Chapter 176: The Escape
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 176: The Escape
There was only one person Sylvia would call a witch.
I rushed to open the door to the room where I had confined Melissa, but it was empty.
Never imagining she would escape, I scanned the room.
There was a window, but it wasn't designed to be opened.
And if she had tried to escape through the door, there was no way she could have avoided Sylvia's senses.
Most of all, I couldn't believe that she, a black magician, had managed to break out of a barrier imbued with holy power on her own.
Placing my hand on the floor, I felt for the remnants of the barrier.
She hadn't broken it from the inside. If she had, I would have noticed immediately.
Nor had she reverse-engineered the barrier from within to dispel it. If it were that easy, barrier magic would have become obsolete long ago.
If she didn't reverse-engineer it or break it, then how in the world did she escape?
It was as if Melissa, who had been trapped inside the barrier, had simply vanished in an instant.
...Teleportation?
That was impossible. I'd heard that the lineage of spatial magic in this world had been severed.
But then I remembered Sylvia calling Melissa a witch of Malefis.
What if the lineage of spatial magic wasn't completely gone, but was instead monopolized by a specific group?
It was a plausible hypothesis, but questions remained.
The very idea that she could have used magic from inside the barrier was strange. The barrier, designed with Iris's help, couldn't have been that flimsy.
“Mr. Hyun-woo...”
“Iris?”
“Your High... I mean, Lady Iris!”
Just as Sylvia and I were searching the room, Iris approached, clutching her head.
Sylvia steadied her as she swayed.
“Are you sure you're okay to be up already?”
“Yes... I feel much better, thanks to you, Mr. Hyun-woo.”
Iris forced a smile as if to reassure me.
As I stroked her hair and infused her with a bit of my magic power, I felt a sharp glare from the side.
I didn't even need to turn my head to know who it was.
-What.
Even though she must have heard my telepathic message, Sylvia continued to glare at me.
It was a silent pressure, demanding I take my hand away immediately.
But I defiantly pulled Iris into a hug, ignoring Sylvia's gaze.
This wasn't the first or second time she'd acted like this. Getting worked up over it every time would only tire me out.
-Jealous?
The moment I sent the thought, Sylvia's brow furrowed. Her clenched fists trembled as if she wanted to punch me.
If Iris hadn't been here, she would have undoubtedly started insulting or attacking me like last night.
Of course, when we were alone, she had to call me "darling," so she would probably try to avoid that situation at all costs.
“Let me take a look.”
Iris crouched down on the floor. A refreshing wave of magic power filled the room.
“Are you sure you're okay?”
“Yes, but could you lend me a little of your magic power?”
“Of course.”
After about ten minutes of intense concentration, Iris opened her eyes.
Cold sweat trickled down her fair cheeks. I wiped it away with a handkerchief and checked her condition.
...She's in worse shape than I thought.
Her internal magic power was nearly depleted.
It wasn't because of the sealing device.
It was most likely the price she paid for forcibly summoning the spirit last time.
“Are you okay?”
“Of course.”
Iris once again forced a bright smile, but it was obvious at a glance that her complexion was pale.
There was nothing I could do for now. Holy water wasn't a cure-all elixir.
The only option was to find the price to pay the spirit as soon as possible.
“Did you find anything?”
“Yes. The woman's name was Melissa, you said? It seems she is the contractor of a Subordinate Artifact.”
“A Subordinate Artifact?”
“It's a special type of artifact that can only be wielded by someone who has formed a contract with it.”
It was the first time I'd ever heard of such a thing.
According to Iris's explanation, some artifacts awaken a consciousness of their own. They then choose their own master and form a contract.
“In the case of weapons, they're called Ego Swords. I've seen them a few times in the past, but since I've never made a contract myself, I didn't recognize it. But the lingering traces of foreign magic power in this room... it must be a Subordinate Artifact.”
The example of an Ego Sword finally made it click.
It was a common trope in fiction—a sword with a will of its own, sometimes transforming into a beautiful woman to become the protagonist's secondary love interest.
“But when I searched her, I didn't see anything that looked like an artifact.”
I had undressed and washed Melissa after she passed out during sex, but I hadn't seen anything like an artifact on her.
I did, however, discover she had moles on her inner thigh and under her right breast.
“Some Subordinate Artifacts are formless.”
This time, it was Sylvia who answered, leaning against the wall.
“Even if it wasn't, an artifact with its own consciousness could easily hide itself. I've also seen a few people with Ego Swords. They could move on their own to some extent and even shrink their form.”
“...Is that really a weapon?”
At that point, isn't it basically just a weapon skin?
“Pursuing her will be difficult, right?”
“Yes... We don't know what kind of abilities the artifact has, so tracking her will be hard.”
Leaving the room, I threw myself onto the sofa.
My feelings were complicated, but honestly, I was also a little relieved.
Ever since I learned that Malefis was the faction that aided Resilia in her rebellion, I had been agonizing over what to do with Melissa.
So indecisive.
Is this what it feels like to crave a cigarette?
