Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Stealing the Chains
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"If you use my magic right in front of me, it wouldn't be too easy to steal, would it?"
The chains that sealed all power stretched out long just as they were, coiling around Rain's hand as if proving their ownership had changed.
"Stolen... it?"
Did my chains have this kind of power?
It felt like even my physical strength was being drained away... One knee buckled on its own.
"It's not just stolen—I modified it in a few ways at the same time."
Rearranging the structure of the Ryuken identity equation that constructs the chains with Bell Quirius, reverse-calculating corrections to maximally amplify the power of Ran (闌; barrier).
"This blocks the flow of power spreading through your entire body. It's possible only because Bell Quirius lets me peer inside your body completely."
"...!"
"The key was the timing to completely cut off that flow, but thankfully, you fell for my little act?"
He said it like it was no big deal, but judging by the blood streaming from his eyes, the damage Rain had taken was considerable.
Stealing the Chains of Vigilance, correcting them, and binding the bastard's movements—all in that split second. He had to pull it off in just 0.5 seconds.
Every time he interfered with providence using Bell Quirius, his brain felt like it was burning white-hot with pain. The price for a mere human daring to touch the realm of gods...
"Even after this explanation, you still look clueless. I almost respect the endurance of whoever taught magic to a guy like you."
Until now, he'd only used Bell Quirius to analyze, reverse-engineer, and dispel an opponent's magic after the fact. But the true use that Skalji taught him was exactly this.
Stealing someone else's magic.
Stealing meant taking control of a magic that the opponent was activating or had already activated.
"In short, the 'Chains of Vigilance' you used is mine now. It was originally mine, anyway."
Of course, it required reverse-engineering equations several times more complex than just injecting falsehoods to nullify magic, but the effect was tremendous, as could be seen right now.
"No way... something this ridiculous could possibly..."
This was truly absurd.
After struggling desperately to move for a while, Ribadin finally heaved violent breaths.
'Not just mana—even simple muscle and physical strength won't work properly?'
Realizing that despairing truth, suddenly his jaw twisted, and something flew into the sky. A tooth.
"Fighting you black mages, I've realized something. You don't listen like beasts. So, it seems I have to beat you like beasts first to make you compliant."
Rain held a fragment of the staff that had shattered earlier, his eyes coldly chilled.
"You little shit... Gahk!"
"Talk. Who the hell gave you that face and those abilities? Tell me, and I'll let you die easy."
Vague anxiety, bewilderment, and doubt twisted together, driving him mad.
He was curious about the leader's identity, but terrified that Tureina's name might actually come out of that mouth—his fingers trembled at the thought.
But from the blood-smeared face, no one's name emerged. Just an eerily quiet laugh.
"Rat... Fine, I admit your tricks..."
"What? Not beaten enough? Alright, come here."
"But that won't work on our mother. Little brains like yours don't faze her."
"Yes! Then tell me who that mother is!"
"Don't rush... Now that you've killed me, Mother will come for you herself...! Heh heh heh heh, run if you want! Hide and tremble in fear like the rat you are!"
The moment he tried to press for the mother's identity, a instinctive revulsion surged up with nausea.
The bastard's face was melting. Flesh peeling from the skull, muscles, into thick liquid...
'How is this possible?'
Bell Quirius was still active. The Chains of Vigilance were still in his control. So this wasn't some special ability? Chemical suicide?
"Ah, damn it..."
By the time the questions sorted themselves, the corpse—now just a skull—had horrifically flopped into the puddle of melted flesh.
"This makes luring him out one-on-one and taking him down completely pointless."
He needed to extract some information, anything... Damn it all.
'Went to get intel and ended up poisoned too, for this result...'
By then, Pippi had landed on Rain's head and started her victory butt dance. Her body was warm like sunlight, probably from spewing flames all this time.
"Lin, Pippi won. Lin and Pippi beat another black mage. E-a-s-y! EZEZEZ~!"
