Chapter 714 – Brainwashing and Planning

000

The distant past.

It is said that in the Eastern Kingdom before the start of King Miyeom’s reign, there was a charlatan who was both a wandering swordsman and a doctor.

Without even revealing her origins, she wanders around the eastern countries with only a sword and a box containing various medical tools.

She saved citizens attacked by nobles and treated their wounds.

Her fame soon spread to her royal family, and it is said that her royal family appointed her as the king’s bodyguard and exclusive member of the royal family.

Was that already a few years ago?

There are hardly any old people left who remember when Quartz started living in Asteris.

She has been using her skills for the benefit of the people in Asteris for a long time, so much so that people around her have heard that when she was born, Quartz was there to help her. Br〉

She said that it was her mission to protect and heal her people, and that fact does not change even now that she is over 80 years old and in the twilight of her life.

So, what she said to her students, who were like her own daughters, felt as vivid as if it had happened yesterday.

But, she-

She slashed her own disciple and swung her bloody sword, scattering the blood that had stuck to her blade onto the white floor.

As Aine watched her actions, she suppressed her hurt with an expression of incomprehension and only raised her voice to Quartz.

No matter where or how you look at her, her body, skills, and feelable atmosphere do not look like those of an old woman.

Although it was the Quartz that Aine knew, she did not seem to be her.

[Is that really Mr. Quartz…? He doesn’t look like he’s in his 20s…]

When Cleon says that, Quartz looks after her, smiles, and flips her hair behind her, which falls in front of her shoulder.

“I knew you guys would come here. I didn’t want to be disturbed, so I left the person alone. “I wanted to meet you in person and let you know what I am like now.”

Although Quartz said that, she was talking to Aine without putting the sword in her hand.

“Why did they attack you? Aine, because I am now a member of the Exiled Church. Since Cleon and his associates eliminated two executives of the Exiled Church, a replacement is needed.”

＂──.＂

Watching her calmly tell the shocking truth, Aine shook her head in disbelief.

That expression seemed to be tinged with shock and astonishment.

＂That can’t be possible… There’s no way the old man in his right mind would say something like that…! They are like a credit to the continent! Why…!”

“Are you out of your mind? Yes, as you said. I am out of my mind right now. I was mentally manipulated by the executive of the Exiled Church who is currently in charge of this place.”

[Hah?!]

When she suddenly revealed that she had been brainwashed, Lila let out an expression as if she was dumbfounded.

＂… I don’t understand. It is contradictory to know that one is brainwashed and yet to be with the Exile Church.”

Even Arnia, who absolutely obeys the orders of her commander, speaks as if she cannot understand such actions, and she answers Arnia by putting her sword on her shoulder.

“Oh, no, it’s an automaton. No matter what I think, my mind is fixed on the idea that ‘what the Exiled Church does is for the good of the world.’ So, even though I know that this ideology has been created, I have no intention of rejecting it.”

＂… Throw away doubts about what you believe is right, keep your beliefs and continue… ＂

Putting into her mouth the teachings she had received from her before, Aine raised her body by placing her sword on the ground.

“Now, since it didn’t end in unity, will you continue? I don’t mind…”

However, the bleeding from the cut on her shoulder did not stop, and when her complexion began to worsen, Cleon spoke to Aine.

“Aine, it’s impossible to continue fighting with that wound. Leave it to Arnia.”

＂Kk…＂

Although it was frustrating, what Cleon said was also true.

Her cut on her shoulder would have been sutured within a few minutes if she were half an ear, but if she moved too vigorously in the meantime, her wound would open again.

Moreover – the overwhelming difference in skill felt when hitting the first sum even in a healthy state.

Even with her current strength, she cannot surpass the skills of her teacher, Quartz, in her prime.

Because she had been instilled with the ability to judge the situation calmly by the teacher who was currently tormenting her, she was acutely aware of her own shortcomings.

“Okay, is the machine my next opponent? That guy is the perfect opponent to see how far I can go with the sword he gave me.”

With that said, Lila speaks to Arnia and Aine as she points her sword at Arnia.

[If you subdue her and bring her back, I can try to dispel her brainwashing spell. So Arnia─]

“All right. I will subdue her target without killing her. However… Please understand that it is inevitable to get hurt.”

With that being said, on both of Arnia’s wrists are blades similar to wrist blades – no, it would be unfair to call them blades since they are blunt.

What stuck out was a stick like a tonpa, with sparks bouncing on its surface as if an electric current was flowing.

It was not something built into her body, but was created by disassembling and reconstructing the metal in her hair as was done during the battle with Cleon.

“It hurts. “I didn’t know that I would even look down on machines.”

When Quartz says that, Arnia shakes her head.

“I don’t have any feelings for you, so it’s not appropriate to say I’m looking down on you. However, I will not use my hands to subdue you. Please take your own responsibility for any injuries.”

