Cinderella’s Magic (2)

The darkblood blade swung. Across the body of the blood-red gorilla marked with a Shadow Mark.
Charging head-on at a gigantic monster could hardly be called wise, but Solomon was an exception now.
With <Bloodflow Acceleration>, the Level 2 blood magic spell, making his legs swifter than ever, he closed the distance in an instant.

A single flash.
In that state, the blade tip infused with the power of blood and shadow slashed out. A black-red arc carved diagonally across the blood-red gorilla’s chest, and then the 「Shadow Mark」 exploded.

Without even giving the opponent time to realize it, it was an unmistakable sneak attack.

Chwaaaak!
Without <Veil of Darkness>, and not even an ambush from behind. Even while fully aware of Solomon’s presence, the creature was marked by a shadow bolt, and the sneak attack was triggered.

Kwachik!

“Kraaaaaaaah!”

The Ghost Whale Bone Blade surged forward as though craving prey in a hunger deeper than ever before. Like a whale in the sea going berserk, unable to contain its hunger, it burrowed endlessly into the monster’s chest. Then blood burst forth explosively.

This was not the Blood Mage’s unique class trait, Blood Explosion. This was merely bleeding. The bleed build Solomon had honed as an assassin.

In the shower of blood pouring out like an explosion, Solomon’s Ghost Whale Bone Blade swung once more. The sensation etched into the blade tip was extremely strange. As though a living creature were stirring, he could feel a destructive force rampaging to sate an endless hunger.

‘The blade tip… feels alive.’

Was this the enchantment effect of the 「Hungry」 prefix? It was not merely a matter of raising attack power a little. Covered in the monster’s gushing blood, Solomon didn’t stop. Deeper still, tearing through the muscles of its chest, he drove the blade tip in endlessly toward what lay beyond.
A blade tip writhing like a living creature in endless hunger and greed. It was not a metaphor.
It was not a metaphor.

Because it was actually hungry.
He could instinctively feel through the hand gripping the hilt that the Ghost Whale Bone Blade embedded inside was ‘twisting’ grotesquely and tearing through the wound. It did not stop at being stabbed in. It churned through the inside of the wound like a blender.
As though writhing in endless hunger while crunching through its prey.

It was right then.
For an instant, an unidentified sense of wrongness sharply ran through his mind. Instinctively, Solomon let go of the hilt embedded in the blood-red gorilla’s chest and widened the distance at once.

Whooong!
Barely, even while its chest was cleanly pierced and blood was bursting out, the bladed hand swung. That hook barely grazed above Solomon’s head.
A few strands of hair scattered like the cut of a skilled barber.

‘Whew.’

He could feel it instinctively. The intent within the opponent’s movement. Like a radar detecting an object moving within a force field.
He soon realized it. That this too was one of the effects of Cinderella’s Magic cast on Solomon.

「Bioelectric Detection」 Ghost Shark Bone Necklace.

Having dodged in haste, he had no time to retrieve the blade he had stabbed in. Fortunately, Solomon didn’t have only one weapon.
In that state, he drew another weapon from his sleeve, the 「Blazing」 Sun Ruby Blade.

Unfortunately, <Darkblood Sword> was not applied to this one. Even so, within senses sharper than ever, Solomon closed the distance once again through his accelerating body.

‘I can see its movements.’

He could see its movements. No, more precisely, he could feel them. As though he were catching the activity of the bioelectric current running through its nerves before it moved. In a sense, it was a technique close to mind-reading.

Solomon avoided the hook hand swinging again, then ducked under the off-beat fist coming in and closed the distance.

Zero distance. In that state, he pulled the trigger of the Nightfall automatic crossbow. The moment a shadow bolt struck and the mark formed, he immediately brought down the 「Blazing」 Sun Ruby Blade.
The blade blazing with magical flames, down onto the already mangled wound in its chest.

Kwachik, chwaaaak!
Two blades were embedded in its chest. In that state, Solomon quickly pulled out the Ghost Whale Bone Blade bearing the <Darkblood Sword> spell. Chwaaaak! With it having been driven in deep enough to reach the heart, the moment he pulled the hilt free, a wave of bleeding surged again like an explosion.

“Gueooooh……!”

Blood poured out without end. A rain of blood fell. The entire area was dyed red to a degree that made even the phrase sea of blood feel insufficient. Solomon, drenched in the blood the creature was spewing, was no exception.
Kooong! Only through that blow did the blood-red gorilla finally collapse limply.

“Hoo.”

Solomon steadied his stance in that state. After that, he pulled out the Sun Ruby Blade still embedded in the chest of the fallen blood-red gorilla.
Basically, Solomon’s standard setup now was dual-wielding the Nightfall automatic crossbow and the Ghost Whale Bone Blade, so the Sun Ruby Blade was only a backup weapon. To begin with, only one weapon could be enchanted with a spell at a time.

Solomon checked his remaining spell slots.

──
: Level 1 spell slots 4 uses(⚀⚀⚀⚀■■)
: Level 2 spell slots 3 uses (⚁⚁⚁■)
: Level 3 spell slots 1 use (⚂■)
──

‘<Shadow Bolts>, <Blood Sword>, <Bloodflow Acceleration>, <Black Sword>.’

The expenditure was not as small as expected. Though not enough to call it enormous.

‘It depends on how much of this verification is left.’

Looking every bit the bloody assassin, Solomon thought that as he silently sent several Black Bird Spirits out for reconnaissance.

