That demon is indeed the demon Ke Koloya who fought with me last time, and I am not mistaken-his arm still bears the scar of being burned by the Dao Talisman. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

- Why is he here?!

Secretly looking at the demons who were standing quietly not far away, my heart was pounding.

Could it be that he and the Masked Man are also in the same group? No, it won't! Didn't the Masked Man also seriously injure Kokoloa's orc friend in the last fight?

Also, since Cokoloa is here, what about his partner?

Why didn't you see the orc Kano and the White Flying Demon Coco Zora?

- Although Kokoloa was more friendly to me after that fight, in this situation, I have to suspect that Kokoloa's appearance has something to do with the masked man.

"Meow ......" the cat bell, which poked its head out with me, whispered softly in my ear.

"Shhhhh I hurriedly covered its mouth, "Don't talk! - Huh? ”

The hand holding the cat bell felt that the black cat was constantly trembling - it seemed that it was instinctively afraid of the demon Kokoloa.

Of course, I was also nervous.

"Oh good! Don't be afraid! I whispered to it, "Don't make a sound—the demon will be gone in a moment!" ”

The cat bell obediently moved her ears and quieted down—but her body was clinging to my body, and the tip of her slender tail was still trembling involuntarily.

Kindness...... What the hell is Kokoloa doing?

I poked my head out again.

He remained in a still position, not moving. It seems that something is waiting for you.

“……”

I don't know how long it took, but suddenly, Kekoloya's body shook. He took half a step forward with a happy look, and at the same time raised his right paw and swung twice in front of him.

Following Kokoloa's gaze, a dark figure in the distance was approaching, walking fast...... Maybe it wasn't walking at all, it was a jump—the black shadow's stride was huge, and the front foot was already raised before it hit the ground, and what was even more surprising was that. Every time he landed, it was like a float, and his feet were only a little light—the waist-deep layer of snow, he stepped on it, and it only left shallow footprints.

- I don't feel like he's using magic. Of course, the Taoist technique is useless, although the black clothes in the snow are very blurry, but the agile and swift figure always reminds me of the masked man!

The shadows were approaching—as I expected. The shadow wears a mask of withered yellow bark. Dressed in a black head-covered robe—though, there seems to be something different from the masked man I've ever seen......

How do you say it - this feeling is very strange, obviously this black shadow is the same as the mask man's dress, and the agile body is about the same, but, but...... But...... I just don't think he's a masked man, and I'm even sure he must be!

Why?

In a daze, the black shadow had already walked to the opposite side of Cokoloa. Then he spoke at a very fast pace.

Kekoloya also said a few words in response.

…… Woo! Say it if you don't understand!

Obviously, they spoke loudly and heard clearly. But I just don't understand - they must be speaking the language of the demons, right?

Alas! If only Rusya were there—I could only observe from the side, who didn't understand anything now.

The "masked man" seemed polite, but it felt like he was asking Kokoloa for something, and what about Kokoloa? Although the Flying Demon's face was expressionless, I could still feel that he also seemed to be asking for help from the Mask Man, and the Mask Man seemed to be very difficult to do what the Mask Man asked him to do, so he constantly tried to refuse, and occasionally, impulsively stretched out his claws to threaten.

Gradually, it seemed that the masked man had given up his plans, and Cokoloya's tone gradually became relaxed, and finally, the masked man sighed, took out a small white porcelain vase from his body, handed it to Cokoloa, and at the same time took a step closer and whispered a few words to Cokoloa-

His eyes?! And his hands?!

The masked man took this step just in time to allow me to see his eyes hidden behind the yellow bark mask! The right hand that handed out the porcelain vase also showed me his skin! The eyes behind the mask reveal a refined look, and the outstretched right hand is also full and ruddy!

It's different from the usual masked people - they all have the same withered yellow hands, and their eyes are all empty!

That's not the Masked Man!

No!

Then why is he wearing the same clothes as the masked man and wearing the same mask?

Why are they all as fast as the masked people?!

