Capítulo 42: Chapter 41: The Conclusions Of The Case
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༺ The Conclusion Of The Case ༻
"…Undo the magic circle."
"Undo the magic circle, Frey. If you disable it, I will spare your life."
"Are you really going to sacrifice the lives of everyone in the commoner's dormitory?"
As I summoned all the demonic monsters with an evil smile on my face, everyone on the top floor urged me hastily.
Looking at them, it seems that no one here knew how to disable this magic circle.
"....."
Of course, Serena, who is rapidly calculating the magic circle from afar, will soon figure it out.
"Hahahaha! It's no use!"
Therefore, having decided to move forward with the plan quickly, I touched the ❰Stone of Domination❱ and began controlling the crow, which remained on the windowsill with its beak wide open.
"Tha-That guy…!"
"…Isn't it the Demon King's pet?"
Soon the crow's eyes lit up, and it yelled loudly. The crow then flew over and settled down atop my head. Meanwhile, I concentrated stellar mana around my throat and began imitating his voice.
Then, all the heroines who had retained their memories from the previous timeline looked astonished. It's a natural reaction in a sense because they have seen the crow with the Demon King on numerous occasions.
"This guy is already under my mind control. So, whatever you say is useless."
The crow continued speaking to the heroines in a condescending tone while I manipulated its expression with the hidden power of the ❰Stone of Domination❱ that allows someone to control the demonic monsters.
"No matter what you do, this magic circle will be activated. Then, after a millennium, the Demon King shall appear in the world."
Having said that, I made the crow flap its wings atop my head, as it continued glaring at everyone condescendingly.
"So, just surrender. If you surrender, I'll honor your courage by allowing you to join the Demon King's Army—"
"We'll never surrender!!"
However, Ferloche cut the crow off in the middle of its speech and stepped forward.
"Lord Sun God, lend your powers to this humble… ugh!!"
Soon after, Ferloche stumbled and keeled over in the middle of her chant when she tried casting a lethal spell to purify all evil beings. It's probably because she had already used quite a bit of her power so far.
"It's no use. If you don't surrender… only death will be your fate."
When I spoke to her in a tone similar to the crow while emanating dark mana. Clana and Isolet stepped forward and said.
"…We'll deal with him, Ferloche. So you replenish your holy power."
"If it is the spell of purification, then it could annihilate that crow. So, please replenish your holy power."
Having said that, the two of them glared at me for a moment, then soon launched their attacks.
"…Huff."
Irina and Arianne also reached out and began preparing their magic spells from behind. When I witnessed this scene, I took a deep breath and resolved myself.
'…Today, right now, right here, I will raise my notoriety as much as possible.'
Perhaps after this 'Update', the 'Cumulative Notoriety System' will be unlocked due to which my 'Notoriety' known throughout the Empire will be converted into 'False Evil Points'.
I mean, since things have already turned out this way… I might as well use this opportunity to raise my notoriety.
In order to do that, I need to tarnish my image as much as possible while also protecting my 'Political Position' with the help of the Sun God Church and the Empress who I have close ties to… In addition, I need to keep the Third Imperial Princess in check through means of the 'Covenant.'
Not to mention, in order to make Serena and my sister give up on me… this is probably the most effective way.
Because of this, when this is all over, my image will be at rock bottom, and I will become the public enemy who barely managed to defend his 'Political Position,' but… it doesn't matter, because that's what I'm hoping for.
'…And I have no other choice if I want to shatter this magic circle.'
Besides, if I want to deal with this magic circle naturally in front of everyone, the only way to do so is by causing a ruckus like this.
This is because, in order to neutralize the mana in the graffiti engraved from the first to the top floors, the mana and the sword aura of these heroines who are bound to become the strongest in the world in the near future must be spread evenly throughout the building.
If their mana and aura are spread out evenly…
"Hah!!"
"Heup!!"
I couldn't even finish organizing my thoughts before Isolet and Clana charged at me.
"It's no use!!"
I yelled at them in that imitated tone with an evil look on my face and swathed my sword in dark mana.
– Clank!
Then Isolet stopped in her tracks and swung her sword with all her might, and in the next instant, both our swords clashed against each other, unfurling black smoke everywhere.
"I don't know if it's mind manipulation or acting, but now that such an opportunity has arrived… prepare yourself."
Then, a dazzling light pierced through the black smoke, and a destructive beam was shot along with Clana's cold remarks.
"…Tsk, everyone is so violent. This person seems to be hated a lot, doesn't he?"
I looked straight at the beam and spoke a line indicating that I was being manipulated, and the next moment, I parried the beam with my sword and scattered it evenly downstairs.
