Chapter 319
Chapter 319
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 319
Chapter Title: Grudge
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Yuna barely managed to pull herself together. It was thanks to me and Yuri clinging to her side and tending to her mental state, but rather than melting down in a panic like before.
"────."
She seemed determined to calm down, if only out of consideration for our efforts.
As proof, the world was still screaming. Dozens of eyes darted frantically across the ceiling lights, searching for prey and flicking their tongues at the incoming mayflies.
I snapped my fingers to get the attention of the kid, who was terrified by the warped world. Seeing more of that would only heighten his fear.
"You're chasing that bastard, and now I've got a reason to crush him too."
"...So, you're saying we team up?"
"Yeah."
Our interests aligned perfectly. There was no reason not to join forces.
Setting aside the Hypnosis Detective's abilities entirely, that book he was holding intrigued me. It seemed packed with info on the Goat.
"But first, we need to build some trust. Hypnosis Detective, there's something fishy about you. You're way too young."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
"Not some immortal freak, not some rejuvenated old coot—just a plain kid... and on top of that, you've been playing Hypnosis Detective with a book full of mysterious codes. That leaves only one possibility."
"──You're right. I'm the second generation. I inherited the title from my master."
The kid nodded readily, but the real issue went beyond that. It stemmed from the fact that, as a mage, he had a fatal flaw—he couldn't produce mana normally.
When taking on a disciple, talent is the first thing anyone looks at. Sure, emotions might lead you to teach someone flawed, but officially naming them your successor is a whole different matter.
I asked carefully, skirting around it.
"How long did you study Illusion Magic under that master of yours?"
"⋯⋯Two years."
"In the recording right before the battle, the Goat said he killed his disciples and brought down the tower. When did that happen?"
"⋯⋯I don't know. It was... a long time ago."
Putting together the timeline from testimonies like this:
Violet Tower elder flees the tower ── flees to the kingdom and works as an Illusion Mage ── loses disciples to the Goat ── begins operating as the Hypnosis Detective ── meets this kid and takes him as a disciple ── passes the name to the kid (presumed first-gen death).
In other words, after all his disciples were wiped out in the attack... he had no choice but to pick this kid.
Think about it. He's got only days left due to old wounds, revenge is a pipe dream. And the one disciple he scraped together can't even produce mana—a defective product.
From the perspective of someone skilled in hypnosis, if he had a ruthless heart──.
"I'm guessing you might be under hypnosis. From the past right up to now."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯?"
"Your hatred was unnaturally massive. Living well in the kingdom, you chased a flimsy clue all the way to the academy, risking your life... for someone else's grudge, not even your own."
So.
Before the Hypnosis Detective died, maybe he passed on every last drop of his hatred to this poor kid. Branded it into his brain by force. That's what I'm suspecting.
It was a truly filthy thing to do.
I pulled over a nearby magic circle and held it up like a magnifying glass. Peering through with透視, sure enough, there was hypnosis lingering in the boy's head.
I raised a finger.
"I'll erase it for you. Once that blind hatred's gone from your head, life'll be way easier. No more suffering for a body that hasn't even grown up yet."
"Wa⋯⋯ wait, hold on!"
"What, you think there's no way you're hypnotized...? I can show proof anytime. Worried about the procedure? Relax—my brain doesn't do math errors."
"No, don't erase it! This is... something I got from my master!"
The Hypnosis Detective raised his guard like he was protecting his head.
Huh.
"What're you talking about?"
"Master was going to give up on revenge. He didn't have long to live, and I was too young. But I accepted it. I... said I'd carry it on."
"Why?"
"⋯⋯Gotta fulfill a dying old man's wish, right? That's what makes me the Hypnosis Detective!"
Oh.
Oh ho.
"⋯⋯And what's with that look?"
It was the face of someone moved by the kid's unexpectedly manly resolve.
An image flashed in my mind: a back-alley orphan bonds with an old mage as his disciple, then parts ways at the end with a vow to fulfill his master's revenge.
Details aside, his backstory probably wasn't all that different.
The unexpectedly romantic tale lifted my spirits. I'd planned to punish him for picking a fight with me, but maybe I'd go easy instead.
I asked the one who'd suffered the most— the one who'd missed my first capable professor class.
