episode_0077

“Listen carefully. Magic is the manifestation of the mind. So, to put it simply… it’s the wizard’s stubbornness.”

“How do you mold and recreate the world to fit you? What kind of desires do you have and what kind of ideals do you create in the world? The stronger and more specific the caster’s imagery, the stronger the power of the magic.”

“The reason why you have to create a specific image of magic is because of desire. The clearer the image, the clearer the mental image. However, the purpose of magic is to strongly manifest the mental image… Strictly speaking, the materialization of the image is only a secondary priority.”

“So, my first priority is ultimately a strong desire──.”

I asked the wrong question.

That’s what I realized within 10 minutes of talking to her. Surprisingly, she didn’t turn me down.

The problem is that you listen too well.

When I spoke, she got excited and went straight into basic training in magic. The principles of magic and such.

It was informative, but to be honest, it was boring. It’s said that scholars tend to talk a lot when they talk about their major, and is Lily one of those types?

“─So one magic is one world···.”

“Yes, I understand. I understand.”

Eventually I had no choice but to cut her off.

“Excuse me, Lily. I just need to learn one spell. You don’t need to teach me all the basics. ”

“But, to learn magic, you must first learn the basics···.”

“I know the basic theory. I use magic too, after all.”

Most of it was black magic, but it was true. I only read a few magic books in Chunghoe Castle, so how could I not know such things?

So, that means you can skip her lecture.

“The basics are the most important···.”

Lily grumbled for a moment, but she still followed my lead.

“Okay. So what magic do you want to learn?”

“It’s a simple magic.”

The magic I wanted to learn was electric shock.

A spell that converts mana into electricity to restrict the opponent’s movements. It is a basic spell in normal games, and it is a basic spell here as well.

It is quite difficult to learn.

That’s because it’s a brain attribute magic. Unlike other attributes, lightning magic itself is an unfamiliar attribute. When did medieval people actually see lightning?

This was also the reason why the number of disciples of the Yellow Tower was small.

Of course, I have no worries. I came from a modern world where electricity is familiar, and I am a talented person with a natural talent for long-distance travel.

[Congratulations!]

[You have learned the ‘Electrification’ magic!]

Thanks to that, it didn’t even take an hour to learn magic.

“Wow, you’re learning it so fast. Usually it takes me almost a month to learn one thing.”

“Because I’m a warrior.”

Fired! Fired!

I responded to her compliment with some slightly unlucky words and cast my spell.

A cool blue electricity crackles in my palm.

The power may not be strong, but it will be enough to temporarily stiffen your body.

“But why did you suddenly learn this magic?”

“If you need it.”

It was the minimum requirement to catch the puppet master.

*

Time has passed.

The siege that had been as wide as the entire empire was gradually narrowing. At the same time, our territory was being surveyed.

Unfortunately, there was no puppet. It means that he had already left the territory.

Because of this, we had no choice but to divide our investigation team into different territories. There were three paths leading to the next territory.

The left territory is Farrell and Jess Cuban,

The central territory is our warrior party,

The right territory was headed by Bali McGuff alone.

It was because the calculation was that since he was the strongest, he would be able to go alone.

If one party member encounters a puppet, we can head straight to their territory after hearing the news.

It would take some time, but it was a possible plan since the territory was close.

“If possible, I hope we can meet in the next territory.”

“Kekekeke, what are you worried about? We’ll meet in the next territory anyway.”

“Then I wish you good luck.”

So we each went our separate ways.

It was a shame that the power was divided, but it was fortunate that we were able to avoid Bali’s harsh gaze.

How much of a thorny path it has been so far.

In the next territory, we continued our investigation without rest.

Priests spread out everywhere inspect each person, and guards keep watch 24 hours a day, keeping the lights on to see if there is any way to escape.

Meanwhile, our warrior party members also searched everywhere like rats, each in their own way. There would be no room to find any gaps.

But the puppet master didn’t even show his nose.

It would be nice if something could be found, but there really isn’t even a shadow of it.

Because of that, I couldn’t help but feel suffocated.

“Why, why can’t I see it···.”

