Chapter 68: Your Name (6) |
*
While Director Schun was busy correcting the misunderstanding that the surgery was not a Black Magic Secret Art.
The fugitive, Igor, bled as he walked down the underground corridor of his hideout.
Drip, drip.
With every step he took, a crimson trace was left on the stone floor.
Igor gritted his teeth and quickened his pace.
'Damn it. That woman...'
Igor recalled the scene where the red-haired girl had drawn the axe blade across her palm.
The girl had definitely recited a chant.
Even though the wound itself was not that deep.
'Did she use her blood as poison?'
He didn't know what kind of poison it was.
That wasn't his major.
What was certain, however, was that the magic the girl used was a rather vicious poison.
As a result, while Igor had been running right after his escape, he was now in a state where he could barely walk without leaning on the wall.
'Damn it.'
Igor hurried his steps even more.
Limp. Limp.
His right foot stepped on the stone floor, and his left leg followed as if being dragged.
And amidst the sound of his irregular footsteps, the rhythmic sound of military boots blended in.
Captain Shen's Pursuit Team was following him.
At this rate, it was obvious that Igor would be caught.
But he, too, had his own stratagem.
Screeeech—
From somewhere in the darkness, a sound like scraping metal echoed.
Then, the rhythm of the military boots faltered.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
And then gunshots rang out.
Hearing these sounds, the corners of Igor's mouth lifted.
'A good thing I modified and used this abandoned prison.'
Ghoul.
They were still here in this basement.
The corpses of prisoners abandoned without funerals or requiems.
Centuries of accumulated symbolism from 'death untouched by the divine gaze' had turned this space into a breeding ground for ghouls.
All Igor had done was stick lead rods into the ghouls' heads to make them his minions.
And those ghouls were now holding back the pursuit team.
'Those greenhorns dealt with some on their way up, but there are still enough left.'
He didn't expect the ghouls to defeat the pursuit team.
They just needed to buy him a few minutes.
In that time, he would already be gone from this place.
'I'm almost there.'
Leaving the gunshots behind, Igor descended the final staircase.
When he reached the last floor, he saw prison cells with open doors and the remains of ropes and gags scattered on the floor.
It was the prison where he had locked up the students.
Igor passed through the prison.
Now practically dragging his left leg, he headed deeper into the prison.
Passing through an arched doorway and illuminating the area with glow-worms, the reason he had come this far was revealed.
'I've arrived.'
There was a circle there.
Along the circle's edge, colorful mushrooms grew densely.
Vermilion, mustard, purple, spotted white, and so on.
Beneath the colorful mushroom caps lined up at regular intervals, fine spores were drawing a circle on the floor.
And the inside of the circle was packed with dead grass.
His hollow eyes fixed on the center of the circle.
'A Fairy Ring.'
Fairies have a peculiar ability.
When they dance in a circle, mushrooms grow in that spot as if drawing a magic circle.
A wizard can use that circle to jump through space.
Igor had used this effect to kidnap only the students who had Director Schun's signature.
And this time, he intended to use this ring to escape the crisis.
'Where was the catalyst.'
Igor fumbled in his trouser pocket.
His fingertips rummaged through the rough fabric and touched a small pouch.
He took a sugar cube out of the pouch.
Igor picked up one sugar cube and placed it on the edge of the circle—on the cap of a vermilion mushroom.
And his lips moved.
"Come."
As soon as the sugar touched the mushroom cap, a faint tremor ran through the gills of the cap.
The gills of the vermilion cap parted, and a small hand poked out from within.
It resembled a human hand, but it was not.
It was too short, too thick, and had downy mycelia sprouting from every joint.
That hand snatched the sugar cube and pulled it inside.
Rustle.
The mushrooms forming the circle's boundary shook in unison.
Soon, small fairies, barely thirty centimeters tall, popped out of the mushrooms.
"Brownie No. 1."
"Yes! Master!"
No. 1 crawled out from between the mushrooms, its short legs flailing.
"Did you call?"
Following No. 1, several other fairies revealed themselves.
Eleven in total.
Igor looked down at the innocent-looking fairies and frowned.
'What is this?'
The Brownies were too lively today.
For the past few months.
