Chapter 195
Chapter 195
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 195
Chapter Title: The Culprit
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The problem was that even Taria couldn't keep watching Rona for long through surveillance magic.
The magic device Rona possessed affected Taria in the exact same way.
So, with no other choice, Crimson Garden took to the skies to pursue Rona.
In the meantime, Rona was charging straight ahead.
Using a magic device that lightened her body and boosted her speed, Rona was racing along far faster than expected.
Because of that, Rona arrived at the Theology Hall a step ahead of Taria.
Bang!
Rona boldly flung open the doors to the Theology Hall and stood before one person.
It was none other than Mireille Beakis.
"Rona Imblize?"
The moment she asked in bewilderment, Rona undid the buttons of her dress shirt.
Ping!
In that instant, the magic device around her neck shot forward on its chain, pointing straight at Mireille.
The necklace's true nature was a magic device that could detect spawns of World Erosion beings.
"Mireille Beakis."
Drawing all eyes to her, she smirked.
"How does it feel to be a follower of a World Erosion being, you who serve the gods?"
Everyone around drew in a sharp, silent breath.
They all knew what Rona had declared at the women's gathering.
There was a World Erosion spawn at Raheln Academy.
And now, the girl who had dropped that bombshell was pointing right at Mireille.
"What do you...?"
But Mireille herself reacted with pure confusion.
Before her response could even finish, Rona raised another magic device.
A pitch-black magical tool of deepest ebony.
The moment Mireille laid eyes on it, she felt a sudden surge rising in her throat.
At the same time, her eyes rolled back as her head lolled backward.
"Lady Mireille!"
"Kyaa!"
Everyone rushed forward in shock to support the collapsing Mireille.
Just before she fell.
A black octopus tentacle erupted from the back of Mireille's neck, halting her tumble.
At the sight, everyone froze. Mireille's pupils turned pitch black.
The sinister aura pouring from her was unmistakably the energy of World Erosion.
"Get out of the way!"
Spotting it, Rona shoved through the stunned crowd and leaped in, wielding a magic device wreathed in flames.
She intended to dispatch Mireille in one clean strike with her tool.
But the speed of her swinging blade couldn't match the black octopus tentacles sprouting from Mireille.
Thwack!
"Guh!"
In an instant, a surging black tentacle whipped Rona's abdomen, sending her flying.
At the same time, Mireille's rampaging black tentacles lashed out in all directions, reducing the Theology Hall to ruins in seconds.
That was the full sequence of events.
Taria raised her hand.
Mana, the core of her magic, flowed from her palm once more.
Crackle!
Lightning bolts from Taria surged forth, wrapping around Mireille's arms and legs like iron shackles.
With her black tentacles shattered in one blow, Mireille no longer moved.
She quickly scanned the surroundings.
Thanks to Professor Denver, all the students had safely fled outside.
The student caught up in the chaos earlier had also escaped the Theology Hall.
No casualties—a relief.
Taria eyed Mireille with half-lidded gaze.
There was no sign of awareness in her eyes.
"The Black Witch can implant spawns in others without their consent."
That's why Taria recalled what Krash had said.
The Black Witch could implant spawns without the host's will.
Which meant Mireille might have suffered the same fate.
If she'd been turned like this against her will by the Black Witch, she bore no guilt.
But that brought its own problems.
If word got out that Mireille, a cardinal no less, had become a World Erosion spawn, faith in the gods would take a massive hit.
And for a holy kingdom like Freyman, built around divine authority, that was utterly unacceptable.
If things stay like this, Mireille will be executed.
From Freyman's perspective, it would be far better if Mireille had betrayed the gods of her own accord and sided with World Erosion.
They'd push for her execution no matter what.
And Mireille, as a cardinal, would likely accept it.
Taria's brow furrowed.
She had no idea how to protect Mireille.
"Miss Taria Vales."
Professor Denver, wiping blood from his forehead, approached her.
He glanced at the bound Mireille.
He knew she'd done this without her own consciousness.
His face was etched with complex emotions.
Whether by choice or force, Mireille being a World Erosion spawn meant he'd face the same end.
"Professor Denver, is there no way?"
Denver was a high priest himself.
Always kind to students, he was the sort to warn even fellow priests against blind faith alone.
So when Taria asked, he swallowed hard.
"Too many people saw it with their own eyes. I could cover it up alone, but these are children of high priests attending the Theology Hall."
