by Yuu Tanaka
“Gya ha ha! Now who’s the idiot?!”
Luzelio blinked a good ten meters away from his original position. The ring must’ve been a consumable warp item.
He let loose an ear-grating cackle, took a small bottle out of his pocket, and drained its contents in one gulp.
“I thought I’d be nice and tell you our plans before you die!”
Black mist—the same which seeped out of Brook’s body—began pouring out of Luzelio. The bottle must’ve contained Linford’s cocktail of Fiend Water. Luzelio actually drank the stuff, knowing it would turn him into a monster. He really was serious.
The stump where his right leg had been bulged and throbbed as it started to regenerate.
“I’m going to tear you to piec—hurk!”
Not happening. Before I even had time to cast Short Jump, Fran closed in on Luzelio. He stood no chance of reacting in time. She learned this technique from the Flash Knight, Valuza. He wasted no movement projecting the initial direction of his attack, and Fran herself had found it difficult to react. She’d kept replaying the technique in her head until she eventually managed to reproduce it.
“Graargh!”
Fran grabbed Luzelio’s face mid-sentence. She swept his leg from under him and knocked him down to the floor. Luzelio’s head hit the ground. Waiting for your enemy to finish his transformation was only an anime cliché.
“Drink it.”
“Urrgph!”
Fran opened her Pocket Dimension, and a stream of curry poured into her fist. She forced it into Luzelio’s mouth. He had no choice but to drink it.
“Hack! Gaah!”
The situation was grave, but I found the scene oddly comical.
“My eyes! I can’t see!”
He’d managed to get curry into his eyes too, of course. He rubbed them with his arms. His screams died away, and he finally opened his eyes. I wouldn’t have done that, considering the curry. He must’ve felt the rising energy inside him disappear. The leg Jet had torn off stopped regenerating mid-shin. Luzelio was furious.
“You… What did you to me?!”
“Healed you of your ailment.”
“Y-you bitch! How dare you?! My powers…! I’ll kill you! I’ll—”
“Hmph.”
Fist still clenched, Fran delivered a splendid right hook to Luzelio’s chin.
“Shut up.”
Luzelio’s screeching bothered her sensitive cat hearing. He stopped moving, possibly concussed. His unconscious eyes looked up at Fran.
That’s one way of putting him down. What now?
He was a major accomplice and definitely held vital pieces of information. I wanted to capture him alive if possible. But should we bring him with us or leave him with the authorities? As I weighed my options, I sensed multiple auras coming from the estate.
“Are you all right, ma’am?”
The guards were here. We handed Luzelio over, along with the information he had given us.
Let’s keep going.
We had the chatty deviant to thank for Linford’s last known location. We continued down the path and eventually found ourselves in the garden of another mansion. Must be one of Brook’s safehouses. No one was home, so I concluded that it wasn’t being used. I looked around. We were in the noble district.
Come on.
“Hm.”
“Arf?”
However, Jet wasn’t pointing to the direction of the Count’s estate.
What is it, Jet?
“Bark, bark, bark!”
He ran down a different path.
Is that where Zelyse is?
“Woof!”
Were Zelyse and Linford in different places? Had they already moved on from the building Luzelio mentioned? He hadn’t been lying, so maybe he’d been given false information. I didn’t see any reason why they would tell something so important to a pawn they were set on sacrificing.
Should we trust Luzelio or get Zelyse first…?
We ran through our options, starting with the information Luzelio gave us. Jet already knew the alchemist’s scent, so we could rely on him later.
“Okay.”
“Woof.”
Fran jumped onto Jet and he Air Hopped to the roof of the mansion. Below, we could see the Knight Guard mobilizing. Danan had kept his word.
Suddenly, a scream rang out. A woman was being attacked in the middle of the street by a creature with inky black skin—a Corrupted Human. Fiend Water victims were already beginning to transform. We were in a hurry, but that didn’t mean we could abandon her.
“Jet.”
“Woof!”
Jet descended on the scene. Fran swung me at the Corrupted Human but failed to cut off its head.
“Grroaaaargh!”
It reacted to our presence and dodged, sacrificing its arm to save its neck. This Fiend was stronger than the ones we’d faced so far… it might have been an adventurer in its past life and had retained its Aura Sense and Sword Mastery. The stronger you were when you changed, the stronger you became.
The creature’s face seemed oddly familiar.
“He’s the adventurer who made a scene at our food cart.”
So that’s where I know him from!
We were facing the adventurer Colbert had subdued. He should’ve been F-Rank, but now he was as strong as an E-Rank. We sliced him in half with our next attack, regardless. The meat-bag collapsed into a puddle of blood and fluids. Its blood was still red.
“Eek!”
The woman turned pale. Admittedly, the scene was too grotesque for the average person. She grew even more panicked when Fran and Jet tried to approach her.
We couldn’t leave her alone. There might be other Corrupted Humans around. I thought of picking her up against her will and dropping her off somewhere safe, but…
Fortunately for the girl, a patrol squad walked by.
A scared girl, an armed beastgirl, and a giant direwolf. Under normal circumstances, we would’ve been taken in for questioning. But the guards recognized Fran.