"I knew this was the case… perhaps"
Then Serena, who had been glaring at me until then, smiled with a sullen look and unfolded her fan.
– I'll-Play-Along-With-You-For-Now.
Before long, she covered her own face with her fan and mouthed a few words while pursing her lips so that only I could see her, and then quietly winked at me.
– Per-ha-ps.
"…This is driving me crazy."
Then, with a slightly suspicious look, she pursed her lips again and mouthed a word. I heaved a deep sigh when I saw that.
Apparently, Serena inferred all the interpretations of the magic circle and my plans in that brief span of time.
'…Well, I thought of a way in order to prepare for such a situation.'
She's not sure of everything about me. In other words, no matter how clear the truth may be, when it's something related to me, she has no choice but to remain 'doubtful.'
I slightly nodded my head in response as I had already figured out a way to use that to disappoint Serena later. As such, I focussed my gaze on Clana, who was in front of me.
"Haaah!"
Then, out of nowhere, Ferloche emerged through the smoke and charged at me fiercely.
"Lady Ferloche! It's dangerous…"
Upon seeing that, Clana screamed in panic, but–
"Kyaa!!"
Then soon Ferloche crept behind Isabel, who gazed at her blankly for a split second before being flung away after getting punched.
"…After all, I think it would be better to help out rather than quietly replenishing my holy power behind."
"But…"
"I was able to cast that spell at the auction house earlier because I had saved up my holy power for that day. So, in order to use it again, I will have to replenish my holy power for quite a long period of time."
After glaring at Isabel, who had been trembling in the distance as she had exhausted all the Demon King's power, Ferloche concluded her speech in a solemn tone.
"…I won't be worthy to be called the Saintess if I quietly observe everything from behind while my friend's life is in danger."
"Y-You…"
Upon hearing that, Clana looked at Ferloche with a slightly moved gaze.
"Ugh…"
On the other hand, I was blocking the holy power and the solar mana they were shooting at me, while at the same time, I was spreading them evenly downstairs.
"… Frey, you possessed that level of skill?"
Isolet, who was examining me quietly, raised her sword with a perplexed look.
"…According to the inscriptions regarding black magic recorded in the ancient literature, it's stated that the Demon King's pet can corrode people's minds, then infuse Demon King's power into them and control them as their host."
Then Serena, who had been standing still until then, joined the heroines and said so with an icy look on her face.
"The aura emanating from Frey's body is a mixture of dark mana that reinforces his body and the Demon King's power… It seems Lady Serena is right."
The next moment, Kania gave her consent and took a step towards the heroines. Upon hearing that, everyone besides Arianne nodded their head. Meanwhile, Arianne had a puzzled expression on her face.
"…After all, you were a warlock."
"You knew."
"There's no way I wouldn't. I have faced my fair share of warlocks."
Then, as Isolet spoke with a composed look on her face, Arianne began stuttering with her mouth agape.
"I-Irina…! Di-Did you hear that…"
"…She has her circumstances, so pretend you don't know."
Irina then quickly rebuked Arianne, while Isolet swathed her sword with aura and said.
"But I don't feel any evil from you, so if you lend us a hand, I'll take your circumstance into consideration."
"…Thank you."
Having said that, the two of them began shooting dark mana and sword slashes imbued with aura at me. Meanwhile, the rest of them quietly gathered their powers.
"Everyone…"
In such a situation, I stretched out my arms, raised the corners of my lips slightly to form a crooked smile, and exclaimed.
"…Charge!!"
The moment I ordered as such, the demons lurking behind me charged at the heroines in unison. After watching the scene with a satisfied look for a moment, I turned around and wiped the blood dripping from the corner of my mouth. Having done that, I muttered under my breath…
"…I need to run away."
No matter the situation, confronting them head-on is impossible.
.
.
.
.
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"Frey!! Stand there!!"
"Lady Ferloche, have you received the Blessing of the Sun God?"
Serena, who followed Ferloche and rushed after me, asked her with a slightly surprised look.
"Yes! But how…"
"Anyone can guess by the way you're running with such tremendous force… Anyway, you can't use the Blessing of the Sun God in this situation."
"…Why?"
"If the person who drew the magic circle dies, the entire magic circle might explode… and in that case, everyone's lives will be in danger. So please refrain from using it."
When Serena spoke sternly, Ferloche nodded her head with a frightened look. Meanwhile, Serena, who was momentarily shocked, soon turned her head and shouted to warn others.
"Others as well. Please keep in mind! Our goal right now is not to kill, but to subdue! So, use your strength in moderation!"
Upon hearing those words, Isolet, who was running at the front, instructed everyone in a cold tone.
"…Focus on the crow on his head. It will be all over if we just deal with it."
