Chapter 191: Confusion (8)
5aQ— Aiselin Eleanor Duplain is false. She is currently on vacation. Her being here is something strange.MSS
kev4eZDereck had discovered the true identity of the confusion mage over and over again and had informed Princess Roselin of it.Byld
EpjrWAt least within the memories she retained, that had already happened five or six times.1rlRx
1pVJekIf one also counted the occasions in which he had not managed to inform her, every time his memories were erased, Dereck had succeeded in finding the hidden confusion mage through different methods.YdFzrK
w6bAHowever, it was enough to let his guard down for even a single instant for everything to be covered by the power of confusion magic and return to a state in which nothing had happened.09x
WxmAnd then, that confusion mage wearing Aiselin’s face would cross the Main Hall, the hem of her dress fluttering.b9qI05
Vh2AoyWith a modest and serene bearing, she would narrow her eyes and look up at the princess on the balcony, forming a sly, fox-like smile.WU08Y
83F0tShe would bring her index finger to her lips, as if saying that all of this had to remain a secret.Cfu5LG
B6lsEEven if she shouted at the top of her lungs while running through the academy, even if she tried to transmit the information by every possible means, everything would always return to the starting point—that balcony of the Main Hall.RxyqPD
nWQwV3nAiselin, mingled among the crowd, would once again bring her finger to her lips and disappear into the people with a smile.t6EkV2K
9jWEven though the murderer who had killed her father was right in front of her, she could not tell anyone.d9JyZVP
9Am“My endurance… is already reaching its limit…”KxUt7
Az9Princess Roselin, seated on the edge of the balcony, ran a hand over her face as she panted.P4z5x
UZ9She had gone nearly two days without sleeping and had tried to warn others of the truth more than a dozen times, shouting and growing desperate, so it was no wonder she was exhausted.rS3tC
IUelUHBAt first, she had thought only of capturing him, driven by a burning desire for revenge.nRZ
JxdNo matter how powerful a 6-star mage might be, their mana was not infinite.yoklzv
Cz9pomCShe believed that if she kept fighting and warning others, sooner or later he would run out.dZ49S
IKD31But two full days had already passed, and the limit of the barrier ritual was drawing ever closer.2WqKQI
5rAEC5mUseless.U1VuvD
wSIImpossible.vgSe5
5syfh82Futile.NpF
IKYDefeating a 6-star confusion mage was absolutely impossible.n5m
g28esmThat dark despair began to gnaw at her chest.XX83q
Kk9The moment that sense of helplessness surfaced, exhaustion struck her all at once, as if she might fall asleep at any moment.lMT3fST
T9mDJuEven so, Roselin ran her hand over her face once more and stood up.Ph7GX
1Dsz1For more than forty hours, she had not rested for a single moment—struggling, watching, running nonstop.laR
6HO3Even if everything ended up being erased and reduced to nothing, she intended to try until the very end.XRVkM
h6hH***1DsJ
LYT“…Are you tired?”qWoW
vcZ43Fw“Ufufufu.”Bw7CIu
YLRZjeBThe unknown entity wearing Aiselin’s appearance dispersed her mana and waved her hand.aQu4ML
qWdhThe world seemed to twist—the light refracted, the scenery bent, and a swirling sensation covered the entire area.zw4q
3OMUMEIf she wished, she could completely erase the memories of everyone present within this barrier.ZCc8A
WREVnNFully manipulating the memories of hundreds of people was a difficult task, but simply erasing them was perfectly possible.pXE4Vge
J1vAhHowever, Dereck sensed it.QjnEr
LPMpMore than two days had already passed since this massacre began, and they were entering the third day.IQQfrw
UII1qCZKohella’s barrier ritual would not endure much longer.lrX5A8
kgcrDuring that time, the confusion mage had been exhausted, constantly busy suppressing Princess Roselin every time she tried to reveal the culprit’s identity.N20FJYh
f2UHMyEven though Roselin knew everything would end up being useless and erased, she had kept thinking, changing methods, and resisting over and over again.ejHkIU
