Chapter 9 : Oddity

Chapter 9: Oddity

A faint light illuminated the room where Conrad was practicing. He sat in a meditative posture, in sync with the world of the unknown. His body felt light as feathers, as if detached and floating in some higher dimension. Before him, a glow vibrated silently with energy fluctuations—his Brahman manifesting itself clearly.

My body needs to act as a field that can make these fluctuations happen, he thought. 

There are many theories regarding Brahman manifestation, but generally nobody has agreed on any singular theory. Still, it's widely accepted that the thinking body as a field can manifest Brahman more easily.

Conrad tried to concentrate on giving his Brahman shape, but it remained like water without a container. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't contain it. He began pouring more energy into it. As the Brahman heated, his room blazed with bright light, but Conrad felt his energy draining rapidly.

No, this isn't right. Remember what Anira said: Practice efficiency, not scale.

As Conrad calmed his output, a strange hallucination struck him—an eye staring directly at him.

What the—

His Brahman dispersed instantly as his eyes snapped open. A voice called from outside.

"Brother, are you there?"

A female voice? Did something happen to my sisters? Wait, let me calm down first.

Conrad surveyed his room for potential dangers. Just to be sure, let me use my senses.

He sighed. Good, there's nothing. I don't know what that weird image was. It looked like an eye.

When he opened his door, Clara stood there with teary eyes.

What happened while I was inside?

"Clara? What's the matter?"

"Brother, sorry I'm being a bother, but believe me, I saw something in the kitchen."

The kitchen? Isn't that where I saw that Oddity last time? Wait, it's impossible. An Oddity can't cross Anira's barrier.

Conrad's face grew serious, his thoughts racing to determine the next course of action.

Is it possible the Oddity is much stronger and broke through Anira's barrier? That would be terrifying.

"I know you don't believe me, but..." Clara shifted awkwardly, desperate in facing her brother for the first time.

Conrad placed his hand on Clara's head and said with a warm smile, hiding their terrifying situation, "I believe you, Clara. You're my precious sister—why wouldn't I believe you?"

Clara's eyes felt some guilt. She wanted to hug her brother but held back. For the first time, she felt someone besides Leona was reliable—and it was none other than a man, her most hated person, her brother.

"Conrad, should we check inside the kitchen?" Clara asked.

Conrad thought deeply. Without Anira, it's too dangerous. One misstep and we'll meet an unfortunate fate. Better to leave it alone for now. We haven't been hurt, which means it won't harm us for now. I remember Anira told me Oddities usually don't have logical thinking—they act on instinct.

"Clara, if I ask you not to go to the kitchen, will you listen to my request?"

Clara paused before replying, "Yes, I will listen."

"Good girl. Why did you want to go to the kitchen?"

"I wanted to drink some water."

"Oh, I have two bottles in my room. Let me get one for you."

"Ah, Conrad...can...I stay with you until Leona comes back?" Clara asked, tugging slightly at his sleeve.

She's stubborn but a very good girl at heart.

"Sure, come in."

At 9:00 PM, Leona and Isalde returned.

"Welcome back," Conrad said, walking toward the door to receive his sisters.

"Clara fell asleep in my room. I think she was tired from her studies."

Hearing those words, Leona and Isalde exchanged glances. Isalde smiled at Conrad and asked, "Con, did something happen while we were away?"

"Nothing serious. She was just a little afraid, so I let her stay in my room."

"Yes, she gets afraid easily," Leona said while removing her shoes.

"Should we wake her for dinner?"

"I'll do it," Leona replied.

Conrad gazed toward the kitchen, lost in thought. After Clara fell asleep, I used my sensing ability to detect anomalies. I found nothing, but I'm just a beginner. Still, there should have been something. Maybe the Oddity left? But why so suddenly?

After some small talk, the Valor family sat at their respective seats and had a pleasant family dinner, unaware of something—or someone—watching them silently.

When the clock struck midnight and every woman in the Valor household slept, a lone young man walked the hallway, his sharp eyes focused on the distant corner of the kitchen.

"Anira."