We asked them to take the girl somewhere safe and asked about the situation in the city. Things were beginning to escalate, and they were worried that the conspirators might have poisoned the water supply. We needed to act fast.
I see it.
“That one?”
We surveyed the Count’s estate from the skies.
The manor was large and there were about ten smaller mansions surrounding it. However, we felt a distinct aura from one of them. It was the same malicious aura that the Corrupted Goblins and Kobolds emitted, but ten times stronger. Even from here I felt shivers run up my spine.
Fran and Jet hardened their gaze.
That must be the one.
As much as I wanted to charge through the front door, we didn’t know what our enemies were capable of. We had to be stealthy. Concealing our aura as much as we could, we descended on the garden. The building lacked any magical barrier and sneaking in was easier than I thought.
We’ll take out our enemies one by one.
“Hm.”
“Woof.”
We scoped out the perimeter and counted out enemies. It took ten minutes to get into the building. There weren’t that many people inside. Ten of them at best, I reckoned. They were all gathered at the center of the building, too. We had no choice but to go in.
Get ready for another fight.
“I know.”
“Arf.”
We entered through the back door and made our way to the concentration of people, holding our breath as we walked.
The mana in here was so thick it almost felt like a Haunt. It must’ve been the work of a magivice.
Our path to the center of the building was so unimpeded I felt disappointed.
Teacher, it’s that door.
Yeah. They’re all there.
We faced a large set of double doors. Behind it, everyone currently inside the mansion had gathered together. This close, there was no mistaking it. The mana signatures de
finitely belonged to Corrupted Humans.
What should we do, then? We didn’t know how strong they were, and I wanted to avoid charging into a room full of berserk brutes that we had no chance of beating.
Theraclede and Luzelio were among Linford’s minions, after all. Facing a Fiendified squad of C-Ranks and D-Threats would be dangerous by ourselves. We had to use the element of surprise and raze them all with our first barrage.
I didn’t know whether Linford would survive that. Even the old mage would find it difficult to dodge and counterattack such a bombardment. I wanted to capture Linford alive, but was that even possible…?
What do we do?
“Arf?”
No, his capture wasn’t worth Fran and Jet getting hurt. Their safety was my top priority. I wouldn’t go so far as to say “and to hell with all the rest,” but I wouldn’t put Fran’s life on the line for complete strangers. There was the slim possibility that the entire city might go up in flames if we didn’t capture Linford alive, though.
Let’s go in, spells blazing, I told her.
You sure?
Yeah. We don’t know whether Linford’s behind that door, but if we let him get away, the city falls into chaos.
We might as well kill Linford if it came to it.
Get ready.
Hm.
“Grr!”
Fran kicked the door down and started firing spells. I made sure that we were dealing with Corrupted Humans and nothing else. We could strike them down without hesitation. Although, if someone else was there, it would be too late to stop casting our spells.
Flare Explode! Gale Hazard! Flare Explode!
I let out a flurry of spells, all with Overboost—something I hadn’t been able to do in a long time. Flare Explode was a Level 4 flame spell with an impressive area of effect. The flames spread much wider thanks to the wind spell I slipped in between.
“Fire Wall!”
“Grooaar!”
Stone Wall!
We were too close to our targets, and the heat poured off of the explosions. Layers of wall spells managed the radiating heat. The hall looked like a war zone—riddled with napalm blasts, dust and earthen walls containing the raging flames. Although we had three layers of wall spell between us and the carnage, the flames swirled as explosion followed explosion.
Was that too much?
“Better than not enough.”
“Woof.”
Once the fires settled, we surveyed our handiwork. Half of the second floor was destroyed, and the mansion now had a skylight in place of a ceiling. The first floor was in ruins, and the hall had lost its original shape. The explosion had blasted all four walls, making the hall look more like a garden.
“You haven’t even introduced yourself, and you’ve already razed my hall, little girl.”
“Who are you?”
“Ho ho ho. Can’t you tell?”
“Linford the Fiendmancer.”
“Correct.”
Name: Linford Laurentia
Race: Fiend
Class: Fiendmancer
Level: 58/99
HP: 129; Magic: 850; Strength: 127; Agility: 120
Skills: Speedcast 4; Identify 7;
Fast Regeneration 6; Malice Sense 9; Abnormal Status Resistance 4; Incite 4; Venomology 7; Mana Manipulation
Class Skill: Fiendmancy; Evil One’s Blessing
Titles: Vanguard of the Evil One
Equipment: Corrupted Ogre’s Bone Staff; Corrupted Robes; Corrupted Mantle; Fiendmancer’s Bracelet
“What magic weapon did you use?” Linford asked. “I think it impossible that a creature such as you could be so versed in spellcasting.”
He came out of the rubble unscathed, though his minions were all badly broken. Ten Corrupted Humans fell near the tiny old man’s feet, as if protecting him. The frontmost three had taken the brunt of it and were burnt to a crisp. The four corpses behind them were either medium or well done.
The remaining three Corrupted Humans, who were still a decent rare, were struggling to get back on their feet. Their companions had blocked the initial blast.
