episode_0053

*****

Hello, Chaos, who always crawls to your side with a bright smile──Oh, wasn’t this the comment?

Anyway, this is Mare, your hero, or rather your villain. It’s been a month since I stopped being confused, but this habit of thinking as if I were talking to someone else hasn’t gone away.

Now, it’s sudden, but Mair is in a huge crisis. Due to the pressure of the gaze of six heroes, I was forced into an unwanted infiltration mission. You are still colleagues!? I feel like shouting. I don’t do it because I’m scared of the trainer.

But I really don’t understand. Whether that rabbit or pony asks for help or not has nothing to do with our activities, right? There’s no need to go, right? Can I quit right now and go home? Well, it won’t work!

… I am struggling with the same feeling. Normally, I would get one or two tackles, but there is no sign of that at all.

I don’t hate playing idle, but I don’t want to play in this uncomfortable atmosphere.

“… huh. This should be enough. Let’s go.”

Raon, the cause of that unpleasant atmosphere, is now disarming the surveillance spell right in front of me.

When I asked what they were doing, they said they were analyzing crime prevention techniques on the spot and tricking them by leaking dummy data. It seems like an incredibly absurd thing, but seeing how you say it so casually, is it really not that big of a deal? Sometimes I think about it.

… No, this is also really difficult, right!? If this were easy, there would be no point in having crime prevention devices.

However, the expression on Raon’s face after accomplishing such an incredible feat does not show the slightest sense of accomplishment. He is a child who always spreads a smile like sunshine to those around him, but now he has dark clouds on his face, as if it were rainy season. Thanks to this, I think I too will suffer from vitamin D deficiency.

“Huh? What’s going on?”

Raon, who was about to go ahead, looks back at me. What’s going on… . Oh, I’m holding your hand. Oh, why did you catch me?

I’m not sure why I caught you, but I have to say something first. Otherwise, you will look at me with strange eyes again. So, um, uh… .

“Joe, how about taking a break? Raon, you haven’t rested even once while coming this far. You must be tired from constantly dispelling magic.”

“Hehe. Thank you, Mair. It’s okay though. Because it’s not as hard as watching this.”

Raon smiles as if trying to show that he is okay. But it’s counterproductive, that’s it. I feel like I’m overdoing things.

You probably have some level of awareness of your condition. Raon, who was trying to cover it up by laughing, looked away when he saw my expression.

“… Physically, I’m really fine. It’s just that my mind is a bit complicated. And our group is always late compared to other groups, right?”

I’m not sure, but Raon’s method seems to take more time than Cyclops or the trainer’s. So, it was assigned to the route with the least obstacles.

So there is no time to rest. Raon’s words had that meaning.

… I guess I’ll have to step up here.

“Raon. Please look into my eyes.”

“… ? Yes.”

I make eye contact with Raon. Currently, I am permitted to use magical power. Normally, it would be impossible for a wizard of Raon’s level to even attempt this, but now… .

“… Tsk.”

Raon tried to look away, perhaps feeling the intrusion of magical power. Then you’re in trouble. I put a little pressure on Raon’s hands that were holding each other to tell him not to turn his head.

It is said that the eyes are the windows to the soul, and a skilled visionary can get a general idea of a person’s state of mind by looking at them. The so-called ‘status window’ from the novel! It’s the same thing.

As expected, Raon’s mind was quite confused. If expressed in a status window, it is an on-parade of bad statuses such as [status abnormalities: confusion, denial, anxiety, suspicion, nervousness]. In the meantime, I can only think that the faint seed of determination is truly delicious food.

… hot! Come to your senses. No matter how weakened his mind may be, his opponent is a wizard with considerable talent. It’s obvious that I’ll get caught if I mess around, so let’s focus on our original purpose for now.

Anyway, what I’m doing now doesn’t require a long preparation time or a lot of magical power.

Of course, you can’t expect that much of an effect. Does it feel like you are gently touching the flow of your mind with magical power? It’s something that can turn a person’s thoughts, which tend to flow in a negative direction, toward a small, shining resolution.

For a dark magician, it’s not that big of a deal. It just adjusts the proportion of thoughts you already have.

“Phew. That’s Okay. Has it gotten a little better?”

“Ah… .”

After being dazed for a moment, Raon’s eyes return to light. Let go of the hands you were holding. It’s not rare for people to look at their hands when deciding on something.

Raon squeezed my hand a couple of times and then looked up at me again. The shadow on that face has already completely disappeared without a trace—I wish it had gone away, but a person’s heart is not light enough to do anything with a patchwork that is not even a temporary solution.