A figure emerged from the young man's shadow. In the darkness, her feminine features could only be described as otherworldly, commanding darkness itself with her mere presence. Her crimson eyes pierced through any night, her snow-white skin outshining pure winter, her corset dress blending with shadows in timeless mystique. As Anira emerged, she parted her crimson lips and responded.

"Yes, my lord."

Conrad studied his partner, who wore a deep blue, almost black corset dress with matching gloves.

Another new dress? Is there a shopping mall inside my shadow? Not that I care, but if you ever marry, your husband will suffer greatly.

Conrad quipped. Anira gave him a knowing look.

Did she just read my mind or something ?

"My lord, this will be dangerous. Please stay close to me."

Conrad nodded and explained Clara's incident.

"It's really odd..." Anira furrowed her brow in thought before speculating, "My lord, my barrier prevents Oddities from entering from outside, but one could exist within if it was here to begin with."

Conrad's eyes sharpened. Very interesting. I hadn't considered that.

Though intelligent, Conrad lacked experience in supernatural matters.

"Anira, you have a point, but I have one problem. Why couldn't we sense it when we put up the barrier, or when I visited the kitchen? Besides that creepy feeling, I didn't notice anything strange."

Anira frowned at this puzzle. "My lord, as I've stated, the supernatural world is extremely complicated, even at the lower levels. We must fight the unknown without additional information. That's how Essentarii usually fight. Only powerful organizations have the luxury of gathering intelligence beforehand, and even that's considered risky and expensive."

Conrad scratched his head. Why is this world set to hard difficulty?

"Anira, can weapons affect Oddities?"

"Normal weapons work, but it depends on the Oddities strength. Usually, Essentarii use weapons augmented with their own power, specially made for them. Essentarii at tiers 6-5 typically have artifacts to assist them."

"Artifacts?" Conrad asked curiously.

"Yes, my lord. In this world, artifacts exist but are few in number—considered national treasures. Nations owning even one are deemed powerful. They're scarce and hard to acquire, but some reportedly hold power to destroy entire worlds or even slay gods."

Terrifying... How scary are these things?

Anira blinked at Conrad with her beautiful crimson eyes, then squinted as if considering something.

"Anira, what's wrong?" Conrad noticed his partner's unusual behavior.

"My lord, would you hold a weapon for this mission? My priority is protecting you, so after careful consideration, I think it best if you take this."

"What are you—" Conrad's question cut short as Anira's ethereal voice pierced the night's silence.

"Mist Sword." A sword materialized before Conrad, dark as a starless night with a crimson hilt. A silver chain of dense mist hung from it—the finest katana imaginable.

Ability: Mist sword Yoru

Conrad's eyes twitched slightly. More than anything, he felt awe at such powers, though he'd grown somewhat used to Anira's mysterious ways.

"What is this?" he asked, excitement creeping into his voice.

"An artifact. The Mist Sword Yoru. I don't know its origin, but I can't die while it exists. Only completely erasing me from existence with overwhelming power or breaking this sword would kill me."

Conrad stared in shock. "Why tell me such vital information?"

Anira tilted her head, confused. "My lord, my life has been yours since we met."

"..." Conrad fell silent, an unnamed feeling stirring in his heart.

Do you trust me that much? Don't you know such trust can be dangerous?

After a deep breath, Conrad asked, "How do you know this sword holds your life?"

"I feel it, my lord. It's a connection my Brahman understands. It's the same thing I felt with you, as if—"

Tuck!

Anira didn't finish. A small sound echoed from the kitchen. Conrad gripped the floating sword. It felt neither light nor heavy—as if it could slice through anything effortlessly.

They entered the kitchen. Darkness filled the space, all lights extinguished. Clouds drifted across the sky, occasionally veiling the moon. Dim moonlight provided their only illumination. Conrad's tension showed in his sweat while Anira remained expressionless.

The kitchen stood empty save for scattered dishes and mysterious water droplets breaking the silence. A newspaper lay discarded on the floor.

I don't remember the kitchen being this messy. Isalde always tidies up after meals.

A cold breeze brushed past Conrad as he stood beside Anira Veil.

Something's wrong. I don't know what.

Conrad turned to ask Anira something but found her space empty.

