A Chance to Atone (4)

“It’s decided!! The final 8 finalists for today are…!!”

After the first match, the ranking matches went smoothly.

To be honest, I thought that the first match of the round of 16 didn’t even last 5 minutes and wouldn’t even fill up the time allotted in the morning, but the following matches were enough for equal players to properly show off their skills, so the time gap wasn’t as big as I thought.

” Rather than saying that, I think the level of the matches is lower than expected compared to the level of the characteristics.”

“… Don’t think that they’ll all be like your disciples, in the first place. What kind of monsters have you raised? “

“What are you raising? I’m a virgin. I’ve never had a child.”

Clark Theodore, who was sitting in the same VIP seat, let out a sigh as he watched the warlock Fianna cast Ignorance, knowing full well that it was not what she meant.

I couldn’t understand how such monstrous children could emerge from under a black magician who only made sex jokes like that.

“And, since you’re not even at the level of a host, you already saw it, didn’t you? That cane from earlier… “

“Yes, it was definitely not a magical tool that could reach magic. Rather, it was made to severely hinder the user. A magician of average level would not be able to use it.”

You might think that it showed incredible performance compared to the magic book she carried around, but the two of them knew the problem with the wand as soon as they saw it.

Instead of completely canceling the spell, it was a magical tool that put a burden on the advanced catalyst attached to the staff, and that consumed the user’s magical power excessively and inefficiently to the point that it was seriously annoying.

However, the female magician who wielded it, Nora, was a talented woman who could handle all of that on her own.

That is why that imperfect and unfinished magical tool was able to demonstrate its power.

“Anyway, the fact that they were able to create a fantastic-level magical tool that they could use at that age proves their talent. As their teacher, you are in a position to be proud.”

“Ha.”

After the first day of the Round of 16 ranking matches, when the host was giving his closing comments, Piana stood up from her seat with a self-deprecating laugh at Clarke’s kind words.

“I really didn’t raise them, so what are you proud of? They grew up on their own.”

“I see… So, where are you going?”

When Clark asked Piana a question as she started to leave with a face that seemed self-deprecating but strangely joyful, this time she answered as if it was natural without even turning her head.

“If you have a disciple who has grown up well without being raised, you should praise him at least when you have time to be proud of him. Isn’t that ‘my position’?”

“… I see.”

The disciple who had been entangled in Rudis’s affairs for the past few months and had been constantly being scolded. Finally, this disciple realized his mistake, met with the death penalty, and began to spread his wings.

‘Should I call them both over today and buy them a drink?’

Piana was very happy that things were going so well these days.

*

“You bitch! I’m crazy for believing in you!! Do you have an interaction with a demon?! I really can’t, I don’t even have to go to your teacher! I’m going to kill you here!!!”

The wand of Nora’s spirit spewed fire and the black-haired magician Rudis turned to dust and disappeared. This had not happened yet.

Of course, in my fantasy I just imagined it evaporating about 30 times, but that hasn’t happened in reality yet.

“… … “

Um… what should I do?

“… … “

“… … “

How many minutes have passed without a word to the sub-heroine who was so regretful because of me that she had buried her head and forehead on the floor, after being caught in a scene that absolutely should not have been caught?

It feels like hours have passed now, but that’s probably not the case.

It’s probably just that a thief caught in the act of committing a crime feels like time is passing by because of the chilling sensation of his own feet.

Anyway, if Nora had heard everything from the beginning, I wouldn’t have many options for what to do in this situation.

“Cutlass.”

“Huh?”

“Get out.”

“Yes~”

First, get rid of the demons in front of you.

Nora was the second person to hate the Demons after Ellis, whose parents were murdered by the Demons.

It would be suicidal to leave a demon in front of her who obviously killed several people.

Anyway, from now on, I have no choice but to watch what Nora says and how she responds and act accordingly.

If she had heard everything from the beginning, she would have known that Cutlass was a demon, that I was somehow connected to that demon… and that I was trying to have her attack Raoul.

So, in this worst-case scenario, not making excuses is probably the best option.

