Etude of the Mischievous Mask | Chapter 7

[healingbonds]

Chapter 6 << | index | >> Chapter 8


Chloe: Can I try talking to you?

Murr: Sure thing. But words are powerful, so if you use words to search for the answer, they will distract you.

Chloe: Eeh!? Hmm....

Shylock: Hey, try using magic to search for the answer. Oh, I messed up. Perhaps using magic might be a good idea.

Rustica: Now that feels a bit deliberate, Shylock.

Murr: See! Was that a hint or a trick? Who's the kind of person who might drop a hint? You begin to ask all these unnecessary questions!

Rustica: Ah, you're already thinking really hard. What a bad boy you are, Chloe. I need to punish you so that you'll cry out loud in pain.

Murr: Nice! I love punishment!

Shylock: You do?

Chloe: Now I'm getting even more confused....

Shylock: Chloe. Would you still like to ask us some questions?

Chloe: No, I'm fine! I'll just get confused! I’ll search using magic, not words. What’s unnatural becomes even more unnatural, right?

Chloe: << Suispicibo Voitengok >>

Chloe utters his spell. I didn’t notice anything, but Chloe gazes closely at Shylock.

Chloe: Your smell....

Akira: Smell....?

Chloe: He smells like wine. But it’s a little strange....

Chloe approaches Shylock. He brings his nose close to the smiling Shylock’s chest and begins to sniff.
Looking up at Shylock, he breaks out into a smile.

Chloe: Rustica! You're Rustica, right! You smell like Rustica! Like tea and the sun; it's Rustica’s scent!

Shylock smiles gently and hugs Chloe close.
In the next moment, he’s turned back into Rustica.

Rustica: You're correct! Well done, Chloe!

Chloe: Yay!

Before I know it, Murr and Rustica have turned back into Shylock and Murr.

Shylock: Congratulations, Chloe. I’m sorry, Rustica. You see, I don't really smell like alcohol in the afternoon.

Murr: You were probably a little too conscious of the fact, and it ended up smelling too strong! How was my Rustica? Did I pull it off?

Chloe: I couldn't tell at all! But in retrospect, you did seem like Murr. Your eyes were a little too sharp here and there.
Shylock's Murr was also a little too kind and formal! Like, the atmosphere surrounding him was!

Shylock: Oh my. I see that my unconcealable goodness just seeped through.

Murr: I don't actually like punishment~! Pet me~!

Shylock: Fufu. There, there.

Akira: I'm glad you figured it out, Chloe!

Chloe: Yeah! I’ll learn lots of new magic just like this, so I can become a wizard who will be useful to you, Sir Sage!

Akira: Yes! I’m looking forward to it!

(Door opens)

The door to the classroom opens.

Cock Robin: Sir Sage, are you here? Ah, the Western wizards are all here. Great timing!

Akira: Hello, Mr. Cock Robin. What do you mean, great timing...?

Cock Robin: Because you went through the papers earlier today, Sir Sage, I was able to pull together a job request for the Western wizards.
I’ll explain the details later, but could you begin preparations right away? There isn’t much time till the masquerade ball for the first job begins.....

Chloe: Masquerade ball? We’re going to a masquerade ball?

Cock Robin: Yes, along with the Southern wizards. Mr. Chloe, may I ask you to prepare outfits to sneak into the masquerade ball....?

Chloe: ...Yes, of course! I’m glad we’re going with the Southern wizards! I’m really pumped; I’ll do my best!

Cock Robin: Thank you!

✦✧☾✧✦

The next day, the Western wizards and Southern wizards gather in front of the magic headquarters’ elevator, donning their new outfits.



Rutile: Thank you, Chloe! I've never worn something this fashionable! It's lovely; I feel like I've become a brand new me!

Chloe: Thanks! You look great, Rutile — and so does everyone else!

Figaro: For many of the younger wizards, this will be your first job. Shylock and I will be here as support.

Shylock: So please work together to solve the unusual mystery that lies ahead.

Mitile: Yes! I’ll do my best!

Lennox: So what exactly is this job?

Cock Robin: The client is Sir Partle, the master of Daydream Castle which lies near the Western border of Central Country. It’s an incident involving a mask in his collection....

Akira: A mask...?

Cock Robin: Yes. In Western Country, there is a tradition of wearing masks during informal parties so that everyone can enjoy the night regardless of rank or status.
Sir Partle’s ancestors were able to prevent an all-out war and make peace back when there was a dispute along the border between Western Country and Central Country...
They held a grand masquerade ball to celebrate the treaty between the two nations, where a Western Country general gifted a memorial mask to Sir Partle’s ancestors.
But the mask disappeared on the day the < Great Catastrophe > approached... And instead, a mysterious figure wearing a mask began to wander the castle.

Chloe: A mysterious figure....

Cock Robin: Yes. Apparently, from the back, they look identical to the people living in the castle, and when you speak to them, they disappear without leaving a trace....
It seems they’re impersonating castle residents and asking others to dance with them.
There are now rumors that it is a grim reaper, and that if it invites you to a dance of death, your soul will be sucked away....
The residents would like to dispose of the mask altogether, but they’re afraid it will cause a diplomatic dispute with Western Country, so they haven’t been able to.

Akira: Grim reaper... There are grim reapers in this world as well?

Chapter 6 << | index | >> Chapter 8