6C8It was like desperately striking the bars of a prison from which escape was impossible.lpqqX
6hYYThe bars would not break, the brick walls would remain firm, but doing something was always better than doing nothing.a9tXyVF
PQZYxYk“What the hell are you planning to use His Majesty Emperor Gattrel’s staff for?”sEOxtto
WCN6Gs“And why do you want to know? Even if I tell you, you’ll just forget again.”9lUBn
qwEqWrapped in black-crimson mana, the false Aiselin floated beneath the moon.omV
vRlMoonlight passed through the dress whipped by magical energy, as if it were a massive stained-glass window of a cathedral.T7xk
hmxcxAn existence that adjusts memories and transcends perception.MtS
1ds0qA 6-star confusion mage.oCw
wxdAt this point, she could only be called the false Aiselin.5MHv1dG
66ufThe color of her eyes was red.W6NIVQ
Oa3pJ4LA tone completely different from that of the real Aiselin.kH82qBv
XJNC“Honestly, all of you are unbearable.”Re9WU
wTmk7nKnowing that these memories would end up being forgotten, the young woman spoke with a tone of lament.uu0J
ZHnly“I can’t break that old transformation mage’s barrier, the princess whom no magic affects keeps forcing me to expend mana adjusting memories, and you keep finding me no matter how much I hide.”zfWnZP
GxP8UWithin the construction grounds of Ravenclaw Academy, that young woman was fighting against three enemies—Kohella, who had trapped her with her barrier ritual; Roselin, who kept resisting and wearing her down; and Dereck, who, in critical situations, continued to drag her into the light again and again.fh9
jcsSEach of them was far too troublesome.JGXWv
LkxEscaping from this place was not easy at all.TFi
OlIJ0kU“Still, it’s already too late.”XD75Ns
aqj1YIn the nocturnal forest, with the song of insects and the round moon in the sky, Kohella’s barrier ritual engraved across the firmament began to tremble slowly.rz1N
x5lbcA“Do you know what you failed to calculate?”YhMTjFb
WSzcoThe young woman smiled with the moon as her backdrop.kuNBA
QyUFH“Did you really think that old transformation mage could maintain a barrier of this size for three whole days?”ZGWjZi
t7tW“I’m sorry, but that would only have been possible without any interference. Two full days have already passed, and we’re entering the third. No matter how much she’s Kohella, maintaining a ritual of this scale must have exhausted her considerably.”l0PXQ5
odHNzWhoosh! Boom!QgE
73GWhen the young woman clenched her fist while looking at the moon, an enormous mana began to surge.eCxxxX
voIAIt was clear that she intended to directly shake the barrier ritual.9nH
N5wS1Breaking the barrier of a 6-star transformation mage was not easy, not even for another mage of the same rank.AAymhZ
7RRgc7But if that barrier had already been pushing Kohella’s mana limits for two days, the situation could be different.DO7W
2LEFIf she shook it now, when Kohella was exhausted both physically and mentally, she might not be able to break it completely, but she could accelerate its collapse.Giy4I
NQYT0O“I can feel it. That ritual covering the starry sky has been weakening for several hours now.”kfdka
Ylv“…”RlnWV
qi3“If I shake it a little more, I can create a breach. Then I’ll erase everyone’s memories one last time, leave this place, and everything will be over.”2BY1e09
fTxa5zcColossal mana erupted from the young woman’s body as she laughed maliciously.4Lz
Sk0xS3pIt was said that the mana of 6-star mages was so vast that it could cover entire regions.GfdKB
Q9A3trBThe mana emanating from the false Aiselin floating in the air was, without a doubt, something that no longer seemed to belong to the human domain.26mtXB
EiKpHThat girl had been waiting.pvPit
ATAlBFor the moment when even Kohella, exhausted from maintaining that enormous barrier ritual, would be drained enough for a single blow to cloud her mind.2H2
f2QveIRoselin had resisted like a madwoman and worn her down a bit, yes, but in the end, the victory was hers for enduring until the very end.2h4gxeN
