Ch. 87 - An Unexpected Event (3)

Chapter 87: An Unexpected Event (3)

Hyejin Macaron could use various magic attributes, but her main magic was undoubtedly illusion.

Since her illusion was completely neutralized, she had no choice but to retreat.

"Step aside, Deputy Leader," Kaen said, unusually referring to her by her title. He too felt the situation needed to be taken seriously.

"Reveal your affiliation."

"Stella Academy, first-year student, Class S, Department of Magic Combat—"

"No. State your true affiliation."

When Baek Yu-Seol didn't answer, Kaen's eyebrows twitched.

"I won't ask where you're from or why you're at Stella. Just don't interfere with our business. I want to avoid unnecessary conflict."

"That's difficult. Aren't you planning to kill that student?"

"Yes. That's how we do it."

If someone showed signs of dark magic, they were killed to prevent future trouble. Emotional appeals wouldn't work on them. Saying things like, “Would you kill your friend if it were them?” or “Please spare him because he's my friend” held no meaning. 

These people acted more robotically than those without emotions. They had to behave like robots, as they were mages of New Moon Tower.

However, Baek Yu-Seol couldn't back down. Even though he knew fighting them would get him killed in less than five seconds, Hae Won-Ryang was someone worth risking his life to protect.

'How did it come to this…?'

While everyone else was enjoying the festival, he was shopping at the market when a sudden message appeared.

[A variable has occurred in the episode.]

[Episode 8 ‘Hae Won-Ryang Dark Magic Route’ is in progress.]

Originally, only one student should have been affected by Professor Maizen’s dark magic.

Jecky, Hae Won-Ryang, and Arshuang.

In the original story, one of the three would randomly become corrupted during a specific event.

The [Jecky Dark Magic Route] occurred in Episode 6, the persona gate practical training.

The [Arshuang Dark Magic Route] occurred during Episode 7, the Familiar Contract Ceremony.

The [Hae Won-Ryang Dark Magic Route] occurred during Episode 8, the Dark Magic Corruption.

The Jecky dark magic route had already been smoothly cleared, and the Arshuang dark magic route was easy.

The problem was the Hae Won-Ryang route.

The Hae Won-Ryang route was an event branch with an extremely low probability, and a veteran user in a certain community who wrote a guide about it once said:

[If you take the Hae Won-Ryang Dark Magic Route, there's a 99% chance of a bad ending. It's faster to give up and create a new character.]

[However, if you still insist on pursuing it, read this guide.]

[You'll realize it's all futile in the end.]

Why was the difficulty so extreme?

One reason was that Hae Won-Ryang was incredibly powerful, making it difficult to confront him.

But even after defeating him, the choice of which path to take determined whether it would be a good or a bad ending.

‘Still, it seemed like Flame almost resolved it.'

The original protagonist of this world was Flame. Even if Baek Yu-seol didn't step in, the future would steadily progress in one direction.

Flame, amazingly, chose the 1% happy ending path in the [Hae Won-Ryang Dark Magic Route], which was known for having a 99% bad ending rate.

She didn't even realize she made such a miraculous choice. Baek Yu-Seol didn’t know exactly how she won over Hae Won-Ryang's heart, but all that was left was to use purification magic to finish it.

However, the mages of the New Moon Tower intervened.

'Hmm, I should have come a bit earlier to help...'

Due to Flame’s significantly inferior ability to detect dark magic, they arrived at the scene too late.

‘What can I do?’

If only he could persuade them, Flame’s magic could completely purify Hae Won-Ryang.

But the mages of New Moon Tower were utterly uncompromising.

Before a dark mage, the only way to ease their conscience was to dismantle their head.

That was all they could do.

They were not evil.

Dark mages were evil, so if one were to judge, they would be guardians of justice.

But that was not possible at that moment.

Just one step.

He had to find a way to make the mages of New Moon Tower retreat, even by just one step.

‘An idea like that isn’t going to pop into my head easily.’

Baek Yu-Seol was not actually that clever. In this situation, no miraculous solutions came to his mind like in the comics.

‘There's no choice but to face this situation head-on.’

He drew out his Teripon. Although he didn't release any magic from the sword, it was enough to express his intention to fight.

