"Just who the hell is… the Enigma?" the blue-masked figure muttered in a low voice, then thought for a moment and pulled out a deep green plaque from her robes.
On the plaque was a sigil — the inscription of a triangle with an eye in the middle. A reverent expression appeared in her eyes as she spoke into the plaque.
"Master, you were right. The moment you told me about the aura change, I quickly went on alert, and it turns out that the maid's body was taken over by someone who calls himself… the Enigma." She then reiterated Modret's parting words.
The surroundings went silent for a while before a faint, genderless voice resounded from the plaque, "I see. I will send two more blue-masked servants to accompany you. You must succeed in your mission. We, the Illuminati, will definitely succeed in controlling the world!"
"Since this assassination attempt failed, we will move on to phase two of our plans. I will inform the others at the headquarters of the Axarel household."
After the words faded, the surroundings returned to silence. The blue-masked lady turned around, and in the blink of an eye, she had already crossed a long distance. For now, all she needed to do was lay hidden from plain sight, away from… the Enigma!
…
After severing his connection to the shadow servant, Modret frowned slightly, contemplating what had just happened.
'The voice of that lady doesn't sound like my aunt. However, one's voice can be masked. The real question is how she discovered my identity.'
Modret couldn't come to an immediate answer, so he could only turn to the fairy hovering silently beside him.
"The plan failed. I was unable to get any information on who's targeting me." He shook his head lightly.
At his words, the fairy floated for a bit, casting a drizzle of starlight into the surroundings before settling on Modret's arm and offering her suggestion.
{Perhaps she had a detection-type ability that could completely sense when someone is dead or being possessed?}
'There's an ability like that?' Modret's eyes widened in surprise.
The fairy nodded.
{Of course. You can't base your knowledge on what you knew back on Earth. There are all sorts of abilities, including overpowered ones that could cause one to despair. Having a detection-type ability is nothing new.}
Modret thought for a bit, feeling her words were reasonable. This was no longer some sort of novel or game — it was the real world. Modret exhaled slowly, then walked to the bed. "It seems I can no longer take things lightly. Tomorrow, I'll sneak off and try to hunt some wild beasts in the forest so I can gain more shadow fragments and awaken."
"About what my mother said… about me being too young to use mana, is that reasonable?" Modret asked curiously.
The fairy immediately nodded.
{Normally, you cannot access mana within your body until you're around the age of twelve. However, there are special cases. Nevertheless, you can't expect your parents to endanger your life just for a 'special case.'}
Modret touched his nose slightly and asked evenly, "Does that mean I'm basically powerless?"
{Of course not. Completing the shadow fragments and spinning the roulette is another special case. By obtaining an ability from it, you can cultivate that ability just like your mother does — with no side effects…}
Modret's eyes immediately lit up with a spark. That was simply monstrous and incredible.
His resolve steeled, and he began planning his route for tomorrow when he would sneak off into the forest.
"I have to complete my shadow fragments tomorrow without pause if possible!" Modret thought internally. Then, feeling slightly exhausted, he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.
The fairy floating gently beside him held a peculiar expression in her eyes. Then she let out a sigh and glanced up at the sky. "Please become strong enough before 'it' descends…"
After she finished muttering, her figure began disintegrating into starlight, sinking into Modret's body.
…
The night quietly passed with the spring breeze flowing gently. It was uneventful, except for the fact that a few undercurrents were already surging.
Two blue-masked figures had silently arrived the previous night, blending into the group of villagers and pretending to be either servants or forest workers. No one suspected them to be powerful Awakened.
That morning, after his meal, Modret had gathered everything he needed. Thankfully, his mother had to leave the moment she saw him off to classes.
Just as he was about to depart, a figure blocked his path.
"Young master," Axel bowed slightly.
Modret was stunned. He studied the boy for a moment, his eyes filled with slight curiosity.
"Axel Devon, right?" he asked, glancing at the boy.
His hair was dark, but he had peculiar golden eyes that shone like jewels. They accentuated his slightly thin face, making him look a bit more handsome than normal — almost on the same level as Modret.
Axel glanced at Modret with his jewel-like eyes and slowly nodded. "Yes, young master. What do you need me to do?"
After getting home yesterday, Axel had told his father all that had transpired, causing his family to be overjoyed. It was then he understood what being a lifeguard was — it was basically the same as being a noble.
His parents were exceedingly proud of him, to say the least. They even threw a little feast to celebrate the event.
However, with great power came great responsibilities, and despite his young age, Axel knew that much.
Modret hesitated for a moment, then asked curiously, "Can you fight?"
He wasn't expecting much since, in the end, Axel was just a kid like him. However, surprisingly, Axel nodded and replied evenly.
"For the past year, I've been following my father to the woods to hunt game. It's one of the ways we survive. I've also undergone some knight training from him. According to Father, a man needs to know how to protect himself." His voice was calm but respectful.
Modret chuckled awkwardly.
'Is he talking about me?' he lamented silently. Still, he was pleased. Having no one to show him around the woods before, now it seemed that issue was resolved, and he wouldn't have to walk in blindly anymore.
"That's very good. In that case, quickly get your equipment silently. Don't alert anyone. We're heading into the woods to explore for a bit."
Hearing his words, Axel's eyes widened in alarm. "Young master, you mean…? What about classes?"
Modret just rolled his eyes. As a noble, even if he skipped classes, the instructor wouldn't mind. "Just do as I said without asking too many questions… Don't keep me waiting too long."
Axel immediately shut his mouth, not willing to offend Modret, and quickly departed with light, fast steps, heading in the direction of his family's wreckage. Fortunately, by now, his father should already be in the woods…