Being with Pippi made everything feel okay, no matter what. No loneliness. Even in this gruesome situation, a laugh escaped.
"For now, to [Golden Rose], to the church. Hide before reinforcements arrive, and get this poison treated."
The results were frustratingly lacking, but there was no time to hesitate here.
Allies might be waiting nearby, and in this state, fighting would mean certain defeat.
Even if he won, delaying too long with the poison untreated might force him to amputate the arm...
"Not bad, taking down even Ribadin."
As he turned to leave the scene, cold malice coiled around his legs like a snake, freezing his body in tension.
"Honestly, it's unexpected. I didn't think you'd beat Ribadin."
Pippi soared into the sky, wrapping her whole body in flames, and Rain's eyes shook like in a spasm.
Denying the voice as hallucination, he glanced back—and the worst scenario became reality.
With a long sigh, a voice steeped in despair slipped out like a lament.
"...Balensidis."
* * *
"Yes, it's me."
A calm voice replied.
The sun had long set, leaving only unstable twilight weakly illuminating the forest.
Into the woods that had regained silence after Ribadin's malice faded, a presence appeared with ten times the venom.
"Aren't you busy with committee work? Is wandering around here okay?"
Balensidis was the most unusual black mage Rain had encountered yet.
No killing intent, no madness, and the glimpses of humanity seemed noble and upright. He had immense support among commoner mages too.
That gap made it impossible to read his thoughts. Breathing grew ragged, limbs trembled.
"I could throw those words right back at you."
"Is that so?"
"Think about it yourself."
Was that killing intent now, or a joke? Impossible to tell.
One thing was clear.
Mana so terrifying it made his fingertips twitch was raging inside the bastard... No point in agonizing and giving first strike. Rain attacked preemptively.
Chiriririring────!
The moment Rain's eyes faintly glowed, the Chains of Vigilance moved silently to envelop Balensidis.
He thought they had.
But Balensidis's body, pierced by the chains, melted squelchingly, and the presence vanished from there.
'Dodged it?'
As Ribadin's ally, did he know countermeasures...? Tensing and lowering his stance, suddenly something grabbed the back of his head.
"Sloppy. The moment you entered my killing range, the fight was decided."
"...!"
"If I release even a bit of mana, your head explodes from the poison. So—"
In that instant, a flame form dove at Balensidis.
The hand gripping his head flinched, and in that moment, Rain shook off the arm while launching chains to bind movement.
He thought he had...
But the chains were deflected by an iron fan Balensidis had somehow opened.
"...?!"
From the fan's ribs, intricately engraved with over a dozen ancient crows, an unfathomable demonic aura poured out, devouring the twilight chaotically.
One look told him.
That was an abyssal sacred relic.
Perfectly deflecting 5th-circle magic backed up the judgment completely.
'My first instinct was right.'
This guy wasn't some low-level black mage. He held a tremendous position.
"Calm down. I just wanted to talk for a bit."
As Balensidis snapped the fan shut, the incomprehensible power swallowing twilight vanished, and the world felt brighter.
"Talk?"
"Let's clear up the misunderstanding first. I'm not here to kill you."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"Believe me. If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have come alone."
"A few minions wouldn't change anything."
"Really? Even if your weaknesses were exposed? What if I brought your siblings and mother?"
"What?"
"I'd have told you to dispel those chains. Chop off one limb from a sibling as a demonstration. To show what happens if you don't obey."
Balensidis's voice held no deception as he laid out the brutality.
"Then I'd throw a knife and tell you to gouge out your own eyes. To save your mother, under threats like that."
No bluff, no exaggeration—just purely stating the truth, his voice serene.
Sweat...
Cold sweat flowed...
Along with the conviction that this man was far more dangerous than Ribadin or Ribeni.
"I told you. Observe a person, and you find their weaknesses. You care for your family more than it seems."
"Filthy bastard..."
"I don't hesitate on means to achieve goals. But don't worry. I only do that when it's justified."
