Ch.14A Very Small Trust (5)

# Siren

Half human, half fish. Sirens were mythical creatures known for luring people into the sea with their beautiful songs.

Leslie, the daughter of Count Florence, woke up to find herself transformed into a siren. Worse still, she was trapped alone on an unknown island.

[-You’ve awakened.]

The one who spoke to her in her confused state was a demon. A monster from another world that she had summoned and allowed to settle in her soul.

He told her:

[-Your ship capsized in a storm while heading to your place of exile. You and your servants drowned in the sea. But I’ve revived you with my power, so you should be grateful for this new life.]

He had turned her dead body into a monster. This was the price for summoning a demon.

But Leslie didn’t care.

What was the big deal about summoning a demon? She had only wanted to gain some talent and beauty, sacrificing a bit of her lifespan, to be acknowledged by everyone and catch the eye of the one she loved.

Just as poison in small doses can become medicine, couldn’t a demon also become a useful tool if properly utilized? Look—though she had become a strange creature, she had survived.

In any case, she hated being trapped on this deserted island. It truly felt like exile.

Leslie, now a fish-person, set out to sea to return home. It was nonsensical to return home in this form, but she merely wanted to explore the surroundings and find inhabited land.

It proved impossible.

An unknown force surrounded the entire waters around the island. Because of this power, even when she tried to go straight, she would end up back at the original island. As she panicked, the demon whispered:

[-You are bound to this place.]

And then added:

[-How about it? Would you like to make a new contract with me?]

The terms of the contract were as follows:

One hundred people who find this island. Kill them and sprinkle their blood on the gravel beach, grind their skulls into powder, and gather it at the totem on the central altar in the cave, then set it all on fire at once. Then the fog surrounding the island will lift, and you’ll be able to leave.

But that wasn’t all. The demon promised to restore her human form in exchange for those hundred lives. And not just any form—he promised to make her an immortal woman with beauty several times greater than that commoner girl’s.

In truth, she was already quite beautiful, but Leslie’s greed was boundless. This was because before her death, her face had merely been the one she had carved off that commoner girl and attached to herself.

[“It’s been a while since I got such good material, hehe.”]

Leslie hummed a tune as she glided toward the woman under the illusion spell.

[“Your expression is so pleasant to see. And your face is exquisite. That porcelain-like skin, those sculpted jawlines! You’re several times prettier than that lowborn girl, aren’t you? Are you perhaps a noble’s child?”]

The black-haired, golden-eyed woman who had been smiling happily just moments ago was now shedding sorrowful tears. She could barely hold herself upright.

It was mental collapse resulting from the illusion magic. When a person’s emotions are elevated to great heights and then dropped, the brain overloads from the emotional shock, causing rapid destruction of neural tissue.

[“Oh my, are you recalling tragic memories after happy ones? I understand that feeling. It’s like being given opium and then having it taken away. But don’t be too sad. I’ll make you comfortable soon.”]

Sring.

Leslie’s nails sharpened like knives. She brought them to her face and scratched.

Rip.

The unnaturally attached face split open, revealing what was underneath. It was her appearance from when she was human.

Though somewhat plain, it wasn’t objectively beautiful. But even that appearance had become hideously distorted when she turned into a monster.

[“I really like this one. I’ll replace mine with it.”]

Just as Leslie was about to sink her nails into the woman, she suddenly realized something. While the woman was audibly sobbing, the man had been suspiciously quiet all this time.

Wondering why, Leslie glanced at the man and couldn’t believe her eyes.

Huh?

Why are his eyes open?

Surely when under an illusion spell, one should have their eyes closed or rolled back?

The moment she thought this—

[“Pierce.”]

The man raised a magic stone and chanted an incantation.

Instantly, a heat ray formed and pierced through Leslie’s heart. Zwazak! Her flesh tore and purple blood splattered. The shock, the first she’d experienced in hundreds of years, made Leslie’s vision blur.

[“Aaaaargh!”]

It burns. This kind of pain is a first.

Leslie, who had been swaying like a spring, regained her posture and covered the hole in her chest. Her body, contracted with a demon, had vitality and recovery abilities far superior to ordinary humans.

[“H-how did you break free from my illusion magic? No, more importantly! How dare you wound the noble body of a count’s daughter?”]

Snicker. The man laughed.

[“Noble body? If your body is noble, then her face is heliodor. How dare a monster like you try to put your nails on a human’s face?”]

[“…You, your tone has changed insolently? Can’t you use honorifics again?”]

[“Pierce, please.”]

[“Kyaaaak!”]

A second heat ray penetrated Leslie’s lower body this time. The sensation of nerve bundles being seared and severed. It felt like her brain was being fried.

[“How dare, how dare you…!”]

To inflict such humiliation on me, and twice in succession at that.

I will not let that man die peacefully.

Leslie gestured.

[“My loyal subordinates, crash upon him like the tide!”]

At her command, the fish-people monsters that had been standing like taxidermy specimens all charged at once.

[“Fighting with magic stones used by commoners with insufficient magical power, daring to oppose me alone—you’re centuries too early. Someone like you is perfect to be a stepping stone for my escape. Ohoho!”]

But Leslie had made two misconceptions.

