Chapter 57: The Monkey Mask Saw It!!

"I'm the wandering strongest martial artist, Monkey Mask. One day, while playing down by the riverbank with my childhood friend, I stumbled upon a shady deal involving a man in black. I got so engrossed in watching the deal that I didn’t notice another accomplice sneaking up behind me. I was blindsided and knocked out, then forced to swallow poison. When I came to... my face had turned into a monkey!!"

"......"

The next morning.

Though the misunderstanding should have been cleared up, for some reason I was still being watched, and I ended up missing the timing to switch back to Irine. So, I had to introduce myself while still in my monkey form.

"If word got out that I'm still alive, the people around me would be in danger. I've abandoned my real name and now go by 'Monkey Mask,' pursuing the man in black."

"Didn’t you go by some other name before? Like Dobby or Hobby or something?"

"Yeah, that was a fake name!"

I couldn’t remember what backstory I gave before, so I just tossed out a new excuse.

With this explanation, wearing a monkey mask wouldn’t seem odd. It would feel like a natural part of things.

"……Uhh. So, how am I supposed to react to this?"

"However you want, I guess~?"

"Got it. Well… whatever. I get that you're absolutely obsessed with secrecy. If Karl vouches that you're not a bad guy, then do whatever you want."

Ryoga gave me an exasperated look and waved me off as if telling me to scram.

Alright, looks like I’ve been let off the hook. Nice.

"So, next. Karl, how’d it go?"

"……I couldn’t follow them. It was too dark—I couldn’t even find a trace."

"Yeah, figures. That’s probably why they chose to strike in the middle of the night."

Karl clenched his fist in frustration as he spoke.

Last night, Karl's pursuit ended in failure. He came back around dawn, looking exhausted, and just said, "No good."

"I can’t believe even Irine got taken... Damn it! I should have chased them harder!"

"Maybe don’t worry so much, hmm~? I mean, we are talking about that girl. She’s probably managing just fine (?)~"

"Sakura…"

Sakura comforted the disheartened Karl.

Man, she trusts me that much? Kinda makes me blush, Sakura.

"What's done is done. Let’s move forward."

"Yeah! Even my muscles are telling me that!"

"I wasn’t talking to you. You’ve already moved on, haven’t you?"

Just as the mood was about to turn gloomy, Maika jumped in to lighten things up.

"Hey, Ryoga. Do you have any idea where their hideout is?"

"If I knew that, I wouldn’t be struggling. I’ve only got a general direction."

"And the search?"

"I’ve been going out every day. Mostly coming up empty, though."

…This continent is huge.

Apparently, they still haven’t figured out where the enemy base is. Rescuing Lev-chan right away doesn’t look like an option.

"Plus, there are probably multiple hideouts. Their retreat paths aren’t always the same."

"Hmm."

"Even if we storm one of them, there's no guarantee Irine-tan or Lev-tan will be there."

Well, actually, Irine isn't in any of those hideouts.

So the enemy might have more than one base. Makes sense.

"Sorry, Ryoga. I never imagined they’d manage to kidnap Lev and Irine."

"……Yeah."

"But, well. I know you probably have a grudge against them... but when the time comes, try not to hurt Lev too much."

"I know."

Ryoga snorted with an annoyed breath at Karl’s words.

"……If my little sister, Sayori, were still alive, she’d be around Lev-tan’s age."

"……"

"Maybe I was subconsciously projecting onto her. Either way, I’m not about to abandon Lev-tan just like that."

……

That was a bit of a relief to hear, but—

"...Boss, please calm down. It’s okay."

"...gh."

As expected, that probably wasn’t his honest-to-God true feelings.

More like something he forced out while choking down a lot of other emotions.

"Sayori was a sweet kid... When she was little, she used to insist she was gonna marry me."

"Sounds like you two were close siblings."

"If she were alive, Sayori would be my wife right now... uuuh…"

"You actually took that seriously?"

"Right now, we’d be having a newlywed honeymoon phase, just the two of us—"

"Isn’t this guy more dangerous than Monkey Mask?"

What the hell do you mean “more dangerous than me,” Karl?

"Uwoooooon! Uwoooooooooon!"

"Aah, it’s starting. Boss, Boss, please calm down."

"Hey, someone show Ryoga to his room. Let him sniff Sayori’s hair and calm down."

