The Anomaly Beyond The System

Seraphina could immediately tell that her son was trying to change the topic from Damien.

For a few long moments, she simply looked at him.

Her lips parted slightly, wanting to say something in response to his previous words, but after a brief silence...

She quietly let out a small sigh.

"I don’t know what kind of mask it is. Kanna was the one who gave it to me."

As she spoke, she extended it toward Lucian, who accepted it without another word, his crimson eyes fixed on the object as he stared with an unusually intent gaze.

’...Where have I seen this before?’ Lucian thought, holding the pitch-black, faceless mask in his hands, rotating it as he examined it, a strange sense of familiarity settling within him as his gaze remained fixed on it.

Yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t quite pinpoint where.

"Interesting..." he muttered softly.

Despite the bright morning sunlight pouring through the windows, the mask’s surface didn’t reflect anything, not even the faintest glimmer—as if it were covered in darkness that absorbed every trace of light that touched it.

But the strangest thing about it was...

It didn’t even have any eye holes, nor any gaps to look through.

"Can you actually see while wearing this?" Lucian asked, turning it around once more.

"Strangely... yes."

Even Seraphina found it strange and difficult to understand, yet she was able to see through it clearly while wearing it.

Hearing her words, Lucian felt his curiosity pique, and without waiting any longer... he slowly raised the mask toward his face before placing it on.

There were no straps to secure it in place, but surprisingly, the moment the mask touched his face, it instantly fixed itself onto him, fitting perfectly without leaving even the slightest hint of discomfort—as if it had been crafted specifically to match his facial proportions.

And even though there weren’t any eye holes or gaps to look through, his vision remained perfectly clear, making everything before him visible.

In fact, it almost seemed even clearer than before, as though the darkness around him had somehow been reduced.

He instinctively touched the edges, his fingers tracing across the dark, flawless surface.

"It looks good on you," Seraphina quietly muttered, and the moment Lucian turned toward her—the very instant the faceless figure looked directly at her—Seraphina’s heart skipped a beat.

Seeing the eerie stillness surrounding him, along with the subtle yet undeniable shift in his presence... she instinctively felt a strange chill run down her spine.

Lucian noticed her reaction almost immediately, and a faint, amused chuckle escaped his lips before he reached up and removed the mask from his face.

"It’s an artifact," he replied calmly, having already noticed the many strange effects of the mask.

His curiosity deepened even further, and without hesitation...

He activated his analysis.

[Analysing...]

[Analysis complete.]

A translucent blue-gold screen materialised before his eyes.

[Silent Mask]

Rank: S Rank

Rarity: Epic

Description: A mask crafted from an unknown material that absorbs every trace of light, leaving its surface devoid of any reflection and shrouding the wearer in an air of mystery. It effortlessly conforms to the wearer’s face, fitting perfectly regardless of their facial structure.

Effects:

– Subtly obscures the wearer’s presence, making them less noticeable.

– Conceals the wearer while under darkness or within the shadows, rendering them almost invisible to the naked eye.

[Note: A mask exclusively issued to the Duchess’s personal shadows, with the current owner being Kanna.]

[Warning: The strength of these effects scales with the wearer’s affinity for shadows. However, the mask remains functional even without a shadow affinity, albeit with reduced effectiveness.]

Seeing the stats and the effects displayed before him, Lucian’s brows rose, and even he couldn’t help but feel a little taken aback.

His gaze slowly shifted toward the shadow beneath his feet.

"Kanna... are you sure you should be giving something this precious?"

He asked, his voice carrying genuine uncertainty as he instinctively looked back at the mask in his hands, only now realising how precious this item truly was.

It wasn’t simply an expensive artifact, but something reserved exclusively for the Duchess’s personal Shadows.

Beside him, Seraphina looked at him in confusion.

"...What’s wrong?" she asked, not understanding his sudden question.

But the moment she heard the rank and rarity of the seemingly ordinary mask, her eyes slowly widened in disbelief.

’Did she... really give something like this to me?’ she thought, remembering how Kanna had simply handed it over to her without any hesitation or warning, as if it wasn’t worth much.

As if it wasn’t... an heirloom-level artifact.

Hearing Lucian’s question, Kanna silently emerged from within his shadow.

Before either of them could even ask anything—

"It’s fine."

That was all she said.

Without offering any further explanation, her body dissolved back into the darkness.

The room fell silent.

Lucian let out a helpless sigh before gently placing the mask back into Seraphina’s hands.

"Huh...?"

She blinked before looking at him.

"...Are you sure? Isn’t this... far too precious for me?" Seraphina asked, looking at the mask with visible uncertainty.

If she somehow lost it or damaged it... even if it was by accident—she didn’t know how she could ever repay Kanna.

But despite her reluctance...

"She gave it to you, so keep it," Lucian said gently as he lightly closed her fingers around the mask, prompting Seraphina to eventually give a small, awkward nod.

"...Alright."

Although she accepted it, the weight of the artifact in her hands somehow felt much heavier than before.

Perhaps it was because Lucian had already become accustomed to artifacts like these, having handled numerous A Rank weapons during his training, so an S Rank item didn’t affect him as much.

But for Seraphina...

To her, it was as though someone had gifted her an heirloom that entire noble families would fight over.

Meanwhile, Lucian had already drifted into an entirely different train of thought, a faint look of dissatisfaction appearing on his face.

Not toward Kanna, nor even Seraphina.

Instead...

’Why didn’t Master ever give me something like this?’ Lucian complained inwardly, silently clicking his tongue.

[...Really?] Akasha’s unimpressed voice echoed inside his head.

[You already took nearly fifty A Rank weapons without her permission, and you’re still asking for more?]

All the weapons Lucian had used during their training, he had stored every single one of them inside his inventory. Whenever Valentina asked him to return them, Lucian would simply answer with...

"Am I not your disciple? Can’t you just gift a few of them to me?"

And without waiting for her permission, he had kept them all for himself, not returning a single one even after receiving several days’ worth of merciless, torturous beatings from the furious Duchess.

And since she had no way of peeking inside his System Inventory, Valentina had no choice but to reluctantly give up.

Lucian coughed awkwardly, not really having anything to argue against.

But then...

After a few seconds...

’She’s fucking rich, so she—as my Master—should be showering her favourite disciple with rewards.’

[...]

Ignoring her speechless reaction, Lucian finally pushed those thoughts aside before turning back toward Seraphina, who was staring at the mask as though she were looking at a priceless diamond necklace—though he was fairly sure the mask was worth even more than that.

Letting out another amused chuckle, Lucian asked if she really wanted to hide her face, since he didn’t want her to continue living in fear over the mere possibility of Damien hearing even a word about her.

He appreciated that she was being cautious, but...

He didn’t want fear to become the thing that dictated how she lived her life anymore.

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