Chapter 149 – The Hero Is Defeated
After the beautiful girl’s mask was neutralized by the storm, the plaza fell into silence.
Tens of thousands of people witnessed the merciless collapse of an existence that was thought to be a symbol of new hope.
I can’t help but be disappointed.
The cops rushed to arrest the fainting girl mask, but I had Vanessa, who had come down from the podium, carry it herself in case of an unexpected situation.
No matter how depleted mana is, first of all, an Aura Master.
It was because the average person could easily subdue and escape.
Vanessa, holding the mask of a fainting girl like a bag, looked at me.
It seemed like he was asking what to do, so I told him to wait a moment and then told Ozma on the podium.
“Ozma-sama, I’m sorry, but I think I’ll have to go first. I don’t think I can entrust the interrogation of an important thief to someone else. Please proceed with the execution ceremony as it is.”
“Sure. Patrasche. I’m in charge of this place.”
Since he received permission from Ozma, the highest person in this position, the only thing left to do is to quickly leave.
I made my way out with Vanessa through the cops who looked on in awe.
***
There is a vast dungeon in the basement of the government-general’s official residence, which was originally used as a royal palace.
It was so large that it was incomparably larger than the dungeons I had seen when I went to Devil’s Castle in the past.
In fact, prisons of this era are quite poor.
The disposal of urine and feces is ambiguous, but basically, it is because the food consumed by criminals is regarded as a waste.
So, unlike nobles who could get a generous ransom, common criminals and thieves often died of illness while serving in prison in unsanitary conditions.
“I feel bad whenever I come here.”
This was the evaluation of Vanessa, the former prison guard of the Devil’s Castle.
Since it was true, I readily agreed.
“It can’t be helped. We don’t usually clean here.”
When I said that and trembled, the soldier who was guiding the way in front smiled and said.
“Still, the facility is considerably better than before. Back then, sewage pipes often flowed backwards, so dirty water accumulated on the prison floor.”
“Ugh…”
Hearing that, Vanessa frowned and looked down at the floor.
It seems that it was quite a hurdle for a housekeeper who cleans the house neatly because he usually can’t stand dirty things.
Anyway, after listening to the explanation and walking around, it seems that I have come down to a fairly deep place in the dungeon.
“This is a torture chamber and private room for felons.”
The soldier opened the door while saying that.
However, all sorts of instruments of torture that can only be seen in movies were lined up, giving off a bloody atmosphere.
The soldier closed the door and went out.
“Since the soundproofing is thoroughly designed, no one will know what happened inside. I will be waiting outside, so please call me when you are finished.”
“Yes. Good job.”
After sending the soldiers out, I locked the door.
In the meantime, Vanessa, who had passed out on the bed in the center of the room, laid the mask of a fainting girl on him, and his hands and feet were shackled.
“Is this made of adamantium? Is the money rotting and overflowing?”
“It must be because it doesn’t break easily.”
As I said that, I shrugged his shoulders, and Vanessa said that too—and moved the pulley under the bed.
Gigg! Snuggle Geek! Gigg!
Along with the unpleasant sound of the mainspring winding, the angle of the horizontally placed bed slowly rises upward.
Eventually, after the bed was completely erected, it was moved toward the wall by rolling on wheels.
With this, all preparations for interrogation are complete.
I wanted to wake her up right away, but there was still something I had to check.
I passed out and put my hand on the drooping face of the beautiful girl’s mask.
Most of her face was covered by a black butterfly-shaped mask, but even looking at her slightly exposed lower half, I could tell that she was an incredibly beautiful woman.
I carefully admired the jewel-encrusted black butterfly mask, and then I ripped it off with my hands without hesitation.
Then, the straps holding the mask come loose, revealing the well-groomed features hidden underneath.
“…This.”
When an unexpected face popped up, I had no choice but to blurt out my words.
That would also be the case, because the true identity of the beautiful girl mask now tied in front of my eyes was Countess Sophia von Glorious, who was the protagonist of the party she had participated in the other day.
***
Countess Sophia von Glorious.
She made a pretty strong impression on me from her first meeting.
But he thought that he was just a fledgling newcomer to the social scene, just a passing chick.
However, the chick was actually not a chick, but a daebung (大鵬).
As I was panicking because a completely unexpected person had popped out, Vanessa, who was next to me, asked.
“What’s wrong? Kaldrash? Is this a familiar face?”
“Uh, a familiar face, the organizer of the party Ozma and I recently participated in.”
I heard from Agnes the other day that she was the adopted daughter of the former Earl of Glorious, who died in the One Week War.
Then, assuming that she was the same person as her, the behavior patterns that the beautiful girl mask had been showing so far began to make sense.
Instead of being a newspaper reporter by day and a phantom thief by night, she was a nobleman by day and a beautiful girl mask by night.
Somehow, no matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find any traces of the hero.
“How will we do it?”
“You have to wake up to interrogate.”
As I said that and nodded her head, Vanessa scooped a bowlful of water from a water jug in her corner and sprayed it on the fainting Countess Sophia Yeo.
Squash!
Just imagining the splash of water from an Auror Master hurts.
“…Ugh.”
Still, the effect was outstanding, so Sophia, who had fainted, opened her eyes with a small sigh.
“…This is it.”
She looked around her as if she hadn’t grasped the situation yet, but as soon as our eyes met hers, she twisted her body in amazement.
Chunk! Chunk!
However, no matter how much she is an Auror Master, she cannot crush adamantium, the hardest mineral in the world, with her bare hands.
“Kuk!”
Perhaps realizing that she couldn’t escape, Sophia bit her small lips and stopped her movement.
Now that she seems to have calmed down a bit, I approach her and ask.
“So, how do you feel now? Papillon Noir…Or should I call it Countess Sophia von Glorious?”
“…Kill him.”
With her stereotypical lines, she glared at me.
The innocent girl she had met at the party before was no longer visible.
She didn’t look like it was her acting, so maybe this is another side of her.
I waved her hand at her expressing her aggressive nature.
“Whoah, calm down. I’m not trying to harm you.”
“…”
But she still didn’t stop staring, and Vanessa stepped in as if she didn’t like the look.
“Stand back. Patrasche, if you show a sharp taste to a guy like this, he’ll become compliant on his own.”
I think I still had bad feelings because of the last incident, but it seems that I became more active because of that.
“Vanessa. Wait.”
But I stopped such Vanessa.
Then Vanessa, who was holding the torture instrument, hesitated and looked back.
“Why are you blocking me?”
“It’s not too late to use violence after talking a little more. Right now, if possible, I want to conciliate with words.”
Then Vanessa looked back and forth between me and her countess Sophia Yeo, and then she slumped her shoulders and backed away from her.
After saying thank you to Vanessa, I looked at Countess Sophia, who was still growling.
“I told you earlier in the square. I know one secret about you.”
“…Didn’t I tell you my true identity?”
“I’m sorry, but the identity you think of and the identity I think of must be a bit different?”
Saying that, I stood in front of Countess Sophia, who was unable to move.
“I know that you are a new hero who has appeared after the previous hero, Artorius. Sophia.”
Then Countess Sophia’s eyes widened.
“How did you know that…?”
It seems that my guess was correct.
Well, otherwise, this level of strength could not have suddenly appeared.
“It’s no fun knowing your secret one-sidedly, so I’ll tell you one of mine too.”
I said that and canceled the polymorph magic I always used outside.
“I’m the great mage, Kaldrash, who was in the same party as the former hero.”
