It was a troubling development. The only consolation was that the Iron-Blooded Lord showed no visible discomfort around me—or perhaps he was too embarrassed to notice. Either way, it was unclear whether this counted as a positive outcome, though it seemed I had at least survived the immediate danger.0

"Ugh..." I pressed a hand to my temples while staring at Nalu in the mirror. I wanted to remove my mask immediately, yet abandoning my current identity felt wasteful.0

Judging from the Middle Names' words, most of them appeared to be experts in the Dark Church. I couldn't tell what precisely—they could excel in pursuit, exploration, survival, or hunting like the Iron-Blooded Lord. In any case, it seemed prudent to conceal my true identity for the foreseeable future.0

I don't want to run away. The Iron-Blooded Lord had seen through my disguise, so fleeing without reason would only raise suspicion.0

I sighed and left the bathroom.0

Surprisingly, the Iron-Blooded Lord stood at the door, watching me. Did he still have something to say?0

"Lu—...0