"What do you think, Selbia?"
"⋯⋯Um, yeah. He is just a kid, so too harsh a punishment feels off. No one really suffered anyway—the students were thrilled about the cancellation... Uh, sis? Come here for a sec?"
She waved her hand. Selbia got dragged off to the corner by Yuri Lanster.
Curious what they were scheming, I strained my ears, but Yuri scattered the sound with clever mana control. I only caught fragments.
"⋯⋯Abandoning the trial theory you championed, Selbia? With those hands that shattered the academy students' paradise...?"
"⋯⋯But students who chose to enroll are different from a kid...?"
"⋯⋯The boy is already resolved, that's why his master passed on the hatred... Judging by age would be rude...?"
"⋯⋯Is that so?"
Selbia returned with a hesitant look, like she wasn't sure, but she'd flipped her stance.
"⋯⋯Out of respect for the boy's resolve—and to prepare for the enemy Goat we face— we need some 'trials' to rapidly boost his Illusion Magic countermeasures in a short time... Yeah. Thinking about it, that makes sense, Professor."
It was a perfectly reasonable point.
For some reason, Selbia's suggestion to ramp up the difficulty stuck in my ears today more than usual.
I scrapped the old plan and switched gears. She was right. This boy needed a massive combat power boost, fast.
"Hypnosis Detective No. 2, you know about the Great Labyrinth?"
"⋯⋯⋯⋯!!"
Oh, he did.
Scraaaape!
The kid paled and bolted in a desperate escape attempt, but Yuri's chains snagged him immediately. He ended up dangling like a piñata.
"Let go, you evil psycho mage!"
"It's all for your own good. Leveling up specs short-term means some suffering, and... you infringed on my teaching rights over hundreds of academy students. Don't you owe that much compensation?"
"Hwaaaaaah─!"
Craaaack. A massive maw like a human mouth split open in the ground. That was the entrance to the Great Labyrinth.
After the team battle ended, I hadn't known whether to dismantle or keep the Great Labyrinth, so I'd parked the whole facility under my lab. Made transport this easy.
After this, I'd head to the Violet Magic Tower.
And uncover and excise the Goat hiding there. The Hypnosis Detective would probably come in handy, so I'd take him if possible.
I wanted to fulfill that vow to inherit his grandfather's revenge, too.
The Great Labyrinth was perfect for it. Yeah, this was me being considerate for the boy. Definitely not any lingering grudge from that earlier scratch.
"Right, Yuri?"
"Yes, Mima. We're righteous, pure, and innocent."
Singles and doubles.
Me and Yuri smiled as one.
Cut.
"...Effect?"
"...Doesn't seem like any."
That was the improv skit I'd synced up with Yuri on the spot... but glancing over, Yuna's lips hadn't twitched. Guess comedy couldn't lighten the mood.
I cleared my throat and straightened up.
"...Yuna? Can we talk?"
"Sorry, not right now. Just... give me some time."
"Alright, uh... no clouds in the sky today. How about after sunset when the moon's up? We can stroll for a mood changer."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯Yeah."
I gently set the appointment.
Inside the academy grounds stood a massive dirt dinosaur. It was technically a golem, but its cost-performance for movement was abysmal, so it was just used as a decoration.
Perfect for a viewpoint, they said.
Grabbing the outer ladder and climbing rung by rung, I was at the top before I knew it. There was already someone there—a beautiful, cute woman with a pointed hat and twin blonde tails.
I sat down quietly beside her.
From the dinosaur's flat head, I gazed down. With hardly any high-rises here, the academy view was stunning.
I looked up. Few lit buildings meant the night sky's stars twinkled purely. Breathtaking.
I counted stars as I spoke.
"Someday, maybe launch a satellite. One orbiting, sparkling with Illusion Magic... a fake star."
"Could make constellations too, then."
"Of course. We'd name them. In a secret language only we know, so future generations cherish and call them without grasping the meaning..."
"Yeah. That... sounds fun."
Yeah, it'd definitely be fun.
Right now, wasting effort on pointless stuff like black mages and such, but if I shook off those shackles and found freedom...
Thinking what I could do with this power and time got my heart racing. If I willed it, spreading computers within a century to change the era wouldn't be a dream.
Or use suspiciously good memory to import masterpieces from my old world...