“Thank you, Mair.”

Still, the sun was peeking out from behind the laughter. I guess it was just a change of mood. It is a proud scene even for a dark magician.

… Ah, that’s a lie. Actually, I wanted to at least drive a hint by pouring a lot of magic power into it! Once you put it into practice, something like this, something like that, or even something like that is possible! Wow, what should I do!

Well, unless you’re a civilian or a hero with a fairly weak mental barrier, you’ll most likely get caught. In terms of the game, it is a straight choice with a bad ending. No matter how much Raon is a pretty girl with an attractive smile (wow, this rhyme is kind of nice), she doesn’t fall into that obvious trap!

Still, it doesn’t mean that mental care isn’t rewarding. Unlike just before, when we were moving forward silently without saying a word, we were able to move forward with some degree of conversation.

I didn’t want to do this because it was scary, painful, and risky, but wouldn’t it be a good thing to go on a date with Raon?

Perhaps because I once touched my heart, I feel like the distance between me and Raon has diminished. Both in a physical sense and in a mental sense.

Here, wouldn’t it be okay to have a little skinship to advance the relationship between the two people? It’s no big deal. Just a little, like putting a hand on your shoulder. yes. Coincidentally, there is an excuse that the stealth magic consumes less if they are close together.

Raise your hand like this… .

“Shh, wait a minute.”

surprise! I quickly lowered the hand that had been going up behind my back. Your Honor, no! I haven’t run it yet! There is no such thing as attempted sexual harassment, so I am not guilty!

I was very scared and looked away, but somehow Raon wasn’t even looking at me. Oh, and if you look at it, there is a light shining from the front corner. I heard that everyone in the lab has left work. Is there anyone there?

I feel another layer of magical power surrounding me. Now, Raon right next to it can be seen slightly faintly. If you’re not careful, you might miss it.

In that state, we slowly walked around the light-filled hallway.

“That… .”

What unfolded before my eyes was a fairly large place. It’s a strange place with dozens of beds lined up in rows and rows, but that wasn’t what surprised us.

“Jaeseok. Are you experiencing any discomfort?”

“Yes. It’s still okay.”

A corner slightly away from the other beds. There was a man there wearing what looked like a hospital gown. This guy is our target.

What was surprising was that Cat was there too. Although he was wearing a white lab coat, his appearance was clearly treacherous—hmm. It was the face of a young-looking magical girl.

This confirmed the hypothesis that Mr. Cat had some kind of connection to this laboratory, but the scene before my eyes looked too peaceful to be considered a human experiment.

Suddenly I had a bad feeling, so I looked to the side and, sure enough, it was different. Raon was looking at me with a bright smile. It’s literally like, ‘I believed it! Hey!’ It’s an expression that looks like it’s going to shout.

I want to tell you to come to your senses, Raon, but you might get caught if you speak out. Raon’s eyes are fixed on that side, so even hand signals don’t work.

First of all, you have to pull the collar and step away──

“Who is there?”

Startle! This is my second surprise today. I think jump scares are bad for your heart. No, I was really surprised this time. My heart is pounding like it’s going to jump out of my mouth.

But what surprised me more than that was Raon’s behavior. He’s crazy to move forward, no, he’s turned around!?

Wow.

As I grabbed my sleeve with all my might, my eyes filled with dissatisfaction appeared. The puffy mouth is saying ‘Why?’ Because, it’s natural!

I don’t know how that person noticed this. But Mr. Cat’s gaze is still directed towards the man.

The exact location may not have been determined yet, and it may be that they just threw some bait out of a sense of incongruity. Even if you got caught in the first place, there’s no reason for me to leave here first!

While they continued to engage in a passive tug-of-war with each other’s sleeves, Cat’s mouth opened once more. They say if you don’t come out, they will attack you. I hope so. If they attack first──

“How did you notice? I thought you completely hid your presence.”

──Uh, what?

With a jerk, Raon’s sleeve slipped out of his hand. Actually, it doesn’t matter because Raon is also dumbfounded by the situation in front of him… . What on earth is this!?

A large man with a hood covering his face jumped out from a corner of the floor. It seems we weren’t the only ones infiltrating this lab.

“… hmm. Well, let’s settle this first. This is my first time seeing you, what’s going on here? If you’re my fan, would you wait outside? Because this is an area off-limits to the general public.”

“You’re joking, you’re my brother. I haven’t even eaten twenty yet.”

“What do you mean, I’m eternally 17 years old too?”

After taking off her gown, Cat’s body suddenly glowed. She reappeared, wearing cat ears and a fancy dress. This is Cat’s battle mode, which I saw several times during my internship activities.