The Brownies he'd seen were annoying, whiny, and listless little creatures.
Like an old dog being dragged around, so to speak.
But those same fairies seemed particularly excited today.
'...Fickle things.'
But Igor's thoughts stopped there.
Not only did he have no time to think, but it was common for fairies to be capricious.
Thump, thump.
The sound of military boots, which had already caught up right behind him.
Igor hurriedly placed two more sugar cubes on the edge of the circle.
A Brownie toddled over and picked up a sugar cube.
Then, hugging the lump of sugar that was as big as its own body with both arms, it looked up at Igor again.
Igor commanded.
"Open the ring. Send me to the mansion."
"Understood."
Brownie No. 1 moved briskly.
The one that usually dithered seemed to be in a good mood today.
Igor ignored the persistent sense of unease and took his place in the center of the circle.
All eleven also climbed onto the mushroom caps in unison.
Like little dancers on a colorful stage, they each took their positions.
And then, the dance began.
「'S truagh nach tigeadh (Sadly, no one comes)」
「Hé mandu!」
As No. 1 led the chant, the other ten responded in time with their feet.
And the chorus followed.
「Siud gam' iarraidh! (Those who would take me from here)」
「Hé mandu」
「Dealan-dè sgeòil, no gealbhonn, Feòrag gam' ghiùlan, 's diollaid. (Neither a butterfly to carry news, nor a sparrow, nor a squirrel to carry me, not even a saddle.)」
「Hé mandu, hì ri oró, hó ro hù o!」
Thump!
Eleven pairs of feet stomped down on the mushroom caps at the same time.
Spores burst forth all at once, and a golden band spread along the edge of the circle.
Standing in the middle of the circle, Igor felt the ground beneath his feet tremble faintly.
'It's opening.'
The circle was gradually responding.
The song, too, was reaching its climax.
It was then.
That the lyrics suddenly changed.
「Gu h-ait thàinig duine uasal! (Joyfully, a noble person has come.)」
「Hé mandu!」
「Gus mo thoirt a-mach à seo! (The one who took me out of here!)」
「Hé mandu!」
「Le siùcar is pìosan meala, 'S shin e dhomh an t-aodach fhìn! (With sugar and pieces of honey, he handed me clothes of my own!)」
「Hé mandu, hì ri oró, hó ro hù o!」
"What?!"
Igor's face was painted with shock.
These were not the usual lyrics he knew.
The song the Brownies were singing had changed.
It wouldn't matter if the lyrics had just changed a little.
It's common for fairies to change lyrics based on their mood.
However, the lyrics contained something that should not have been there.
— 「Le siùcar is pìosan meala, 'S shin e dhomh an t-aodach fhìn! (With sugar and pieces of honey, he handed me clothes of my own!)」
Clothes.
The moment Brownies receive clothes or wages from their master, the Master-Servant Contract is broken.
That's why Black Sorcerers who use Brownies are careful not to give them clothes or money, even by accident.
'Escape...'
But his body wouldn't move.
As if his legs were fixed to the ground, as if they weren't his own.
They refused to leave the circle.
Perhaps the Brownies were slipping from his control.
It was the moment that vague fear became concrete.
'When on earth? Why now of all times?'
Had he given them clothes without knowing?
Come to think of it, he did throw off his cape while fleeing here.
'But there's no way it would be broken by something like that...'
In that moment, the image of one person flashed through his mind.
Director Schun.
If that man knew how to give meaning to that cape, freed the Brownies, and had already coaxed them over...
Then these Brownies weren't dancing for him right now, but...
And Igor's train of thought began to break off there.
What began to fill its place was an inexplicable pleasure.
"Hehe..."
A laugh escaped from between Igor's lips.
Slowly, his thoughts grew hazy.
As if drunk.
Thump—thump!
Just as the chorus burst out, a pillar of light shot up from the center of the circle.
In the middle of that warm pillar of light,
Igor felt like he wanted to start dancing right this instant.
Yes.
I'm shaking off my pursuers.
Isn't it okay to dance sometimes?
As if having had that very thought, he begins to dance.
His brilliance stained with indulgence, forcing his dead leg to move, the Black Sorcerer dances.
