Chapter 258: Find the Traitor (2)
The next day, before carrying out the ambush, I prepared a disguise to conceal my face. Even if I wore a mask, there was the risk that it could come off in the middle of a fight. Since I had already come face-to-face with Khalid once in the meeting room, it felt safer to put on a disguise to prepare for any worst-case scenario.
If only I had a proper disguise artifact like Yurina’s pendant, one that could alter not just appearance but even body structure, I wouldn’t have to go through the hassle of a disguise at all. But I couldn’t just magically get my hands on a disguise artifact made by the Great Sage. Therefore, the place I went to for help was the home of someone very good at disguising himself.
When I knocked at the door, a voice came from inside. “Oh, come in, Dale!”
The door opened to reveal Jules. Jules was a close friend, who, despite appearances, possessed the “manliest” hobby only a man could have.
“Long time no see. Have you been well?” I said.
Jules waved at me with a shy smile. “Y-yeah! It’s been a while!”
Please don’t do that with that expression, I said internally.
“There’s still some time left before the break ends. Why did you come back early?” I asked.
Jules’s eyes sparkled. He practically snorted with excitement. “There’s a huge festival coming up in Valhalla City soon!”
“A festival? I don’t think I’ve heard anything about it.”
“Ah, I guess you wouldn’t know, Dale. The most famous crossdressing cafe in Valhalla City is hosting a crossdressing contest, and they’re accepting general participants!”
“What? What the hell is that?”
A crossdressing café? A crossdressing contest? A vague, abyssal fear ran through my body, as if I had glimpsed the depths of hell itself.
“For reference, the contest is called the ‘FeFa’ Contest,” Jules explained.
“What does that mean?”
“It stands for Femme-fatale because—”
I interrupted him before he could go on. “No, stop. I’m good.”
I don’t want to know. Don’t tell me. Please.
Jules continued, “I was too embarrassed to participate in it up until last year, but this year, I really want to try.”
“Ah. Right, I see.”
Yeah, good luck, my friend.
“It’s all thanks to you, Dale.”
“What?”
“You remember when you dressed up to catch that suspicious guy in the slums? After that, I found the courage to face my true self.”
“Uh, yeah.”
“So, the reason I was able to decide to participate in this contest is all thanks to meeting you, Dale!”
Hearing my friend say he found the courage to enter a “Femme-fatale” contest because he met me was seriously messing with my head. Stop it, you bastard.
“If you’re interested, want to come watch too, Dale?”
“No, no. I’ve got something else I need to take care of.”
“Really? That’s too bad.”
What exactly is too bad about that?
“Well, I hope you get a good result,” I genuinely said.
“Hehe. Yeah! For your sake too, Dale, I’ll definitely win the ‘FeFa’ contest!”
Please don’t say for my sake. For a moment, an image flashed through my mind: Jules fully cross-dressed, hugging a winner’s trophy, beaming and shouting, “It’s all thanks to Dale!”
“But anyway, where were you during break, Dale?”
“Huh? Me?” I shook my head urgently, erasing the horrifying mental image. “I just stayed at the academy.”
“Huh? You didn’t go back home? Why, ah.” Only then did Jules seem to remember that I had grown up in an orphanage, letting out a quiet exclamation. “S-sorry. That was thoughtless of me.”
“It’s fine, idiot. I don’t really care.”
In my previous life, growing up without even knowing my parents’ names had left me with an inferiority complex and deep insecurity. But now, I didn’t really feel anything about it. It was because I had found my real family. There was an old saying in the Republic that blood was thicker than water, but as I went through life, I realized that blood could sometimes be thinner than water itself.
Jules looked at me. “So, what did you want to ask me for?”
“I want you to do my makeup.”
“Makeup? Ah!” His face lit up instantly, his eyes sparkling like stars. “D-Dale, are you interested in crossdressing now too?”
“No. Not crossdressing, just makeup. I want you to make it hard for people to recognize my face.”
“Oh!”
Why do you sound disappointed?
“So, basically, you want special effects makeup, something that makes it impossible for anyone to tell it’s you?”
“Yeah.”
Jules nodded. “Got it. I’ll give it a try.”
He dragged me into his room. Inside were wigs, clothes, and cosmetics for crossdressing piled everywhere. It was impressive. I knew he was serious about crossdressing, but seeing all his tools laid out like this was mildly overwhelming.
He pointed to a chair set up in front of a large mirror. “Okay, sit here, Dale.”
“Mm.” Sitting in that chair made it feel like I had walked into a salon.
“What kind of style do you want?” he asked.
“As long as people can’t tell it’s me.”
“Hmm. Then should I go for a more handsome look?”
“What did you just say, you bastard?”
Are you saying being handsome makes me unrecognizable?
“N-no! That’s not what I mean! Um, like, you know, a refined nobleman vibe!”
“Jules, stop.”
You don’t need to console me. Yeah. Come to think of it, Iris once told me I looked like a weed.
Jules stomped, looking close to tears. “That’s not it, I swear!”
I thought that was enough teasing and replied, “I’m counting on you.”
“Haaah. Okay, leave it to me.”
Jules brought over a set of cosmetics and began working in earnest. For the next hour, he repeatedly spread, dabbed, and applied various things to my face.
Finally, he said, “All done, Dale!”
