Chapter 32: Unexpected (1)

Without a doubt, Sion was the most powerful being on the continent of Elpidion.

She possessed magical power equivalent to ten times that of an average court mage.

Her knowledge of spells was on par with the greatest sorcerers on the continent.

Her swordsmanship was at a level where she could take on an entire knight order single-handedly.

Combining all these traits, Sion’s combat strength was truly invincible. She could likely even defeat a thousand-year-old Ancient Dragon in battle.

Though she might not be at her prime, her strength was more than sufficient to handle three children.

However, unfortunately, there are situations in this world that cannot be resolved by strength alone.

‘Damn it… there’s no opening at all, is there?’

Thirty minutes into their trek into the Salangs Mountain Range, Sion bit her lip in frustration.

At present, her objectives could be summarized in two parts, erase Beryl’s memory and dispose of her elsewhere, and make the rest of the party believe that Beryl was dead.

The more critical point here was that she must not be caught in the act.

In other words, ‘Hero Sion’ must remain entirely innocent. Not a single shred of suspicion should be raised against her.

To achieve this, Sion had devised a five-step plan.

1. During the exploration, she would use illusions or fake footsteps to create a situation where Beryl, acting as the scout, would move away from the group to investigate.

2. Sion would secretly follow her, use Mind Crash to erase her memory, and then cast Greater Teleport to send her far away.

3. She would return to the group, pretending to wait for Beryl, and then suggest, “She seems to be taking too long, let’s split up and search for her.”

4. Afterward, she would kill any nearby animal (like a squirrel or rabbit) and use Perfect Polymorph to make it look like Beryl’s corpse.

5. Finally, she would announce Beryl’s death to the group as if she were the one who had discovered it.

Of course, she had already done enough preliminary research to cover up after the fact.

This area was known to be inhabited by Green Drakes.

Thus, if she claimed Beryl had been fatally ambushed by one hiding in the bushes, there would be no issues.

With the ‘perfect’ transformational abilities of Perfect Polymorph, imitating the bite marks of a Drake would be child’s play.

So, if everything went according to plan, there shouldn’t have been any problem.

‘But that girl… she’s too vigilant!’

Mental manipulation spells, or those that control the mind, have their success rates dependent on the target’s willpower.

And willpower is variable. It can increase or decrease depending on the situation, condition, and other factors.

One of the biggest influences is ‘alertness’—whether the target anticipates a potential threat.

If the target does not suspect any threat to themselves, mind-control spells would work easily. On the other hand, if they are sharply on guard, the success rate drops sharply.

And if they hold firm hostility or suspicion, the chances of a successful spell diminish even further…

Beryl’s current state was precisely that.

Vigilance and suspicion.

‘Could she instinctively know that I’m the one who erased her memory?’

Of course, even if she had realized this much, she probably wouldn’t know that the author of the letter was her.

The ‘Hero Sion’ is a being blessed with divine power by the Goddess, overflowing with holy energy, while the letter’s author was a sorcerer.

Even a child knows that holy power and magic power repel each other.

But even if she hadn’t reached the full truth, Beryl seemed to have sensed, on instinct, that Sion was suspicious.

As proof, her Detect Thoughts spell was currently not working against Beryl.

It was evidence that she had firmly shut her mind off from Sion.

‘Still, that’s okay. I can physically knock her out and then use the spell.’

No matter how skilled Beryl might be, before Sion, she was like a mantis facing an iron chariot.

Sion could knock her out with a mere gesture.

And once she was knocked out, her mind would be completely defenseless, allowing her to manipulate it however she pleased.

But here came the second problem.

‘Lancia… that girl won’t take her eyes off me!’

Perhaps she had been too diligent in teaching her. Her respect for Sion had grown excessively.

Right now, Lancia is watching every single movement of Sion, trying to learn something from it.

She looks like a little puppy following its owner wherever they go.

Not that she should be the one to say it, but does this girl even care about finding the divine herb?

“Um, Lancia, is there something you’d like to say?”

“Huh? Oh, no, nothing…”

“Then why do you keep staring at me so intently…?”

“!? S-sorry!”

The first time Sion pointed it out, Lancia blushed, looking embarrassed, and turned her head away.

But that didn’t last long—after about five minutes, she was back to looking at Sion. You’d think someone had sprinkled gold dust all over her.

Surely there isn’t anything to learn from just watching her walk.

‘Thanks to this, I can’t slip away from the party.’

Sion clicked her tongue inwardly.

She needed another spell to sneak off and deal with Beryl without being noticed by the others.

A spell to create an alibi, something that would make it appear to the remaining two that she had been with them the whole time, to avoid any suspicion.

Sion planned to use an illusion spell for that. After all, nothing is more convincing than something seen with your own eyes.

But with Lancia keeping such a close watch on her, that was impossible.

No matter how exceptional Sion’s magical manipulation might be, there were limits.

Erasing memories with a Mind Crash spell while simultaneously maintaining an unseen illusion from a distance? Even for her, that was too much.

There would inevitably be some gaps in the illusion.

And a seasoned swordswoman’s sharp eyes would never miss those gaps.