In the midst of the fairies.
Trailing blood.
Limping on his stiffening leg.
A smile hanging on his lips.
He shrugs his shoulders.
Like someone standing in the middle of a festival,
like someone hearing a song from their long-lost hometown again,
like someone in a state of ecstasy after eating colorful mushrooms.
He dances.
Forcing his unmoving leg to move,
forcing his twitching lips into a smile,
forcing his cracking voice out.
He sings.
In the middle of eleven pairs of black, beady eyes looking up and laughing at him, the Black Sorcerer danced and sang.
Soon, the light swallowed him.
A moment later.
Thump. Thump.
Military boots crossed the arched doorway.
Captain Shen entered the room where Igor had disappeared, his gun muzzle leading the way.
There was no one in the room.
Captain Shen's gaze fell to the floor.
Only red mushrooms and dead grass, thoroughly soaked in blood, remained in the room.
***
"When we arrived, only red mushrooms and bloodstains remained. We couldn't confirm the Mage's whereabouts."
While I was busy treating Kal, checking on the other children, and preparing to leave,
Captain Shen approached with a grim face and reported.
"My apologies, Director. We lost him."
Self-reproach was evident in the voice coming from behind the gas mask.
I asked as I took off my blood-stained gloves.
"It's fine that you lost him. Did you by any chance step into that circle?"
"As you said, Director, we didn't pursue any further. But why do you ask?"
I delayed my answer for a moment and glanced around.
Eli, who wasn't letting go of Kal's hand.
Valeria, paying attention to us from a short distance away.
There were too many listening ears.
"...Lord Yulian gave me a hint about it. I'll tell you the details in the car."
As soon as I threw that out, Valeria reacted.
"Excuse me, Director. If you mean Lord Yulian... are you perhaps talking about Lady Freya's older brother?"
"Yes. I received his help on the way here. He is quite active in fields like black magic and unsolved cases."
Freya, who had been quietly eavesdropping, turned her head unnaturally.
But she showed no further reaction.
Instead, Freya also put on a brave face and joined the act.
"Did my older brother not come?"
"No. He is very worried about your safety at the mansion. So it would be good if you could contact Lord Yulian on the way back, would that be alright?"
"I understand."
She didn't know why I was creating an alibi for Yulian, but it felt like she was playing along for now.
"Good. Now, let's head to the car. Student Kal needs proper treatment, after all."
After managing to get the scene under control somehow.
We cut the tendons of the unconscious lizard's arms and legs and put it in the cargo hold,
and we divided the students among the cars we came in.
Finally, Captain Shen, Erika, and Freya boarded the car I was in.
Only after confirming the door was completely closed did I take off my fedora.
With that, the perception-altering magic was dispelled.
"Hoo."
Freya looked up at me.
"Older Brother."
"You went through a lot, Freya."
"But that just now..."
"I needed to draw a line between the identities of Director Schun and Yulian. Discovering this place had to be credited as Yulian's accomplishment. I'll explain the details later."
Freya thought for about a second, then nodded.
"If you're doing it, Older Brother, you must have your reasons."
After our short conversation, I shifted my gaze to Captain Shen.
He had seemed to want to ask something ever since before getting in the car.
"Then let's continue our earlier conversation, Captain."
"Is not pursuing the Black Sorcerer related to that circle?"
"Yes. Because that's a Fairy Ring."
"A Fairy Ring... you say?"
He didn't seem to know.
Well, his major is Flame Magic.
It's natural he wouldn't know, as the Fairy Ring is in the domain of black magic.
"That circle where the Black Sorcerer disappeared. You've seen it somewhere before, haven't you?"
"Yes. There was a circle made of mold in the laundry room where the students disappeared."
"That is a Fairy Ring. When fairies dance, mushrooms grow in a circle in that spot. Fairies can jump through space using that circle."
A Fairy Ring is the trace left after fairies have danced.
If a person steps into that circle, they briefly lose consciousness and wake up in an unfamiliar place.
"So such magic existed."
"The Black Sorcerer must have used this Fairy Ring to kidnap the students. He also intended to use it to escape."
"Then did the Mage escape successfully?"
I shook my head.
"No. He must have failed. I told you not to pursue him to the end because I knew that would happen."