The white-haired Fiendmancer had no qualms about using his followers to death. I thought that Corrupted Humans were little more than hulking berserkers, but they might be able to hear Linford’s commands. He was a Fiendmancer, after all. Maybe he had the ability to control lesser Fiends. However, my guess proved off the mark.
“L-Lord Linford, you must get away.”
“We shall hold the line for you!”
The Corrupted Humans were…talking. In my panic, I Identified them and found they were different from the others. They retained their human names and bore the title Servant of the Evil One instead of Slave.
Did these Corrupted Humans retain their reason?
“They can talk?”
“I suppose you’ve met some of the other Corrupted in town. Indeed, these willingly accepted the power the Evil One offered!”
That explained the difference in titles. Slaves of the Evil One were unwilling or unwitting candidates, while Servants of the Evil One accepted willingly. That meant Luzelio would’ve retained his logic and reasoning even after he drank the Fiend Water. That could’ve ended poorly. Good thing we didn’t let him finish.
“What are the conditions for their transformation?”
“You think I’d tell you? Aah, but I will…as a reward for coming so far.”
“Cut the crap.”
“Ho ho ho. Such a strong-willed little girl. Becoming a Fiend is not difficult. One only needs to accumulate a certain amount of hate after drinking the Fiend Water. Then all it takes is a simple push.”
That sounded a little too easy. If what Linford said was true, most of the townsfolk were in danger. Shouldn’t the city already be overrun by Fiends? The old man couldn’t be the only Fiendmancer in town. But judging by the Count and Danan’s reactions, the phenomenon was not commonplace. It didn’t make sense that two men of such high offices wouldn’t know.
I doubted drinking water was enough to make you change, though it was hard to deny the Fiends that had morphed in front of me. What caught my attention was Linford’s “simple push.”
It must have something to do with why he chose this mansion as his conduit.
Luzelio mentioned that this place was going to be the epicenter of a mana blast that would destroy all of Bulbola. What would a mana wave do to a city?
Having sensed an oddity, I glanced behind Linford. It was hard to see at first, but there was a diagram on the floor. A magic circle.
I checked the flow of mana with my Mage skill. The malice tainting Linford’s mana flowed through the circle, which allowed it to be broadcast throughout the city. This was Linford’s Simple Push. A ritual which would envelope all of Bulbola.
“It isn’t every day that I meet someone who can withstand the force of my mana. What do you think, girl? Will you join me? I can make you exponentially strong.”
“What’s your game…?”
Linford’s motives were as Luzelio had said. He was not interested in the resurrection of the Evil One. He only wanted to amass power for himself.
At least he wasn’t a mad cultist. He didn’t say anything about ending the world and ruling together with the Evil One in the New Age, nor was he disappointed with the world or wish to see it end.
“So, will you become my follower? I can give you power. Power enough to evolve. Granted, mine is a little different from conventional evolution.”
“Not happening.”
“Are you sure? You are of the Black Cats, are you not? I hear you cannot evolve.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve heard stories that your kind has been abandoned by the gods and left physically unable to change.”
“…”
“But I can help you with that. You can evolve this very moment should you choose to follow me!”
Linford grinned and stretched out his withered hands. His offer of evolution sounded bogus. He wo
uld just turn her into one of his Fiends. However, Fran hesitated and didn’t immediately reject his offer.
Fran, let’s pretend like you’re interested so we can gather more info.
We had Essence of Falsehood, so we didn’t have to worry about him lying to us. Linford was suggesting that there was a secret behind the Black Cat’s lack of evolution. It could be dangerous, but there might be something worth hearing.
No, I’ve heard enough. He’s probably going to turn me into a Fiend anyway. Even if he weren’t, it wouldn’t be worth it.
I guess, but still.
Besides, I don’t want to beg him, even as an act.
We didn’t know if the rumor Linford mentioned about the Black Cats being abandoned by the gods was an actual fact. He might just be exploiting Fran’s curiosity to kill her.
“Hm. I’ll just have to get the truth out of him by force,” Fran said, readying me. She gave the old wizard a look filled with determination.
“Ha! That’s your answer, then? Very well. If you’re going to refuse my offer, then I’ll capture you and turn you into a Fiend myself.”
“You wish.”
“Ho ho ho! You have quite a sharp tongue for one who is so weak. Do you have a trick up your sleeve? Don’t think that an exploding magivice is enough to defeat me.”
Linford had the Identify skill but thought Fran’s stats were lower because of her Fake Identity. No wonder he was making light of her. The skill had worked its magic.
Teacher, I’m going for it.
Take him while his guard’s down!
I set my eyes on Linford and prepared for a Telekinetic Catapult. He was only ten meters away, and I could reach him in no time.
Fran stood motionless as I launched myself from her hands. It was the perfect sneak attack. I flew straight at Linford’s head, set to split it in half.
But something blocked my way.
“Hm! Your enchanted blade is quite strong. But you will not pierce through the Evil One’s Blessing so easily!”
A mana barrier stopped me mid-flight and deflected me away from the old wizard. I couldn’t believe that he’d successfully defended against my full strength. I had even supplemented myself with Overboost and Elemental Blade!
I landed far away from Fran.
Teacher, Jet, stay where you are.