EL9HAs she declared that, the girl opened her fist again, and that colossal mana transformed into hundreds, thousands of arrows that slammed into the barrier.elPpUVp
kDzBoom! Boom! Boom!49c86
Rc0OnDIt was as if the number of stars had multiplied dozens of times.EsTvU2
HGqHundreds of mana arrows she had manifested embroidered the night sky.zha
ZKlbzCrack!VrKUrU
U9vAt the same time, cracks began to appear in the barrier ritual covering the firmament.GB1E
rkexOS7With the sound of something splintering, the entire landscape began to shake even more violently.rYE
JKkqLsCrack! Crack! Crack!ukl8p1G
vLlJThe condition for the confusion mage’s victory was the destruction of Kohella’s barrier ritual.1GOpM
vGw5dvThey had endured to the absolute limit, saving every last scrap of mana, but in the end, the one laughing was her.ihBA
FRuflGaWhen she saw the barrier crumbling little by little, the girl looked up at the moon and burst into a deranged laugh.gP8uTC2
DJUlo“Ahahaha… ahahahaha… ahahahahaha!”fOc
bZsThe monster wearing Aiselin’s appearance.tFzVy
NEp0XGAll the mana gushing from her body slowly began to reorganize itself in the night sky, once again taking the form of a magic circle.kls
Te2k69GA barrier damaged to that extent could no longer restrain a 6-star mage.0w2FE1
1I1QNow all that remained was to adjust everyone’s memories one last time and flee.6Dn8Y
nu8Im9If she erased the memories and escaped like that, they would not be able to send a pursuit group, and all the key clues to capture her would evaporate on the other side of memory.A6m
ZQqdThe only things left behind would be the cold corpse of the emperor and the trace of the stolen staff.L2Jy2h
YnMAll the conditions for victory had been met.AkBfTCH
HYfdThe game was over.7Hz8b7D
488“You made it fairly difficult for me. Yes, Dereck Lydorf, the Baron of Ravenclaw, right? At least I’ll remember you. Even in such an extreme situation, you always played the best possible card. Though, in the end, it wasn’t enough.”Hqhbfp
ZX4UsmHWhoosh! Thud!i1Eoj7
YcZA dozen fireballs from Dereck shot forward, but the girl floating beneath the moon dispersed them all with a simple wave of her hand.5SQ
6tUW1As if those fireballs had never existed.yW4T
cG3yYwThey did not even leave a trail behind.eI1dcWc
nIHVsAn enemy against whom even attacks were ineffective.nMKN3
dCSt26RAn enemy who, even if you found her, erased memories and disappeared.OFm
s0HAn enemy who could not even be perceived without her permission.5pn
E5Of63The crushing pressure of absolute power.YRgzi
e4U3Anyone who saw her would be drenched in helplessness.FGs
Iw8vVDereck opened his eyes wide and stared at her.BL7
6wnaThat image—like a dog that had lost the chicken and could only stare at the rooftop—made the girl laugh even louder.Ma7v
evzYQ“Of course, you won’t remember me. But if we meet again, I’ll make sure to greet you first.”Fk0MNX7
GJfmOver the collapsing barrier ritual, a new magic circle engraved with her mana was superimposed.k82
wT04ZH6-star confusion magic.GEiqSB
lyg“Memory Devastation.”cuPIW
QfuIShe prepared to cast it on a grand scale and bring everything to an end.sN3vezC
GdWCzkrAll the humans present on this vast academy ground would forget what they had seen today, remain there with nothing but traces and doubts, and let her leave.51P
lWw82x“Then, farewell. It was a good duel. I hope next time you’re the one who wins.”W8Tl
bqIckhThe girl smiled.vglzY1Z
xEFLrAt the same time, the magic circle began to shine, ready to erase everyone’s memories and disappear into the cloak of darkness.vGERCTK
o6yizXIf they met again, she would have to be especially wary of that man.efIdC
b0sOQWith that final thought, she decided to end everything.g5EI
Aq4Splat!eHq
IGj6U—And then, blood burst from the girl’s mouth.Pi02bb4
19echEJ“—?”rqzQFC
gouSplat! Splat!rNwlJ
NIlAt the same time, blood began to gush from her nose and from the corners of her eyes.KqwrxW
gHfP0VKThe mana filling her suddenly began to dissipate, and the mountain of black-crimson energy covering the area, along with the confusion magic circle covering the sky, began to shatter.Ah6QJk