I had kept my eyes closed the whole time to avoid getting makeup in them. When I slowly opened them, reflected in the large mirror was someone unrecognizable—a black-haired nobleman. Judging by appearances alone, he looked exactly like the third-generation heir of some Republic conglomerate.
“Whoa!” I exclaimed.
“Well? What do you think?”
“Honestly, I can’t even tell it’s me. Isn’t this more than enough?”
I stood up and stepped closer to the mirror. The image was so close to perfect that it genuinely made me think that this was how much makeup could change a person. With the black wig on, even I found it difficult to recognize my face.
Jules broke into a broad smile, clearly satisfied with the finished result even by his own standards. “Hehe. I’m glad.”
As a final check, he stepped in close and silently examined my face. “Hm.”
“What?”
“H-huh? Ah, n-no, it’s nothing.”
What is it? Why are you getting flustered?
“I-I mean, um, just seeing you like this, Dale, you’re kind of, um, handsome.”
“You know, saying that to someone who literally just said they can’t even recognize themselves doesn’t sound like a compliment. It sounds like mockery.”
Jules shook his head frantically, flailing in panic. “T-that’s not what I meant!”
Well, fine. Let’s take it in a positive light. If the person looks decent, makeup can bring out the best in him.
“Oh, right. Do you have a mask or something?” I asked.
“I do, but if you’re wearing a mask, doesn’t that defeat the point of the makeup?”
“The makeup’s just in case something goes wrong.”
Even if Khalid was the Last Seat Master, I was still planning to ambush a Master. The risk of a mask coming off mid-fight was something I had to account for.
Jules handed me a white half-mask, the kind one would wear to a masquerade ball. “Here.”
“Thanks.” I took the white half-mask and turned away. “Alright, then. I’ve got something to take care of, so, uh, you know. Good luck in the contest.”
“Yeah! I’ll definitely win and claim the title of Femme of the Year!”
Uh, sure. Do your best!
* * *
Now that the disguise was done, all that was left was carrying out the deed—it was time to ambush Khalid. I headed for Valhalla City to find him. Camellia had already tipped me off about where he would be, so I went straight to a tavern inside the city.
Inside the tavern, I spotted Khalid, drinking heavily amid a crowd of drunkards.
“Uahahaha! Let’s drink till we drop today!”
“Oooooh! You’re a generous old man!”
“Oh? Who are you calling an old man, you little punk?”
At this moment, he didn’t seem like a Master at all, just a plain old drunk. The others, clearly unaware that he was one of the mere five Masters on the continent, laughed and drank with him without a care in the world. I sat in a corner of the tavern, waiting for the drinking to finally end.
I was scowling as Khalid continued drinking nonstop well past midnight, into the early morning hours, when someone approached him. The man said, “E-Excuse me, sir. We’re closing.”
“Hm? I haven’t even been drinking that long, and you’re already closing?” Khalid replied.
“W-well, our shop closes at 2 a.m.”
“Tsk. Fine, fine. Ah, this drink’s not finished yet, so I’ll take it with me.”
Clicking his tongue, Khalid stood up and headed for the counter. At least he was sober enough to pay. He was indeed a Master. Despite drinking nonstop for over six hours, he seemed relatively clear-headed. However, after stepping out of the tavern, he belted out a song and staggered down the empty streets of dawn, clearly enjoying himself.
“♪ I love you~, I love you, erase all the words of this world!”
No, is he really okay?
“♪ Leave just this one word behind~ Wooouuhhh~!”
After wandering through narrow alleyways, he suddenly stopped. He braced himself against a wall and let his head droop. Opening his mouth, he shoved a hand down his throat and violently threw up.
Following him in secret, I stared at him retching, with a completely dumbfounded expression. Was this really a Master? I mean, this was the perfect moment to ambush him. But watching him gag and vomit made a sigh escape from deep within my chest. Still, in the end, work was work. Gripping the dagger Camellia had given me, I took a step forward.
The vomiting Khalid suddenly reached a hand toward where I was hiding. “Wait. Give me just a second.”
I was surprised. But then he threw up again. A few seconds later, he rinsed his mouth with the leftover liquor he had brought from the tavern. Finally, he curled his lips into a grin. “Hoo. Now that feels better!”
I just silently watched him.
Khalid chuckled, shoulders shaking, as he looked straight at the wall I was hiding behind. “Hm? How long are you planning to hide there? Feels like you’ve been tailing me for quite a while now. Shouldn’t we at least see each other’s faces?”
He tossed the bottle in his hand to the ground. The bottle shattered, shards scattering everywhere. With a casual flick of his hand, the fragments floated into the air like petals. The flying shards smashed straight through the wall I had been hiding behind. As the rubble collapsed, Khalid spotted me standing there.
His expression stiffened instantly. With a pale face, he muttered, “F-Father?”
The sheer randomness of it made my voice slip out before I could stop it. “What?”
Why the hell would I be your father, you lunatic?
As I froze, unable to process the situation, Khalid shook his head back and forth. Clicking his tongue, he extended his hand. “Heh. Guess I did drink too much.”
The chunks of stone from the shattered wall floated up, then formed into the shape of a sword in front of him. Khalid tilted the sword toward me. “Looks like you don’t plan on showing your face. How about you show me something else instead?”