……

"Once he’s like this, we’re not gonna get any serious conversation out of him. Sorry Karl, but can you step out for a bit?"

"……Looks that way."

Well, Ryoga probably carries some serious emotional scars. Best not to poke that too much.

…Alright, guess I’ll go do some training at the training hall. Once I get the timing right, I’ll just pop up again like, ‘I was captured by the enemy but managed to escape!’ and rejoin the group as Irine.

---

I'm the wandering strongest martial artist—Monkey Mask. Today’s a day off from vigilante training, so I went ahead and used the training grounds to get a whole lot of (muscle training) done.

While doing push-ups, I snacked on some salted chicken, and after squatting until my glutes were screaming, the muscles in my ass were twitching uncontrollably.

Ahh… this is the good stuff. After going all out with (muscle training) for a while, stretching afterwards just drives me absolutely insane—in the best way.

Pure muscle training really is the best.

“Oh my.”

“Hm, Maika, huh.”

Just as I was on a date with my muscles, a voice spoke to me.

When I looked up, there she was—my childhood friend, currently in full tsundere mode. A cat-eyed, busty girl.

Uhoh, nice, Maika.

“What are you doing here, Irine?”

“Training, of course.”

I cheerfully answered Maika’s question.

It’s been a while since I put on the Monkey Mask, and man, it feels great. With this on, I don’t have to sneak around and can go through my usual training routine loud and proud.

After all, doing hardcore muscle training while looking like Irine just doesn't feel very proper or virtuous——

……

“No, dear Maika. I am not Irine—”

“What are you doing here, Irine?”

……

Huh? That’s strange. Did Maika… mess up someone’s name?

Oh well, I guess I’ll just reintroduce myself.

“I am the wandering strongest martial artist—Monkey Mask. One day, while I was out playing with my childhood friend down by the riverbank, I witnessed a shady deal involving a man dressed all in black. What I saw was—”

“What are you doing here, Irine? Hmm?”

“……”

……

“Um, Maika-san. May I offer an explanation?”

“Go ahead.”

Crap, she’s onto me. How…? How did my perfect, cool disguise fail…?

---

“…So that was supposed to be your disguise, Irine?”

Once I realized I’d been found out, I confessed everything to Maika.

That I’d been working part-time in the red-light district of Rewin to gather intel. That I’d used a different name, because if rumors like that spread, it’d be the end of me as a noble lady.

“It’s surprisingly effective, actually. Whenever I needed to do something improper for a noble lady, I used this mask.”

“…Your mannerisms are so different from usual that I didn’t catch on right away. I’ll admit—it’s a clever disguise that plays on people’s assumptions…”

Maika listened to my story with a complicated expression.

As expected of Maika. Even with the mask on, she could tell it was me just by looking.

“Of course I could. In proper lighting, your bone structure’s clearly feminine, your voice and hair are unmistakably Irine’s, and aside from how you act, everything else gives you away.”

“…”

“What I don’t understand is how Karl hasn’t noticed. Irine disappears, and suddenly a ‘Monkey Mask’ with nearly the exact same build shows up?”

I see… I’d felt pretty confident because I’d fooled Karl and Sakura, but I guess normally people would notice.

“…The vigilante members and Karl still don’t seem to have figured it out.”

“The others in the group haven’t known you that long. Though I bet Ryoga will catch on soon.”

“If possible… could you keep this secret from everyone? I was planning to rejoin them later and say I ‘escaped’ to avoid causing worry.”

“…Hmm. Well, I suppose I don’t mind. In any case, I’m just glad you’re safe.”

Maika looked slightly exasperated.

…Sorry for dragging you into something so dumb.

“By the way, why did you go out last night, Irine?”

“Because I noticed Lev was missing. I thought I’d try to find out where she went.”

“Ah, that explains it. Apparently, Lev had been sneaking off at night to visit a place full of memories of her brother. She probably ran into her real brother there after he broke in.”

I see. So for Lev, it wasn’t the graveyard, but some other place of memories——

　

　

　

　

　

　

——Here lies Ryoga, leader of the vigilantes.

　

　

　

　

　

　

…Ah.

“Um, Maika-san. Now that you mention it, there’s something that’s been bothering me.”

“Something bothering you?”

“Well, last night, when I was looking for Lev-chan, I went to the graveyard…”

I’d felt like I was forgetting something—but now I remember.

