Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Let's Think Backwards Again (3)
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* * *
“Yeah, go on ahead, Sernal. I’ll get in touch about the blood comparison ahead of time.”
Edinal shook her cell phone, and Sernal rose from her seat.
Seeing the faint anger on Sernal’s face, which had been full of drowsiness and laziness, Edinal rested her chin on her hand.
‘Sernal gets scary when she’s mad.’
But regardless of her inner thoughts, Edinal flashed a grin.
It had been a while since she’d seen that look.
* * *
“…Here it is, Sernal.”
Maeve waved her hand vigorously, her fluffy hair swaying.
“Have you heard anything?”
The moment Sernal saw Maeve, she spoke up.
“I have.”
As Maeve’s eyes wavered, Sernal realized she hadn’t heard properly.
“Please tell me honestly.”
“…Truthfully, I haven’t heard the details. I just know the situation’s urgent because it’s tangled up with the power of enchantment.”
Maeve squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. In this pressing situation, not grasping anything felt embarrassing.
“Things have been moving so… fast.”
“It’s fine. I’ll explain.”
Sernal noticed Maeve’s ears turning red. She understood, but there was no time to soothe her.
“Do you remember the lizardman I grabbed at the hospital last time?”
At the word “lizardman,” Maeve’s expression hardened.
“Of course. It’s… because of me.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Huh?”
“There’s a high chance it’s not because of your power of enchantment.”
“R-Really?”
Maeve’s round eyes shook.
“That’s what we’re here to confirm. I’ll need your cooperation.”
For the sake of that one slime still sobbing with her complaint.
Sernal lightly shook her public servant ID.
* * *
Grrrr.
“Anyone would think he was a pet. He’s barking so nicely. Woof woof.”
Sernal snorted at the lizardman baring his teeth nonstop.
Still in the early stages of treatment, there was no way he’d shaken off the power of enchantment yet.
Breaking free from it took at least three weeks, up to six months depending on the intensity—sometimes over a year.
“Whatever’s stuck in that snout of yours, once I get out, you’re done for.”
Unlike his snarling mouth, the lizardman couldn’t budge an inch, bound by magic restraints that stole his movement.
His race had high magic resistance, so regular cuffs weren’t enough. The triple-layered magic cuffs nearly covered his thick forearms.
“Really? Actually, I’m glad to see you too.”
Sernal smirked, and the lizardman thrashed wildly.
“Shut your trap! Aaaagh!”
But it was pointless.
He’d stalked, smashed property, and swung fists—under the influence or not, he’d need treatment until the power fully faded.
“Screaming now too? Must be having a blast.”
“…No. Fine. I went too far. I’ll try not to get mad. Just let me see Maeve. Even hearing her voice would be enough. I’ll stay still, and I’ll forgive you.”
Seeing him desperately invoke Maeve’s name with that act, Sernal almost felt like she’d have fallen for it if she hadn’t dug into the case.
Sernal took off her glasses briefly.
She knew her cold demeanor helped in moments like this.
[Scan.]
She cast the spell.
Checking the enchantment power mixed in his blood would take a little time.
Right now, Maeve was testing the lizardman and the wolfman who’d chased out Tatoon’s blood.
But for what came next, Sernal needed to quickly grasp the lizardman’s connection to Maeve.
Words and expressions could lie, but the mana waves in the enchantment etched into the lizardman couldn’t.
Those waves wouldn’t want his mind to awaken—if she told him the truth, they’d surge to cling to his wavering psyche.
“Do you want to see Maeve that badly?”
Sernal probed casually.
“Don’t say her name in that filthy voice! Maeve is mine alone!”
The lizardman shouted, baring his teeth in excitement.
“Ah, is that your love? It’s… kinda nauseating.”
“You dare doubt my love?”
“To begin with, the one you truly love isn’t Maeve.”
Sernal shook him quickly and concisely.
“Don’t make me laugh! How would you know my love? You’re the one tearing me and Maeve apart!”
The mana waves in him wavered immediately, and Sernal found it amusing.
“What, wouldn’t anyone know? Leaving your true love and wailing about love to someone else? No one would call that real love.”
Sernal poked regardless of his babble or reactions.
“Did the one you love—the one you’d give your life for without regret—tell you to pretend to love someone else?”
She jabbed.
“And what did she say about the pain you’d feel while faithfully playing that role?”
Jabbed again.
“Ah, probably nothing. I heard no one but family visited while you were in treatment.”
She mercilessly stirred up any doubts he might have felt.
“Looks like you’ve been abandoned. For not fulfilling the role she handed you. Don’t get me wrong—it’s not that you’re stupid. Just bad luck.”
As the enchantment’s waves grew fiercer, Sernal lowered her voice quietly.
Silence settled around them; they focused only on her whispered words.
“You knew, didn’t you?”
Calmer than before, but that statement struck like a massive spear into the lizardman’s chest.
But Sernal didn’t stop—she dug into the emotions buried deep in his heart.
“You knew it all and just denied it.”
Only then did Sernal meet the lizardman’s eyes. A pitiful, tearful expression emerged from the abandoned one.
“Pathetic.”
Sernal smiled, and the lizardman’s eyes widened, his mouth slowly agape.
At the same time, the mana waves swelled uncontrollably.
It meant every assumption she’d voiced was true.
“Nooo! She didn’t abandon me! It’s your fault I failed! You! Youuu…!”
Sernal scattered sedative powder from her bag.
Phew.
Watching the powder swirl, she put her glasses back on.
