you, Viktor."

"Us too!"

The group eagerly took my hand.

I let out a small laugh.

For some reason, I felt especially reassured.

"Good."

I got to my feet.

The hand that had been rubbing the back of my neck now gripped my mask.

"The Cult... Let's go uproot the Cult."