0CdbOThud! Thud!1XgsdN7
hoVbTtXCrash!BDF70z
yEZiLThe figure that had been floating against the backdrop of the moon fell to the ground and began sneezing like mad.hYgq
axE6uDust rose, and her form was laid bare.m6c
7kHpPanting, she vomited blood several times, her hands trembling as she barely managed to raise her head.Nnr7
c7gZpaN“Th-this… this is…”lStUSJO
8MsNW“…”bMy
6bH“What… what the hell is this…? This is insane…”OR2oa
x8FzAt the same time, Dereck’s fireballs began to fly toward the fallen mage.VBV8
cBDxUTap, tap.bDTE
ewHXY7Kohella strode down the corridor in long steps.hZS
kEcLjThe moment she left the room where the emperor had been murdered, she immediately summoned her close associates.qGrz
oNINWalking quickly and tensely, she raised her gaze toward the night sky from the corner of her eye.7tYYQn
w9OMaThe barrier was collapsing.qEdl
q4IdIEUpon seeing the confusion magic circle superimposed over it, she raised her voice even higher.AfM0
cSDISuC“Gather everyone! Include the imperial advisers and the personal guard!”XVPr
BIonyIt was the only chance to capture the confusion mage.urBoVb
Bzg“Hurry! Right now, we’re going to capture the 6-star confusion mage!”LiQaR
3iqOoe— Generally speaking, it is impossible to capture a 6-star confusion mage.aG7fkM
64KIn the emperor’s chamber, steeped in even deeper darkness, she recalled the conversation she had had with Linus.mwv
FsWHj9He had stroked his rough-bearded chin several times, wearing a complex smile.rmefQon
wLlG— Even if we capture him, he’ll erase all the memories and act as if nothing happened. What an absurd swindler, right? That’s why, to subdue an existence that irrational, there’s no choice but to gamble.l9Mvy
QvC8jx— And that’s my field. We just need to figure out one thing. When does that confusion mage erase our memories?lMNGRnX
HE4bWith his hands clasped atop the table, Linus spoke with eyes filled with clarity.maD
my1NvKohella understood—those eyes were the same as those of the energetic Linus from long ago.TKk
rXl5— If we can pinpoint that moment, we can strike him where it hurts most. Then Dereck will slip through that gap and subdue him. From the way he talked about bets, I’m sure he’d already anticipated that I would act this way too.w7RCCE
FTqD7— And how do you know that?yKVLE
dyhvv6l— Do you think a mage as upright as him would gamble? No. But he had already realized something—that I would put anything on the line if it meant protecting Ellen.lzBdHfn
yOUDVThe corners of Linus’s lips lifted once more.8el1
j0o2K— She may not be a very lovable sister, but she loves the Belmierd family more than anyone and will protect it better than anyone.4c1i
eaX4Ellen always ground her teeth when she saw Linus, but he only responded with a carefree laugh.p1EOf5
j0zThe ambitions he had harbored all his life, the gaze burning like lava, had been completely extinguished by Ellen’s existence.F1JV6c
w4emhEven so, to Linus, she was still simply a sister with far too many things that could go wrong.Ote
r3ABvThe reason he had recommended Dereck as a noble and even thwarted Leonard’s plans was a single one—because she was the sister he trusted the most.2WM8IT
mEmThat was why that man had taken the gamble into his own hands.Tgfb
2RN3— The moment the barrier breaks will be our opportunity. We have to smash it at that instant.56Zbnaz
sgaV0— That confusion mage, precisely when the barrier collapses, will without fail use Memory Devastation to erase everyone’s memories. That instant when he tries to erase all the clues and flee will be the exact moment he touches our memories.YxGnR
AEWNo one knows when a confusion mage hidden behind the curtain will touch memories.IMXKsI
J56Except for that single instant, just before everything ends and he escapes for the last time.3ftYj
fnJPkZTThat was the moment when Linus, who had lived half his life at gambling tables, would throw all his chips onto the table.QkIyA5w
pH72mjSThe stake he was willing to put down was his own life.DXz
yySCreeeeak—jvWP
jH2qwolThe emperor’s bedroom from which Kohella had rushed out.cyhz7
