The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 412: Black Finger (4)

After walking down the seemingly endless corridor, Fran and Veronica suddenly stopped.

As though by mutual agreement, the two looked at each other and spoke.

“Hey, just now…….”

“I felt it too.”

The sensation was somewhat difficult to explain in words.

It was as though a layer surrounding the space around them had been peeled away.

Veronica furrowed her brow.

“It feels like the formation was destroyed…… but why all of a sudden?”

“Maybe Oscar or Ms. Edna did something?”

“Hmm…… I suppose.”

It was difficult to imagine those two wandering around inside the formation like they had.

And if that really were the case, it would mean the operation had already failed anyway.

“First, we need to confirm it.”

“Yeah.”

They continued moving for quite some time, but the wall they had marked was nowhere to be seen.

That meant the formation itself had definitely been dispelled.

‘Phew.’

Just as Veronica let out a faint sigh of relief.

Jingle!

A clear, pure bell sound rang out from the other end of the corridor.

“…….”

“…….”

The two looked at each other, finished preparing for battle, and stared into the darkness at the far end of the corridor.

Jingle! Jingle!

The bell, ringing at regular intervals, was slowly approaching them.

Before long, the shape of something began to emerge from the other end of the corridor.

“What is that?”

“……A palanquin? That’s a palanquin.”

It was a mode of transportation mainly used by nobles of the Yan Empire.

The palanquin, moving so high that it nearly brushed the corridor ceiling, was being carried by four bearers.

The muscular bearers were all of similar height, and each had their face covered by a large sheet of white paper.

Whenever they moved, the clean sound of a bell flowed from inside the palanquin.

-Stop.

A young woman’s voice came from inside the palanquin.

At that, the bearers stopped walking, lowered themselves, and knelt on one knee.

-So it is you. The guests who came to visit the temple.

“……Who are you?”

-It has been a long time since I abandoned my worldly name.

The voice replied in an elegant manner.

-These days, everyone calls me the Cult Leader.

“……!”

“……!”

Fran and Veronica’s expressions stiffened.

If there was a cult leader wandering around this place, it could only be the leader of the Salvation Cult.

They recalled what Oscar had said during the briefing.

-Judging from the Salvation Cult’s abnormal worship and obsession, she is presumed to possess a unique-type ability resembling hypnosis or brainwashing.

The first emotion that surfaced was bewilderment.

They had never expected to encounter such a being so suddenly.

‘No, this is actually better.’

Veronica gritted her teeth.

The being before them was an enemy anyway.

There was no reason to hesitate when faced with a clearly defined enemy.

Over Craft - 『Wind Press』

In an instant, four magic circles appeared in front of Veronica.

Crack!

A tremendously powerful wind violently pressed down on the palanquin.

‘Die before you even have time to get out of the palanquin!’

Creeeeak!

At the same time as the palanquin’s frame twisted and let out a grotesque sound.

Swaaash! Fran’s whip lashed out.

Its targets were the palanquin bearers.

Though they had not exchanged a single word, the two of them each did what needed to be done in that fleeting instant.

-Stop.

Until the Cult Leader’s voice rang in their ears.

Jingle!

“……What?”

Veronica’s pupils trembled as she stared at her own hand.

She had dispelled the magic herself.

She did not know why.

It had simply felt as though doing so was the natural thing to do.

‘Could this be the Cult Leader’s ability?’

Instantaneous brainwashing?

Hypnosis?

Fran’s whip also twisted off course and struck the wall instead of the palanquin bearers.

“Ugh!”

This was dangerous.

Alarm bells rang in both of their minds.

And yet, neither of them moved first.

Their bodies were not exactly paralyzed, but the very thought that they needed to move seemed to be fading.

-There is no need to hurry. You must both be very tired after coming all this way.

The Cult Leader’s voice softly caressed their ears.

It was a warm voice that soothed their exhausted bodies and minds, as though it would understand everything about them.

For some reason, they felt as though tears might well up in their eyes.

-Humans suffer amid countless choices.

-What to believe, whom to doubt, whom to love, and whom to hate—each must be decided for oneself.

The silhouette of a person could be seen beyond the thin curtain covering the palanquin.

-How could that be called freedom? It is merely an endlessly recurring punishment.

“……So what? Are you saying you’ll decide everything for us?”

Veronica snapped irritably.

-Yes, that’s right.

A faint trace of joy entered the woman’s voice from inside the palanquin.

-There is no need to make painful, difficult choices and suffer needlessly. I will shoulder all of your fears, regrets, and sins in your place.

“I don’t need that.”

Veronica replied coldly.

Wind was gathering around her fingertips once more.

‘I can’t listen to that woman.’

Disgustingly enough, the more she listened to the voice, the more she felt herself beginning to like its owner.

It began to feel as though the woman were someone precious with whom she had shared many years and memories.

Perhaps this was what the family she had once so desperately longed for would have felt like.

“Fran, when I give the signal…… Fran?”

She could see the back of Fran’s head one step ahead of her.

The whip slowly slipped from his hand as he stood there blankly with his head lowered.

-Your companion has laid down his burden and received salvation.

The Cult Leader tried to persuade her again.

-Now only you remain. Come, cast away the suffering of the secular world and become free.

“Bullshit……!”

She glared at Fran and hurled abuse at him.

“Hey, you stupid bastard! How could you fall completely for hypnosis like that?”

Veronica quickly looked away.

She could always beat him awake later.

For now, defeating the Cult Leader came first.

‘Considering that my magic could be interrupted halfway through…….’

She needed magic that could not be stopped once cast, even if her mind changed afterward.

Veronica’s eyes gleamed.