- There is only one possibility!

There is only one possibility!

I've always thought that the masked people who appeared were all manipulated - maybe zombies, maybe monsters, but they didn't look like real humans, so what is the real human in front of me now?!

- The Manipulator of the Mask Man!

It was he who manipulated the Masked Man to kill Lacey!

Unable to suppress my anger any longer, I slammed to my feet and shouted, "Who the hell are you?" Why kill Lacey?! ”

"Huh?!" "Sakura-san?!"

Unexpectedly, the two people in front of me who suddenly appeared in front of me were shocked, and at the same time put on a fighting stance, and after seeing me clearly, Kekoloya put down his claws and asked suspiciously, "Miss Sakura?" How did you end up here? ”

"What the hell are you for?!" Ignoring Cokoloa's doubts, I pulled out the talisman and angrily approached the masked man.

The Masked Man didn't speak, but from the shocked look in his look behind the mask, I could confirm that I was right—he was the real mastermind!

"It doesn't matter if you say it or not!" At him, I angrily raised the talisman, "I'm going to kill you!" ”

"Hahahaha!" The masked man let out a wild laugh as he took a heavy step forward at me. At the moment when he took a step forward, his whole body exuded a powerful pressure that was not inferior to Nabal!

Oops! This suffocating pressure startled me in my heart - what am I going to do out here? I'm no match for him at all!

What's more, there is a demon Ke Koloa who doesn't know if it's an enemy by his side.

The shadow of fear immediately loomed over me—it was over, I would be killed by them.

What to do? What to do?!

"Woohoo!" Unexpectedly, the frightened Catbell also walked up to me, arching her back at the masked man, and at the same time-

"Sakura-san? Qingyu, he's your enemy?! Cokoloya's unbelievable tone convinced me that he didn't know, and after saying this, Cokoloya immediately dodged between me and the masked man, and raised his claws to the masked man, "Miss Sakura is kind to me, you are not allowed to hurt her!" ”

The masked man didn't speak, but faced us, and suddenly raised his right hand and waved it - and with a bang, there was an explosion in front of him, and the shock wave of the explosion mixed with the snow on the ground rushed towards us!

At the same time, I seemed to see a small black shadow running towards the masked man from my side - Catbell?!

"Sakura-san! Flash! "Without hesitation, Kokoloa pushed me to the ground, fending me off with her own body—

The explosion wasn't strong, and we didn't realize until the snow cleared - the masked man had disappeared again.

The cat bell was standing where the masked man had stood, its tail still trembling, and under its claws, a withered yellow bark mask was pressed.

。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。

"Good behaved, so good!" I excitedly picked up the cat bell and stroked its head lovingly, "The cat bell is amazing!" You've done a great job! ”

The bark mask must have just rushed up and grabbed it at the moment of the explosion while the mask man was not paying attention, so brave!

"What reward should I give you? What reward should I give you? Scratching Catbell's chin, I pulled the beef jerky out of the package, "Now that's all I have, okay?" ”

Catbell didn't mind picking up the jerky and sitting on the floor to eat.

"When I see your master, I will tell her how good you are!" I patted it lightly on the back, and the cat purred in satisfaction.

Kindness...... Only now did I have a chance to take a closer look at the bark mask.

It's crude, it's ordinary, it's just two holes in the bark.

However, the texture of the bark is very strange, and I don't know what kind of tree it is, so if you have the opportunity to use a Dao investigation, you should find something, right?

Carefully break it into four pieces and put it in your pocket.

――We must find a safe place for this investigation, and we must not let the masked man find an opportunity to destroy it.

"Sakura-san, why are you here? Qingyu and you are not friends?! "Kekoloa, who had been standing quietly with his hands (paws) hanging down, asked suspiciously when he saw me put away my mask.

"Certainly not friends! - Clear rain? That masked man is called Qingyu? Mr. Cokoloa, how did you meet him? I asked rhetorically, "Also, what are you here to meet him for?!" ”