Chapter 87
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
””Whoa!?””
The people who were there, seeing Ferris and Taia, were left speechless when the two suddenly vanished.
The men who had been touching them were knocked down, confused about what just happened, looking around.
Ulgar was among them, quickly getting up and starting to search for the missing Ferris.
”Where’s Ferris!?”
”Search for her!”
In response to Ulgar’s shout, Aaron started giving orders to his team, but Ferris was nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile, the “Silver Orchid” group was also looking for both Ferris and Taia.
”Ferris! Taia!”
Voices calling for the two, including Ms. Luka, rose up, but there was no reply. Just then, Taia appeared lying at the feet of Ms. Anju, the Cleric.
She looked like she was wearing a robe that was open in the front, but it seemed she had no damage except for what Ferris had caused.
”Ms. Taia!”
Ms. Anju quickly noticed and probably started using healing magic, drawing the attention of those around her.
I expanded my shield, making it thick enough to stand on its own, hiding Taia from the “Gem Snake” group.
I figured she wouldn’t want them to see her like this for too long.
For now, Taia should be okay.
As for Ferris, the reason they both disappeared was because I used my Magic Armor.
I pushed the men surrounding them away with my magic, made them invisible, and then helped the two escape into the air.
Even though I couldn’t see their positions, I could feel how they were positioned through the Magic Armor, and I had set it up so I could see them for a specific reason.
I turned my face toward the “Gem Snake” group and looked up about 10 meters into the air.
I wanted to check on Ferris.
I thought it would be hard for her to attack while floating, and it seemed the one controlling her believed she was still on the ground, as her legs were flailing around.
But I wanted to see not just her position but also her expression…
──Grinning…
Even while her legs were kicking, Ferris was looking at me with a huge smile.
I had set the Magic Armor so I could see her for this reason.
I couldn’t quite tell what she was feeling, but it was clear she was aware of me.
It seemed her feelings didn’t get transmitted to the one controlling her, so touching the magic thread wouldn’t alert them.
However, to avoid her limbs hitting anything, the magic thread was arched from the top of Ferris’s head to me.
She could see the magic, so she should know where the magic keeping her afloat was coming from.
I could have made it so she couldn’t see outside, but I needed her to see for certain reasons.
At the very least, she would have figured out that I could change the shape of the magic and make it invisible.
Given that, it wouldn’t be hard to guess that I had the “invisibility magic item” and “floating power” like “Koji.”
Since I used it in the form of “Mose,” she would likely realize I was the same person as “Koji.”
*Sigh.*
After this is over, I might have to deal with more trouble, but I couldn’t just stand by and let Taia get attacked.
First, I need to solve the problem in front of me.
As I was thinking this, Ferris suddenly started clapping.
*Clap, clap, clap…*
Oh no, this is bad.
The one controlling Ferris was trying to locate her by sound.
It seemed Ferris understood this too, as she was shaking her head back and forth, trying to stop herself while looking worried.
”Up there!?”
The “Gem Snake” group noticed the sound and started looking up, but they couldn’t see Ferris since she was still invisible.
Still, they could probably figure out her position from the sound, so I decided to completely fix Ferris’s body to silence the noise.
The power itself is the same as what Ferris uses, so the consumption of magical energy is intense, but it can’t be helped.
Additionally, I make her fly around the head of the “Gem Snake.”
This is in the hope that Ferris might find whoever is controlling her. To help with that, I adjusted it so she could see outside the Magic Armor, but… did my intention get through? Ferris averted her gaze from me and turned her eyes toward the “Gem Snake.”
”Damn! Even the sound’s gone now? Hey! Can’t you do something about this!?”
Aaron, who was issuing orders while staring at her──perhaps to avoid revealing who’s controlling her──suddenly saw Ferris, floating in mid-air, stick out her tongue.
She moved her still-free head, seeming to indicate a specific spot.
In this situation, such behavior would suggest that the person controlling her is at that location.
Following the direction of her tongue, I adjusted Ferris’s position. Eventually, she extended her tongue straight down at a specific point.
As I suspected, it wasn’t far from Ulgar. From where I stood, I could even make out the face of the person at that location, possibly in an effort to grasp Ferris’s position and posture.
The individual looked like a slightly shady adventurer.
Hmm?
Judging by the position of his head, three men appeared to be standing close together. Or rather… are the two on either side supporting the man in the middle?
If Ferris is being controlled only from the neck down and that man needs assistance, could it be because he can’t move himself while controlling her?
In fact, it might even be possible he’s manipulating Ferris’s body as if it were his own.
To confirm this, I lightly pricked the back of the suspect’s head with a magical needle.
”Yikes!”
*Swipe!*
”Huh?”
As soon as the suspect let out a sound, Ferris, briefly freed from her Magic Armor restraints, reflexively moved her hand to the back of her head without clapping first.
Gotcha.
Judging from her puzzled expression, the sensation didn’t transfer to her. It’s likely only the intent to move or commands from his brain to her body are being transmitted to her neck and below.
”Huh? What’s wrong?”
”Nothing. I just felt like something pricked or poked the back of my head.”
”Ha? Hmm… doesn’t seem like you’re injured, though?”
The two men beside him checked the back of his head but didn’t find anything, as I hadn’t pierced deeply enough to draw blood.
Even so, the man tilted his head in confusion before the one on his right urged him to get moving.
”What was that?”
”Forget it! Focus on that woman. Hurry up and find her!”
”I’m trying, but I can’t! Why not…?”
As they argued and scanned their surroundings,
it became clear the man beside him deliberately said, “Find her,” to avoid exposing the fact that the man in the middle was controlling Ferris.
At least now I knew who the culprit was.
However… just knowing didn’t mean I could act carelessly.