After Cutlass, who had answered my question like that, went over to another rooftop and disappeared, Nora quietly looked behind him with her eyes trembling, then looked at me again and slowly moved her lips.

“Just now… was it a demon?”

“Uh, uh. Yeah.”

To her, who asked the most sensitive, easy to answer, and yet most important question, I answer honestly.

Since she heard everything, any excuses or tricks wouldn’t work.

“Oh, I see. Demon… Oh, you seem to know Rudis well?”

“Not that close… I just met him a few days after arriving in this empire, knocked him down on the spot, and left him there for me to use.”

“This… dragon?”

“Uh, um.”

We’ve defeated the enemies of humanity, the Demons. That’s fine, but we’re trying to capture them and use them.

There is no reason for this to make sense.

Especially for someone who doesn’t know that I learned self-hypnosis magic, or that I can briefly climb up and down the wizarding hierarchy by cheating.

So, the sight of her trembling eyes and moving her lips as if she was embarrassed by my words seemed much calmer than I had expected.

Normally, it wouldn’t be strange to shout out here and there that there are demon worshippers.

“Well, I. Um… How should I explain this… “

I don’t want to fight Nora. Of course, there’s no point in playing a third-rate villain to her.

Above all, if I act like a demon worshipper here, it won’t end with me being called a third-rate villain.

The threat level between a bully who bullied kids at the academy and a powerful black magician who is actually allied with the demon tribe is incomparable.

So, how should I really say something to dispel even a little of the suspicion she had planted? I moved my mouth, spinning my wheels as I rambled and organized my thoughts through self-hypnosis.

“That’s right? Well, actually, I… “

“Okay, it’s okay!”

“Huh?”

“It’s okay. I’m ready to listen. If Rudis is ready to talk, I’m… really okay.”

I blink in disbelief at the sound of footsteps softly treading on the old rooftop and the sound of voices getting closer.

Nora approached me, holding the staff she was holding with both hands as if she were a nun praying to something, and began to look up at me slowly.

“Mi, sorry? I didn’t mean to follow you. You seemed serious, urgent, and busy, so I followed you because I thought there was something I could do to help you. Did I… cause trouble? “

“Oh, that’s… “

It’s really difficult, it’s incredibly difficult.

She knows about [Gabul] and my ability to control my magical powers, but of course she didn’t tell anyone that I have the forbidden black magic [Self-Hypnosis]. Even more, no one knows that it works on the demons whose ‘body is made of magical power’ by using some method when combined with the power of a wizard.

Moreover, the fact that I can reach the rank of a wizard by using Gabul is completely unknown even to the few people who know of Gabul’s existence.

That means, if I want to explain the situation now, I have to reveal all of this to her.

“I know, now I won’t be wrong. I believed what seemed easy, I believed what sounded true, and I regretted it so many times. So this time it’s different. I saw it and heard it, so next… I want to know. Especially if it’s my death sentence, Rudis, and you, even more deeply.”

“… … “

[Level: 26]

[Name: Nora.]

[Role: Black Magic Tower disciple, 2nd year academy student, avenger.]

[Status: I want to trust, I don’t want to doubt, I don’t want to regret, I trust Rudis.]

[Characteristic: (Black Magic LV. 3)]

I don’t think I can tell her another lie this time.

The status window that appeared before my eyes spoke to me as if telling me to look at her status.

Don’t lie to me any longer, there’s no need to lie to me, Nora… She trusted me and came this far, so trust me.

‘Really, you have a bad personality. I’m the one who made them fool me.’

The status window, which I didn’t even open because I wanted to see it, kept showing me status changes that added to Nora’s trust in me, as if trying to know her true feelings.

Oh, I got it. I got it.

“Nora.”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll be honest with you this time. But after you hear what I have to say, there’s only one choice you can make.”

“Huh?”

I don’t want to ignore her feelings that she doesn’t want to regret anything anymore, and her desire to trust me.

But if what follows from there is something that puts her life in danger, then it is my responsibility to prevent that.

So, I’m going to hammer the nail in advance.