“Originally, I had planned to pass by quietly. There’s nothing we can do when it’s like this.”

Soon the two began to clash, blowing up the beds on the floor. I’m not sure how two people fight at my level, but this is certain. Now is your chance!

‘Raon! This is the gap. Let’s save that guy quickly and get out!’

‘Yeah, but… .’

‘It was Raon who said there was no time to hesitate, right?’

I share my opinions with Raon. I’m a minnow when it comes to fighting, but I know this. A wizard’s combat power is greatly weakened unless he uses magic, which is his specialty. And this is indoors. There is no way that you can use something like Cat’s talent, Meteor Magic.

It seems like they are evenly matched right now, but if Cat loses, we don’t know what will happen to that guy, who is our target. So, we need to rescue him and get out before then. I don’t want to be in such a dangerous place in the first place! Send me home!

‘… Let’s go towards him first.’

Raon at least agreed to securing the uncle first. The two of us stay hidden and slowly approach the man in the corner.

bang!

Ugh, the magic wave shattered the rice and wall right in front of me. If you get hit by something like this, you’ll die! Life is equally precious to both demons and humans! After all, I am still human!

Still, it was worth it to spend quite a long time moving, and I was able to get to the man without being noticed by the two people.

The man just stares blankly at the alien fight unfolding before his eyes. There was no sign of looking at us who had come close. Well, since I’m using stealth magic, it’s even weirder that people notice me.

Still, his face is strangely calm. Is it because you have already experienced the Awakened Runaway incident? But as far as I know, he was a completely ordinary person. Unless you have a very strong heart, it would be difficult to remain calm in this situation.

Well, I got a little curious.

‘… ? ‘Mair, what are you doing?’

‘I’m curious about something.’

There is no need to go out of hiding. I’m not sending magic there, I’m just reading the other person’s magic.

Approach the man within arm’s reach. In that situation, try to stay out of the other person’s field of vision as much as possible… . good. I think you can read the eyes at this angle.

Where are you… .

… ?

‘─! ‘Mair, over there!’

I tried to look again, wondering if I had seen something wrong, but Raon grabbed my shoulder. I reflexively look back, but my head is full of thoughts about what I just saw. Is that possible? I didn’t see it wrong?

I’d like to think more about what I just saw. But the situation does not allow for that.

The floor was completely trashed, with holes everywhere and broken beds. And in the center of the wreckage, Mr. Cat and the Giant were standing face to face.

I thought it was Cat who blocked the giant’s fist, but surprisingly, it seems that the giant was also a wizard. The two were hitting each other’s magic in place.

Mr. Cat was moving at high speed and spraying magic just a moment ago, but he seems to be stuck in the magic circle spread out beneath his feet and forced into a war of attrition.

If things continue like this, it won’t be long before Cat gets hurt. Just by looking at the confident expression of the big man and the troubled expression of Mr. Cat, it is clear at a glance.

So, we have to get out of here before that——!?

“Senior!!!”

Aaaaa Raon!?

The hiding spell was lifted and Raon ran out! Naturally, the attention of the two people was focused on Raon. Two different reactions come into view.

“You… , Ugh!”

Seeing the magic circle floating above Raon’s head along with the chant, the giant hurriedly parted his outstretched hand. The same black magic cannon that was fired at Mr. Cat flies towards Raon. The small meteor and magic cannon from Raon’s magic circle collide,

Qua—ang.

The impact exploded, blowing away all the surrounding debris. I am also experiencing the feeling of a shooting game by trying to avoid flying debris.

Fortunately, Raon seems to have survived the explosion well. He collapsed and was gasping for air, but there were no visible injuries.

The giant also collapsed and was panting. There is no trace of the composure on his face like before.

“You are the wizard I saw in the ruins back then… . Why on earth are you here!? Could it be that your sister is there too? Tsk, retreat for now──”

“──You can’t let it happen.”

Cat jumps through the thick dust around her. The magic circle beneath Cat’s feet is broken in the aftermath of the collision. In that state, Cat swings the magic girl stick covered in a magic circle downwards.

“Meteor Dunk!”

“Keueuuuu… !”

Coo! The floor shakes once as the giant’s magic barrier collides with the stick. However, due to the attack and defense just now, the giant might not have much power left.

In the end, the magic barrier was broken and the stick hit the giant’s head squarely. … That thing was splattered with blood. Didn’t I just see a murder scene?

“Phew.”

“Me, me, Mr. Cat… .”

Cat straightened up her messy magical girl uniform and approached Raon, who was standing near the bed. I moved closer to the wall. There’s still an invisibility spell on me.

