Chapter 28: Operation No Face Capture
Translator: Soafp
One night, in the square in front of the royal palace, the sick and injured from across the capital had gathered.
They were bait to lure out No-Face.
Perhaps because the condition was that they would be treated free of charge whether No-Face was captured or not, several hundred people had gathered in the square.
Members of the disciplinary committee and trainee knights, dispatched from the Magic Academy, lined them up.
“Captain, everyone is in position.”
“Thank you for the report.”
After hearing the report from his subordinates, the captain informed Princess Christina, who was in the operation tent, that everything was ready.
“Princess Christina, preparations are complete.”
“Thank you very much, Captain.”
“No, it's my duty. But… will No-Face really appear?”
“No-Face will appear. Without a doubt.”
With a certain confidence, Christina nodded in response to the captain's question.
The captain replied briefly, “I see,” and left the tent to check on the situation himself. Just then, a knight ran up to him, looking excited.
“Captain! It's finally happening!!”
“…Why do you look so happy, Vice-Captain?”
“I'm a fan of No-Face!! There's a dancer I support named Ilia, and she had an incurable illness before—”
“Ah, you don't need to tell me everything. No-Face probably cured her, didn't he?”
“Exactly!! Isn't he amazing?! A mysterious man who heals the sick and injured, takes no reward, and leaves as swiftly as he came!!”
The captain made a face as bitter as if he had bitten down on a worm, listening to the Vice-Captain rave about No-Face.
“Try to imagine being me, pressured by every clinic in the capital shouting ‘Catch No-Face already!' What crime am I supposed to arrest him for anyway? His only offenses are trespassing and property damage. Assault… well, he heals people, so that's fine. Even if we catch him, many owe him their lives. A riot would break out.”
“The clinics are fussing again? Just ignore them. They've been ripping off poor commoners for ridiculous fees all this time anyway.”
“…That's not the point. What if all the capital's clinics shut down and No-Face disappeared? The kingdom's medical system would collapse.”
A perfectly reasonable concern from the captain.
However, the carefree Vice-Captain picked his nose and said something completely inappropriate.
“Well, Princess Christina can just catch No-Face and marry him off. Problem solved.”
“Don't pick your nose. And don't flick it over here, idiot. Act more like a knight.”
“Uh, got it.”
“…Haa.”
The captain sighed deeply again at the Vice-Captain's careless reply, muttering complaints in his heart.
(Tomorrow is my daughter's birthday, and we're planning a grand celebration from morning. And now the princess and No-Face have added extra work. If I oversleep and upset my daughter, I could die!)
Still, an order is an order. Even the captain cannot defy a royal command without consequences, so he followed faithfully without complaint.
Praying that No-Face would appear before sunset, the captain was interrupted by a voice.
“Good work, Captain.”
“Hmm… Maidol?”
“Yes. Your hearts' oasis, the loyal and beautiful maid of Princesses Christina and Victoria, Maidol.”
“Ah… I see.”
A maid with her eyes covered by black cloth had joined the captain and Vice-Captain's conversation.
Her name was Maidol, the lady-in-waiting caring for Christina and Victoria.
“What brings you here?”
“I just wanted to see Princess Christina.”
“…That's all?”
“Do you need another reason?”
“Oh, well…”
The captain didn't particularly like Maidol. He hadn't witnessed her doing anything wrong, but having faced dozens of criminals, he could sense something.
(This one gives off a bad aura.)
It was just a hunch, but the captain had solved countless dangerous cases relying on such instincts. His gut told him that this person could be harmful, someone to eliminate even if it cost their social position. Still, he wasn't cruel enough to act without evidence.
“…Princess Christina is in the tent over there. I will escort you.”
“Well, thank you for your kindness.”
Although she gave off a dangerous aura, Maidol was trusted by Christina and Victoria. Therefore, eliminating her was difficult, but surveillance was necessary. The captain decided to escort her under the guise of protection.
On the way to the tent, Maidol spoke.
“By the way, when will No-Face appear?”
“You understand this is a trap, Maidol. How could he—”
“Fufu, Princess Christina wouldn't be wrong. If No-Face doesn't show, it is the world that is mistaken.”
“I-I see.”
“Yes, a world where Princess Christina is wrong is itself a world in error. Fufufu.”
It was unsettling. Holding back his words, the captain reached the tent where Christina awaited.
Then, a voice rang directly in the captain's head.
“Zaza——Report!! No-Face has appeared on East Street!!”
It was the effect of a communication spell, allowing distant conversation.
“R-Really!?”
“Oh, what is it?”
“Ah yeah, No-Face has appeared on East Street.”
“Goodness!! Princess Christina was right!! As expected of Princess Christina!!”
The captain was dumbfounded by the report, while Maidol expressed excitement, twisting her body.
“Capture No-Face immediately!! Don't fear injuries; he'll heal you anyway!!”
“Yes, sir!!”
“He actually showed up… is he insane? How crazy must you be to charge head-on into enemy territory?”
“Report!! Report!!”
“What now!?”
The captain shouted at another delayed subordinate, then was left speechless by the follow-up.
“Report!! No-Face has appeared on West Street!!”
“What? Wait… that must be No-Face's subordinate, Mysterious Heal Man.”
“Th-That's…”
“What?”
“He's muttering strangely meaningful things like ‘The wind is crying' and ‘Tonight is our time,' but he makes no bizarre noises at all. It's not Mysterious Heal Man, I think…”
“Damn!! Just one word and you can't tell who's real! And why do No-Face and Heal Man look the same!? The leader should stand out!! …Wait, I get it. You can't tell by appearance—hence, ‘Faceless No-Face'!! So he's been holding back all this time!?”
The reports didn't stop.
“Report!! No-Face has appeared on South Street!!”
“Report!! Five more No-Faces on East Street!! The knights on-site are panicking—Ah! They're coming this way!!”
“Report!! The knights positioned on West Street are wiped out!! Buried up to their necks and incapacitated!!”
“Help!! I'm healthy!! Stop ripping my clothes!!”
“What?! My old wound from being stabbed when my ex caught me cheating just healed!!”
Amid the chaotic reports, the captain gave up thinking any further.
At the highest point of the capital, atop the royal palace roof, three figures stood.
“Everyone at ‘Indiscriminate Healing Magicians, Nightingale' are doing well.”
“Feels like a light panic horror though.”
“King Ask!! Goddess Fran!! Luu is getting hungry!! Let's go home soon!!”
Not a single knight was aware of their presence.
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