Chapter 148: Mana Veil
Three weeks ago...
'I'm bored...'
Sitting in front of the mirror inside his bath, legs crossed and arms folded loosely over his chest while his half-naked body reflected clearly in the glass, Kael stared at himself with an expression filled with an almost sickening level of boredom that refused to fade no matter how long he looked.
'How can a man live like this? Tell me, how?'
His irritation was boiling quietly beneath the surface, more intense than anything he had felt in a long time, mixed with such unbearable boredom that the thought of charging straight into the Forest of Death just to search for the Silent River began to sound tempting rather than reckless.
Why would he not be furious in the first place?
For the past few weeks, he had been unable to do anything he wished, bound by a bracelet given to him by Arwyn which monitored every movement he made, making it impossible to act freely when one wrong step could reveal everything about him, so he could neither become the masked man nor could he practice the sword techniques he had been imagining day and night, and killing people was obviously out of the question as well.
As if all of that was not already unbearable, he was also completely restricted from bathing fully naked, which happened to be his most cherished personal habit, and the one who imposed this ridiculous rule was none other than his own wife.
"You are not allowed to bathe naked from now on, if you disobey me, I'll burn that thing of yours to ash with lightning, understood?"
That was exactly what she had said that night, spoken with a frightening calmness, when the two of them returned to the mansion while holding hands together, a moment that left behind an inexplicable warmth in his chest even as his heart started behaving in ways that felt entirely abnormal, almost as if it required serious treatment.
Truth be told, he desperately wanted to experience that strange comfort again so badly that it almost hurt, but he did not dare ask her, knowing full well that she would definitely kill him if he did, or at the very least come dangerously close to it.
That aside, how in the world had his wife found out about his habit of bathing completely naked?
'Don't tell me... is it possible that she peeked at me during my bath time?'
However, that didn't seem to be the case, considering he had already examined the wall separating their baths countless times, desperately searching for even the tiniest hole that could allow him to peek into her bath, purely for research purposes of course. Unfortunately, every attempt ended in absolute failure, forcing him to give up on his dream... at least for now.
Naturally, he had no intention of abandoning it forever, and he would make sure that dream came true someday, although he was not a pervert, so he would proceed slowly and with dignity... if he had any.
Still, one question remained.
Why would she forbid it so suddenly?
The answer was obvious when he thought about it carefully. Both Queen and Arwyn likely observed him from time to time using their own abilities, so there was a high chance that they might see something his wife had not yet witnessed. Judging by her ways of getting jealous over small things, she obviously could not allow anyone else to see him like that, could she?
Not a chance.
'Ah, what a sweet wife I have, caring about her husband even while thinking of him as her toy. So cute.'
...On another note, no matter how much he thought about reaching out to his sister-in-law to apologize for being rude to her, he never received any response after that day when she jokingly brought up the idea of defeating Queen. But whenever he tried, it felt as if his thoughts were never reaching her at all, or perhaps she was deliberately avoiding him, which only made him click his tongue in annoyance.
That brat truly had some nerve.
Still, there was also the possibility that something might have happened to her. Then again, she usually contacted him once every few months, so this silence was not entirely unusual, which meant there was probably no reason to worry.
So, he wasn't worried about her... definitely not at all.
'Damn it, Serelina. Just where the hell are you? I need you so badly, you know. You're the only one who can stop me from being mesmerised, after all.'
No answer came to his mind this time either.
He sighed in irritation.
'This isn't the end. I'm going to think of her every single day from now on. Let's see just how many days she can avoid me.'
...Lastly, there was the strange emptiness he had begun to feel recently, mainly because Arienne was no longer around for him to teach new things every day. Although he did not want to admit it out loud, guiding his cute little student had always been surprisingly enjoyable, to the point where he now found himself missing it.
To be honest, their meeting had been nothing more than a coincidence. Even after discovering her severe condition, despite knowing that he could easily save her, he had almost abandoned her there to die alone just to protect his identity. If his memories of that strange girl had not resurfaced at that critical moment, he would never have saved her at all.
What a cruel man he truly was.
The past, however, was already behind him, and somehow he had grown far more attached to her than he intended, perhaps because she reminded him of someone long forgotten or because she was cute, stubborn, and far too loud for her age. Either way, she had become someone precious to him without him even realizing it. He still wanted to teach her more magic, still wanted to buy her ice cream, still wanted to treat her to proper meals. And to do all of that, there was only one thing left to do.
He had to save her.
No, he was going to save her.