“Sorry, Cat. Well, I looked at the report that Cat was looking at, and there I saw a spell that touched the soul, so Rabbit asked me to save him… , no, that’s not it… .”

As Cat approaches, Raon’s words become more and more gibberish. Mr. Cat just walks up to Raon with an expressionless expression. and… .

Suddenly.

“… Ah.”

“Ah, so you thought I was conducting human experiments on people? Is that why you sneaked in with me like this? Then it won’t work~.”

Cat said that while hugging Raon, who was sitting down.

The abilities he developed as a dark magician clearly show Raon’s feelings right now. Raon grew to respect Cat while talking about magic, and was probably shocked that Cat was conducting human experiments.

Even though he knew in his head that Mr. Cat was involved, he would have tried hard to deny it in his heart. You probably wanted to deny it.

And now, in front of Raon’s eyes, is the answer that Raon wanted so much.

“Yes, yes… . Sorry, huh… !”

“Ah~, don’t cry, don’t cry. Well, I really am sorry. I had to be mistaken.”

Pat pat, Mr. Cat patted Raon on the back. Beats like the heart. Raon’s sobbing gradually decreases.

“Have you calmed down?”

“Sniff, yes… .”

“You shouldn’t be mistaken about that. Because if I go up, I’m going to get scolded a lot? But still, let me say this first. Thank you for saving me.”

“Black… !”

“Oops, it rang again.”

Cat wipes Raon’s eyes with her tattered sleeve. They will smile and change the subject with a troubled expression. The best way to make someone stop crying is to get them to have other interests.

“I didn’t mean to make you cry. Oh, now that I think about it, what is that magic?”

“Yes? Oh, magic?”

“Yes. That’s an improved version of my meteor magic, right? As I saw earlier indoors, the best technique was to strengthen the stick and drop it instead of using the meteor. Can you tell me how you improved it?”

“Ah, that’s… .”

Raon stops crying and talks about the magic he used. Indeed, I guess that was the purpose.

What should we do now? Would it be a good idea for me to show up here? Should I say I saw it all? The moment Raon appeared, Geohan was shocked.

But Mr. Cat just watched quietly. As if I knew it was there.

Also, the man sitting on the bed really bothers me. The man I saw had one emotion swirling in his eyes. I just feel like I want to continue resting.

A battle is happening right before your eyes, and all you want to do is rest. This is definitely not possible for a sane person.

So what should I do now? Convince Ra On to run away? Well, we were classmates, but I’m not sure if that level of trust was built between Raon and I.

At best, I’ll be wondering whether what I’m saying is right or what that cat bitch is saying. If I hesitate and get stabbed in the back, I too will say goodbye to Raon. In this world.

And don’t you think I’ve done enough? How many times have I suggested running away quickly? I didn’t count them, but there were probably a lot. On the contrary, I think I have maintained my loyalty just by following me all the way here.

So I’m going to run away like this. There is no need to overturn the decision. never. NAVER.

While I was organizing my thoughts, it seems like I ended up talking about magic. Now Raon will get stabbed in the back and die. Even if you don’t watch it, it’s a video. When Raon dies, my secret magic will be released, so I have to run as far as possible until then.

Oh, just now the man has turned into a monster and is attacking Raon.

Well then, everyone, I’ll just leave. For the rest of you, please cheer up! Bye Bye!

… Ah, really!

***

It feels like a dream. That’s what Raon thought when he saw a magical girl nursing a middle-aged man a little while ago.

Whatever the circumstantial evidence, isn’t there a man alive and well in front of you? It was clear that there was some misunderstanding with Cat.

It was a dream-like situation, but Raon was quick to accept it. Because the heart wanted it. Few people would want the person they’ve been friends with for a few weeks to be a bad person.

And now that I have defeated Genesis, whom I saw in the ruins with Mr. Cat.

“… Ah.”

After all, it feels like a dream. That’s what Raon thought when he suddenly looked up after being pushed hard by something and falling.

The maw that came out of the man’s arm was biting into my friend’s stomach. His friend’s arm was stretched out towards him. Mr. Cat was looking at himself as if he was a little surprised.

It’s not a mare that’s biting. I was looking at myself.

It was a nightmarish situation, but it took time for Raon to understand it. I didn’t want to think that the scene before my eyes was reality. Well, seeing your friend crying and covered in blood, who in the world–

“Ahhhh!”

Mair’s scream brought Raon’s consciousness back to reality. A chill ran down Raon’s spine, as if he had been covered in cold water.

Only then did Raon realize what he was seeing.

*****