That grave—I never asked Ryoga about it.

“…Ryoga’s grave? Why would that be there?”

“It looked fairly new. Maybe someone with the same name?”

“Ryoga’s grave… Hmm, wait—didn’t Ressal say something—”

The moment Maika heard my words, her expression turned very serious.

What’s going on?

“Have you told Ryoga about this yet?”

“No, I was planning to ask him later.”

“…Give me a little time. I need to think this over.”

Of course, I wasn’t planning to ask him right away.

Given how shaken he is over his sister, now’s not the time to bring it up.

I’ll ask him when things have calmed down.

“…Yeah. Irine, that might actually be some pretty serious information.”

“Eh? Really?”

“Yeah. I’m not certain yet, but…”

Maika seemed deep in thought as she listened.

It is strange for a living person to have a grave, but is it really that big a deal? Maybe it’s just one of those cases where someone arranged it before dying?

“Irine, please—let me take care of this.”

“…? I don’t mind, but…”

“And don’t tell anyone else about it. I’m the only one you’ve told, right?”

“Yes, no one else.”

“Good. Then keep it that way.”

Saying that, Maika took my hand and squeezed it firmly.

“I’ll go check out that grave Irine saw. Once I’ve figured out what’s going on, I’ll report back.”

“Thank you.”

With that, she briskly walked off toward the graveyard.

Hmm? Why is Maika reacting so strongly to this…?

---

—Around noon.

At this time of day, the vigilante corps members should be heading to the dining hall for lunch.

Alright, time to make my move.

"Hey, suspicious guy. It’s lunchtime. Do you know where the dining hall is?"

"Of course I do, ook. But before that, I need to wash off the sweat with some water, ook."

"Right, you were training this morning, weren’t you? Okay then, go take a bath."

Yes, being the brainy type I am, I had already realized something. If I used this excuse, I could bathe alone.

And being alone meant one thing—it was my chance to switch back to Irine.

Good. Don’t miss this opportunity. Let’s hurry up and return to being Irine.

Here's the scenario I had in mind:

—The graceful and beautiful noble lady Irine narrowly escaped from a group of evildoers.

She somehow made it back to Ressal, but after walking all night, her entire body was filthy.

So she decided to borrow the bath to clean herself off… when suddenly, a man in a monkey disguise barged in. She blasted him away with magic.

The pitiful monkey mask was sent flying beyond the town limits, and no one ever saw him again—

That’s the plan.

Once I turn back into Irine, the monkey mask will be gone. With this excuse, I can even explain away his sudden disappearance.

"Alright, no one around?"

I scanned the area outside the bathhouse and confirmed it was clear.

Yep, looks good.

"I’ll need something to launch in place of the monkey mask… maybe I’ll make an earth doll."

Just blowing something up wouldn’t be enough for proper staging.

If I could fling a doll at the same time as the explosion, I could make people believe the monkey mask was blasted all the way out of town.

Now then… Earth magic is my sister Ilia’s specialty, but I can manage a little bit myself…

"…Ack! I’ve encountered a suspicious person!!"

"Oh? Ilyu?"

Just as I was scouting around the bathhouse to make the doll, I ran into a messy-haired nun.

Judging by her appearance, maybe she came to rinse her hair?

Talk about bad timing… though, in a way, I’m glad I hadn’t started the cover-up yet.

"Um, suspicious person? I’d like to take a bath now."

"Very well. Don’t mind me—feel free to bathe however you wish."

"Uh, no. If you stay there, you’ll be peeping… Could you leave?"

Oh? So Ilyu noticed too—the bathhouse was a prime spot for peeping.

Hmm, this is a problem. If I get kicked out now, I’ll lose my chance to switch with Irine.

"…Don’t worry. I wouldn’t stoop to such a low act as peeping. Do I look like that kind of person?"

"What’s a suspicious person talking about morals for?"

No good—there’s no persuading Ilyu.

This nun has completely convinced herself I’m suspicious.

"—Actually, I wanted to take a bath too. I’d like to go in after you. But if you don’t want to be peeped on, how about letting me go first?"

"Ugh…"

Fine. I’ll go with force. I’ll just get in before her.

And the moment I’m inside, I’ll cancel the disguise and fire off some spirit cannon or something to make a loud boom.

No time to make an earth doll now, but I’ll just ask Maika or the Master to back me up later and say they ‘saw a flying monkey mask.’

