Chapter 315
Chapter 315
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 315
Chapter Title: Hypnotist Detective's Assault -1
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In the past—in the old Violet Magic Tower, an old man with a wrinkled face confronted a masked man.
"Dragging people off to use as test subjects for illusion magic experiments... The dignity of the Violet Tower has sunk all the way to the sewers."
The old man didn't hide his hostility, furious at the tower's decay, but the masked man brushed it off with brazen nonchalance.
How could he tense up or worry over a non-threat? There was only one thing to say to this powerless, clueless old fool who couldn't read the currents of the times. The man opened his mouth flatly.
"Does pursuing unattainable wishes require dignity?"
"It does. Of course it does. We're humans before we're mages. The previous Violet Tower Master was a fool with itchy ears, but at least he kept to human boundaries. Your doing?"
"How dare I change a person's true nature? I merely persuaded him. To elevate the Violet Tower above all others and etch our names in the history books."
"You foolish bastard... Blinded by empty glory in the end."
What glory is there in writing your name in blood and pain?
"My dear home has turned into a rat-infested slum overnight, so I'll discard the old house and find a new one. The Tower Master's whining had gotten tiresome anyway—perfect timing."
"The exit is that way."
"But don't think you can keep it up forever. A dog who does dog things dies like a dog. That's the law of the world."
And so, one elder of the Violet Magic Tower chose to part ways. He left the tower alone and vanished without a trace—and the man who had chased off the final obstacle, 『Goat』, muttered to himself.
"You don't understand the law of the world very well...?"
This world was one where a colossal divine being spun threads of painful fate. Righteousness rewarded and evil punished, all of it, was merely part of the script dictated by his black scales.
So how could there be any dignity in the world?
In the lobby of the old Violet Magic Tower, after the righteous man departed, there was no longer any trace of the pure mages who had once dreamed there. Only mocking sneers echoed on for a long while.
I had no energy.
"Ah..."
Ever since dumping Selbia, my heart had been trapped in a sluggish storm. It was the first time in either my past or present life that I'd broken up with a girl. I just couldn't get used to the sensation.
They say people grow numb through repetition, so would this dampness finally fade if I dumped around thirty more girls?
As I slouched on the sofa, melted into a slime, Yuri—who was walking by with a sheet mask on—stopped at the sight of me.
"Still moping?"
"Mm..."
"Then why not just take her back? Even without love, you could keep her around as a physical partner or a trophy for your sense of accomplishment."
"That's not something a human should do..."
"Correct. Here's your prize."
Yuri peeled off the mask and headband, smoothed her hair, grabbed my cheeks, and unleashed a lip-drain. I'll skip the lewd sounds.
Smack. She capped it off with a light butterfly kiss, then asked flatly as ever—though her ears were slightly flushed.
"Better?"
"It perks me up a bit, but then this weird melancholy hits about getting energy from kissing another girl, which is inconvenient. If you acted like a cat and got all cute, it might help."
"Oh dear. Then we need to take it up a notch. I'll show you cuteness in bed by imitating a bunny. Give me a sec to wash up and get ready, so wait comfor—"
"No, no. Sorry."
I notched my nth defeat of the season.
After our routine thrice-daily WWE match, I had some energy back. Once I scraped my melted body together and sat up straight, Yuri plopped down beside me and hooked her arm through mine. Friend mode.
What was it... Hugging and being hugged felt completely different.
Yuna offered the mental stability of a stuffed doll, but Yuri was solid. It was that cheerful bond you feel with a close friend, propping up my heart reliably.
Even if I suddenly heard that Yuri had betrayed me, my first thought would probably be, 'Clever disguise operation.'
The fact that Yuri Lanster seemed unbreakable no matter the situation added to that reliability. After all, she'd crushed even the Succubus Queen—practically mentally invincible.
I asked out of the blue.
"Did I screw up?"
"No idea."
"...Was there another way?"
"No clue. Doesn't matter anyway."
Pat pat. Yuri patted my shoulder and spoke solemnly, like she was imparting some profound insight.
"The point is we're still alive and kicking, we can keep meeting, and we can move our bodies and mouths however we want. Everything else is secondary."
"Mm."
"Mima. You can go see Selbia if you want. Or—well—grope the pecs of the girl sitting next to you. Or head out to stuff a student into a session. Being able to try is the privilege of the living."
If you're悩みng, take action. Want to scoop up spilled water? Grab a ladle at least. You're free to move, so you can still make the effort. It was straightforward philosophy.
Yuri pondered for a moment, then tapped her chin.
"Well... Personally, I'd prefer your harem growing. Ideally around three hundred."
"What?"
Ice cream chain menus had fewer options than that. Overwhelmed by the scale, I listened as she outlined her grand scheme.
"We'll use the Second Wife's influence to apply pressure. If they want to get close to Mima, they pay me. Then I can force all sorts of lovely ladies into black stockings."
"...You're planning to use my harem for your own gain? But more rivals mean less time for you to monopolize me."
"Jealous...? Don't worry. I'm prepared to catch two rabbits. Enjoy the harem and maintain my Mima share. Not hard."
"Why do you get to enjoy my harem?"
It wasn't for comforting me or lightening my load—she genuinely seemed excited about it herself, which was scary.
My face must have shown it, because Yuri glanced over and let out a small laugh.
"Mima, instead of moping here, do something. An intriguing letter just arrived for you, perfectly timed."
"From who?"
"Sender unknown. Handwriting's heavily disguised—unidentifiable. But it does reveal the signatory. Take a look."
Yuri pulled a letter from her bosom and handed it over. Sure enough, the script was extremely camouflaged. Like changing fonts for every character.
And the contents were bizarre.