eMqj0LThe door, which she had not managed to close in her haste, slowly shifted and let out a constant creak.xveJB
x3CdpCMInside, Linus was sitting alone, blood continuously dripping from him.A16
gw3The young noble gasped for breath, making muffled sounds, but even covered in blood, the corners of his lips kept rising higher and higher.pOJs
T2uRThrough the window, the confusion mage’s magic circle could be seen crumbling.dzQ
VXeG“Cough… haa… haa… hah… heh… hehehe…”XsuTm
Gvi1SdBathed in that black-crimson light, Linus lowered his gaze to the enormous grimoire resting on his knees.KiF6
ydxcEIt was a book he had already heard enough explanations about from Dereck and Kohella.q1mpXY
wKOREdG— However, the moment this book is read and its contents are understood, mana burns and is consumed, the entire body begins to bleed, and the reader dies. They say that if one endures that searing pain, one can perform miracles that surpass the power granted to them… but even that limit is not clearly defined.XJbw
JESThat book was called the Book of Longing.mDv
wGKThey said it granted the reader’s wish, though with clear limits and restricted power.pIz
S4EEBut what truly mattered was not the limit of its power, but the price.QQwjua
9F9LXo2The very moment its contents are read and understood, the shadow of death begins to strangle the reader’s neck.RSGCKn
dy4dwThat price itself was the very reason for the Book of Longing’s existence.VnIrR
2io3qAdjusting memories meant, in other words, being able to read them.giP
mhX5zJConsequently, all the memories of everyone except Princess Roselin were being manipulated in the palm of that confusion mage’s hand.Qlr6Yw
sn9otThe contents of the Book of Longing were etched clearly into Linus’s memory, and the moment the confusion mage tried to pry into his memories, it would strangle his neck.gLUmrLt
e9MeIn the end, the most important thing was timing.SGE
VMIopBefore Linus died or lost consciousness after reading the book, the enemy had to read those memories.cUdYB
Yb8k1EjAnd the way to set that precise moment was to force Kohella to deactivate the barrier ritual ahead of time.Mw1
wS8lWhen the confusion mage realized that everything had been a trap, it would already be too late.kdlj
LIPThe memories would have already been read, carved into her brain, burning her mana and pushing her toward the swamp of death.VFsN
SPcQLA 5-star magical artifact could not kill a 6-star mage in a single blow.BNSzE
sy9bXbZBut at least it could inflict a fatal wound.coiq0YL
M1rAnd then, the final blow would only need to be delivered by Dereck.7clKNpX
oLUpMHe was the most talented mage Linus had ever seen.oxA
kQx— If we manage to subdue him, negotiate with him and use his power to erase all the contents of the Book of Longing from my head. If you do that, I’ll be able to survive too…w4oO
Fqrdmd— Before we subdue him, it’s far more likely that you’ll bleed to death.nuIViu
2Lzq2— How could I live by making only bets with a high probability of victory? Besides, the more difficult the bet, the greater the prize.nvcCQd4
bFPThe gambler, Linus.TdT
jb4wHe might not have become an exemplary noble, but he had an innate talent for walking the tightrope between probability of success and the size of the stake.a92FHds
m9btpEven if a bet was disadvantageous, if the expected value was overwhelmingly high, a true gambler would accept it.un3i4U
CHvK2k— A 1-star mage, little more than a beggar who only knows how to gamble with money, trying to defeat a 6-star mage. In terms of expected return, that’s an absurd profit.lGixYt
E9vL— …zUV6L
78Bq— Wouldn’t it be stranger if the odds were high?anVT
gbbg“Cough… haa… heh… hehehe… bingo…”yEGk
n6a6vqCovered in blood, Linus lifted his gaze toward the crumbling magic circle in the night sky.FA5
Ycf“Don’t let her escape, Dereck.”6I0m
wxbDThe moon beyond the broken barrier ritual was reflected in his eyes.6GGcF
Qh3QAs the corners of Linus’s lips lifted even higher, blood began to slide down them.I62XmoK
2Juc3MEven so, he kept smiling.5Tu
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