Of course, he would never be able to save her from that Archwitch by sitting here in boredom and wasting his time like this, instead, he needed to become stronger, strong enough to stand in front of her without being crushed by sheer presence alone. To gain that strength, he required real experience, or rather, he had to fight against monsters again and again, sharpening his skills through real combat and refining his spells until they became far more potent and impactful than they currently were. But, because of that bracelet wrapped tightly around his wrist, he was still unable to do any of that.
At this rate, he would never gain anything at all, instead, he would simply remain the same weak man he had been back then, stagnant and powerless despite all his foolish ambitions. When facing Queen again, he would be incapable of doing anything meaningful, he would merely get mesmerized by her once more, frozen in place, surviving only because his enemies allowed him to stay alive out of amusement or pity.
How pathetic would that scene be?
Was that really what he truly wanted for himself?
Was that really how he intended to take his vengeance from her?
'I'm done with this shit. I have to become stronger somehow, there's just no other choice left for me anymore. So, I have to do something about this damn bracelet first.'
---
Present time...
A few hours ago...
Time passed far more quickly than he had expected, and within those fleeting hours, he had finally managed to find something that could be used to deal with that bracelet, although it was still nowhere near enough to deceive Arwyn completely, but it would definitely help him, even if only slightly.
After countless observations made on the bracelet itself, examining every detail again and again, he eventually noticed something peculiar hidden within its structure.
Inside the bracelet, there was a tiny hole where what seemed to be a slim tendril had its root and tip woven together, glowing faintly in a green hue at irregular intervals. The glow itself appeared strange, sometimes uneven, sometimes completely absent, which led him to carefully observe it over a long period of time.
Through this, he reached a conclusion. Whenever Arwyn was observing him, that part of the tendril activated itself, beginning to glow and continuing to do so as long as her observation remained active. Moreover, the bracelet drew mana directly from the atmosphere to activate itself, functioning in the same manner as most high-grade artifacts.
'How peculiar!'
On the surface, simply knowing when she was observing him should not have been of any real use, since the bracelet activated instantly without any noticeable delay, at least that was what others would assume. However, to him, this information was far more valuable than it appeared.
Day after day, using that faint glow as a guide, he carefully recorded the times when Arwyn activated and deactivated the bracelet, essentially mapping out the times she chose to monitor his movements. By writing all those timings down and comparing them repeatedly, he was eventually able to reach a conclusion.
For some reason, Arwyn used the bracelet far less frequently than he had initially expected. She observed him mostly during nighttime, or more precisely, after his usual dinner was over, while her usage during the daytime was minimal, limited to occasional checks such as verifying his location every few hours. He understood that the masked man usually appeared at night, which explained why she chose that time to monitor him closely. That meant, during the daytime, he could do almost anything he wanted, as long as he remained cautious enough to account for her sudden arrival.
In the end, it seemed the bracelet existed primarily as an emergency measure. Arwyn appeared strangely reluctant to invade one's privacy too deeply… unlike someone else.
'Dammit! I was worried over nothing.'
Strangely enough, perhaps due to sheer luck, today happened to be the very day the guild announced a Dungeon Hunt quest, one aimed at subjugating the monsters lurking deep inside the dungeon.
Naturally, he intended to participate.
This was one of the most precious chances he had to grow stronger, and letting such an opportunity slip away would have been nothing short of foolish. However, if he participated as Kael, he would never even be allowed to join the quest, let alone fight monsters or gain the strength he sought. Even if he found a way to join, he would still be unable to fight on the frontline. Instead, he would be forced to watch them from afar, which he hated doing. Participating as the masked man was also impossible, since doing so would result in immediate imprisonment. That meant he needed a new identity, one that would allow him to join freely and fight alone without drawing unnecessary attention.
Fortunately, as an assassin, someone backed by a General… or whatever that old man was supposed to be, he possessed a collection of identities prepared for situations like this, so that part would not be an issue. Changing his appearance was also simple, especially altering his height and body structure, which was almost effortless for him. The only real issue lay with his face. Whose face was he supposed to take?
He could shape his facial features into almost anything he desired, yet to do so safely, he required a base structure, something he could not create from nothing, since the risks involved were far too great. That meant he needed to borrow someone else's face. But whose?
'Who should I copy? I need someone either dead, missing, or completely unknown so that I look less suspicious to others. Do I even know someone like that? Wait… dead and unknown? Why not try his then?'
Tilting his head slightly, he stared at his own reflection in the mirror, a cold smile slowly forming on his lips.
'Mr. Handsome's?'
