026 Unwanted Visitors

The House Fanscent mansion sat isolated, a lonely dot deep within the mountain suburbs.

The grounds were vast and surrounded by peaks on all sides; any visitor would undoubtedly require a carriage to reach us. Because of that seclusion, Father was often away from home. There was only one reason he refused to let go of the estate despite its total lack of convenience: my late mother had loved this land.

He never said it out loud, but I—or rather, the original Weiss—understood.

Once spring passed, the roses would bloom beautifully. I was already looking forward to seeing them. Zebis was usually the one tending to the flowers, and just watching him work always made me feel a strange sense of peace.

But getting back to the point, people rarely visited a mansion like this. Unannounced visitors were especially rare.

I woke up the moment I sensed a faint trace of mana. Even without activating [Dark Eye], my dual affinity for light and dark magic allowed me to sense human malice with skin-crawling intensity. It felt like needles pricking my bare skin.

I slipped out of bed, moving carefully so as not to wake the soundly sleeping Cynthia, and stepped out into the hallway. To my surprise, Zebis was already there, standing in wait. Teacher Milk had been making him drink like a fish at the party, yet his complexion looked perfectly normal.

Well, I suppose there's no point in pointing that out right now.

"Zebis," I whispered.

"Master Weiss, you noticed as well?"

"Twelve of them. Their mana is faint; they're suppressing it on purpose."

Zebis’s eyes widened at my words.

"What is it?" I asked.

"No, it is just... I knew there were more than ten, but I could not discern the exact number. Might I ask how you knew? For my future reference, of course."

"I just felt it. I don't have a better answer than that. More importantly, where is Father?"

"I see... Teacher Milk is already on standby in front of Lord Agate's room. He seemed quite exhausted, so he is likely still asleep."

"Right. Then we don't need to worry about him."

Even though the probability of a mysterious raid was skyrocketing, Zebis’s tone was as casual as ever. To him, this might as well have been a mid-afternoon tea break. A former Knight Commander really does have nerves of steel.

Just then, Lilith arrived, looking panicked.

"I am so sorry... I was late in noticing them."

"Don't worry about it. You probably haven't slept off the alcohol yet. Lilith, stay by Cynthia’s side. She was the one who welcomed me most warmly yesterday."

Cynthia had pushed herself to drink unfamiliar wine just to celebrate my birthday. She had handled everything—the decorations, contacting Teacher Milk, even arranging Father’s carriage. I didn't know who these attackers were, but I wanted her to sleep through the whole thing.

"Understood," Lilith said, her expression hardening. "In that case, I will protect Lady Cynthia even at the cost of my life."

"I'm counting on you. A mansion this big is a real pain at times like this. There are way too many entry points."

Lilith quickly ducked into the room and ran to Cynthia’s side. That left just me and Zebis.

"In that case, I shall take the east side," Zebis said. "Milk is on the north, so that should be secure. As for the west—"

"I'll go there. I'll see you later."

"Master Weiss, wait! Where are you going?! We should be the ones taking the dangerous roles—"

"Don't be stupid. I'm just following my master's teachings."

---

The backyard was silent, save for the low whistle of the night wind. Two men were crouched in the shadows.

"Man, what a beautiful sky. Maybe when I retire, I'll build a big-ass mansion in the sticks like this and live the slow life."

"Shut up. The job isn't done yet."

"My bad, my bad. But you gotta have job satisfaction, right? The last noble brat I slaughtered was crying while pulling gold coins out of his pockets. I hope this one’s at least that entertaining."

"...Keep your mouth shut. I acknowledge your skill, [Black Wolf], but your tendency to get careless is your greatest flaw. Thirty seconds."

"Haha, thanks. Alright, time to actually get motivated—"

You want job satisfaction? Then go fight the Great King Enma in the afterlife.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

A scream tore through the dark night.

Tch. His defensive resistance was higher than I expected. I had intended to take his head in one clean swipe, but I had only managed to sever his carotid artery.

"I-It hurts... Wh-What the hell?! Hey, HEY! Help me! The blood—the blood won't stop!"

"......"

Oh? He can stay calm even while his partner is gurgling to death right next to him?

This one was a seasoned pro. I didn't know who they were, but they had come all the way to the countryside with mana absolutely drenched in malice. They couldn't exactly complain about getting killed, could they?

"...Are you Weiss Fanscent?" the man asked.

Hmm. The fact that he knows my name means they didn't just wander in here by mistake. There’s a mastermind behind this.

"Yeah, that's right. And you?"

Perhaps sensing the mana overflowing from my body, the man leveled his sword and began to gauge the distance between us. Beside him, the man whose throat I’d opened finally collapsed to his knees. He was approaching the end, making pathetic, wheezing sounds with every breath.

He was dying. He was actually going to die.

The moment I realized that, a smile spread across my face. I felt a surge of genuine joy and amusement. A person’s life could be snuffed out so easily—and I didn't even know his name.

Hey, original Weiss... this counts as self-defense, right?

Suddenly, something enveloped the mansion. I felt a jarring sensation, as if the strength was being drained from my limbs.

Is this... mana interference?

There hadn't been anything like this in the original game. To think a tool like this actually exists in this world...

"...I know it's cowardly, but a job is a job," the man said.