A bitter taste lingered in my mouth for no reason.
“Oh, right. Iris.”
“Yes?”
I told Iris, who was sitting beside me, about what happened in the underground vault last night and showed her 'Bireciel's Essence'.
I wanted to consume it right away and aim for the next realm, but taking it unprepared would be a one-way ticket to the afterlife.
“...You said you got this from the underground vault?”
“Yeah. It was hidden behind a false wall.”
Iris's expression grew more and more serious as she examined the essence.
“What's wrong? Is there a problem?”
“No, it's not that... but it's a little unsettling. It's a feeling that makes me instinctively want to get closer to it...”
I took the essence back from her and returned it to my inventory.
The unsettling feeling she mentioned was probably because of this line in the item description.
[※Warning! Consumption may cause damage to the body.]
Black magic and demonic energy were two different things.
But that didn't mean demonic energy wasn't harmful to the human body.
It wasn't hard to imagine what kind of disaster would occur if I absorbed a large amount of demonic energy all at once.
I needed to take it with something that could neutralize the demonic energy.
...Ah, come to think of it.
This time, I took out a small wooden box from my inventory.
[Prajna Divine Pill (般若神丹)
Grade: Unique
A divine pill containing the truth of the universe. It will part the darkness of ignorance and lead you to the light of enlightenment.]
The Prajna Divine Pill, which I had obtained along with the Formless Vajra Art. Wouldn't it be okay if I took it with this?
The item description was a bit strange, but the energy I felt from the pill itself was greater than that of Bireciel's Essence.
But I quickly put the wooden box away.
No matter how I thought about it, it was a crazy idea.
What would happen if you fired a missile at an incoming missile?
They'd collide and explode.
It was the same with Bireciel's Essence and the Prajna Divine Pill.
Immortal Qi and demonic energy were conflicting forces.
If I couldn't properly regulate and harmonize the two energies, they would eventually explode, and I would have to bear the full brunt of the aftermath.
In the worst-case scenario, my body could literally blow up.
Besides, I might have to give up most of the Prajna Divine Pill's energy.
As I thought, the best course of action was to stick to my original plan and find a method back on Earth.
Putting aside my slight disappointment, I looked through my inventory and found something I had forgotten about overnight.
[Malvator's Talisman
Grade: Rare
Conceals all energy related to the demonic (魔).
※When equipped, all demonic (魔) related energies are restricted.]
It was the talisman I had taken from Melissa, an artifact with an effect similar to the necklace of concealment I already had.
Surprisingly, Iris showed interest in the talisman.
Since I didn't need it right away, I gave it to her. Then, I left the room and went downstairs.
After asking a maid for Lina Hessler's whereabouts, I headed straight for the main building.
The main building was so crowded with people who had flocked there upon hearing of the viscount's death that there was hardly any room to stand.
I made my way through them toward the office.
A maid stopped me as I tried to enter.
“My apologies, but the Acting Viscount has stated that she cannot receive guests at this time. She is busy with official duties due to the unexpected incident, so I ask for your kind understanding.”
“Then can you at least pass on a message? Just tell her it's Henrik.”
She was already being called the Acting Viscount by the servants.
It seemed her consolidation of power within the family was proceeding smoothly.
“Ah, you must be Mage Henrik.”
The maid bowed respectfully.
“The Acting Viscount informed me to expect you. I will guide you to a place where you can wait.”
I followed the maid to a small nearby room.
After about twenty minutes, the door opened and Lina Hessler entered.
“I'm sorry for the delay. Things have gotten much busier than I expected...”
“It's fine. It would be strange if you weren't busy.”
The dress she wore was slightly less extravagant than the one she had worn to the party last night.
“What brings you here?”
“I believe it's time we discussed my payment for this matter.”
“...Is there a need to rush? Perhaps we could have dinner together this evening and...”
“That won't be necessary.”
I drew a firm line.
Considering what the city of Wavel had been doing, I had no intention of forming a friendly relationship with its lord.
“You must be very busy, so I'll get straight to the point. As payment for my services, I demand a complete ban on slave hunting in the Great Forest and the trafficking of elf slaves within Wavel.”
“...What?”
Lina Hessler looked utterly bewildered, as if this was the last thing she had expected.
But she quickly regained her usual composure, the flicker of shock in her eyes subsiding.
“...I know I'm not in a position to say this, but I must shamelessly ask. Could you please reconsider?”
She had a peculiar habit.
A bad habit of her speech becoming stiff when she was nervous.
“I'm sorry, but this is a demand. If you find it difficult to accept, then I'll have no choice but to burn down every major slave trading guild in Wavel.”
“Wh-What are you...”
“I'll say this one last time. Control of slave hunting in the Great Forest and a ban on the trafficking of elf slaves in Wavel. Will you accept?”
Lina Hessler looked quite flustered, but there was only one choice she could make.
“...I understand.”
“Thank you.”
I picked up my teacup.
It would have been a hassle if she had poisoned the tea, but thankfully, it was clean.