Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Why Isn't It Working? (2)
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“You bastard! How dare you hurt Miss Nella……!”
“Die! Die for Miss Nella’s sake!”
“You have to die if that’s what it takes for Miss Nella to be happy!”
Even though they’d clearly only met her today, the hatred in their eyes and voices toward Seonal was overwhelmingly intense.
One of the reasons the power of enchantment was so dangerous was unfolding right before his eyes.
All it took was the singular reason of love—no baseless hatred, unprovoked attacks, or even senseless murder were off-limits.
Seonal sneered at the people charging toward him.
He didn’t touch the body cam attached to his civil servant badge.
This was his chance to let the higher-ups understand just how dangerous the power of enchantment truly was.
Before the crowd could reach him with their fists, knives they called weapons, sharp nails, and all sorts of other things, Seonal shattered the vial of blood Maeve had given him.
In an instant, the power of enchantment spread everywhere, and everyone froze.
‘It’s real, after all?’
The enchanting power Maeve possessed far surpassed Nella’s.
Just in case, Seonal dispelled the magic he’d set up like a trap in front of himself, then ostentatiously wiggled his fingers.
Crackle.
He manipulated the body cam with electricity, adding to the spell he’d just written: ‘Those swayed by imprinted mana,’ and activated it.
Since he’d already woven the imprinted mana, whatever he used, victory was his.
[All of you, stick to the ground.]
A sparkling light appeared before everyone, and as if hands had grabbed their heads, they all slammed their faces into the ground one by one.
Boom!
Even Nella, who had hesitated, was no exception.
The impact of her head hitting the ground made her vision shake briefly, and a deafening crash rang in her ears.
Pain surged through her face, shoulders, and stomach.
“…It hurts.”
Nella trembled with a wave of absurdity.
It hurt.
Her.
This was the first physical pain she’d ever experienced since being born a dream demon.
‘A mage. A mage……’
Did this even make sense? How could that be magic? She was sure she must have been mistaken.
She glared irritably at Seonal, but then stopped as creeping anxiety welled up inside her.
Wasn’t it too quiet?
She rolled her eyes to the left.
The ones who should have been reliable were all sprawled on the floor.
She shifted her gaze to the right.
The others weren’t moving either. A heavy silence descended, as if everyone were dead.
Fear blossomed in Nella’s chest.
The power of enchantment was invincible.
No—it had to be invincible.
That power made everyone love her without reason.
Love had always caressed her tenderly.
“They’ve just fallen over, that’s all.”
Seonal’s voice rang out quietly as he turned the body cam back on.
Seeing that calm voice spread as if everyone were asleep, and him standing alone, Nella felt a chill—she’d touched something she shouldn’t have.
“They’ve just fallen over, that’s all.”
Those repeated words felt so threatening that Nella urgently propped up her upper body.
But she could barely lift her head.
Stray hairs blocked her view and tickled her face, but Nella raised her voice to those lying around her, desperate to survive.
“What are you all doing right now? Get up!”
Her earlier composure had long vanished.
“You have to protect me……!”
Because that civil servant was alone.
No—because she had confidence she could win even if police or anyone else showed up.
The arrogance that she could just dominate them with her enchanting power was what had drawn that civil servant here.
Feeling that truth sink in made her uncontrollably terrified.
“Me…….”
She tried to shake a fallen giant nearby but stopped.
Her hand was covered in dirt and food scraps. Nella grimaced.
“…Dirty.”
It was dirty.
No—her own state was utterly filthy.
She, who had always enjoyed only cleanliness and new things her whole life, found even this single smudge on her palm unbearably revolting, enough to drive her mad.
‘Annoying. Annoying. Annoying!’
Nella tried to stand, but she still couldn’t.
This filthy floor held her fast.
“What are you all doing? Protect me! Hurry up and get up!”
Nella screamed desperately.
When nothing changed no matter what she did, she poured out even more of her enchanting power.
Her eyes darkened around the edges like heavy eyeliner, and those on the ground writhed without even opening their eyes.
Sounds of them straining to push off the floor with their palms, like puppets on strings, filled the air.
“Miss Nella.”
But at that moment, Seonal’s voice pierced her ears.
Nella flinched in surprise.
“No one rises here without my permission.”