“Thank you for cooperating.”
It was all being recorded, and the police were watching.
The force truly dominating the lizardman wasn’t Maeve’s enchantment.
‘Now the police will move. And…’
Knock knock.
At the knocking, a softer smile curved Sernal’s lips, different from before.
Things were progressing smoothly—she was glad. Sernal stood.
“I’ll kill youuu! I’ll kill you dead!”
Even with the sedative powder, veins bulged in the lizardman’s eyes. His muscles tensed, looking ready to snap those thick magic cuffs.
Sernal lowered her gaze.
His tail was rigidly still, no twitching—clearly furious enough to kill her.
But the tip was severed. He couldn’t fully wield his magic-breaking power like this.
‘If not for the powder, it’d be worse.’
Sernal ignored his ravings and watched.
He was straining so hard the cuffs were fraying.
She gazed steadily at the lizardman. In this state, even the police would struggle.
‘No choice.’
Sernal enveloped her body in mana and approached.
The lizardman, veins popping in his neck, froze as the intense power bore down on him alone.
Cold sweat dripped. His heart pounded. His pupils dilated.
He saw her finger nearing but couldn’t move.
It felt like being trapped in a giant spiderweb.
Tap.
Her finger touched his forehead, and he screamed, convinced he was plummeting off a cliff—but no sound reached his ears.
Then he saw Sernal smiling with her eyes.
Her menace resembled a demon opening its vast maw to bare razor fangs.
“You can’t do this.”
Even her quiet reprimand boomed like thunder from the heavens.
“Understood?”
Sernal eyed his terrified pupils, then cast on the crumbling cuffs.
[Repair.]
The wrecked cuffs looked brand new.
She couldn’t rewind time—just recarved the magic formulas inside.
The police gasped at the sight, but Sernal had no intention of explaining.
She spoke only for the lizardman still fearing her.
“These emotions aren’t yours, nor are these thoughts. Even if you remember later, don’t blame yourself. Get well soon.”
Sernal bowed, then gripped the doorknob.
Ha.
She exhaled shortly.
She wanted to sink into the sofa. No—go home.
How nice it’d be to lie still, doing nothing.
It was funny, thinking about it. The her who’d wanted to drop everything from exhaustion was now running around like this.
‘…What glory am I chasing?’
She was tired.
A heavy lump crept up inside, threatening to overtake her body.
But Sernal opened the door.
Maeve stood outside.
“Sernal.”
Maeve’s eyes shook as she called her name.
To those expectant eyes, Sernal mustered a full smile.
Maeve’s eyes widened briefly, then softly closed, and Sernal felt the heavy lump trying to swallow her vanish.
“Looks like your side went well too. Did it match my guess?”
“…Yes. Yes.”
Maeve, voice catching briefly, steadied her expression. Sernal saw her trying to firm up her eyes and calm down.
“The test just now shows the enchantment in my blood doesn’t match his.”
“And Brang?”
Sernal asked.
Brang Lukhan.
The wolfman who’d chased out Tatoon—a high-ranking official.
“It matches his. Same enchantment power. But why… why does it match?”
Maeve seemed to sense the case veering in a completely different direction.
“Ah, I reported to the police first. And now I’m telling you.”
“Thank you. You’ve been through a lot.”
Sernal bowed slightly, startling Maeve.
“No, it’s nothing. Just a simple test that took some time.”
“You must’ve been flustered getting the call. You okay?”
Maeve’s eyes wavered. She hesitated, then smiled faintly.
“I’m fine.”
“Hm…”
Sernal paused.
When someone thought to be the culprit was proven innocent, how many burst into tears regardless of gender?
There must be a reason she was holding back.
“I’ll catch the real culprit as soon as possible. You’re not the only victim.”
“That’s why I’ve been thinking. Take this.”
Maeve pulled something from her pocket.
“…Perfume?”
The bottle shape resembled perfume, so Sernal looked puzzled.
Why this?
But she waited without jumping to conclusions.
“The power of enchantment is terrifying. And I know it better than anyone.”
“Of course.”
Who knew it better than the dream demon who wielded it?
“Not all enchantment powers are the same.”
“There are differences in strength?”
It was obvious.
Not everyone ran at the same speed just because everyone could run.
Some were fast; others slow.
“Yes. I thought of it alone, and it might just be a guess, but is it okay if I say it?”
Maeve looked at Sernal with resolute eyes.
“Of course. Anything that helps is welcome.”
“My enchantment power is pretty strong.”
‘Yeah. Just from the hospital incident, it’s clear.’
Buildings in a multi-species society had minimum safeguards against various powers. Yet hers leaked out to the streets.
“And it mixes best in blood.”
“You drew blood?”
Sernal glanced surprised at the vial Maeve offered.
As she said, blood held the densest enchantment.
But that couldn’t have been easy.
“…You might find it gross. Realistically, though, only enchantment or illusion powers can overwhelm it even briefly. The only race with both is vampires, but they’re too sensitive to blood to provide it.”
Vampires, who lived on blood, would find sharing it a sensitive issue.
“You don’t have to take it. It was my decision alone.”
“No. It’s not gross.”
Sernal gave a faint smile and gripped the vial tightly.
“Thank you for cooperating. I’ll update you when it’s over. For now, back to work.”
Tapping her watch, Sernal frowned slightly.
4:46.
Ha ha.
A short laugh escaped.
‘…Another day shot.’
On-time clock-out.
As it flew far away, Sernal slowly closed then opened her eyes against the fatigue.