“Is it in a different territory?”

As I muttered, Lily, who was next to me, chimed in.

Yeah, that’s most likely the case.

“Or maybe the siege was breached···.”

“No, that’s unlikely.”

I denied Lily’s words outright.

Is it possible that he escaped the trap?

Of course there are. There is no such thing as absolute in this world.

But that’s unlikely, and even if it had been penetrated, there would have been traces left behind.

In short, there is no way to commit the perfect crime.

I don’t really like the Empire, but they are definitely not incompetent.

This is a zone, and there’s a limit to how much he can run wild.

‘Ugh… But why isn’t it coming out?’

It’s about time for it to show up. There has to be some trace or something. Otherwise, people’s emotions will only get amplified.

I was more scared of the Demon King’s seal being broken than of that guy causing trouble.

And, fortunately, these worries were for naught.

I found the guy though.

To be more precise, the guy showed up first.

News came that there was a riot in the left territory.

It was the territory that Jess Cuban and Farrell were investigating.

“What?”

“Damn, there it was!”

When we heard the news, we headed straight to that territory.

Then, he asked the messenger who had come in a hurry what was going on.

“What the heck happened?”

“That, that··· While investigating as usual, Sir Farrell was attacked by a puppet master!”

“What?”

“Currently, Jess is fighting alone!”

It was probably one of the classics.

No matter how much Jess Cuban was one of the strongest men in the empire, his opponent was the Four Heavenly Kings. Even though this was our territory, there was a limit to how much we could suppress his power.

“I have to go quickly.”

After hearing the news, we increased our speed. It normally takes at least two hours to travel between the two territories.

But if our party pushes as hard as possible, we might be able to get there in under 15 minutes.

“But it’s so weird···.”

While she was walking along the road so diligently, the saint asked a question.

“I never thought you’d attack first. I thought you’d be hiding somewhere in the empire until the end.”

“There’s no point in hiding any longer.”

“Yes?”

“I thought I would get caught even if I ran away anyway. That’s why I hit him first.”

That’s just the way he is.

A guy who hates getting involved in the other person’s game more than anything.

Rather than getting caught like this, I’d rather blow it up big and retreat.

That means the guy is already at least minimally prepared to fuck us.

So we arrived at the left territory that Farrell and Jess were investigating.

“Ugh··· Ugh···.”

The scene was a mess.

Jess Cuban, who is already exhausted, Pharrell Douglas, who seems to have been brainwashed, and the puppet Net, a blond-haired handsome man with a cruel smile.

Three things come into view at once, confusing the mind.

First, I looked at the level of the puppet master.

[86]

And right away he started swearing.

Damn, it’s the second boss and he’s level 86?

Even though I have grown up diligently, there is a whopping 6 level difference between me and him.

At the time, I had fought a life-or-death battle with a level 5 difference between me and a level 6 difference, but I had no idea what to do with a level 6 difference.

“You held out well against that.”

“Kuhaha, I thought I was going to die.”

When I looked at Jess with an admiring expression, he forced a smile and said,

“Aha, so you’re a warrior?”

But I couldn’t laugh. The puppet master’s creepy laughter was directed at me.

“Because of that, my plan went horribly wrong. I was going to slowly eat away at them from the center, but who would have thought they’d notice first···.”

I picked up the holy sword for once.

“I hastily prepared a new event, but I don’t really like it.”

“This is my first time seeing you in person, and you look really upset.”

“Haha, I don’t think that’s something you should hear.”

Then I calmly calculated the odds.

Let’s see, can I beat him?

‘no.’

Even though this is our territory, it is too early to catch the second Four Heavenly Kings.

He hasn’t grown properly yet, and he’s stronger than he was in the game.

But you can endure it.

I calmly calculated the distance between me and McGuff.

‘It took 20 minutes for the messenger to reach the right territory. It took about 10 minutes for McGuff to cross the central territory and come here…’

In total, about 30 minutes.

It might take some time for him to arrive.

So let’s hold on. Until the guy can meet his master.

His opponent will not be me, but the Empire’s swordsman.

So I ran towards the guy.