She zipped around the room at impossible speed—no, more accurately, she moved instantaneously. Light mist trailed her movements, creating the effect of a silent, miniature smoke bomb.

Ability: Mist Teleportation

After several seconds, she stopped. Her gaze fixed on a closet normally kept closed, used for storing old items.

"My lord, I sense nothing supernatural here, but we should investigate everything..."

"Alright... let's open this closet." Conrad gripped his sword tightly.

As the door creaked open, cold air flooded the room. Distant clouds now completely obscured the moon. In such absolute darkness, without lights, Conrad felt a chill race down his spine at what the small door revealed.

A bride in her wedding dress crouched inside, skin dry as autumn leaves, as if she hadn't eaten in years. She stretched nearly twice their height, her body unnaturally elongated.

"Is... is this an Oddity?"

"No, my lord, just a dead body. Actually..." Anira paused before turning to Conrad, "It died just a minute ago."

"Just a minute ago? You mean all this time it was alive in our house?"

Certain thoughts sent chills through Conrad. His heart thumped with audible force, his legs trembling slightly from facing such a creepy situation for the first time in his life. Bravery manifests through action and experience—Conrad had experience from his past life, but this was something he'd never dealt with, something unknown, something beyond human understanding. A single word lingered in his mind:

Oddity.

"My lord, I think there are multiple possible reasons for this, but..." Anira broke the unusual silence with her unwavering voice, "we should focus on finding and eliminating the Oddity as quickly as possible before night ends."

Conrad found himself amazed by Anira's unexpected composure, as if she'd seen worse and faced countless such situations in her life.

She really is a blessing. Without her, I would have lost my mind.

"Okay, let's do it," Conrad said with a commanding voice, controlling his inner fear.

"My lord, this is an excellent opportunity to gain experience and apply what you've learned about Brahman. Every Essentarii has a unique fighting style with their own strengths and weaknesses. I'll protect you when necessary, but please proceed as if I'm not here."

You're really taking your teaching role seriously, Sensei Anira.

Conrad's mouth twitched slightly, imagining an indecent image of Anira in a teacher's outfit.

"Okay," he replied.

After this, Anira fell silent.

So we're starting. What's my fighting style? I prefer to win with almost 100% certainty. I usually don't like unexpected situations, but Brahman itself is unpredictable. In that case, I'd rather be the unpredictable one instead of the danger I'm facing. My first rule as a tier 0 Essentarii is 'unpredictability.'

But unpredictability can cause quick demise. I know my second rule—I've already implemented it in this world. It's a variant of never letting your guard down. My second rule is 'caution.'

Unpredictability and Caution.

"Let me try to sense if there's anything unusual," Conrad said, activating his Brahman sensing.

"Seems like there's nothing here."

Conrad considered circling the house to scan the whole area slowly, but turned to Anira instead. "Anira, can't we dispose of this body? I don't want to involve my sisters."

"Yes, my lord."

Anira grabbed the body and teleported somewhere unknown, returning within seconds.

So fast, Conrad thought.

The duo then circled outside the house in the cold, silent night. Only moonlight illuminated the darkness, though it played hide-and-seek with the clouds at intervals.

Conrad constantly used his senses to detect anything supernatural in the area, but his efforts proved futile.

He stopped to consider his next step. Anira, who had been walking behind him, also halted.

For some unknown reason, Conrad's eyes swept across the neighboring houses. Most stood at a distance, as there weren't many nearby, but one faced their house directly—home to the newlywed couple who had just moved in. For one reason or another, Conrad had never met them.

Newlywed...

Bride...

The dress...

Something clicked in his mind. There was that corpse in our house, wearing a bridal dress. Where's the groom for that bride? The newlywed couple... I heard my sister mention it during dinner... She didn't like the husband, and said he was somewhat impatient with his wife.

Maybe it's a murder, but this feels like more than just a crime. Wait, what was it Anira told me about Oddities?

Conrad tried to recall the lessons: "Something that is against the natural order or corruption of Brahman."

He glanced at Anira, who stood beside him emotionless. A cold breeze passed through both of them as some insects broke the night's silence. At some distance their gaze fell on the single house without any source of light and a garden which was as silent as the night itself.