Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Trouble Erupts During the Interview
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Terrisha's lips twitched for a moment.
* * *
‘...Too cute.’
She had heard that a spirit beast race member was coming, but she never imagined it would be this adorably photogenic—far beyond what any picture could capture.
‘Calm down.’
Terrisha exhaled steadily.
‣A power that stirs affection flows around her.
Perhaps even this very thought of hers was influenced by the spirit beast race's innate charm.
"By any chance, did you see the person who was here with me?"
As Terrisha asked softly, the spirit beast who called herself Dodo wagged her tail gently.
"Dodo saw. Dodo knows."
She shook her head side to side, as if dancing to some joyful melody.
"Then, could you show me?"
"Yes! Of course!"
Dodo's front paw lifted slightly before touching the ground, and a flower bloomed there.
Following that direction led them to someone slamming into the restroom wall.
A spreading darkness emanated from above his neck, making him look dangerously unstable.
"He kept doing that. Dodo asked if he was okay, but he didn't answer. He just waved his hands telling Dodo to go away, so Dodo waited here."
‘A Dullahan race member...? Where did his head go?’
As Terrisha puzzled over it, the door burst open.
Sernal leaped out and cast a spell.
[Scan.]
One of his eyes suddenly glowed, startling Dodo near the office door—she bolted like she was diving into a burrow.
Just as her head was about to hit the floor, a massive flower bloomed from the ground, swallowing Dodo and closing its bud.
The bud cracked open slightly, revealing Dodo's front paw, then pale red eyes blinked into view.
They darted around cautiously.
Centered on the white-haired man, a shimmering pale yellow light spread to both walls.
The moment the door opened, some aura emanated, making Dodo widen her eyes and observe warily.
Bat-shaped red lights rose from the vampire race woman's feet, rippling around her.
Her black hair swayed in perfect harmony.
"What happened?"
Edinal asked. The commotion outside had her instinctively unleashing her blood prestige.
It was a force that could halt anything in an instant.
"It seems the Dullahan we scheduled for the interview has lost his head."
Sernal eyed the Dullahan in the corner, who was slamming into walls and spewing darkness. That shadow had already reached the ceiling and was spreading to engulf the building.
‣Separation from the head for too long triggers rampage.
Dullahans were a race with detachable heads, usually carried in hand. But occasionally, very rarely, they lost them—like now.
The head was vital for anyone, but for Dullahan whose heads detached, losing it was world-shattering.
Individual differences existed, but prolonged separation instinctively drove them to rampage to locate it.
Just like this.
"I'll calm him down, so Irang and Sernal, please search for his head."
Edinal watched Irang and Sernal dash out before crouching to meet the eyes peeking from the flower bud.
"Sorry for the sudden chaos. Could you wait just a bit longer?"
"Dodo can wait. Just a little, very little scary."
Dodo flicked her tongue.
"No need to be scared. It'll be over soon. Thank you."
Edinal flashed a bright smile, stood, and approached the Dullahan.
Even headless, the Dullahan could see and hear through the smoke from his neck and shoulders. In other words, he could hear without a head.
Edinal's eyes blazed red as her black hair swayed slowly.
"Are you alright?"
Her voice, laced with potent power, washed over the Dullahan.
A force that dominated minds.
Edinal invoked her enchantment.
"Calm down."
Her fangs sharpened, and her voice whispered as if right beside him.
It teased his mind like an itch across his body, spreading like soft smoke to seize control of his very consciousness.
"You were just startled by your head vanishing. Look at me."
At her following words, the Dullahan slowly turned toward Edinal.
"See? Nothing to it, right?"
Edinal smiled with her eyes, and her voice echoed sweetly within him, soothing like a warm pat.
An enchantment that seeped in indelibly, like an unforgettable memory or the first warm light—more potent a poison than mere allure. But Edinal modulated it solely to calm him.
To quell the rampage and restore sanity.
Edinal tilted her head slightly and snapped her fingers.
Snap.
At the sound, the writhing darkness eating at the Dullahan subsided.
"Feeling better?"
Edinal withdrew her enchantment and asked.
The Dullahan flailed his hands, prompting Terrisha—who had covered her mouth—to use glitter dust to fetch paper and pen from the desk.
"Here."
Terrisha handed them over, and the Dullahan bowed his hand and body in thanks.
―Sorry.
The Dullahan apologized first.
―No need to find my head.
He continued writing.
"No need to find your head?"
Edinal asked, and he nodded.
―I found where it is. Sorry for the commotion.
As he looked up, the Dullahan suddenly stomped in place and frantically filled the notepad.
―It's coming now!!!!!
He bounded forward excitedly, making Edinal and Terrisha turn.
In an instant, space warped, and Sernal, Irang, and Tootun appeared together.
"Meow."
A cat's cry rang out.
Irang held a calico cat, while Tootun solidified her form to glare at it.
"You're a bad kitty. How could you run off with his head?"
Tootun scolded with a 'tch,' while Sernal looked utterly drained.
"...Whoa. Whoaaa."
Irang couldn't close his mouth. It contrasted sharply with the cat grooming itself contentedly in his arms.
"Uh... we teleported here. Teleportation... ugh."
Irang hurriedly set the cat down, clamped his mouth, and bolted to the restroom.
"...Ha. This is exhausting, seriously."