In the next moment, indiscriminate attacks began raining down on Frey, who was dodging from place to place in the building while running away.
"It's useless!! Even now, if you surrender, I'll recruit you as one of the soldiers in the Demon King's army…"
Meanwhile, Frey kept dodging those attacks from all directions with a slightly fatigued expression.
'…Something's strange.'
On the other hand, Irina began observing the situation that had been repeating for a while now with a suspicious look.
'His figure looks familiar…'
The way he is parrying the magic spells reminds me of 'Liana,' the woman who saved me from the 'Ashen Forest.'
Why the hell?
– Kachiiiing!!
Is it because I could feel a faint yet familiar sparkling mana lingering in his sword imbued with dark mana whenever he wields it?
"Demonic monsters, stop them!!"
"…How is he controlling these monsters?"
Or is it because the voice of the crow, the Demon King's pet, seems to possess similar mana 'Liana' had whenever she spoke?
"Ms. Arianne, Lady Ferloche! Please prepare your shield!"
"…Damn it, you are deliberately spreading the attack in all directions. Don't you care about the safety of the students?"
Or is it because he is preparing something by continuing to spread our attacks in every direction?
'What the hell are you trying to do, Frey?'
After suffering from mana exhaustion, Irina went through two changes.
First, after training every day on how to manage her mana reserves effectively, she developed her mana sensitivity to the point that she could even feel the faint traces of mana.
In fact, it was a feat that was almost nigh impossible for a human being, but Irina is destined to become the greatest Archmage, and a peerless genius when it comes to magical talent, in the entire history of the Empire
As a result of her innate talent on top of desperate efforts, she was able to increase her mana reserves and sensitivity to a level that would even shock the Tower Master.
And because of that, Irina could sense a lot of similarities between Liana's mana and the mana Frey is currently using.
The second change is that the time invested in magical research has doubled.
This was due to the fact that she didn't need to study much theory because of her innate magical talent, but her mana exhaustion, on the other hand, prevented her from using magic. Thus, she invested her time dabbling into magical knowledge that she knew existed from the previous timeline.
Irina, who was unable to train much in magic, had been conducting various research in her dormitory to take revenge on Frey and prevent any future disasters related to magic.
And the first thing she studied hard was the 'Sacrificial Magic Circle' inscribed in every corner of the commoner's dormitory.
"That guy… no way…"
She reconstructed the magic circle, which no one was able to calculate because it was seriously damaged, through constant speculation and by analyzing the memories of her previous life. And as such, she was somewhat able to devise methods to destroy that magic circle.
The first method is rather simple. All you need to do is move the offerings to another location.
However, since the inside and outside of the dormitory are now disjointed by spatial magic, it is impossible to use the first method.
Therefore, in the present situation, only the second method remained, which is both fairly dangerous and reckless.
The second method is… spreading a huge amount of mana evenly around the magic circle, and then slamming everything in the medium located at the center of the magic circle. Frankly, it's a radical method that can't even be called a destructive method.
If you do so, the mana condensed in the medium will react with the magic circle, shattering the structure of the magic circle in the aftermath.
But the reason this method is quite radical and dangerous is…
– Spaaaark!!!
"…Huh?"
A huge flash of light occurred in front of Irina, who was immersed in her thoughts.
– Boom! Boom!!
The wind slashes, imbued with Serena's lunar mana, generated by the flapping of her fan, and the dark mana summoned by Kania clashed with Ferloche's holy power and Clana's golden beams, which were shot straight at Frey, causing a series of explosions.
– Boom!!
Frey parried Isolet's sword aura that flew amidst the explosion with his own sword, and then scattered it along with mana in every direction.
Even at first glance, it looks quite strange, but it seems that the people who are concentrating on Frey and his monsters from all directions don't have the time to be concerned about it.
Only Irina, a master of combat magic, noticed this oddity while silently observing everything from behind, as she couldn't use magic anymore.
"…I don't think it's a coincidence if it keeps happening so many times."
Irina, who watched such a scene repeatedly, muttered under her breath.
"But… why? Just why?"
All circumstantial evidence points to one answer, but her heart and mind refuse to believe it.
As such, Irina, who kept ruminating over this until her head overheated, shot a small fireball at the monster that crept up behind her and muttered to herself.
'…For now, I'll put my judgement on hold.'
He was extremely evil and heinous in my previous life. So, that behavior might also be a part of some evil deed.
Even while she was working as his maid, she was persecuted and harassed many times.
His obnoxious gaze and sticky touch were similar to the ones she had experienced in the previous timeline.
So for now, I'm still not sure...
"Cough!!"