That face seemed to fit his new identity perfectly, since within Velhart he was both unknown and already considered dead. Even the knight orders themselves appeared to have no clear idea of who he was, because if they truly knew, then they would have put a notice within the guild about a missing person with black hair and crimson eyes. Besides, Seraphina also confirmed that she knew a little about him as well.
Because of that, he was indeed the perfect choice, though not only because he was unknown or particularly handsome, but also because it belonged to a body he could remember thoroughly. In fact, his understanding of that body went far deeper than simple appearance, extending to how every part of it felt to him, even when those memories existed only within a vision.
To imitate a body properly, he required a deep and precise understanding of the form he intended to copy, otherwise the body, the figure, the muscles, or certain specific parts would inevitably end up uneven, just like his current one. Even Seraphina seemed to have noticed those slight irregularities when she inspected his body during his first day of training.
His original body had been kind of muscular and had belonged to the masked man, so Kael's current form was merely a lean version of his true self. Truth be told, that was precisely why he had made that bet with Seraphina about developing a six-pack, since he had always known he would win from the very beginning, because his true body had always possessed one. Although he never felt particularly proud of it, as that physique had been forged through countless battles rather than vanity.
Taking a slow breath, he stood up inside the bath while his body remained half-naked, and as he looked down at his own abdomen, he found the sight strangely amusing, since the tattoo there appeared slightly uneven now. Still, it was clear that the month of training had paid off to some extent, because even his false body had begun to form defined abs, which was hardly surprising, since it was his original body at its core and the muscles were simply returning to their natural state.
'Not bad.'
This was what his strange element was truly capable of. It could alter not only his height or face, but also every part of his muscles and bones altogether, although several restrictions naturally accompanied it.
For example, if he tried to make one arm broader or more muscular than the other, it would never work, because his body lacked the capacity to sustain such imbalance. The same limitation applied if he tried to possess broad shoulders or the proportions of a mere child, and he could not make himself taller than the masked man either.
If someone were to ask whether he could change himself into a girl, then yes, he technically could, though only through facial muscles and nothing more.
These were his limits, the reasons behind them remaining nothing more than speculation, since even he did not understand why this element behaved in such a strange manner. Could it be called an element at this point, though?
'I'm not even sure myself.'
Regardless, the reason he so rarely used a new body or identity was due to the numerous disadvantages that came with it.
First, because it interfered directly with muscles and bones, a lack of proper understanding of how the body should look, or any severe unevenness in its structure, not to mention interruption during activation, carried a high risk of broken or warped bones, and there was even a possibility of blood loss. To make matters even worse, no kind of healing magic would work on any inside or outside injuries caused by this element, which was rather troublesome.
Second, as the difference between his original body and the imitated one increased in every aspect, his stamina, agility, and even his senses became progressively duller.
That was precisely why he struggled so severely against an A-Ranked monster like Hollow-Tongue while managing to battle an S-Ranked mage with relative ease. Kael's current body was lean and short, while his original one was tall and heavily built, and that massive difference weakened him by nearly half compared to his true self. Even his eyesight became too slow to track the Hollow-Tongue's movements properly.
At that time, he had no opportunity to revert his body to its original state, and even if he attempted it, the monster would have disrupted him midway, which could have resulted in serious injury caused by his own ability. If luck had not favored him, and if that monster had not swallowed the orb, then he might have truly died in a most pathetic way.
However, the second disadvantage also helped him hide his true strength as of now, since even if he wanted to, without using his element he would never be able to show his true strength.
In any case, he did not have to worry about those disadvantages anymore, since he already had a much better understanding of both Mr. Handsome's body as well as his face, so there was hardly any chance that something could go wrong.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly closed his eyes and imagined Mr. Handsome's body shape as perfectly as he could remember, then he looked at the mirror, or rather, into his own cold eyes reflected within it, as a single thought echoed quietly in his mind.
'Mana Veil.'
His heart skipped a bit.
Soon, he noticed how his usually dim gray eyes began to gleam faintly, after which flames of darkness emerged from nowhere and danced deep within them.
At the same time, wisps of dark shadows rose from beneath his feet, slow at first, then rapidly increasing until the smoke wrapped around his legs and gradually covered his entire body, outlining itself perfectly along his figure as if embracing it.
Those dark shadows soon began to howl softly, swirling around him like a violent yet strangely harmonious whirlwind, their movements perfectly synchronized as if responding to his will alone.
Before long, he could not see anything at all.
Then, a strange kind of pain erupted.