He leveled his sword at me. In the next instant, the blade surged with mana. The pressure was intense—one hit would be fatal. Looking closer, I saw he was wearing gloves engraved with [Magic Marks]. Somehow, his hands were still channeling power.

I see. So it's a field that only lets the user cast magic. Between this and the layers of traps, this clearly wasn't their first rodeo.

Naturally, if you can't knead mana, you can't use magic. But it went deeper than that. The passive physical defense provided by mana dropped significantly, and high-speed movement became impossible. In short, my combat power had been gutted.

But—

I let the [Whip] wound around my left arm like a snake slide down to the grass.

"—So? What of it?"

"Don't act tough, you noble brat!"

Before the man could even take a step, I closed the distance. Without giving him time to blink, I lashed out, binding his limbs with the cord.

[Challenge Play]. It’s a garbage skill, but it felt right at home in my hands.

Haha. I could have done something way more interesting if I still had my magic.

With the man immobilized, I didn't hesitate. I systematically cut off both of his hands, one after the other.

A few dozen minutes later, I noticed the mana interference suddenly vanish. I was curious about the mechanics behind it, but that could wait.

"Hey. You still alive?"

"Ugh... gaah... haaa..."

"Good enough."

I dragged the man behind me like a sack of grain as I headed back into the mansion. Zebis, Teacher Milk, and Lilith were already standing in the hallway. A small mountain of men lay scattered across the floor. I guess I’d found the rest of them.

The hallway was covered in blood—no, it was splattered with things I shouldn't put into words. Not even a groan escaped the pile. They were either dead or very close to it.

Lilith noticed me and ran over. "Master Weiss! You're safe!"

"Yeah. I managed to take this one alive."

"Teacher Milk handled most of the ones over here," Lilith explained. "She went a little too far, and they all died... wait, is that... the boneless ha—I mean, the rope from before?"

"Ah, yeah. Something like that."

I glanced at Teacher Milk. She was drenched from head to toe in spray. It looked like she was wearing a suit of bright red clothes. She probably used this as an excuse to test out a new technique. She was always complaining about wanting some "fresh meat" to practice on.

Well, I can't judge. I did the same thing.

Milk turned her gaze toward me. "Weiss. Is that one alive?"

"For now."

"Good work. Give him here."

I threw the man at her. Having no hands, he couldn't break his fall and went tumbling across the floor. When he finally looked up, he was staring into Milk's eyes. She reached down, grabbed him by the hair, and hauled him up.

She's heartless. Again, not that I can talk.

"Who's the client?" she asked.

"......"

The next moment, without a single word of warning, Milk drove her index finger into the man’s right eye and gouged it out.

"っっっっ――っっっ! GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! AGGGH! AAAAAAAAGHHHHHH!"

It was a scream unlike anything I’d ever heard—a shriek so violent I thought his vocal cords would snap. Yet, as they watched, Zebis and Lilith didn't even flinch.

"The client. Who is it?"

"Gugh... hah... hah... I won't... say a word..."

"I see."

Just as Milk was about to go for the other eye, Father suddenly appeared. He stared at the absolute carnage decorating his hallway, his mouth falling open.

"Wh-What in the world is thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis?!"

...Hm? Oh, wait. That’s actually the normal reaction.

Crap. I think I've been spending too much time around these people. I’m losing my sense of reality.

As it turned out, my father possessed a much more normal set of sensibilities than I expected. I hadn't realized that until now. He began hopping toward me, skipping over the gore like a cat avoiding puddles. Before I could ask what he was doing, he pulled me—Weiss—into a crushing hug.

"Weiss! Are you okay?! Are you hurt?!"

"—Uh, n-no. I'm fine."

"Thank goodness... if anything had happened to you... I would have... truly... oh, thank God..."

Father actually started crying.

Ah... I really am loved, aren't I? Weiss, I finally understand why you only cared about your father. I’m starting to like him, too.

Father wiped his eyes and turned toward the man Milk was torturing.

"Leave the rest to me."

His expression shifted into something truly terrifying. Yep, definitely my father. He was clearly going to beat the mastermind's name out of him.

Agate Fansent. Let's see what he can do.

"I... I'm not... talking—"

"You little bastard! You've got some nerve, putting my son in danger! Take this! And this!"

Suddenly, Father started kicking the man. Specifically, he was stomping on the fresh stumps where the man's hands used to be. Ouch. That’s gotta hurt.

"S-Stop... Gugh...!"

"Ora-ora! How's that?! And that!"

"Stop... please stop... Aagh! Stop! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! AAAAAAAAAAGHHH!"

"What was that, you piece of crap?! Speak up!"

The man who had acted like a tough guy even after losing an eye was now sobbing in agony. Just a second ago, he looked like he’d take his secrets to the grave...

"What the hell were you thinking, touching my precious son, you moron?! You think this is a joke?! I'll shave you down to the elbows next, you hear me?!"

Father was relentlessly attacking the man's literal weak points. Zebis, Milk, and Lilith watched the display without changing their expressions.

Seriously? Not even a little bit? Someone react!

"You damn idiot! To my son! What were you thinking?! And look at the walls! They're covered in blood! I just had this wallpaper redone! THE WALLS! MY WALLS!!!"

...Well. I guess I like this version of Father, too.