The first was about time.

In her era, the uses of magic stones were limited, but in the modern age, with the advancement of Magic Stone Studies, they had developed significantly for military purposes.

In medieval times, holy power was the only means to counter monsters, but things were different now.

[“Pierce. Rush like the wind and devastate.”]

The fact that one could sear through with overwhelming physical force.

The man used the magic stones he had accumulated in advance, one after another, in the right places, targeting only the monsters that directly threatened him. He avoided the rest with keen observation.

[“Impossible…!”]

And the second misconception Leslie had made:

The man was not alone.

[“La, lala.”]

Just as she was about to put the man back under an illusion spell, Leslie felt a heavy impact on the back of her head.

Different.

It was dimensionally more painful than the attacks the man had made.

Beyond the physical force, the pure holy power flowing behind it struck Leslie’s nervous system, which was riddled with demonic energy. Leslie collapsed without even being able to scream.

[“W-who else dares…”]

Leslie gasped.

The one who had struck the back of her head was none other than the black-haired, golden-eyed woman. The woman wiped her swollen eyes with her sleeve and gripped a long spear made of stalactite.

An enormous holy power could be felt.

For a monster, taking such holy power head-on meant death.

[“D-don’t come. Don’t come this way!”]

She tried to cast a healing spell on herself, but it didn’t work. Magic required mana, and in a situation where all internal mana had been neutralized, it would take time to heal even simple internal bleeding.

In other words, Leslie’s recovery ability was no different from a human’s right now.

[“Please go away! Go! I, I don’t want to die! I need to go back somehow, I’ve finally collected almost a hundred people…!”]

All the castaways Leslie had encountered so far had been helpless against her illusion magic. No matter how strong their physical power or how excellent their holy power.

Then, what on earth was the reason her highest-grade illusion had been shattered?

Step, step.

The woman walked toward Leslie, who couldn’t control her body due to the sudden head trauma. Leslie’s gaze was fixed on the man. Could it be that the magician had helped her?

[“…Ah.”]

In a fleeting moment, Leslie saw the man adjusting the magical power of the magic stone.

Extreme efficiency. Creative phase transformation method. Talent for stabilizing mana.

Though lacking only in absolute mana quantity, the man possessed qualities worthy of becoming a grand master of a sect. He was not an opponent to be taken lightly.

By the time she realized this, it was too late.

***

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

“Die! You bitch! Go to hell!”

Wow, it’s my first time seeing a Valkyrie this violent. I don’t think she was this fierce when fighting me.

The mermaid monster, who had quickly recovered when hit by the Piercing Blue Stone, now lay motionless after a few blows from the Valkyrie’s weapon. Looking closely, I could see she was striking with holy power at maximum output.

[‘I recall hearing that monsters are vulnerable to holy power.’]

I wonder why.

“Sephiron?”

That’s probably it.

Sephiron is a particle that mediates holy power. When it comes into contact with mana, the particle that mediates magical power, they neutralize each other and create a neutral particle called Ekirel.

Ekirel is easily converted back to Sephiron, but difficult to convert to mana. That’s probably why the mermaid couldn’t respond properly from the moment she was hit by the Valkyrie.

Thwack!

The Valkyrie threw away the broken spear with a relieved sigh.

Our eyes met.

But the Valkyrie’s reaction was strange.

“…I really hate saying this, but thanks for saving me.”

Would you believe she was twisting her hair while saying that?

***

Rachel knew well that illusion magic was one of the worst types of magic.

But not just anyone could break it. It was known that only magicians who handle the same mana, and among them, only a few who excel at particle adjustment, could dispel illusion magic by themselves.

Without that man, Rachel’s brain would have melted and she would have died.

Knowing this fact, she briefly greeted him. Thank you. Without you, I would have died long ago.

To this, the man’s face was indifferent.

No, it was somewhat bitter too.

Presumably, as the illusion magic was cast on both of them simultaneously, their consciousnesses were briefly connected.

That’s probably why they were able to communicate with each other within the illusion. It would have been a direct transfer of intent rather than language.

Though they didn’t have time to talk much, the fact remained that they had briefly conversed without language barriers.

To be honest, he seemed like a decent person. The gestures, expressions, and tone he showed then… he was a man with enough integrity to give minimal trust.

A kind of lingering affection, perhaps.

Outwardly stoic, but secretly caring—that kind of style?

“Hmm.”

In any case, the fact remained that she had shown him her past. A painful memory she had intended to take to her grave.

And she had even shown the disgrace of shedding tears. In front of an enemy, no less.

“Haah…”

It was a sight she could never show to a stranger. Suddenly, she thought she might never get married. Twirling her hair, she said to the man:

“Let’s find a way out of here.”

***

“Holy Maiden… no, Colonel Kasten. Orders from the Supreme Command.”

“Again, trying to dump work on me. So what is it?”

“It’s a mission to find the members of the White Lotus Battalion who went missing during the Tatangkur naval battle. According to investigations, abnormal magical reactions were observed in the area of disappearance. If anything happens during exploration, they say you should personally purify it, Colonel…”

The silver-haired woman pressed her forehead. Her eyes, which had been as black as black pearls, momentarily turned red.

“…Damn, how annoying.”