At that moment, he felt as though his muscles were twisting in on themselves while his bones seemed close to breaking apart, his entire body giving him the sensation that it might collapse completely at any second, even though the pain itself was neither truly harrowing nor easy to endure, lingering somewhere in between those extremes. If he had not been experienced enough by now, he might have moved his muscles instinctively, though that would also mean harming himself through his own ability.
Time passed slowly, painfully so, yet it continued nonetheless, and eventually everything came to an end, the pain fading away as the locks of dark mist dissolved into nothingness and revealed his new body.
'Finally.'
There, within his reflection, his once heart-shaped face had shifted into an oval shape with a sharp, angular jaw, while his previously lean body had transformed into a muscular one with proportions that felt almost ideal for a man, neither overly broad nor lacking presence. He had also grown significantly taller than before, though surprisingly his new body still matched the exact height of his original self, at least from what he could tell.
'What a strange coincidence.'
His eyes had turned sharp and narrow, framed by long eyelashes, yet unlike Mr. Handsome's, there was nothing mesmerizing about them at all, as they were instead cold, brutally so, almost ruthless in their gray hue. His skin had taken on a light-brown tone as well. Overall, he no longer looked average, though he could not be called handsome either, settling somewhere between the two. Despite that, he found himself rather satisfied with the result.
'That's good! Exactly as planned. Now, let's check this new body.'
He clenched his hand into a fist and threw several punches into the air, then several kicks, then both in a single harmony, then paused when he felt something strange about himself, prompting him to channel mana through his body and form a punch made purely out of wind, even though he could not visibly see it.
An excited smile spread across his face.
'Jackpot!'
That body felt strangely comforting, and beyond that, it moved more easily than his original one, with his stamina showing a noticeable increase, the same being true for his eyesight, even though he could not accurately measure it yet. There was also a clear improvement in his physical strength, and his mana now circulated at a much faster pace than ever before.
'It is strange.'
But what else could he have expected?
Had his demands truly become that modest?
This body was meant to belong to someone who had fought demons simply to survive, so it was only natural that both strength and mana circulation would be fundamentally different. A body like this should have been the result of years of accumulated experience, but he had obtained it simply by exploiting his own ability.
'Guess my childhood dream has come true, since I'm acting like those cheater main characters who gain strength without effort. Not that I'm a main character, though. Cheater or not, who cares, really?'
Tilting his head slightly, he ran his fingers through his messy brown hair, a genuine smile forming naturally on his lips.
Lately, his wife had become strangely obsessed with his hair, to the point where it felt as though she might have married it instead of him if that were possible. He felt conflicted about it, wondering how his messy hair managed to receive more attention than his average face. Or perhaps she simply enjoyed petting him, treating him the same way one would treat a toy. Though, toy or not… he was definitely going to crack her one day.
'I mean, her cold facade, of course.'
He inhaled softly.
'Anyway, I need to do something about this hair as well. I think… I might have something that could help me change its color.'
Setting the mirror aside, Kael slid his hand through the wall and retrieved a black shirt along with a pair of black pants, wearing them swiftly before looking at his reflection once more. He looked good in this outfit, yet a deep frown still formed on his face.
'I think it's not enough… there seems to be something missing. But what? Oh, yes, I think I need to buy glasses to hide these eyes. If my wife sees them, who knows if she will realize with her sharp instinct that those eyes are mine. Then it's over for me.'
Bending down slightly, he picked up the bracelet lying on the floor, and a strange expression appeared on his face as realization slowly sank in.
'Oh, crap! I don't have enough time to buy glasses now. I have to participate in the Dungeon Hunt before she checks on me again.'
He wore the bracelet, adjusted his posture, and looked into the mirror once more.
'Besides, what should I call myself now? What about…'
Covering half of his face, he formed a cold smile.
'…Mr. Shameless?'
---
Some time later, Arwyn tossed a black bag toward her friend standing in front of her and let out a soft chuckle as she spoke, "Before giving him the gift... please make sure to wear this."
Catching the bag, Seraphina frowned slightly as suspicion crept into her eyes, "What is it?"
Arwyn waved her hand dismissively with a mischievous smile, "Didn't I tell you I'd show you the proper way to give him a gift he'll never forget? This is essential if you want that result, so take a good look first."
Tilting her head, Seraphina opened the bag and pulled out a dress that was black and white in color, its design immediately striking her as unusual, prompting her to unfold it completely.
Her expression changed in an instant as her fists clenched tightly, murderous intent flashing in her eyes while she fixed Arwyn with a chilling glare and spoke in a voice colder than ice.
"You witch? You... you want me to wear a maid outfit."
---
(Chapter Ended)