‘There’s no telling where another monster might pop out from.’

On top of that, thanks to the 「Bioelectric Detection」 Ghost Shark Bone Necklace, Solomon could sense his surroundings the way a shark maps out an area through magnetic fields underwater. This was better for grasping the surrounding area than crudely relying on Black Bird Spirits.

And in fact, it was.

‘……!’

A faint sense of wrongness felt through the gaps in the trash wall before him. More precisely, Solomon didn’t miss the lingering trace of bioelectric current slipping past there.

“So you’re peeking. Pretty lame for a verification.”
─ Oh, dear.

At the same time, a voice was heard. From that very spot.

[Detection Success!]

Wriggle, wriggle, thud!
Something like a lump of red flesh wriggled and fell to the ground. A few eyeballs were attached irregularly to it, blinking, along with flabby muscle and chunks of flesh. Like a mass of raw materials a god had set aside to create a living creature.

Kwachik!
Soon, right there on the spot, it swelled rapidly like a proliferating organism and took on the form of a person. It was not even naked. Dr. Alaric Faustus was standing there in a neat suit, completely unharmed.

“Well now, I may be able to fool people……”

At that sight, Dr. Alaric Faustus scratched his head as if embarrassed.

“It seems fooling a shark’s detection ability is not so easy. Especially when the predator in question is something like a Ghost Shark.”
“……”

Dr. Faustus knew that Solomon’s ability to detect him just now had come from his accessory.

“So, you’re not going to discount gear advantage?”
“As if I would.”

Dr. Faustus shook his head at Solomon’s sarcasm.

“That would be like taking a rich man’s money away and then discussing his ability. Good equipment is, in itself, proof of one’s ability.”

Good equipment is, in itself, proof of one’s ability.

“Not to mention that obtaining good equipment is no simple matter, and even after getting it, not everyone can use it properly.”
“I suppose so.”

Solomon didn’t bother denying it. Considering how much money he had just poured in to cast ‘Cinderella’s Magic’ on his equipment, in a sense this gear was Solomon’s own blood and tears.

‘Good grief, when the hell am I ever going to pay back 4.3 billion? I’m about to start cursing.’

Just thinking about it made him feel like crying tears of blood again.

“Anyway, let’s stop the meaningless verification here.”

As he said that, Dr. Faustus snapped his fingers.
At the same time─Solomon could see it.

More precisely, through the vision of several Black Bird Spirits flying overhead for reconnaissance. The blood-red gorillas scattered throughout the area were bursting apart where they stood.

‘Good thing I won’t have to fight them one by one.’

Of course, given the current situation, it was still well within what Solomon could handle. Dr. Faustus likely knew that as well.

“You pass, Mr. Solomon. Please follow me.”

Saying that, Dr. Alaric Faustus turned his back. Solomon silently followed behind him.

“We can discuss the request as we walk.”
“……Fine.”

Apparently, unlike with Wallachia Co., there would be no need to talk in one of their guild’s cumbersome venues. Dr. Faustus then pulled something from inside his suit shirt and held it out. It was a document.

“Take it.”

Solomon silently moved to take the document, then stopped and thought.

Earlier, Dr. Faustus had quite literally been turned into a lump of meat by his own chimera’s hand. Even so, he had escaped after becoming some writhing mass of flesh, then reappeared and reconstructed his body. That was how Solomon knew. Even that neat suit was part of the form created by that proliferating ‘mass,’ and there was no reason the document he was offering would be any exception.

In other words, taking the document he was offering now would be no different from picking up a piece of his flesh.
And Solomon had already once…….

‘!’

The moment that thought reached there, Solomon quickly shoved his hand into his coat pocket. Squish. The feel of something slimy in his hand. Something even thrashing violently like a living creature.
It was the business card the doctor had first handed him.

[Critical Insight Success!]

─ Kiiieeek!

What should have been a business card had by now turned into a writhing creature with countless legs like a centipede. At the tip of its tail was even a sharp, pointed stinger gleaming with an eerie light.

Kwachik!
Solomon quickly dropped it to the ground and drew the 「Blazing」 Sun Ruby Blade. Only after the demonic flames burning along the blade had scorched it until no shape remained did he take up a guarded stance again and look at Dr. Faustus.

“……What exactly are you playing at?”
“Excellent!”

Dr. Faustus smiled without the slightest sign of fluster.

“Insight is a fine virtue, Mr. Solomon. More than that, it is the very ‘virtue’ I value most.”

Before long, the document in his hand turned back into that same blood-red flesh and melted into his hand once more.

“Researchers like us are not the only exception, nor are the hotel’s cleaners. In that respect, I certainly do like your insight. It is truly remarkable insight.”
“……How much longer are you planning to toy with me?”

Solomon asked coldly. The verification was not over yet. And to be honest, the kind of verification he was talking about was not pleasant in the slightest.

“Ah, please don’t misunderstand. It truly is over.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“As for the request itself, I’ve already handed the materials over to the hotel.”

Dr. Faustus smiled as he said that.

“And what guarantee do I have that those ‘materials’ aren’t your suspicious body?”
“On that point, don’t trust me. Trust Hotel Snark.”

Trust the hotel.

“At the very least, we are not foolish enough to try something against the hotel.”
“Right, after pulling dirty tricks right in front of people.”

Solomon grumbled roughly. Grumbling was all he could do.

“Excuse me, Mr. Solomon.”

That night, in Room 319 of Hotel Snark, a knock rang out as though it had been waiting.

“Room service.”