Chapter 196: After Death Part 4

Yuna who had naturally climbed on top of me wore a dazed expression.

The situation was happening far too suddenly.

She said I seduced her? What did I even do? All I did was call her name!

“Yuna, stop. Don’t do something you’ll regret. You’re not in your right mind right now.”

“For someone saying that, you’re not exactly resisting very hard.”

Well, I mean… honestly, this wasn’t a situation where I was losing out in any way.

We’re already engaged, practically living like common-law partners anyway.

I did put up a token resistance. I stopped her and told her she might regret it.

Isn’t that enough?

Can’t be helped. Even if I did resist, the outcome probably wouldn’t change anyway.

“Ugh!”

Ah, seriously. There’s just no winning here.

I can’t see any way out of this mess.

No choice, then! Time to give up like a man!

I tightly shut my eyes, expecting…. or rather waiting for what would come next.

“……?”

I waited for a bit, but nothing happened.

Does she… not know what to do next?

Tch, with Yuna who probably didn’t even get basic education on this stuff, maybe she really doesn’t.

Am I supposed to take the lead here?

“Yuna?”

I cautiously opened my eyes, and there was Yuna, still in the same position, looking down at me.

Her gaze was still hazy, like she was under some kind of spell—

But she was frozen, like a painting.

“I’ve stopped time.”

“…….”

“Look, Johan. I’m not incompetent. I just never had the opportunity. But see? I saved you just now.”

“Uh… sure.”

Seriously, what a clueless bastard.

How can everything he does be so completely off-putting?

“Urgh! I won’t be able to hold on much longer! Hurry and get out of there!”

“Yeah, okay.”

I slowly lifted Yuna and set her down beside me, then got up.

“You’re moving too slow!”

“Are you trying to threaten me now?”

I was already annoyed and worn out…

And now you have the nerve to talk to me like that?

“…N-No, that’s not it. Anyway, right now, the priority is to stop that foolish spirit. Maybe it’s because she’s still young, but she doesn’t seem to have a good grasp of right and wrong.”

“How do I stop her?”

“Try reasoning with her. She doesn’t seem to dislike you, at least.”

“Uh… got it.”

I sluggishly walked over to the corner where Mastema was.

“Argh! It’s been so long since I used my power. It’s taking a toll! Hurry!”

“Yeah, thanks for the hard work.”

Persistent bastard…

You’ve been groaning about being exhausted this whole time, but how are you still holding on?

You’re not actually tired at all, are you?

Come to think of it, the first time I saw him, he stopped time like it was nothing.

And now you’re struggling with it? What a load of crap. Total drama queen.

“Uh… right, Mastema? So, uh, I don’t really know what you just did, but… could you stop now?”

“Chirp?”

“That little brat just tampered with that girl’s emotions! Johan, be careful! Looks like her power manipulates feelings! You never know what schemes she’s hiding behind that cute face!”

“Uh, thanks for the info.”

But seriously, why are you still doing that? Are you just pretending to be tired?

“Mastema, you can’t just go around messing with people’s emotions like that. That’s not okay.”

“Chirp chirp!”

“Right, let’s do better from now on.”

Was that convincing? Hopefully.

And if not…well, too bad. I tried.

“Well done, Johan.”

“Ah…”

Damn. I guess it did work.

As Mephistopheles wagged his tail, time which had been frozen resumed its flow.

“Eh?”

Yuna who had been frozen in place let out a startled gasp.

What exactly caused it?

Was it because I suddenly vanished from in front of her eyes?

Or because she realized her emotions had been manipulated?

“Yuna, are you okay?”

“……”

She looked pretty shaken.

Yuna slowly sat up on the bed, clearly flustered.

“Th-This is your fault. You were the one who seduced me first.”

“……”

“You did seduce me, didn’t you?!”

“Uh… sure……”

Seeing her start to babble nonsense, it was clear the shock had hit her hard.

Yuna climbed back onto me, clutching my shoulders.

“F-Fufu…”

“Yuna? Don’t do this. You’ll regret it later.”

“Oh, really? But this is what I planned from the very beginning.”

How touching.

Unfortunately, the situation’s not quite the same.

“You’re like this even now. How are you going to face me tomorrow?”

“……”

Come to think of it, Yuna used to be so shy she couldn’t even look me in the eye when we first kissed.

