Chapter 6: You Can Call Me—thousand faces
The voice wasn't loud, yet it sounded like heavenly music, causing Tris to tremble all over as a look of wild joy instantly surfaced on his face.
He hurriedly pushed open the door, stepped into the room with great care, and then immediately reached back to gently close the door, not making a single unnecessary sound throughout the process.
As soon as he entered, he saw that mysterious powerhouse standing by the window with his back turned, seemingly admiring the unchanging seascape outside.
Tris had no idea that he himself had contributed to the intensity of the Dread he felt.
He simply didn't dare look further, immediately lowering his head and bowing in the most humble posture.
"I am deeply fearful for disturbing you, Great Existence. To be able to see you again is the greatest honor of my life."
Tris's voice was kept very low, every word filled with awe that came from the bottom of his heart.
Nairn slowly turned around, looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze without saying a word.
This silent gaze brought immense pressure; Tris felt fine beads of cold sweat starting to break out on his forehead, and his heart was beating so hard it felt like it would jump out of his throat.
He felt that this was the other party testing him.
Finally, Tris could no longer bear the pressure and took the initiative to speak, voicing his greatest desire: "Great Sir, you... you mentioned the truth about 'Witches' and 'Demonesses' last time. You know our Pathway like the back of your hand, so does that mean... you have a way... to solve this... this curse?"
When he spoke the word "curse," his voice was filled with unconcealable suffering and hope.
He didn't want to become a woman.
No man wanted to become a woman.
Especially a young man like him, who considered himself somewhat ambitious and wanted to make a name for himself in the Beyonder world. The thought of becoming a woman, and a "Demoness" at that, made him shudder just thinking about it.
Nairn had already expected him to ask this.
He looked at Tris's face, which appeared somewhat pale due to nervousness, and spoke slowly: "A way, naturally, exists."
Tris's eyes instantly lit up, and his breathing became rapid.
Nairn changed the subject: "But, why should I help you?"
In the world of Mysteries, all knowledge has a price.
Want to know the solution? Fine. Bring something to trade.
Payment for information, equivalent exchange for knowledge—this was the unshakable truth of this world.
Furthermore, he and Tris were neither kin nor friends.
The price had to be increased!
Tris was momentarily stunned; this question caught him somewhat off guard.
His mind raced as he began to think about what he had that would be worth the other party's consideration.
Money? Wealth? For an existence like this, secular money was probably just a joke.
Power? As a mere sequence 8 Instigator, he couldn't even stand steadily in front of the man.
Intelligence? Information on the Demoness Sect might have some value, but the other party seemed to know the secrets of the Demoness Pathway better than he did.
After thinking it over, Tris realized he had nothing.
The only things he could offer seemed to be his loyalty and his life.
Once he realized this, Tris's gaze actually became firm.
He took a deep breath, seemingly summoning a lifetime's worth of courage to get straight to the point.
"May I ask... if I have the honor of knowing your name? I have decided... I want to follow you, to become your most loyal servant, and offer you my everything!"
"Name?"
Nairn repeated softly, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.
"I have many names. Which one... do you want to hear?"
Tris snapped his head up, his face a picture of shock and confusion, before he immediately began to fill in the blanks in his mind.
Could it be that this great existence has more than one name?
Yes! It must be so! For an ancient and great existence like you to walk the world, you would certainly use different identities and names! Every name represents a legend, a hidden history!
Nairn could feel that the thoughts in Tris's head were starting to spiral out of control again.
Good, keep going, think more.
Every time you fill in the blanks, you're adding bricks and mortar to my persona.
He looked at Tris's near-catatonic state and felt the timing was about right, so he spoke slowly:
"For now, you may call me—"
He paused deliberately, drawing out his voice as he said each word clearly:
"thousand faces."
"Thousand... Faces..."
Tris murmured the name repeatedly, a brilliant light instantly erupting in his eyes.
thousand faces!
How fitting, how precise, how mysterious and stylish a name!
Tris's gaze became increasingly fanatical: "The face of a thousand changes, the mask that governs all living beings... I understand! I understand!"
Meanwhile, although Nairn really wanted to retort inwardly:
"You beast, what exactly do you understand?"
He had to admit.
See, a qualified believer is just this good at self-persuasion.
Nairn didn't even bother to correct his assumptions; the more he imagined, the more solid his "thousand faces" persona became.
"Lord thousand faces!"
Tris lowered his head deeply once more, his voice turning hoarse with excitement.
"Please allow me, Tris, to offer you my eternal loyalty!"
Looking at him like this, Nairn was thinking of something else.
Loyalty? In the world of Mysteries, that's the least trustworthy thing.
Hadn't a certain entrepreneur built his organization entirely by relying on 'traitors'?
Especially for a Beyonder of the "Assassin" Pathway, whose nature was betrayal, deceit, and creating chaos.
'Tris is so fanatical toward me right now partly because I've terrified him, and partly because he needs something from me.'
He didn't want to become a woman.
That was the fundamental reason he had come to pledge his loyalty to Nairn today.
Just then, Tris looked up, his eyes filled with the determination of someone burning their bridges.
"I... I come from a humble background and have always wanted to escape my fate. The Demoness Sect commits all kinds of evils; I've long wanted to leave the darkness for the light, but I simply lacked the opportunity! Now, I see hope!
"Furthermore, the Demoness Sect gave me power, but it also gave me despair. I don't want to become a Monster! I beg you, milord, give me a way out!"
These words were spoken with genuine sincerity.
Nairn looked at him, laughing inwardly.
Leaving darkness for the light? How nicely put. It was merely choosing the lesser of two evils.
Compared to becoming a woman, being a dog for a seemingly more powerful and unfathomable big shot seemed like a better choice.
However, Nairn didn't care about his motives. What he wanted was a useful tool.
Except
"And how do you know that I am a good person?" Nairn suddenly chuckled and asked back.