“That means you are looking down on me!”

The next moment, when she thought her body was gone, she rose into the air and struck the ceiling upside down, swinging her sword.

Her explosive acceleration makes you wonder if she is actually human.

However, Arnia was not human either, and she blocked by raising her arms and crossing her swords with her tonfa.

Quad Deuk! Then, her sword began to dig into the surface of the metal, but Arnia did not panic, and instead tried to direct the current flowing on the surface of her tonfa toward her sword.

Also, at the same time, the wire she was trying to use a little while ago popped out, and she went behind her, blocking its escape route.

If you try to move backwards away from the current, the wire will catch her body, and even if you try to force her to face her sword, the current flowing from Arnia will hit her body.

Even if nothing was done, the wire was enough to entangle her body like this.

Looking at Arnia, who had walked through the three limbs of her death, Quartz clicked her tongue.

He took her spit from his waistband and stuck it into her own neck.

＂!?＂

Everyone was shocked by her sudden self-harm, and only Arnia was watching her and wondering what she had done.

Seeing that the electricity flowing from the rod reached her body and that her body did not lose any strength and that she did not even feel pain, this time I tried to tie her body with wire.

However, before that, one of Quartz’s hands grabbed Arnia’s head and slammed it down to the ground, causing her strong impact to spread to the point where a large crack appeared on the ground.

The shock was so great that her functions were temporarily halted, and the wire she was controlling lost its tension and fell to the ground.

[Ah, Arnia!?]

Who would have thought that Arnia, an automaton, would be pushed by her with her strength.

When Quartz, who had knocked Arnia to the ground in an instant, patted his hand while lifting her up, it did not look like he had been damaged by her electricity.

[… Is it a needle in the neck?]

When Cleon’s familiar spoke like that, Quartz nodded his head and looked at Cleon’s familiar.

＂Correct answer. By inserting it in a precise location, it artificially blocks the body’s senses and forces it to move.”

Quartz, who had already used the human body – especially his own body – as a testbed several times, seemed confident that if he used both medicine and swordsmanship, there would be very few people who could compete with him.

In comparison, the situation of Cleon and his party – specifically, the situation of Aine and Arnia – was not very hopeful.

Arnia lying on the ground and an injured child.

Although Aine’s condition has healed slightly thanks to Arnia’s time, she has still not returned to her original state.

[I can’t do it, Cleon. First, order Arnia to retreat…]

“No…! Wait a minute.”

Lyla, who decided that it was an urgent priority to bring her and Aine back before Arnia was taken away, caused this, but Aine completely stood up from her seat and pointed her sword at her quartz and spoke.

＂Not yet…＂

“Not yet… You couldn’t stop me even with a healthy body. How are you going to subdue me? Such reckless behavior will only quickly take your life. This is advice from a teacher.”

She just sighed and shook her head, as if she was sincere.

＂… If it’s about subduing… That’s definitely possible. But… Just like you attacked me with the intention of killing me… If the old man becomes an enemy of us – the people of Asteris. I will kill the old man.”

[Wait a minute, Aine. All we have to do is undo her brainwashing…]

When Lila talked to her about killing her teacher, Aine shook her head.

“… That was not enough determination. What I really have to do is swing this sword for the people of Asteris.”

Aine held her sword tightly as she looked at her teacher.

＂In order to fulfill the meaning of my existence that my elders gave me – sometimes a day comes when that resolve is tested. Just like now.”

At Aine’s words, her quartz looked at her quietly and then faced her while also adjusting her posture.

There was a smile on the corner of his mouth like before, but somehow it didn’t feel like he was laughing at Aine like before.

And once again, Quartz and Aine stand facing each other in the same posture and composition as before.

Aine’s eyes were even more sunken than before, and she was breathing quietly-

Just like before, they started spewing murderous energy towards each other.

The deadly force on both sides was similar to the one quartz was emitting towards Aine earlier.

＇This time…＇

When Aine made that promise and moved her body first, a scene was created where Quartz and Aine’s bodies disappeared at the same time and then stood as if they had exchanged positions.

At first glance, the behavior is the same as before.

But-

＂Tsk, tsk…!＂

First, just like before, the child was kneeling on one knee and almost fell down, but her expression was a little better than before.

But looking at her like that, Quartz talks.

“Your determination is great, but your skills aren’t there yet, Aine. It’s unfortunate, but here-“

But the next moment, Quartz noticed that his feet were not moving.

What? And when she looks down at her feet-

The wire extending from Arnia’s wrist, where she had fallen, was somehow tying up her feet.

＂… Before you know it.＂

Quartz looked puzzled for the first time, but the next moment—

＂Haaaaa!＂

Her Aine let out her spirit and rushed straight towards her.

As if this situation was expected.