Irina, who had been immersed in such thoughts, opened her eyes at that sudden development.
"Cough… Damn it…"
It was because Frey suddenly coughed up blood and collapsed on the floor…
.
.
.
.
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"…Did he finally reach his limit?"
"A normal person's body cannot withstand the power of the Demon King for long. For Frey, that power was far too strong."
"Slowly… let's take the crow off his head and we're done."
The women, who were fiercely assaulting Frey, slowly began approaching his collapsed self.
"Cough…"
"I don't know how you ended up being mind controlled, but no matter how evil you are, you would never…"
Among them, Isolet, who was at the forefront, began speaking to Frey in an icy voice, but—
"Heheh… heheheh…"
"…..!"
Suddenly, when Frey started laughing in a sinister way, Isolet stopped in her tracks and quickly unsheathed her sword.
– Kachiiiiiing!!!
Soon Frey swung his sword at her with all his might, and as such, a sword slash imbued with dark mana was shot at Isolet.
"…Ughh!!
Meanwhile, Isolet clenched her teeth and received the sword slash head-on, but soon she began to be pushed back, perhaps because her strength was depleted.
""Hah!!""
To help her, Ferloche and Arianne summoned their shield and barrier to block the sword slash, and in the next moment, the rest of the people joined to help her.
– Rumble!!!
After such a fleeting moment, eventually, the sword slash exploded in the air without cleaving anyone.
"".....?""
However, Frey, who was in front of them, disappeared while they were blocking the sword slash.
"He-Hey over there!!"
While everyone was looking around for Frey, Ferloche opened her eyes wide and pointed to the lobby on the first floor.
"Hahahaha!!"
There was Frey, standing at the center of the graffiti and absorbing the mana that was scattered everywhere.
– Spaaaark!!!
"It's too late to realize now!!"
The moment his voice resounded, graffiti from the top to the first floor started shining in unison and the entire building quaked in the aftermath.
– Rumble!!
"…Well, I told you it's no use."
People who intuitively felt a sense of crisis began to dish out all sorts of attacks, but they were blocked, or rather absorbed, the moment they hit the massive pool of mana that surrounded him.
"After today's ritual… the Great Demon King will be resurrected, and the world will be heading towards destruction!! Hahahahaha!!"
Having said that, Frey began floating in the air and then shot upwards at high speed. Upon seeing this scene, Isolet opened her mouth while clenching her teeth as she prepared to rush to the top floor.
"…You girls stay here. Let me go up to the top floor and dive into that mana."
"No!! Then you will…"
"It doesn't matter if we can protect everyone."
Having said so, Isolet charged while destroying the staircase with her sword. However, the rest of the people still followed after her using magic and began climbing to the top floor.
"…Frey, can you hear me?"
"The Demon King… For the Demon King…"
Soon after, Isolet, who reached the top floor first, approached Frey while speaking to him calmly
"It's my fault for not stopping you from becoming like this. So, I'll take responsibility for the last time and stop you."
"Ughh…"
"Then…"
As Frey was engulfed in a massive pool of mana, Isolet, who finished speaking, drew her sword and tried to dive into the mana pool…
"…No!"
However, Serena, who suddenly appeared from behind, stopped her from doing so by grabbing her leg and knocking her down.
"Aaaarghhhh!!!"
"Wha-What…? Wh-Why is he like that…?"
"First, summon the shield…!"
As soon as the others arrived, the stairway crumbled entirely. And as such, the late arrivals, along with Isolet, began staring at Frey in a daze, who suddenly started floating in the air while howling in agony.
"This mana flow… perhaps?"
"It seems that the magic circle has failed."
"Fortunately, there will be no casualties."
Naturally, since they possessed the greatest talents in the world, they could roughly infer what had transpired just now. And soon they began muttering with a relieved expression on their faces.
"".....""
Meanwhile, Kania, Serena, and Irina, who knew the details of what actually happened, remained silent, and they either lowered their head or had a shocked expression on their face.
– Spaaark!!
In such a moment, which was blended in relief, seriousness, and astonishment, the mana condensed on Frey's body materialized in the form of lightning, and pierced through the ground of the top floor and flew downstairs.
– Rumble, rumble!!!
After that, mana, in the form of lightning that flew downstairs, destroyed the floors, demonic monsters, and graffitis inscribed all over the commoner's dormitory.
"Ughh…"
After a short groan, Frey, who seemed lifeless, stopped emitting and discharging that mana into the air and slowly began to fall from midair.
"".....""
And as such, silence lingered on the top floor for a long time.
"....Sigh."
Until Irina, who finally managed to reach the top floor, made eye contact with Frey, whose consciousness gradually dimmed, and heaved a brief sigh.
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