"I don’t want to be peeped on, but I don’t want to let a shady guy like you have the bath first either… Oh, Lord, what should I do?"

"To think you can’t even give up a bath—what a greedy woman, ook. And you call yourself a holy woman?"

"How rude! I may not belong to any church yet, but I am a holy woman, I’ll have you know! I’ll get accepted somewhere eventually!!"

"…So she’s a self-proclaimed priestess."

Wait, so she’s not even officially affiliated with any church? That means she’s just a random civilian in nun’s clothes!

"Ah! A divine message! It told me to smite this wicked monkey!"

"That’s a pretty violent god. What kind of religion is this?"

"A god only I believe in. You don’t have to trust me—just trust in the god I believe in."

"That’s the shadiest religion I’ve ever heard of."

Swoosh, swoosh—she started shadowboxing at me like an idiot.

Is she alright? I’ve been suspicious for a while now, but Ilyu might seriously be a bit unhinged.

"Hey now, little lady. Do you think those punches of yours will work on a battle-hardened monkey mask like me?"

"Heh, begging for mercy already? You’re clearly intimidated by my overwhelming skill, aren’t you?"

"H-Hey, watch it! Don’t move around so much. Behind you is the firewood-splitting axe…"

Getting all fired up, Ilyu’s shadowboxing became more intense.

Her balance was terrible, and her weight kept shifting with her punches. I was worried just watching her, thinking she’d fall any second.

"If you’re scared, surrender and give me the first bath! Begone from this maiden’s sacred bathing ground!! Monkey pun intended!!"

"…Alright, alright. I’m leaving, okay?"

Tch, guess the plan failed.

No way Ilyu’s giving up the bath. I’ll have to wait for another chance to switch to Irine.

"Heh heh heh! Victory for Ilyu-cha—kyaaa!?"

"Hey!!"

And down she goes—slipped and fell. I told her, didn’t I?

The ground around here is also part of the drainage system, so there are plenty of slippery spots. It’s dangerous, seriously—

—Ilyu went flying and crashed into the bathhouse.

—The axe that had been propped up was knocked loose with violent force.

"...Ah!?"

By the time I reacted, it was already too late.

That idiot Ilyu had stepped hard on the axe’s handle and launched it straight up.

"Auugh~"

"Ilyu, look ou—!"

It was a terribly unfortunate accident.

Firewood had run out last night, and as it happened, someone had just split fresh logs this morning.

The person on wood-splitting duty was a lazy type who planned to keep working in the afternoon and had left the axe out.

All those unlucky coincidences piled up—

—and the falling axe struck Ilyu square in the face.

"...Ah."

My mind froze from the shock.

The very same Ilyu who had moments ago been smugly throwing punches now had a chunk of iron lodged expressionlessly in her face.

—Instant death. There was no way anyone could survive that.

"Uh, I… I need to get Sakura—"

The surreal scene almost locked my brain in place.

But even then, clinging to the slim hope she might still be saved, I pulled out the axe and tried to carry her to Sakura.

—Squelch.

A strange sound came from Ilyu’s face.

"...?"

—Squelch-squelch. —Glorp-crunch.

Bizarre, disgusting noises I'd never heard before oozed from Ilyu’s limp body in my arms.

A terrible premonition surged through me, and I turned my gaze toward the source of the sound.

"Hiih!?"

Ilyu’s face was writhing.

Flesh, bone, and eyeballs squirmed and slithered, repairing the damage.

"Hi—hiiiee!?"

The shattered facial bones reattached with an amoeba-like squish.

The torn flesh stitched itself back together in reverse, like a film rewinding, and was covered again by smooth skin.

The blood that had splattered everywhere vanished into smoke, as if it had never existed.

"..."

Too stunned to speak, I dropped Ilyu from my arms.

What… was that? What did I just witness?

"...Ow!"

The fallen Ilyu let out a small yelp.

Holding the back of her head where she’d hit it, she slowly sat up.

"...I fell… Ugh. I tried to look cool, but now it’s just embarrassing."

"Uh, Ilyu? Are you… okay?"

"Yes, I just bumped my head a little. And I don’t need you worrying about me, Mr. Suspicious Person."

Her demeanor was completely unchanged from just moments before.

She acted like nothing strange had happened and casually shooed me away with a wave of her hand.