"You say you'll kill my classmate, but I can’t just ignore you and walk by. What do you think about fighting with me?"

“You won't gain anything by fighting us. You’ll definitely die."

“Well, even if I die, I can make a lot of noise. From what I see, you don’t seem like people who operate openly. How about I make a scene until people come? I can be really annoying.”

Kaen remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"What do you want?"

"Just believe in me and let me purify my friend just once."

"It's a futile endeavor. Even if you manage to purify the dark magic, his emotions won't return."

“That’s why I’m asking you to trust me. Her magic can restore emotions to their original state,” he said, pointing at Flame.

Flame’s eyes trembled. It wasn’t her magic but the method she used. However, there was no need to explain that in detail.

Flame silently watched Baek Yu-Seol’s back, sweating coldly.

’How can he move?’

Hyejin would become the ultimate authority of illusion magic in the distant future. Currently, she was not at that level yet, but nonetheless, it was extremely difficult to break her illusion magic.

However, even within that illusion, he could move as if nothing was wrong.

Ma Yu-Seong was severely shaken. He couldn't believe that Baek Yu-Seol could move so freely.

‘Since he's a regressor, he must have figured out a way somehow.’

The important thing was whether Kaen would accept his opinion.

"If, by any chance, the purification fails?"

"I’ll withdraw."

“Fine."

To Kaen, it wasn't a bad proposal.

If they were to unnecessarily engage in a fight with someone who could easily bypass Hyejin’s magic, they would surely catch the attention of the fairy king and Elf King Florin. 

That would be really unfavorable.

It seemed like the best judgment to take a step back right now.

"If you break the promise, I’ll make sure you suffer the most agonizing death, chaos be damned."

"Why are you so cruel?"

The sincere aura emanating from Kaen made his arms tremble slightly, but he managed to hide the reaction.

"Hyejin, release the illusion."

"Leader, do you trust his words?"

"I just don't want to cause unnecessary trouble. If he's lying, it won't be too late to kill him then."

"Fine, I got it..."

Hyejin sighed deeply and shook her staff. Then, the illusion unraveled, and Flame regained her freedom.

"Ah..."

She forced her trembling legs to stand and approached Hae Won-Ryang, dragging her staff.

Then she collapsed in front of him.

Her legs had become weak from forcibly enduring the illusion. However, the spell had been completed earlier, and there was no problem in purifying Hae Won-Ryang.

She brought her staff close to Hae Won-Ryang's forehead and recited the spell, which sounded more like a magnificent hymn.

Angelic magic manifested itself through singing. Although she sang alone, her voice was like that of dozens of choristers.

The melody was not in human language, so no one could understand it. However, they could all sense the rhythm that resonated in their chests.

"Squad Leader, is that light magic?"

“Yes."

"But she’s not from the Holy Order, is she? Her power is almost on par with saints and holy maidens..."

"I heard that among the peculiar students who enrolled this year is a freshman who wields angelic power."

"Wow. Seriously, wow."

The light around Flame gradually formed seven pillars. Soon, golden chains wrapped around Hae Won-Ryang's body, and the pillars of light pierced through him.

"Kuh...!"

Then, dark magic began to burst out in all directions. The dark magic that tainted his essence was escaping outward.

The tainted magic returned to its purified state, transforming into blue mana, and his grotesquely deformed body returned to its human form.

The purification process didn't take long. In a short moment, Hae Won-Ryang returned to his human form.

"Kuk...!"

Due to forcefully using magic one level higher than her own, Flame, who had sustained injuries, vomited blood and slumped to the ground, but there was no time for them to pay attention to her.

Kaen immediately restrained Hae Won-Ryang's body.

"Let's check."

As Hae Won-Ryang gradually opened his eyes, Hyejin aimed her staff at his forehead.

"Who are you?"

"Hae Won-Ryang."

"How do you feel right now?"

“Not bad…"

"Is there anyone you want to kill?"

"None."

"What do you hate?"

“Losing."

At first listen, it seemed like a weird interrogation. However, this was Hyejin’s specialty—extracting concise answers from the subconscious of her target. She couldn't uncover deeply buried important information, but at least she could grasp his current state.

"Then what do you like?"

“...”

"Tell me."

“...”