And now she’s trying to skip several steps at once. No wonder she’s like this.

“Nothing happened. Got it?”

“…Mhmm.”

“Good girl.”

The distance between Yuna and me had definitely gotten smaller… but it seemed we still had a long way to go.

***

In the end, Yuna practically fled the hospital room. So quickly it was hard to tell why she’d even come in the first place.

And the culprit behind all this.

“Chirp chirp!”

“Behold, I proved myself more capable than you.”

The spirits and the bastard spirit offspring.

Like one of the horsemen of the apocalypse, Mastema perched atop Mephistopheles’ dog-like form, singing away.

Maybe my life’s just cursed, but nothing good ever comes from getting involved with demons or spirits. In a way, the rumors aren’t wrong. Contracts with demons always lead to ruin.

And yet, I never even made a contract, and still, my life’s a mess.

I wish they’d all just disappear.

“Guess no one else is coming today. Maybe I should just get some sleep?”

“Isn’t it still a bit early for that?”

“I’m just… tired in every way. Can’t even find the motivation anymore.”

Because of you guys, that is.

But more importantly, why the hell is Mephistopheles acting like he’s part of my everyday life now?

Normally, he’d stay quiet until I talked to him first, but lately he’s been hanging around me for no reason.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Johan. You’ve got a visitor.”

“Huh?”

Just as I was about to lie down and pull the blanket over myself, someone knocked on the hospital room door. Almost at the exact same moment Mephistopheles spoke.

“Come in.”

Lots of visitors today, huh.

Visits were supposed to be prohibited, so if they’re knocking openly like this, maybe it’s another staff member.

Who could it be this time?

“Looking quite comfortable, aren’t we?”

“Oh, Headmistress.”

The Headmistress… and my mother-in-law.

The person I needed to be most careful around, and the one I found most intimidating, had come to see me.

I quickly sat up, abandoning my relaxed posture.

“What brings you here?”

“Has Yuna been here by any chance?”

“…She did drop by for a bit. Why do you ask?”

“I was in the middle of teaching her magic, and she ran off.”

“I see.”

That’s just like Yuna.

“I’m supposed to return to work soon myself, so this is rather inconvenient.”

“…I recall you were injured quite badly as well, Headmistress. Shouldn’t you be resting a bit longer?”

“There were far tougher situations on the battlefield. So when I can take an official break like this, it’s best to take care of personal matters as well.”

“I see.”

You’d have to be that dedicated to become an Archmage, I suppose.

Then again, taking on the role of Headmistress for a place that was basically falling apart….well, that’s not exactly a sane choice either.

It’s not something I could ever do.

“By the way… you might want to be a bit more mindful of the time and place.”

“Huh?”

Olga Hermod frowned and pointed her finger at me.

What’s this? Does my very existence bother her?

…Or maybe not? The direction she’s pointing in seems a bit off somehow—

“Ah.”

On the bedsheet where she was pointing, I spotted a single strand of pink hair. Sharp eyes, as always…

“First of all, I’d like to say this is a misunderstanding.”

“I’m not particularly concerned. You’re engaged, after all, and you’ve always been close. It’s natural at your age. I’d just appreciate it if you could remember this is a hospital.”

“That’s not it.”

If something really had happened, at least I wouldn’t feel so unfairly accused.

Instead, I just got dragged around and ended up exhausted.

“Now then, get up.”

“Huh?”

“Come to think of it, you didn’t even get to properly take your exams, and you’ve lost a lot of learning opportunities. So, from now on, I’ll be teaching you magic myself.”

“But… I’m a patient.”

“I’m aware.”

“…Ah.”

Yeah. She’s not normal either.

I thought she still had at least a shred of common sense left, but I guess she’s been infected by Cradle’s way of thinking. Or maybe it’s the years of battlefield experience talking.

Or perhaps…

“Are you trying to teach me what you were supposed to teach Yuna, so you can dump the responsibility on me instead?”

“……”

“Was I right?”

How shameless could one person be?

I didn’t think the Headmistress was that kind of person…

“Well then, hurry and get up. I’ve already informed the staff, so you’re free to go out or stay overnight as you please, Johan.”

Maybe it’s Yuna’s influence?

Olga Hermod has gotten just as shameless as she is.

***

And just like that, training began out of nowhere.