Even as she poured out more power, even using more force, not a single one could stand.
Was this a mage?
‘No way.’
Nella looked around frantically. The mages she knew weren’t like this.
They were so pathetic they’d collapse with a mere gesture.
‘…Right. There’s a mage here too, isn’t there?’
She remembered belatedly.
Doubt rippled through her at the same time.
Why was this one different?
But that thought wasn’t important now.
Nella focused her enchanting power in one spot, forcibly awakening the mage.
The power of enchantment couldn’t strike opponents directly, but it could do many other things.
One of them was mana expansion.
“Protect me.”
With a command disguised as a plea, the mage pulled out his staff and thrust it forward forcefully.
Mana more intense than usual writhed, and the savage, ferocious beam of light seemed alive as it howled.
It zigzagged before charging fiercely at Seonal.
Boom!
The light clashed with Seonal’s magic. Amid the deafening noise, shop items shattered, and smoke billowed thickly.
‘Of course.’
Nella’s hair whipped in the wind.
‘Die. Die. Die.’
Her eyes curved prettily.
It was fine if that civil servant died. She had plenty of people who’d turn themselves in in her place.
“Even a mage can’t use magic so recklessly—it’s illegal. Did you know that?”
Smoke swirled as Seonal emerged, smiling lightly.
Something transparent flickered briefly before him before vanishing.
Nella’s expression crumbled.
“No… way.”
“It adds up. Magic leaves traces. Investigate those traces, and you’ll see how massive that spell was. If it weren’t for me, someone would’ve died today.”
Seonal brushed off his clothes lightly.
He approached slowly.
“Ah, were you really trying to kill me?”
“…Don’t come closer.”
Nella stared at Seonal like he was a monster.
A succubus’s power was enchantment. So what happens when you meet someone immune to it?
No— she’d never even imagined the premise of immunity.
That power could crush even mages.
“What you’re enjoying now is an illusion.”
Seonal had no desire to answer, no matter how the succubus looked at him.
“Release them all now.”
“No way! Why should I release them?”
Nella lifted one corner of her mouth. It trembled slightly.
“No. Why shouldn’t I use such an amazing power? A little use, and everything I want falls into my hands. This damn country suppressed us, lied to everyone that this power is dangerous!”
“It is dangerous.”
“See? They’re all laughing, aren’t they?”
Following Nella’s words, all those still unable to rise let out laughter.
Hee hee hee.
Ha ha ha.
Puhaha!
It was as if a jolly band filled the shop.
“Does that sound like laughter to you? They’re not your puppets. Release them now. Help them get treatment.”
Unlike the enchanting power’s effortless spread, veins bulged on Nella’s face, showing she was straining.
Seonal persuaded her carefully once more.
“Miss Nella. Stop using your power. Your mana could twist permanently—you might lose the enchanting power forever, or even die.”
“No. I don’t want to talk to a guy who’s not interested in me.”
Seonal let out a short breath. It seemed only malice remained now.
This overwhelming enchanting power made even standard protective gear precarious, so he couldn’t signal the police to arrest her.
‘No choice.’
Seonal moved fingers thick with mana.
[Imprinted mana, gather into one before me.]
He used spoken incantation again for spell reinforcement.
To prevent ability overload, he planned to collect the enchanting power in one place. Anyone watching would point and call him crazy.
Manipulating someone else’s mana was hard enough, and even if successful, it was perfect for crippling them halfway.
The mana Seonal had linked gathered in his palm, swelling like a tightly wound ball of thread.
At that moment, Nella couldn’t breathe for a second.
“…Gasp.”
Feeling something draining away, fear flooded her.
“You can breathe now. It doesn’t hurt—it’s just weird for a moment. See? You’re breathing fine now.”
Her breathing eased like a spell. But the sensation of something slipping away persisted.
That civil servant had definitely cast magic on her.
“You’re a civil servant. Forgot……?”
Nella desperately reached out, pointing at the badge around Seonal’s neck.
“And I’m a citizen. You… can’t do this.”
“I know. That’s why I’m stopping here, isn’t it? That feeling you’re having is just from me withdrawing the enchanting power—no need to worry.”
Nella’s eyes widened at Seonal’s calm words.
Withdrawing the enchanting power?
“That’s im, impossible. Impossible!”