'I know your true identity. Disguise is futile. 『Goat』, who led the Violet Magic Tower down the path of corruption—you will have your sins laid bare and judged. 『Hypnotist Detective』 Baek.'
Who the hell were Goat and Hypnotist Detective?
"...This came to me? Not misdelivered?"
"Yes. It was placed neatly in front of the office."
"Fun prank. 'Hypnotist Detective' even stimulates the imagination nicely."
I brushed it off lightly. After all, everything I'd done for the Violet Tower was good, right? Secured funding, refined magic theories—did it all.
So I figured it was a joke from some Violet Tower mage or a student nursing a grudge from the great labyrinth.
That is, until I witnessed that 『hypnosis』 for myself.
Knock knock knock.
"Yes, coming."
I was deep in magic research when a knock came at the lab door. Yuna and Yuri were in the back, so this visitor was an outsider.
The knock's position was peculiar.
I remembered the sound of every frequent visitor's knock. Positions and styles varied by person, so I could guess who from a single knock.
Bennett, for example, knocked with honest tempo and force. Selbia did quick, light tatata.
But this visitor had a knock pattern I'd never heard, and it was very low. Assuming a natural arm extension, estimated height: about 140 cm.
No Academy students that small or childlike. Creak, I opened the door.
"......"
In my view: a mushroom-headed kid with purple hair covering their eyes. I crouched to eye level and spoke kindly.
"Hey, kiddo, what's up? This is the mad mage's office."
But the response was stiff, emotionless, and eerie.
"I've come to warn you. 『Goat』."
"......?"
"Confess your sins and surrender voluntarily, and your sentence will be lightened. This is a merciful warning. I hold a criminal's genuine remorse as the first virtue of investigation."
Too plausible to dismiss as nonsense. Calling me 『Goat』 linked it to the letter.
Above all, it reeked of illusion magic.
I blinked. Intent gathered, mana followed naturally. Filtered out the material world, scanned only the magical. It stood out clear.
I reached out and lifted the kid's bangs.
Spirals whirled in the pupils.
Hypnosis, literally. The kid was hypnotized, automatically reciting pre-programmed lines for the caster. A human recorder and messenger rolled into one.
I checked for any lingering mana threads, but none. Not remote control. Implanted mana battery type—sustained until fully burned out.
The kid spoke solemnly.
"At tomorrow's dawn, the investigation begins. I can see you, but you cannot find me. I am the 『Hypnotist Detective』."
"...Ah, so that's why you're the 『Hypnotist Detective』?"
I got the misunderstanding. This 『Hypnotist Detective』 was hunting 『Goat』... mistaking me for him and itching to expose his sins.
From calling himself a detective and his lines, he seemed to take pride in his actions. Believed he was doing justice.
But.
"To send a warning message to that Goat or whatever, you hypnotized an innocent kid and turned them into a cuckoo clock. Heartless bastard."
"Sins do not vanish. You—"
"If you're throwing down a challenge, I'll bite. Wake from your dream, 『Awaken』."
Snap!
Finger flick dispelled the implanted mana. The whirling eyes normalized, intelligence and confusion dawning in the mushroom-headed kid's gaze. Like waking from a dream.
"...Huh? Eh?"
"Looks like our little friend had a sleepwalking episode. Wandering out front. This uncle's not suspicious—come in for some warm milk?"
"Y-Yes...?"
I gathered Yuna and Yuri to explain the situation.
"So that's what happened..."
"And you're protecting the boy now. How did he enter the Academy?"
"Visitor student, apparently. That's what reception thinks. But a 'visitation' system popping up out of nowhere? Admin must be hypnotized too."
The Academy wasn't some pushover, yet he'd breached it to send a messenger. Not half bad.
The magic's structure had the polish of proper training. You couldn't feel that solid foundation from a wild self-taught mage.
Yuna seemed to have a hunch, furrowing her brow as she recalled.
"Hypnosis... Long ago, before I became Tower Master. Someone used a similar spell. Tied a coin to a string and swung it."
"That the part you 'erased'?"
"N-No. Someone who left the Violet Tower before I erased anything—before I even joined."
Good, no direct connection. Yuna always struggled recalling her past. Just the word "past" now had her all gloomy, rain clouds over her head.
A legit former Violet Tower member. No way an unknown scrub pulls this off. Unless secluded mountain training, there'd be rumors.
"『Hypnotist Detective』... Never heard?"
"No."
Not even Yuri Lanster, ex-Defense Bureau agent. Black mage lists yielded no matches.
Stuck at square one on who he was, then a clue came from an unexpected source.
The Roderus couple, bringing "Hayeongi" for routine tuning, knew the name.
"『Hypnotist Detective』? Heard it from Ronald! Never shows his face, solves cases. Clears the wronged's grudges, captures villains..."
"Ronald from Capital Knight Squad Team 3 mentions him sometimes. Operates in the Kingdom, not Empire—no interest in hero tales, and you wouldn't hear it."
The Kingdom.
A mage operating in that distant neighbor? No wonder Yuri or I were clueless. Meant trekking to the far-off Kingdom for info.
"Shall I go?"
"Nah, no. Too far, too long... And no need. Lucky us—someone's suspiciously hoarding Kingdom intel."
The terrifying "Kingdom Alliance" that crushes the Empire in a century, working hard today for a peaceful imperial future!
Tell him sessions are fiction, and my head rolls first. The guy still buying the future visions...!
The communication scrying orb glowed in the dead of night.
"...So you contact me in the middle of the night for this, mad mage?"
"Yes."
"I was dreaming of meeting Centra just now. Guess you finally have something to say."
"Some info on 『Hypnotist Detective』, please?"
"Next Violet Tower funding—you come pick it up in person."
Bedhead Irid gnashed his teeth at the mad mage's conscienceless antics.