“After you listen to everything I say from now on, give up on the next ranking match quarterfinals. And Lord Butop, Broken and the other hyungs are in the empire right now, so let’s all be together until the end of this ranking match… “

“I don’t like that.”

“… Huh?”

The status window that had been expressing her strong feelings of wanting to trust me and listen to me suddenly stopped along with her voice. And.

“If that’s the case, then I don’t like it. Then just don’t say it. I understand a little bit when you say it like that. Also, isn’t that incredibly dangerous?”

“Yeah, but if you’ve already understood that far, then you’ve already heard it… “

“I didn’t hear. I didn’t hear. In the first place, I didn’t hear anything about the relationship with the demons or what you were trying to do, so I don’t need to fulfill that condition!”

“No, I heard it earlier while hiding, so that’s forced… “

“That’s not forced!”

-Ding.

The bell rang in my ears again. The status window began to indicate a change.

[Status: Trust me unconditionally, don’t doubt me, trust Rudis. I don’t want to be protected. I will do anything to be with you. I am your sister. Your younger sister.]

[The target’s status changes and the quest content changes.]

[Nora does not drop out of the Imperial Rankings.]

[Target Nora will not drop from Rudis during this quest.]

[If you forcibly exclude the target Nora, a penalty will be incurred.]

[The probability of the target Nora dying to an unspecified number of enemies is updated.]

[Hear from Princess Coti Royal Labyrinth’s own lips the powers of the Labyrinth. (1/1)]

[Participate in the Imperial Ranking Match and achieve 1st place. (0/1) <[Payment] cannot be used while this quest is in progress.>]

[Survive the battle with Baphomet. (0/1) <98% chance of your own death>]

[The death probability of Yuria Fortward when participating in a battle with Baphomet is updated.]

[Fiana Stone’s chance of dying when participating in a battle with Baphomet is updated.]

[new Nora’s chance of dying when participating in a battle with Baphomet is updated.]

[Nora’s chance of death when encountering the demons is updated.]

[Target…]

.

.

.

The status screen updates like crazy, and as she tells me she won’t listen to me, the quest, and her status and mine change like crazy.

No, what the hell is this situation…!!

“I am Nora, the disciple of the Black Tower. I am your disciple and your sister-in-law! If you try to force me to leave, I will tell everything to the master!!”

[When training with the target Nora, the black magic growth value set by the target Rudis’s characteristic growth booster will be adjusted.]

[When fighting with the target Nora, the target Rudis’s black magic becomes stronger.]

[When proceeding with a quest with the target Nora, you can use [Pay] on others for 15 seconds.]

“So…! This time, I’ll be by your side and put you in danger together. Let’s move together, keeping it a secret from the Master. Then, won’t that work?”

[You can adjust the target Nora’s Staff of No Shadow together.]

[You can adjust the target Nora’s magic book together.]

[After adjustment, the equipment can be used jointly.]

Of course not.

I want to say that, but the words on the status screen, the penalties, and the continuous string of penalties and bonuses that seem to tell me to be with her, as if telling me never to drop Nora, keep my mouth shut.

Oh my god, seriously…!!

“Seriously, it’s incredibly dangerous. Are you sure you won’t regret it?”

“If I leave this place to you again and leave you alone without doing anything, I’m sure I’ll regret it.”

“… Who do you take after to be so stubborn?”

“Who is it?”

“Who? Master?”

“Hot! Of course. And you.”

“What? Me?”

“Yes, you and Master. I’ve always followed the backs of the two of you.”

-Ding.

[The effect of (Growth Booster Lv. MAX) (Black Magic Lv. 3) is applied to the target Nora. Target Rudis (Black Magic Lv. 5)]

what?

Suddenly, as if responding to Nora’s words, another status window appeared. I opened my eyes wide and looked back and forth between her and the status window.

Huh? Why is my trait with Nora? What is this situation…

-Ouch.

“No, La?”

“So this time, instead of being protected, I will fight alongside you. This time, I will not be wrong.”

Nora, who carefully held my finger with the hand that was holding the cane, appealed to me until the end with eyes like a puppy begging not to be left alone.