"Bullshit! A black mage who bowed to the Abyss, pretending to be a sage. Stop it. It's making me sick."
Balensidis smirked as if amused, then posed a strange question.
"What is a sage, Rain Ludwig?"
"...?"
"In this era where nobility is decided at birth, is blindly following the order truly the way of those who seek truth?"
Don't engage. Don't talk to him.
His logic has a bizarre allure. Debating him will only cloud judgment.
"Black magic is just a tool I use to pursue truth. To impose true order on this twisted world."
"New order my ass. Black mages always think the same, no matter the era. You want to be the new rulers."
"No. In the world I create, there are no kings or nobles. Only humans equal to each other."
"...?"
"And that change begins with the redistribution of magic."
Incomprehensible words. Yet strangely captivating.
Thus, extremely dangerous.
By then, the three suns had fully hidden behind the ridge, dusk settling over the forest with chill winds.
"About 500 meters left from here, you'll find where Ribadin buried the special task force mages."
"What?"
"I'll take Ribadin's body. Need to mix it with the special task force mages' corpses. Make it look like they killed each other mutually."
Have to report it that way up top too. Balensidis said, levitating Ribadin's corpse with telekinesis.
Absurdity boiled over into a shout.
"What the hell are you trying to do with me?"
"Propose a temporary alliance. Better for both of us, no?"
"...?"
"Oh, right. If you go to the church and heal the poison, my setup unravels."
As if he'd forgotten, he suddenly extended a hand toward Rain and muttered something quietly.
Holy letters floated in the air, glowing, then rushed at Rain—precisely his left arm.
The rune clung to Rain's arm, scattering light, easing the pain as color returned to the blackened, eroded flesh.
"High-speed incantation of holy ritual...?"
He couldn't react beyond blinking in disbelief for a long while.
Holy rituals were a power usable only by shrine maidens who mastered the Sutras among the Three Scriptures.
Compiled from gods' words, shrine maidens wrought gods' miracles with this scripture. Three hundred years ago, Fride had purified the party's poison with it.
- Recognize the glory! Sutras have insane difficulty! Only a tiny fraction of shrine maidens master them!
How could a mage like this guy...?
Shrine maidens differ from mages.
Without a master, you can't self-study advanced parts. And holy rituals are the hardest to learn?
"My teacher was special. Taught me both magic and rituals."
"...Is that teacher the same 'mother' they mentioned?"
"Can't answer that. Or rather, you answer first, and I'll reciprocate. What are you, really, Rain Ludwig?"
Chilling suspicion gleamed in Balensidis's eyes, stabbing Rain's chest.
"Wielding 5th-circle at your age, awakening Bell Quirius. You're too abnormal."
"...Talent."
"Call it talent. But hearing about the special task force deaths and staying so calm after killing a black mage yourself? That's not something talent covers."
No words came.
Rain wasn't always this numb to death. Five years of expeditions just dulled the sensation.
"Can't say? Same for me. Everyone has secrets they can't share."
Balensidis left those words and quietly vanished into the forest shadows.
"Return before curfew. Unless you want annoying suspicions."
He considered pressing for the 'mother's' identity but dropped it. No answer forthcoming.
For a moment, he hesitated.
Just let him go like this?
But his logic held. If he truly meant to eliminate Rain, that meticulous personality would've dragged in his family...
'From my position, shouldn't I take him out now?'
Leaving him be risks a deadly enemy later...
But he lacked confidence.
Not after mana drain from Ribadin. And oddly, he hesitated. Why heal me?
"Lin, that guy's dangerous. Danger, danger, alert, alert, super alert."
Only after the guy fully left sight did Pippi, circling warily above Rain's head, land on his shoulder.
"Yeah, I know. Let's think of a way to deal with him before he shows his true colors."
Terrifyingly dangerous.
Didn't want to make an enemy of him...
In the early evening breeze, as the forest settled into silence, Balensidis's words endlessly swirled in his mind.
- Only humans equal to each other.