"Hmm, you really don't want to say this, huh? Well, can't be helped."

"What's the result?"

"Completely normal. It's hard to believe he was ever tainted by dark magic. He's just a regular human. Most of the negative emotions are gone. Actually, it feels like those emotions were never his, to begin with... It feels like they were forcibly implanted. The host seems quite strong."

"I see."

Kaen nodded indifferently, but in reality, he was extremely surprised.

No. It wasn't just surprise.

The current events had shaken his values to the core.

He had always believed that once a being was consumed by darkness, they could never return to their original state, so he killed them all without exception.

It was unimaginable and unbelievable that a mere 17-year-old girl could completely restore emotions. He couldn't believe it, and he didn't want to believe it.

However, the reality before his eyes forced him to acknowledge the truth.

"Leader, what should we do?"

"We’re leaving."

"Okay!"

Sensing that Kaen was in a bad mood, Hyejin didn't play any pranks. She also acted cautiously, considering the situation.

However, she couldn't help but burst into laughter because the situation was too amusing.

‘Our leader seems quite flustered.’

What could they do now? They believed in their faith like saints and had acted their whole lives based on it, but it was being invalidated by mere 17-year-olds.

"Get rid of the traces."

After saying that, Kaen turned around as if there was nothing more to see.

"Well then, little friends. See you next time!"

Just like that, the members of the 13th Extermination Squad disappeared. Baek Yu-Seol immediately sat down on the spot, gripping his trembling legs.

"Wow… I really thought I was going to die…"

He met Kaen face to face and even dared to confront him, yet he survived.

But for some reason, he felt uneasy that he had come into contact with such dangerous individuals. It didn't leave a good taste in his mouth.

‘Well, what’s the worst that could happen?'

He lay down and thought calmly, unwilling to move a single step.

After all the incidents had come to an end…

Florin, who successfully concluded the festival, returned to her castle and immediately without a moment's rest.

Of course, no one could recognize her because she had completely changed her appearance.

"Time… there isn’t much of it."

She had already exposed herself to the world for nearly an hour. If she wasn't careful, someone would become a victim of her curse, so she needed to resolve the situation quickly.

"It was undoubtedly dark magic."

Finally, Florin arrived at the vacant lot where the dark magic had been detected and closed her eyes while extending her palm.

"Wind, tell me your memories."

Then, the scent of memories wafted around her nose and quickly flowed into her mind.

"This is..."

She couldn't see anything.

The memories were filled with black and white. Someone had intentionally erased memories using magic.

Memories that had already been erased couldn't be reconstructed even with high-level magic. However, Florin was the greatest master of them all. She wouldn't succumb to such petty magic.

"Whisper a bit more clearly."

The ground, the wind, the flowers and leaves, the trees and rocks... Everything whispered to Florin about the situation at this scene.

Even though the ones who erased memories were thorough to the point where they left no trace, she could still see fragments of the situation.

She saw someone using purification magic on a person presumed to be a dark mage, while two mages confronted one mage.

Their faces weren't clearly visible.

However, it seemed like they were wearing Stella Academy.

"Ugh...!"

Due to forcibly squeezing out the memories of nature, a throbbing headache struck her. However, at that moment, a familiar scent brushed past Florin’s nose.

"This...!"

It was a scent that she couldn't forget, no matter how much she tried. It was the fragrance of her long-time friend, Leafanel.

The scent wafted strongly.

"How...?"

Leafanel had fallen into eternal sleep. She couldn’t engage in any external activities, so how could her scent be in these memories?

‘No, there’s another possibility.’

’If the culprit stole Leafanel’s heart... If that person, the detestable one who stole the heart of my dearest friend, came here…’

Only if that person had come could the scent of Leafanel be this strong. Florin tightened her gaze and channeled her anger in order to delve deeper into the memories.

However, as time passed, the memories grew fainter, and the power of nature diminished.

Even worse, a splitting headache struck as if the lid of her mind had been forcefully opened. Florin could no longer read the memories.

"Haah, ha..."

She sat down on the floor and panted heavily, biting her lips until they bled.

"I will definitely find the culprit who condemned my friend to eternal suffering. I will return everything... the same way..."

Florin’s anger grew deeper and deeper.

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