Crawling Through the Dark

Isolde followed his gaze. The central runes were still operating.

Three translucent halos of law did indeed float around the Moon-Crown Lock. Though the jade-like bone chain was within reach, it was actually isolated within an entire set of precise and complex defensive seals.

She withdrew her gaze. "So, what are you trying to say?"

"Cooperate." The man in black was concise. "First, we join forces to break this troublesome sealing array. As for who gets the item in the end, we each rely on our own abilities."

Isolde gave a soft laugh. "I don't trust you."

"Perfectly normal." The man in black was not offended in the slightest. Instead, he spread his hands. "I don't trust you either."

"Then what is there to discuss?"

The man in black did not retort. He merely unhurriedly took out an old parchment scroll that faintly gleamed.

"This is my show of good faith."

Isolde remained where she was.

The man in black continued on his own. "I picked this up at the monastery. It's useless to me, but it happens to suit you."

"How do you know it suits me?"

"When you killed those two knights just now, I saw everything clearly. You used both pure Evil Affinity magic and light-affinity methods. Two utterly opposing powers are rampaging through your body. Suppressing them must be difficult, isn't it?"

Isolde's eyes turned cold.

This damned tagalong's powers of observation were so meticulous they sent chills down her spine. He was just short of exposing all her secrets.

"This skill can help you forcibly 'fold' those conflicting powers within your body together. At least in this hellhole full of holy light, it'll make things easier for you. It's better than enduring the damage while breaking the array by force."

He tossed the scroll toward her. Isolde caught it midair with silver threads. Only after confirming there was no curse on it about to detonate did she let it fall into her palm.

In an instant, a gray system prompt visible only to her appeared before her eyes.

[Universal Skill Book: Inverted Radiance Shadowfold (Advanced)]

[Skill Type: Magic / Defense / Concealment]

[Skill Description: Can fold one's overflowing aura and balance mutually opposing affinities. Duration is affected by Intelligence and soul stability.]

[Learning Requirements: Intelligence above 100, mastery of at least two conflicting attribute spells.]

Good stuff. Extremely suitable good stuff, at that.

It was especially suitable for someone like her, who needed to deeply conceal her identity as a Boss.

The disturbance outside was still ongoing. The Holy Court's blockade could close in here at any moment.

She did have Unicorn's Last Wish, but with this Black Tower spellcaster present, she could not tell friend from foe. She could not casually reveal her trump card.

As for Ullr, she was not foolish enough to trust him completely either. Who knew whether that profiteer had buried some trap for her in the details?

The current situation was like walking a tightrope no matter which way she turned.

Forcing the seal apart alone was risky, and cooperating with the Black Tower was also risky.

But between two evils, she chose the lesser one. Choosing the latter would at least split half the risk away.

Having thought it through, Isolde pressed her fingertip to the scroll's cover.

[Learn skill: Inverted Radiance Shadowfold?]

"Learn."

The parchment ignited without fire, turning into a wisp of dark golden light that drilled into her brow.

The powers within Isolde that had constantly repelled one another were harmonized by an invisible force, reaching some miraculous state of balance.

[This skill has been affected by the passive skill "Witch's Mask," triggering an additional effect.]

[Additional Trait: When locked onto by any detection-type spell, there is a very high chance of misleadingly reflecting the detection result, presenting the disguised identity that the target most wishes to believe on a subconscious level.]

The effect was immediate. The needle-prick pain around her vanished, restoring Isolde's body to its peak condition.

Looking at the gray-robed priest before him, the Black Tower spellcaster frowned slightly.

This advanced skill scroll, which required "Intelligence above 100," had originally been brought out to test the person before him.

Even within the Black Tower, there were only a handful of geniuses who could reach that level of Intelligence.

Yet he had never imagined that this woman would learn it on the spot the instant she received the scroll, without even blinking.

"It seems... you truly are far more intelligent than I expected." There was finally less frivolity in his tone and more weighty scrutiny. "Then, can we begin discussing cooperation now?"