Or hardcore collab with Gordius types to reach space travel beyond modern civ.
"Or run a full VR game server. Loved game fantasy novels in my past life."
"Then we're suspiciously inept ops staff...? 'Hidden class found, team lead—what now?'"
"Ah, such a fun line to spit. Sounds great."
Didn't seem hard to make. One Dragon Heart, and I could whip up a global shared Illusion service easy.
I chatted softly about the future like that.
Then smiled bitterly.
"...Can't just shake off the past, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Can I ask what happened now?"
"Just... painful memories. Unjust torment with no fault of mine, like being born unlucky. No need or want to explain. That kind..."
Deep shadows swirled in Yuna's eyes.
People must move toward the future—everyone knows it. But what makes a person ultimately comes from the past. Can't ignore it.
A stain thought erased, a villain who left massive heart scars, alive after all. No idea the feeling.
So I want to understand, share like the Hypnosis Detective case. Rage as one with Yuna. But she won't allow it.
Her stubborn silence on the past: half no desire to recall. The other half...
"You don't want me worrying?"
"⋯⋯Half and half. Happy you worry, but... yeah... just laugh, chat, be normally happy. Don't wanna burden. Don't wanna be baggage. Don't wanna be your worry. Yeah, sorry."
"No need. I get it. So no sorries..."
I picked words carefully.
At the end of long, short silence, I said.
"Right. Yuna, stay here comfy. I'll go to the Violet Tower and cleanly erase the Caretaker Painkeeper."
"⋯⋯No. It's the 'filth' I missed? So I..."
I know. Even her breathing tempo lets me peek her heart now. Her anxiety, pain.
Wound so deep she lost control before Irid, hates recalling. Meeting him again—what stress for her?
Born too late for her hardest moments. Least do cleanup.
"You know, unbeatable vs mages, Illusion mage? Already won. Aisha's here too. Other stuff maybe, but this? Safe as yawn."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
"Just tossing recycle trash instead. Ok to hand out? You ask for wash when lazy."
"Th-that was 'cause no react..."
I hugged her shoulder. Had to push here. Don't wanna see her hurt.
After, she hemmed and hawed, 'Still better I go...' but kisses shut her up.
Such lukewarm convincing for 30 minutes.
"...Really ok to leave it?"
"Husband-wife one body. You me, me you. You help tug-of-war with 'that'... but alone no? Unfair."
"Then... hurt no. I'd cry week..."
"Course. I'll smash and return."
Thumping chest confident, Yuna looked up with purple eyes rippling stars, rain, wind.
"Remember promise...?"
"Yes."
Confirming like that.
Remember well.
Long sought a story.
In this tiny paper theater TRPG unfolds, seek story.
Thrilling, cool one repays all life's unhappy parts.
Far past. Confessed this to Yuna, she admitted seeking story too.
Finger-hooked promise make happy world for her. Remember. Whole heart soul.
Whisper. Like blanket secret night sky cover.
"Come back, tell the rest?"
"Yes. Sing perfect happy end no one objects."
"...Even with three wives?"
"Th-that part I'll... effort external."
Thus, got expedition permission.
Massive dirt-dinosaur shadow.
Descending ladder stumbling, Aisha leaned wall casually chatted.
"You said name. Caretaker Painkeeper."
"⋯⋯Know. Shocked too. No show front Yuna."
Mage disease can't remember names, yet his stuck, pronounceable. Aisha fingered chin muttered.
"Names Dad remembers: only humans Dad toyed with."
"Phrasing off. Anyway... never picked such player. Impossible among past players."
"Yeah. Think so too. But── Dad kinda one body with 'Evil Dragon'?"
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
So not Dad's toy.
"His 'that''s toy. Close Dad shares part remembers... close was. My true body once near-god, call apostle evil god?"
"No matter. Succubus Queen used evil god power died by me, now you beside."
"Too trusting? Quick betray?"
"Then next reverse bunny behave."
Aisha shuddered grossed, then giggled. Came warn cautious. Cute.
But certain. Apostle whatever, base Illusion Magic... no defeat scenario.
This time, especially. No compromise, reform, pity, mercy. All power sever Painkeeper neck. And thus.
Erase grudge lingering Yuna heart.