In the act of swinging her sword, there is no need to explain how important the position of her legs and feet and the width of the space between them are in order to create that posture.

In a situation where Quartz couldn’t even look behind her, she forced herself to twist her body to block Aine’s attack, trying to block her sword with one hand.

And – the moment the two swords clashed once again, a painful sound rang out in her ears –

Quick! Then, the sword that Quartz was holding broke in the middle, and the blade flew out and hit the wall.

＂!＂

Quartz naturally looks surprised, and Aine holds the sword to her neck as if he can’t let this situation go.

“… I never thought the sword would break. You’ve become stronger, Aine.”

＂… It wasn’t my strength alone. If Arnia hadn’t laid out a trap in advance…”

When Aine responded to Quartz’s compliment with an expression of resentment, Arnia, who had fallen on the ground, also staggered to her feet.

＂Request for correction. The fact that you were able to carry out an operation that was not agreed upon in advance is 100% your own skill.”

The small crack on her cheek was repaired using her hair and the wire was recovered.

“… This is our victory. I will take you to Asteris like this and undo the brainwashing they did.”

While saying that, he is trying to knock her out.

However, after hearing those words, Arnia placed her hand on Aine’s shoulder and started talking.

＂Request for correction once again.＂

＂… What is it? Arnia.”

In response to Aine’s words, Arnia speaks while looking at the quartz.

＂No residual magical power of the type that brainwashes the mind was detected in her body. She lied to us.”

For a moment, silence fell throughout the space at her words.

＂… Hah?＂

And of course, it was Aine who was most embarrassed, and Quartz slightly averted his gaze after hearing Arnia’s revelation.

“… Uh, old man? “Is that true?”

“She had multiple opportunities to end things for both of us, but she didn’t. And people who have been subjected to the brainwashing magic performed by the Exile Church also receive memory processing so that they do not remember that they have been brainwashed.”

“Well, then you should have told me from the beginning!?”

In response to Aine’s words, Arnia spoke calmly with an emotionless expression.

“She couldn’t be sure until she touched it and scanned her body,” She said. I am designed not to cause confusion by providing uncertain information.”

[This annoying automata…!]

Even Lila, who couldn’t hear, raises her voice as if she is dumbfounded, but Cleon flies to Quartz and talks to him.

[Why did she, of her own will, try to cut down her own student – her Aine?]

“Before receiving the brainwashing spell, I made a suggestion to myself, and thanks to that, I was able to shake off the brainwashing spell. In that state, he is pretending to follow their orders. So, we should at least leave traces of the battle.”

If Quartz says that, Aine speaks to Quartz like that.

“That…! I really had murderous intent and killed the old man…!”

“That’s it. Aine, you must be prepared to swing your sword for the people of the Eastern countries, even if the opponent is me. “I wanted to see that determination.”

Quartz replies that he doesn’t care at all even if it means losing his own life.

[… Then, what is it? She can escape this place on her own at any time if she wants… Are we saying our efforts were in vain?]

When Lila spoke in her empty voice, Quartz shook her head.

“It wasn’t in vain. You were able to know the way and method to get here through the magatama I left behind. Because by meeting me, you were able to hear about my plans.”

[Is it because of that plan? Pretending to be brainwashed and remaining in this place.]

In response to Cleon’s question, Quartz nods her head again.

“For me, there is a need to put an end to my relationship with this place. So, that plan is already in place.”

As she said that, she took out a small disk-shaped magical tool from her bosom and handed it to Aine.

“The details are all included here. If you’re Miss Lila, you can read what’s inside. Please.”

＂Aren’t you going back together…?＂

When Aine speaks as if she is worried, Quartz nods her head.

“… I still have work to do here. Otherwise, the end may come to Asteris.”

[Asteris, the end…?]

When Cleon reacts to her putting a meaningful word into her mouth, the next moment.

[Traces of battle found within the facility. Redefines the target as an intruder. Transition to battle mode.]

A drone patrolling inside the facility discovered traces of a battle between the group and Quartz and attempted to attack them.

“Oh no, get out of here quickly before more of those guys come.”

＂… Elder. The determination shown to the elders must be…”

When Quartz told them to leave this place, Aine held her hand as if promising to protect Asteris, but then she pulled it away.

And the next moment, Arnia grabbed her Aine’s shoulder, and at the same time Cleon activated her Arnia’s return command.

The two people were enveloped in a strong light, metastasized and disappeared on the spot.

When the light faded, the arm covering his eyes was lowered and Quartz gave an order to the drone.

“… Now that the intruder is gone, you can turn off the battle mode.”

[Combat mode off.]

“… Okay, then. As much as there is left, I have to finish what I have to do.”

Maybe – the next time we meet again, my will really be gone.

At that time, I could only pray that she would be able to show that resolve once again.