There was no way the news wouldn't reach their ears.
And once it did, Mireille's execution was inevitable.
"Whew, thought I was a goner."
Just then, a voice came from behind.
Rona, who had been knocked flat by Mireille's blow, was getting up.
She spat out the bile rising in her mouth.
One of her magic devices must have blocked the attack.
"Rona."
Taria glared at her.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?"
When she asked in a low voice, Rona turned to her.
Then, nonchalantly, she drew a new magic device from her back.
"What? Exposed a World Erosion spawn."
Her face was the picture of shamelessness.
She showed no consideration for the situation or any hint of guilt.
Of course, strictly speaking, Rona wasn't wrong.
World Erosion spawns were enemies of the world and had to be eliminated.
Creating a device to detect them deserved praise, perhaps.
But she'd stirred up trouble too abruptly, without context.
"Step aside. I need to take out this World Erosion spawn with my magic tool."
Taria's eyebrow twitched at those words.
"...I never knew you were this irresponsible and thoughtless."
Crackle!
Sparks flew from her fist.
Taria had no intention of defending every World Erosion spawn.
But some had been forced into it by circumstance.
Those abandoned by the world.
For them, World Erosion was their only refuge.
It makes me realize anew that I'm my sister's spawn.
Watching Rona blindly condemn them, Taria let out a hollow chuckle at her own irritation.
Then she raised the lightning bolt crackling in her hand.
Her hair danced wildly in the surging electricity.
She planned to subdue Rona right there.
It was at that moment.
Taria, her anger clouding her judgment slightly, noticed a nagging doubt.
She was Crimson Garden's spawn.
And Crimson Garden was undoubtedly a World Erosion being.
So why hadn't Rona's necklace—the World Erosion spawn detector—activated on her?
Taria's eyes fixed on Rona's magic device.
It hung quietly around Rona's neck, inactive, with no movement at all.
The moment she realized this and questioned it.
Her hair stood on end.
Because Krash's warning resurfaced.
"Of course, separately from that, you should keep watching Rona."
He'd said to keep Rona as a suspect too.
The words hit her, and Taria looked at Rona.
"You don't mean..."
Rona, meeting her eyes, followed Taria's gaze to the device.
"Ah."
Rona let out a short sound.
She tilted her head awkwardly, then slowly smiled.
"Busted."
It was right then, hearing those words.
KABOOM!
With an explosion, the lightning binding Mireille shattered, and black tentacles surged forth.
Just before they reached Taria.
Denver's holy barrier erupted, blocking Mireille's black tentacles.
The tentacles pounded the barrier furiously, shaking it with unnatural force.
"Miss Taria, are you alright?!"
Denver shouted while holding Mireille at bay.
His holy power specialized in defense.
It could restrain her, but not subdue her.
Now, the black tentacles consuming her body filled the space, hammering the barrier.
Taria was needed, but she couldn't help.
Because magic devices had sprung from Rona's back, flying at her like they had minds of their own.
Crackle!
Sparks burst as Taria unleashed her lightning bolt.
It clashed with Rona's devices in a thunderous roar.
But some pierced through, still coming.
Taria dashed across the floor to evade, firing lightning at Rona.
But her bolt twisted midair, sucked into a single sword-like device.
It was a magic tool that devoured lightning.
"Rona!"
Taria shouted. Rona grinned wickedly amid her orbiting devices.
The smile was utterly eerie.
She'd been too slow to catch on.
Even if Rona was scatterbrained.
She wasn't the type to pull something this reckless.
[She's had her brain's guilt limit stripped away.]
Crimson Garden noticed Rona's state and advised her.
[That girl's the real Black Witch spawn.]
Rona Imblize.
She was the Black Witch's spawn.
"My mistake. I was planning to corner you a bit more."
Rona Imblize, now the Black Witch's spawn.
She floated her menacing magic devices in the air and sighed at Taria.
"Who knew you were another World Erosion spawn, Taria? This throws off my plans."
Her original scheme.
She'd plant belief that her magic device could detect World Erosion spawns through this incident.
Then use it to frame Krash as one, on the Black Witch's orders.
He harbored World Erosion power inside him.
Linking that to Crimson Garden and Evelask could make it believable.
If she could paint him as a spawn.
She could drive him out of the human world.
That would make luring him to Ixion far easier.
The fringes of the human world were World Erosion territory.
Witch hunt.
That was the Black Witch and Rona's true goal.