Yamka's shoulder brushed against that of a hulking ogre, and she instantly turned toward him, eyes flashing with the intent to start a fight.

  Noroi noticed and immediately grabbed her arm, pulling her away before even sparing the ogre a glance.

  "What are you doing?! It's been less than three minutes since I warned you not to attract attention!"

  Noroi scolded her harshly, dragging her behind him like a disobedient hound through the throng of creatures around them, while Haruki followed behind with hesitant steps.

  "But he bumped into me!"

  Yamka muttered in a low voice, her lips twisting downward in a sulky pout as she crossed her arms, being pulled along by Noroi.

  Noroi didn't bother responding to her protests. Instead, he tightened his grip on her arm to keep her close, making sure she wouldn't cause any more trouble along the way.

  Meanwhile, Haruki's wide eyes were filled with awe at the sights surrounding them; the marketplace seemed like something straight out of an old dream.

  The wooden stalls were simple, yet their contents belonged to different eras and lands ,some familiar to him, others unlike anything he had ever seen before.

  In a moment of awe and distraction, Haruki's cloak snagged on a patch of disgusting green muck.

  He quickly yanked it free and pulled off his mask to see what had stuck to it.

  His face twisted in visible disgust ,eyes narrowing, upper lip curling with revulsion.

  Yamka nearly burst into laughter at the sight, but managed to stifle it with difficulty as Haruki hastily slipped his mask back on.

  The three continued walking through the bustling market until they stopped before a shop where strange masks dangled in rows.

  They came in all kinds of shapes and colors, some resembling terrifying beasts, others bearing distorted or eerily grinning faces.

  The shopkeeper was a short, bald-headed goblin with gleaming red eyes that shimmered with mischief. He cast them a sly look, as though already plotting how to swindle them.

  Noroi stepped forward with a steady stride, while the merchant's lips stretched into a sticky smile.

  Spreading his arms wide behind the wooden counter, he spoke in a voice dripping with false sweetness.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  "Welcome, welcome… I see you're interested in buying a mask, am I right? Or am I right?"

  Noroi gave the dwarf a short nod, his tone flat and unreadable.

  "You're right. We need a mask."

  The goblin practically leapt with excitement, his gleaming eyes darting across the dangling masks one by one until his hands finally settled on a particular piece.

  He handled it carefully, as if even touching it might taint it, then pulled it out from the shadows where it had been hidden.

  With deliberate slowness, he presented it before the three.

  It was a deep crimson Oni mask, its face twisted into a wide grin that revealed sharp white fangs jutting out from both sides.

  Its expression was both savage and imposing ,like it was sneering maliciously at those who dared to gaze at it.

  The goblin smiled as he lifted the mask high, as though displaying a rare treasure seldom shown to anyone.

  He let the three stare at it in awe before leaning forward slightly, his voice adopting an exaggeratedly theatrical tone as he began to recount its tale.

  "This mask… a rare relic once belonging to a human ,yes, a human girl. A warrior whose very presence struck terror into the hearts of monsters. She became a legend still told to children today, so they would never dare leave their homes at night. They called her Nian Sho. But thanks to our mighty soldiers, she was captured. They baptized her in the square of Elowyn Village, then burned her alive until her body was nothing but ash. They say her screams… can still be heard in that village to this very day."

  The words weighed heavily, striking the hearts of the three with a grim chill.

  The air seemed to thicken around them, the atmosphere growing heavy, as an unnatural cold seeped into the space at the realization of what had befallen the mask's original owner.

  The bodies of both Haruki and Yamika trembled as they listened to this tragic story, and how the life of a human, someone like them, had ended in this world.

  Haruki was practically shaking all over, unable to imagine that monsters could reach such a level of… savagery.

  Yamka, on the other hand, received the story with anger; her fists clenched tightly at her sides until her knuckles turned white, and she kept her head lowered.

  Yet behind that anger lay a subtle fear… perhaps of the story itself, or perhaps of something deeper.

  Noroi stepped closer to the counter, the gleam of the oni mask reflecting off the glass of his gas mask.

  He lifted his gaze toward the goblin, his voice muffled by the mask as he spoke.

  "How much is it?"

  Haruki and Yamika's eyes widened in shock, both left speechless by surprise. Meanwhile, the dwarf's grin stretched wide, revealing rows of yellow teeth, as he answered in a falsely sweet tone.

  "Oh, my dear young man, this is a rare piece… its price will be high."

  The goblin studied Noroi's face, expecting to see amazement, but was met only with cold indifference.

  His shoulders slumped in disappointment, the grin fading as he rolled his eyes with annoyance.

  "Fine… take it for five coins."

  "Four."

  "Deal."

  The goblin's reply came instantly to Noroi's blunt counter-offer. Without hesitation, Noroi pulled four coins from the pocket of his cloak and placed them on the counter.

  The dwarf snatched them greedily, clutching them to his chest and inhaling their metallic scent as though it were sweeter than musk to his heart.

  He then tossed the mask upward toward Noroi ,but Yamka's hand shot up quickly, catching it midair.

  Yamka placed the mask directly onto her face, as if she had finally found something that allowed her to lift her head high.

  In the back, the goblin merchant was rolling the coins between his fingers one by one with affection, muttering to himself while chuckling softly.

  "I've scored another deal… I mean, nothing to lose, I stole the mask from the site before the fire could melt it, hehe…"