Sernal grabbed the cat before it could flee and approached Edinal.
"Wait, hold on. What the hell is going on? Explain."
"I'll explain!"
Tootun waved her hand with a beaming smile.
"That guy stepped out briefly and set his head down?"
―Yes! I was so nervous!
The Dullahan scribbled quickly.
"Then this cat grabbed it and ran off."
―Definitely! The connection cut off right then.
"Hold on."
Terrisha spoke up. Tootun mid-sentence and the Dullahan mid-writing both paused to look at her.
"Cats don't have that kind of strength."
"Right! I was so shocked too!"
Tootun's eyes widened.
Eyes still huge, she clenched her fist recalling the moment.
"But the cat took it. I chased after."
As the Dullahan went to write, Sernal levitated the head with magic and gently placed it in his grasp.
"Thank you."
Only then did the Dullahan's voice emerge.
"I can explain that part... Achoo!"
Sernal sneezed mid-sentence.
"My throat... suddenly turned red?"
Terrisha gasped, staring at Sernal.
"Give it here. You have a cat allergy, Sernal."
"N-No, achoo!"
Despite Edinal's words, Sernal refused, but as another sneeze built, Terrisha used glitter dust to carefully retrieve the cat.
Gently stroking it, Terrisha asked,
"Sernal, you have a cat allergy?"
"That's scary! What do we do?!"
Tootun dashed off with 'chomp chomp' sounds, grabbed tissues, and offered them to Sernal—but they were half-melted.
Tootun's body quickly turned gooey and surged upward.
"...I-I'll get more! The tissues melted 'cause I was startled!"
"...It's fine. Thank you."
Sernal wiped his tears and sniffled.
Ha.
Sernal exhaled, and once the runny nose eased, he continued.
Red-rimmed eyes and a flushed throat—he scratched at it.
"I can explain how the cat took the Dullahan's head."
"Please do. I never imagined I'd get robbed of my head while stepping out for air."
The Dullahan spoke, cradling his head preciously.
"Someone cast magic on the cat. It was overflowing with mana too much for it to handle."
Sernal sounded incredulous even to himself.
It wasn't unheard of. Unable to cast on people, mages practiced on animals.
Of course, it was illegal.
‘...These bastards.’
Sernal glared at the cat.
"Meow."
Under Terrisha's touch, the cat purred contentedly, eyes closed.
Its carefree demeanor signaled the brief chaos was over.
"I've removed the mana now, so it's fine. You all worked hard."
Sernal's gaze shifted to the Dullahan.
How startled he must have been.
"No... Well, I was startled, but thank you."
"Not at all. Mind if I check for any discomfort?"
Sernal smiled gently.
Even for a race naturally headless, a faint smoke connected head and body.
The longer apart, the fainter the smoke—eventually severing completely.
That meant death.
Rampages like before activated head-location instincts, so it was rare.
Sernal brushed hair behind his ear as the Dullahan hesitated.
A mage.
The Dullahan nodded cautiously.
"I'll use magic. It might differ from others."
Sernal warned, then cast.
[Scan.]
Flames ignited in Sernal's eyes, making the Dullahan step back—but Edinal approached, whispering, "It's okay."
"The connection's a bit loose. Do you lose it often?"
Sernal asked. The Dullahan froze.
"H-How did you know? But the exam said it was fine."
Sernal cut him off before the damned Mage Association came up.
"May I help?"
If unaware, he'd let it slide, but Sernal couldn't ignore this bond.
He could become a colleague or a complainant—and each incident like this widened interspecies rifts.
The damned Mage Association pissed him off, sure.
"I came for an interview... This makes it awkward."
"That's what Complaints is for."
Sernal said kindly. Edinal, behind the Dullahan, stifled a laugh at this unfamiliar side, turning away.
A bit awkward, but Sernal focused.
Directly manipulating mana was risky, avoided normally—but necessary now.
Sernal coated his hands thickly with his mana and grasped the connection between head and body.
The Dullahan flinched; Sernal said softly,
"Excuse me."
The link was dense mana threads.
Elastic enough to endure distance.
Frequent losses had stretched them forcibly, cracking midway.
Sernal infused mana there.
Whiiiir.
Not too much, not too little—he concentrated harder than usual, patching cracks with his mana.
The Dullahan's eyes rolled in inexplicable bliss.
Like getting his hair done.
Patching every gap, Sernal exhaled deeply.
‘...Tired.’
Today was especially draining. The nightmare illusion on those mages earlier, plus rare teleportation—his Circulation Path wouldn't settle.
Nausea churned worryingly.
‘Haven't used strong magic in ages, so the Circulation Path rusted...?’
As Sernal fell silent, the Dullahan eyed him cautiously.
"All done?"
"Ah. Yes, it's good now. But one more thing separately."
Sernal headed to his seat.
One step in, his thoughts deepened.
Unlike a long-stalled spring creaking.
‘...Not rust.’
Rummaging his bag, a smirk briefly crossed Sernal's lips.
He thought the Circulation Path had fully recovered with time.
‘Still not fully healed.’
Damaged Circulation Path.
Lingering remnants from that day shook him.
Perhaps because he wanted to erase those memories, he'd deluded himself.
‘Whatever. Don't think about it.’
Sernal shoved thoughts aside, pulled out a lotion-bottle-like vial, and approached the Dullahan.