Captain Shen's eyes shifted slightly.
Just then, Freya raised her hand.
"Older Brother."
"Yes?"
"But... if you knew that magic existed, why didn't you ride it here yourself? No, uh... I wasn't trying to say you were late."
"No, that's a good question."
Actually, I had that thought at first, too.
When I heard the news that Freya had disappeared and rushed to the dormitory, I discovered a Fairy Ring near the laundry room.
The moment I saw the circle, I figured out the full story of the incident and immediately coaxed a Brownie through the circle to find out the hideout's location.
The fastest way then would have been to step onto the circle and ask the Brownies to send me to the hideout.
But I didn't do that.
For one reason.
"Because fairies hate it."
"Pardon?"
"A Brownie is fundamentally a fairy that does housework. Folding laundry, washing dishes, sweeping up breadcrumbs. That sort of thing is their calling."
I continued, looking out the car window.
"It's rude to ask creatures like that to dance. Moreover, fairies detest being seen dancing by others."
"But we were kidnapped that way."
"That's right. That's why the fairies also hated that Black Sorcerer."
He ordered them to do things that Brownies utterly detest.
He made them dance where people could see and ordered them to kidnap instead of doing housework.
For months, he forced them to do the things they hated most, both as Brownies and as fairies.
"Brownies can't defy their master's orders, nor can they cause harm. So even when the Black Sorcerer ordered them, they had to do it unwillingly. But I couldn't use the same method."
It's not because I'm some fairy lover.
My younger sister was kidnapped; who has time to worry about such things?
There was only one reason I respected the fairies back then.
"You must not antagonize fairies in any way. It doesn't end well."
This is something I heard from my Teacher.
— "The current generation, that is, mages born within the last 200 years, tend to see fairies as tools. But Yulian, you must not do that."
My Teacher said that fairies are nature itself, endowed with emotion.
The moment you antagonize such a fairy, your later years are bound to become miserable.
Even without my Teacher's warning, this is common sense and a cliché.
In numerous creations from my previous life, protagonists who tormented fairies had bad ends in many ways.
That's why I showed courtesy to the Brownies as well.
"And that Black Sorcerer has personally shown that my choice was the right one."
"That Black Sorcerer?"
"Yes. That red Fairy Ring is the proof."
Brownies basically cannot harm their master or do anything detrimental to them.
But that doesn't mean they don't harbor hatred.
For months, they had harbored hatred for their master.
And when the opportunity arose, the first thing they did upon becoming free was to take revenge.
"Fairies have a high aptitude for Mind Magic and Space Magic. For them to slightly twist their magic is not a difficult task."
Waking up in a different place after fainting in a Fairy Ring is only for when it's in non-lethal mode.
It's like a warning, akin to kicking an unwelcome guest out of their club.
So if the fairies harbor killing intent, just how far can they go?
"If what you say is true, then that Black Sorcerer."
"Mm. That Black Sorcerer might just regret not letting himself be caught by you, Captain. If he has any mind left to regret it with."
It's children, not adults, who are better at tearing the wings off dragonflies.
Purity is that frightening.
It's not for nothing that old fairy tales were so intense, you know?
Is the logic different from that?
Anyway.
This is also why I respected the fairies.
Because if I get on their bad side for no reason, I won't be able to handle the snowball effect later.
"That's also why I told you not to pursue him to the end, Captain. The chances are low, but I couldn't risk you getting caught up in it."
Gulp.
The sound of a dry gulp came from behind Captain Shen's gas mask.
Then, he carefully posed a question.
"...But one doubt remains."
"Go on."
"Why... did the Brownies suddenly become free?"
"It wasn't a very difficult matter."
I pointed to the edge of the cape I had taken as evidence and said.
"Didn't that man abandon this? I merely helped the Brownies interpret this 'clothing' as a sign that their contract was broken."
"...Did you push the fairies from behind?"
"If you put it that way, don't I sound like a bad person?"
It's not like I'm some kind of crime consultant.
If I had to explain what I did...
"Indeed. I simply helped the fairies expand their way of thinking."
"..."
The expressions of the party in the car after hearing that weren't very good.
I'm not sure why.