Killing him wouldn’t necessarily free Ferris from being his puppet. Moreover, if they escaped in this state, it would result in the worst-case scenario.
Ferris would remain immobile from the neck down and could be controlled at any time, meaning constant vigilance would be required.
In that case, negotiating and getting him to release her willingly was the only option.
With that thought, I extended a magical thread toward the man’s neck.
”Guh!”
*Pull!* *Yank!*
”Huh? What the!?”
Since he was being supported from both sides, it was easy to hoist him into the air and send him flying toward the “Silver Orchid.”
His companions shouted in alarm as they saw this happen. Ulgar and Aaron noticed as well, giving hurried instructions to retrieve him.
”Hey! What are you doing? Get him back now!”
”Damn it, who’s good at throwing ropes?!”
While they panicked, I pulled the man to my side of the wall I’d created with a magical shield. He arrived, dangling limply, with only his head moving as he struggled to avoid suffocating.
Even in this situation, he wasn’t releasing Ferris from being his puppet.
As I wondered about this, the man spoke with difficulty.
”Ugh… let go… Even if I die… she’ll never be free…”
The people from “Silver Orchid” seemed to realize that this guy was controlling Ferris.
*Whoosh, stop.*
”Don’t move. Someone, tie him up!”
When Ms. Luka put her sword to the guy’s neck and said this to everyone around, the guy was quickly restrained and forced to kneel.
So, I loosened the magic thread around his neck.
”Cough, cough, ha… ha…”
As the guy was catching his breath, I heard angry shouts coming from “Gem Snake.”
”You guys!”
”Give him back!”
The shield wall was just high enough to hide Taia, who was lying down, about up to my chest.
The captured guy was visible to “Gem Snake” until he was made to kneel, and it seemed like they didn’t want to just sit back and watch. But, they probably didn’t want this guy to die, so even though they were shouting, they couldn’t move carelessly.
Once the guy was out of sight behind the wall, Ulgar gave “Gem Snake” some orders.
”Attack them! If we can’t retrieve the captured guy, you can take him out!”
”What!?”
The captured guy gasped at the order he heard.
Ulgar probably thought about the chance of negotiating to free Ferris from being controlled and decided that it would be best if Ferris couldn’t move at all.
If they had the power to decide his life or death, there was a good chance he would comply unless he was extremely loyal.
The fact that he made that decision so quickly means he might have expected this situation.
I wonder what the guy thought about that… maybe there’s a chance for negotiation now.
But for now, we need to focus on stopping “Gem Snake” from attacking.
”Take this guy back to the base!”
Ms. Luka gave that order, but it was too far for them to see each other’s faces clearly.
Right now, I was using magical resources to keep Ferris restrained, so handling all those people at once would be really tough.
That means we need someone who can stop them just by being there.
From “Silver Orchid,” it seemed like Taia could do that based on Ulgar’s assessment, but she looked like she had passed out.
I’m not sure why that happened, but if that’s the case, no one can stop “Gem Snake.”
Ugh, at this point, I might as well use this guy too.
So, I created a red stone in my left hand and used it to summon a fire Yamata no Orochi with my Magic Armor.
Boom!
”What!? Is that… hey! Is that what I think it is!?”
Aaron, who had never seen this before, shouted loudly behind him.
In response, someone who had actually seen it at the “Horned Ox Inn” shouted back.
”Y-yeah! That’s the work of that guy ‘Fraud’!”
”What!?”
That statement surprised not just “Gem Snake” but also the people from “Silver Orchid.” But right now, I can’t worry about that.
”Fraud” was originally prepared to keep them in check, and I decided to use him here since he was perfect for the job.
Once this situation is resolved, he might not be needed anymore, and since I’m using the form from my past life, I feel a bit sad about that, but it can’t be helped.
Alright.
”Whoa!”
*Whoosh! Bam!*
”Ugh!”
I positioned the fiery Yamata no Orochi in front of me, pushing back anyone trying to come closer, slamming them to the ground to intimidate them, and knocking away incoming arrows.
Because of that, instead of moving forward, they actually stepped back a bit, and even when Ulgar and Aaron gave attack orders, the arrows were kept to a minimum.
While buying time like this, I spoke to the captured guy.
”They’re planning to leave you for dead… or even kill you on purpose. But I can tell you that ifyou free Ferris, I won’t let them take your life.”
”What!? Is that… true?”
By intentionally calling her “Ferris” without any honorifics, I made it seem like I had some say in her fate.
I’m not sure if this guy will actually go for my suggestion, but since he heard Ulgar’s orders, he might get taken out if he goes back. So, he has no choice but to listen to me.
’Since there’s a chance Ferris could be freed like now, they might just kill him after controlling her, so he better agree.’
”…”
I keep talking, but I know there’s a chance he might break that promise. This guy seems to be thinking hard about it.
I push him to make a decision.
’If you refuse… then I’ll be the one to kill you.’
”!”
Hearing my words while I hold off “Gem Snake” alone, he realizes this is his only chance to survive… so he hesitantly agrees to my proposal.
”Y-you really will help me, right? If you’re lying, I’ll just control that girl and send her after you again!”
Right away, well… fine.
’Yeah. I’ll make sure you’re safe.’
”…I-I understand.”
Even though he’s scared, he decides he has to trust my words.
”R-release…”
As he says that, the pressure from the Magic Armor around Ferris lessens, and she calms down enough that she doesn’t need to be restrained anymore.
Just a moment ago, she was trying to move her legs, probably wanting to escape this situation…
”I-I’ve released her, right? It’s true! So…”
He looks like he wants to be freed too since I let Ferris go.
I respond and keep my promise.
’Yeah, I get it. So… can we at least spare his life?’
”No way.”
Bam!
Right after I hear that voice from behind, the guy’s head explodes in an instant.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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