“I can do it.”
As the ball of thread in Seonal’s palm grew, Nella’s pupils shook.
She’d been skeptical at first, but it was real—the enchanting power was truly draining away.
“Do you believe now that I can do it?”
Seonal smiled and stopped the spell.
With his fist clenched, he transferred it into a large vial from his bag.
‘Could take more, but anything beyond this would be tiring, and I’d get dragged into hassle.’
The incident stemmed from the enchanting power—if it vanished entirely, all eyes would turn to him.
“…You, you’re a monster! This is impossible! Impossible……!”
“Hmm.”
Seonal pondered her words briefly.
Dream demons, including succubi, were originally subordinates to vampires with high magical knowledge.
They didn’t match vampires, but they had considerable magical knowledge themselves, so denial was natural.
Still, Seonal felt annoyed. Calling him a monster after coming so close.
“Think what you want. You’ll have plenty to mull over from now on, even without anyone pushing you.”
Seonal wrote another spell with his finger.
[Flame butterfly, fly.]
The flame blooming in his hand became a butterfly, and he sent it toward the window.
“Ah. You can tell the Mage Association about this if you want.”
Seonal grinned.
When it came to magic, it was always those idiots anyway. But they’d ignore it.
How to extract enchanting power? They couldn’t even suppress it properly with magic, relying on drugs instead.
He wouldn’t have bothered if Nella hadn’t pushed this far.
The spell was quite burdensome and exhausting.
“They dismiss anything they can’t do as impossible, so they won’t believe you anyway. They might even recommend a mental evaluation, so I wouldn’t if I were you.”
Only then did Seonal erase the spell pinning everyone down and casually pulled out the meter.
Beep. Beep.
112.
Still over the limit, but without drugs, this was normal—they could arrest him comfortably.
‘Kinda… pisses me off.’
Realizing he’d rolled around like a dog, he felt a stinging in his gut different from his gastritis pain.
He pocketed the meter and spoke to Nella.
“You should withdraw your ability now. Things are about to turn very unfavorable for you. Cooperate with the police, and they’ll go easy to some extent.”
“…Give it back.”
“One thing first.”
Seonal vaguely heard footsteps from behind. The police had arrived.
They were quick with this stuff.
“Do you remember the slime near the community center? The one you dominated with your enchanting power and messed with—the werewolf civil servant’s?”
“Slime?”
Nella twisted her lips.
“What does some pathetic slime have to do with this? Give me back my power! Right now! Give it! Give it back……!”
Freed from the spell, Nella stood and lunged at Seonal with claws extended.
Seonal stood still.
Rough footsteps sounded from behind, and police rushed in.
“You can’t do this.”
Police armed with all sorts of anti-enchantment gear blocked Nella.
That equipment should hold against her power.
Seonal undid the other spells on himself one by one.
“You’re still over the limit. Arrest her, and handle the victims first. I’ll make a report and follow.”
Seonal left his back to the police with arrest authority, grabbed his phone, and turned away from Nella.
‘Some pathetic slime…….’
Remembering Tutun’s tears, Seonal bristled briefly.
‘Well, with so many victims, she probably doesn’t remember them all.’
To her, what she did to Tutun was just a bored prank.
A prank to test a high-ranking civil servant’s power.
Seonal looked up at the sky, exhaled deeply, and called Edinal.
“Team leader.”
[Yeah, Seonal.]
“Caught the perp.”
[…Ha. You worked too hard. Submit the report later—go home today. I’ll handle cleanup, so rest up, Seonal.]
“No. Heading to Tutun’s first. I’ll tell her myself, so don’t say anything yet.”
[Seonal? Do you know what time it is?]
Seonal checked his watch at the words.
8:39 PM.
“…Damn it.”
He grumbled curtly, frowning, then widened his eyes midway.
Edinal was at the community center.
“Team leader?”
[What’s up, Seonal?]
“This voice phishing too?”
[I’m on overtime today too. You think I’d go home with you out there?]
“I’m hungry. Order something tasty.”
[Got it. Dinner’s on me—hurry over.]
“Thanks.”
Seonal hung up and glanced at the sky briefly.
It was disgustingly perfect weather for overtime.
He shoved things roughly into his bag and walked forward, leaving Nella’s screams behind him.