‘Beryl and Lancia. Each on their own is a manageable risk, nothing more than a significant nuisance.

But if the two combine, the story changes entirely.’

The relationship between the two threats isn’t linear, they don’t simply add up.

The unexpected variables that Beryl’s heightened vigilance could create—

The longer it takes to manage those, the greater the chances of Lancia catching on.

They complement each other, creating a synergy.

One wrong move, and the worst possible future could become a reality.

Considering that possibility, Sion couldn’t act recklessly.

-“… Maybe it’s better to tell the truth and ask for forgiveness—”

-“Stop.”

Cowardly Exia suggested confession again, but Sion cut her off sharply.

Surrender wasn’t an option for her.

She had pushed through greater predicaments than this before.

The strong are strong because they can make their desires reality.

And she wasn’t out of options.

-“If that’s the case, we’ll have to go with Plan B.”

-“Plan B?”

Exia asked.

Sion didn’t answer but instead took out a small bottle from her pocket.

It was a spray bottle with a nozzle and a button, looking very much like a perfume.

-Ssssshhhhh…

Sion discreetly sprayed it around. A faint coconut scent wafted through the forest.

“Hmm? Did you smell something strange just now?”

“Did I?”

Isabella and Lancia tilted their heads for a moment, but they soon dismissed it, as it was too faint for humans to detect.

Only Beryl wrinkled her nose slightly, but she didn’t notice anything particularly off.

Watching the entire scene unfold, Exia looked puzzled.

-“What is that? What did you just spray?”

-“As you can see, it’s a scent.”

-“A scent?”

-“Yes.”

Sion grinned.

A smile as sinister as that of a demon.

-“In case of emergencies, I specially formulated a scent to attract monsters.

Soon, all the beasts in this area will be drawn toward us.”

-“!?!?”

Exia gasped in shock.

-“Are you out of your mind?! Are you seriously going to expose those kids to danger without them knowing?!”

-“I would have preferred not to go this far, but they’ve left me no choice by giving no opportunity.

I have to force things open and create an opening.”

Sion’s plan was simple.

If they wouldn’t provide an opportunity for trickery in normal circumstances, she would create chaos on purpose.

She would lure in a bunch of monsters and force them into battle.

That way, with a melee breaking out, everyone’s attention would naturally be divided, and she could use the distraction to get rid of Beryl.

Of course, the safety of the other two people caught in the fight was completely disregarded.

-“Don’t worry too much.

If things really get dangerous, I’ll step in too.

Surely, you don’t think that with me here, there will be a situation we can’t manage?”

-“That may be, but still, there’s always the possibility of something happening in the chaos! You never know what could occur during the melee—”

-“Oh, stop sounding like such a girl.

Everyone takes that kind of risk when going on a quest,” Sion shrugged.

“If there were no danger at all, it wouldn’t be any different from being stuck in the academy, would it?

In fact, with me as a safeguard, they’re much more blessed than other students.

Even in the worst case, their lives are guaranteed.

So, this level of risk is acceptable.

Logically speaking, there’s no problem.”

-“What unbelievable arrogance…!”

Exia shouted in horror.

Sion’s thug-like personality was erupting again, big time.

Was it really the right decision to recognize this person as a hero?

Exia suddenly regretted her past actions.

It was far too late to turn back now, though.

-Krrrr…

“!?”

Suddenly, Beryl, who was walking at the front, stopped in her tracks and surveyed her surroundings.

A low growling sound emanated from within the bushes.

Sion muttered leisurely from behind.

-“Oh, they’ve finally arrived.”

At that moment, three Green Drakes burst through the undergrowth.

They were massive creatures, about three times the size of an average adult man, with fierce, glistening snake-like eyes and sharp, acidic fangs.

Sion was confident.

This should buy her enough time.

“Three Green Drakes at one o’clock! Everyone, take battle positions!”

“Understood!”

Lancia responded, charging forward faster than the wind.

Her sword danced swiftly, piercing upward through the jaw of a careless Drake and killing it instantly.

Then, she pulled out her sword and knocked back the foreleg of another rushing toward her.

She thrust her sword into the gaping maw of the third.

In the blink of an eye, with lightning-fast swordplay, Lancia had slain two of them.

Meanwhile, the third Drake—

“Ball Lightning!”

“Graaaaagh!!!”

—collapsed in place, thoroughly electrocuted by Isabella’s lightning spell.

And just like that, the situation was resolved in barely three seconds.

“Wow, you two are incredibly strong…”

“Hehe, right? The title of Salem’s genius magician isn’t just for show~”

Beryl mumbled in astonishment while Isabella proudly puffed out her chest.

Meanwhile, Lancia—

“I-I did it…!

Countering a large monster in actual combat…!

Master, did I do well? Have I improved even a little?”

She looked back at Sion with bright, eager eyes, like a puppy waiting for praise.

If she had a tail, it would surely be wagging furiously.

And in response, Sion—

‘They’re too strong! Who trained this girl?!’

—was not happy at all, instead, she screamed and fumed internally.

In fact, it was all her fault, so she had no one to complain to.

After all, Sion was the one who had trained her.

Sion was now facing all the consequences of her past actions coming back to haunt her like a boomerang.