Over Craft - 『Aero Burst』

Explosive wind poured from the magic circles assembled like puzzle pieces and swept through the corridor.

The compressed wind shot toward the palanquin like a cannonball.

-Block it.

At the Cult Leader’s words, two of the palanquin bearers sprang to their feet and used their bodies to shield the palanquin.

Whoooooosh!

Because they drastically reduced its speed, the wind merely pushed the palanquin back slightly.

-Subdue her.

Crack!

At the command, the bearers kicked off the floor and swung their massive fists.

“Tch.”

Veronica lightly deflected a fist, instantly slipped inside her opponent’s guard, and—Thud!—landed a liver shot.

‘That hit cleanly. He won’t be able to move after……?’

Baaam!

Veronica barely blocked the back of the opponent’s swinging hand and rolled across the floor several times.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

‘That strength is absurd.’

But what was even more surprising was that he had moved despite taking the liver shot.

That was not the kind of attack one could overcome through willpower.

“Ugh.”

The four palanquin bearers closed the distance and began throwing punches from every direction.

Veronica stepped lightly and repeatedly counterattacked, but the bearers did not so much as flinch.

“Ah, I see. So you’re all confident in your durability?”

Her face twisting into a scowl, she dodged the continuing attacks while stacking up magic circles.

Over Craft - 『Gust Hand』

A pair of gigantic winds clenched into fists and copied Veronica’s pose.

“Then try enduring this too.”

Whoooooosh!

When she thrust out her palm, the Gust Hands followed suit.

Two charging palanquin bearers were slammed straight into the corridor wall, and Veronica continued moving her arm.

Grrrrrrind!

The bearers scraped their backs along the corridor wall for a long distance before staggering, unable to steady themselves from the impact.

“Huff, haaah.”

A one-two jab followed.

Had they been bare fists, the bearers would have easily ignored them, but the attacks from the Gust Hands repeatedly sent them reeling.

Veronica danced through elaborate footwork and pummeled the palanquin bearers.

At that moment, a bearer who had pushed in through her blind spot wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her into the air.

“Ugh!”

If she were slammed into the ground like this, she would definitely lose consciousness.

She hurriedly crossed her legs around the bearer’s neck and began choking him.

Any ordinary human would have been in agony, but he did not care in the slightest.

“God…… damn it!”

Along with the sensation of falling, just before her head was driven into the floor.

Swaaash!

A sharp sound tore through the corridor.

Baaam!

The bearer released Veronica and was sent flying sideways.

A vivid red whip mark had been left across his upper body, as though a gigantic snake had passed over it.

“……Fran?”

Veronica hurriedly looked behind her.

But Fran was still standing blankly with his head lowered.

Even the whip lying at his feet had not moved from its original position.

-Your companion has already received salvation. No matter how much you call him, he will not return.

“…….”

Veronica ignored those words and slowly retraced the battle up until now.

‘Now that I think about it, this is strange.’

Despite being surrounded by four enemies, she had felt oddly little pressure.

Attacks that should have poured relentlessly from her blind spots had repeatedly come too late, and the encirclement had been loose.

She had thought it was simply because she had been lucky and fought well enough to create those openings…….

The corners of Veronica’s lips curled upward.

“Well, even if that idiot is stupid, he’s not the kind of guy who’d give up without even fighting.”

Everything was hypnosis and illusion.

Fran had neither given up nor laid anything down.

He was simply fighting with all his might somewhere she could not see.

Perhaps, in his eyes, she looked like the one who had given up on everything.

-…….

For the first time, the Cult Leader fell silent.

Of course, even after realizing that it was an illusion, the scene before her did not change.

Fran still stood with his head lowered like someone who had abandoned all will.

“It doesn’t matter.”

If her eyes were lying to her, she only needed to trust something else.

“Even though I can’t see where that guy is or what he’s doing.”

Veronica raised her fist again.

Behind her, the enormous Gust Hand took the same stance.

“I know we’re fighting together.”

Veronica threw a short punch.

-Kill each other! Hurry!

Along with the Cult Leader’s venomous scream, the scenery before her distorted.

Fran suddenly appeared in front of the Gust Hand that had been heading toward the palanquin.

“Urk!”

Crunch!

Veronica bit the inside of her mouth and barely regained her senses before urgently twisting the trajectory of her fist.

Baaam!

The Gust Hand struck the innocent corridor wall, and Veronica squeezed her eyes shut.

If that idiot had failed to come to his senses, his whip would strike her next.

But the expected impact never came.

KABOOOM!

The sound of the whip smashing the palanquin echoed through the corridor.

“Ptooey! What are you so scared of?”

Fran spat out blood with a metallic taste, apparently having bitten the inside of his mouth just like she had.

Veronica slowly opened her eyes, assessed the situation, and replied.

“……Hmph, who says I was scared? I was about to counterattack right away. In case you stupidly attacked me, that is.”

“Ah, yes. Of course you were. Ow, my mouth is stinging.”

The two looked at the shattered remains of the palanquin.

A slender hand emerged from between the wooden fragments, and a petite woman crawled out on all fours.

“Urgh.”

The woman, whose face was covered by a sheet of white paper, raised her head.

“You two must immediately kill each…….”

“Bind Sound.”

The instant Veronica completed the ultra-fast chant, every sound in the area gathered together.

Among those sounds were the words coming from the Cult Leader’s mouth.

‘As expected. As long as we don’t hear a complete sentence, we’re fine.’

Watching Fran give her a thumbs-up, she took out a pair of magic-suppressing handcuffs.

Click!

Only after fastening the cuffs around the Cult Leader’s slender wrists did she feel all the strength drain from her body.

‘Phew, one down for now.’

Four fingers remained.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]