Not just any training either. It was a magic lesson personally led by Olga Hermod, Archmage and Master of the Tower.

An experience so rare that money couldn’t buy it.

Anyone else would’ve dragged themselves there even with broken limbs just for the chance.

But me? I’m not that desperate.

Honestly, it’s just… a hassle.

“Ugh.”

Still, an opportunity’s an opportunity.

Especially since I need to hone my illusion magic anyway for Alice’s legacy. This could actually work in my favor.

“What do you think lies at the core of illusion magic? Summarize it in a single word.”

“…Distortion?”

“Not bad. So you really do specialize in illusion magic.”

“Well, yeah, sort of.”

It’s one of my few real strengths.

I’ll admit, I’m a little proud of it.

Even by Cradle’s standards, my illusion magic ranks above average—

All thanks to focusing solely on that one area.

“The essence of illusion magic is distortion. That’s why its foundation begins with something as small as this.”

Olga Hermod raised her hand, and a tiny light flickered to life above her palm—

One of the most basic spells: [Light].

It’s a flashlight spell that creates a sphere of light to illuminate the surroundings.

Naturally, since it’s a basic spell, all it does is glow.

“Light is everywhere. We simply don’t recognize it as such. Our vision is constantly trapped by light.”

The light suddenly begins to flicker.

It wavers unsteadily, then splits into two.

It’s one of the most basic illusion spells: [Mirage].

“The foundation of illusion magic lies in distorting perception like this. It’s the most intuitive and easily verifiable form. Now then, what comes next?”

“Distorting other senses.”

It starts with sight. Then hearing. And beyond the five senses, it goes on to distort the very perception of the target.

That’s how illusion magic is systematically categorized.

“And after that?”

“……”

“I didn’t stop at merely twisting perception. I expanded it.”

Olga Hermod’s grand magic.

The pinnacle of illusion magic, usable only by her, goes beyond distorting senses. It melts them into reality itself.

It’s no different from turning someone into an empty shell while they’re still standing.

“Illusion is about making someone believe a lie. So then, what do you think lies at the end of that path?”

***

A graveyard.

Great Sage Faust was seeing Abraham off.

“What will you do now, Great Sage? Keep living like a fool, clinging to life even in death?”

“Things will reach a conclusion soon. Whatever form that takes, I won’t regret it, so it’s fine.”

“Sounds like your research is going well.”

Abraham scoffed at Faust’s monotonous voice.

The foolish Great Sage.

He had wasted centuries in a state of stagnation.

It was hard to imagine that the ideal he pursued would ever come to fruition.

But still, he was once called the Great Sage, even in the face of death. So it wouldn’t be wise to judge him by fragments alone.

“How’s the plan coming along?”

Abraham persistently tried to probe Faust’s intentions.

“The plan… If I said it was going smoothly, that would be a lie. But lately, I’ve discovered another possibility.”

“Another possibility? Are you talking about splitting open my child’s head to see what’s inside?”

“No, that was merely an extension of the original plan. What I’m referring to was something I stumbled upon purely by chance.”

It truly had been a coincidence.

Recalling the possibility he had found, Faust spoke.

“What do you think lies at the end of illusion magic?”

“Illusion magic…?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Abraham frowned.

The only thing that came to mind was Olga Hermod.

There was no one more closely tied to illusion magic than her, so it was only natural.

But it couldn’t be Olga Hermod he was referring to. She had already stood out for a long time, so saying she was a recent discovery wouldn’t make sense.

“Illusion magic is about twisting the senses and deceiving them. Making something that doesn’t exist appear as though it does. So then, if one were to reach the end of that path…”

Another possibility.

The ideals of the terrorist groups currently eating away at the Empire were, for the most part, the same.

Though their methods differ, they all seek to change the world.

Eden tried to summon a god to rewrite the laws of existence.

Lemegeton aimed to become a demon king and erase the world entirely.

The Great Warrior and the Scriptwriter were also working toward a better world.

And Faust was no different.

He too wanted to change the world.

And in that process, he discovered a possibility.

That possibility was…

“Illusion magic becomes more refined and lifelike as it reaches higher levels. So then, if one reaches its ultimate end… wouldn’t it be indistinguishable from reality?”

“……”

“Perhaps the end of illusion magic… is creation.”

It was the question of whether an absolute illusion capable of deceiving the world itself could truly exist.