Isolde raised her eyes and met his gaze coldly. "The cooperation lasts only until this sealing array is broken."

"Of course."

"And one more thing." She raised her right hand, and the silver Soul Thread let out a piercing hum as it tore through the air. "If I discover that you dare stick your claws into my shadow again, I'll immediately destroy the array core. At worst, we both lose."

The man in black paused at her words, seemingly surprised. "You'd be willing to destroy such a treasure?"

Isolde looked at the radiant Moon-Crown Lock at the center of the array and suddenly gave a rather malicious chuckle.

"If I can't have it, no one else gets to carry it off."

The man in black behind the mask froze for a moment, then also laughed softly.

"Honestly, I think your way of doing things and your temperament would suit joining our Black Tower better."

"Thanks, but no." Isolde said coldly. "Personally, I don't have the disgusting hobby of hiding in other people's shadows."

"..."

The corners of the man in black's mouth drooped. He had probably never encountered an opponent whose thoughts jumped so wildly. At a life-or-death moment like this, this woman still had the leisure to criticize the taste of his stealth magic.

The man in black said nothing. He merely walked silently to the other side of the runes, putting some distance between them.

Seeing the way he had been instantly stumped, Isolde found it vaguely amusing.

What was going on?

Why did seeing this fellow silently suffer a setback make her sense the faintest hint of grievance from him?

The man in black raised a hand and pressed it against the first ring of the sealing array.

Shadows spread from beneath his palm, covering the surface of the runes like fine cracks.

"This sealing array cannot be broken by force."

Standing on the other side, Isolde lifted her eyes toward him.

"How do we break it?"

"This is the Twin-Anchor Illusion Array." The man in black's mismatched eyes stared at the flowing runes. "The Moon-Crown Lock's true sealing core has been hidden inside a mirror-image illusion. The outer layer before us is merely a shell. If it is shattered by force, the lock inside will be transferred instantly."

Isolde's brows furrowed slightly. "You mean living people have to personally enter the illusion?"

"Yes."

"How many people?"

"Two."

Hearing that exact number, Isolde suspiciously shifted her gaze back and forth between herself and the man in black.

"Two... Hah. Could there really be such a coincidence in this world?"

Through his mask, the man in black replied coolly, "It isn't a coincidence. Before I encountered you, I was planning to grab any cleric from upstairs and forcibly throw them in. But since I discovered you sneaking around, I conveniently saved myself the trouble."

Hearing his matter-of-fact tone, Isolde's fist clenched inside her sleeve. She sneered.

"Compared with my sneaking around, Your Excellency's habit of hiding in the shadows beneath skirts and wriggling along in dark, creepy crawls is probably no better, is it?"

The man in black fell silent for a long while before finally forcing out an exceedingly stiff rebuttal.

"...I was not crawling."

Isolde: "..."

No, was this mysterious, dark Black Tower big shot seriously fixating on such an irrelevant choice of words right now?

The man in black seemed to weigh things over in his mind for a long time. Apparently deciding that his previous explanation was not enough to clear his name, he shifted his feet and quickly added:

"I was merely moving through shadows. Black Tower spells require the caster to remain extremely close to the boundary of shadow's laws. This is simply the most basic spellcasting principle. It does not mean I personally possess some vile voyeuristic obsession."

Isolde froze where she stood and stared at him in disbelief.

But the man in black was not finished with his lengthy explanation. His voice carried an inexplicable, stubborn persistence.

"Moreover, when I entered your shadow, I was very careful. I did not contaminate it."

Isolde's head began to ache faintly, and her feelings became an utter mess. "...You really don't need to explain in such detail."

"No." The man in black stared at her, the obstinacy in his tone almost unreasonable. "I must make this clear to you. The Black Tower's supreme secret movement art is fundamentally different from the disgusting behavior of lowly monsters crawling darkly across the ground."

"Fine, fine, I misspoke."

Isolde was thoroughly defeated by his young-master-like bizarre temper. She waved a hand helplessly. "That wasn't crawling. It was noble shadow-travel movement. Is that good enough for you?"