318 – Shadows of the Old Ziggurat

The tightly bound ‘Hypnotic Detective’ twisted and writhed, trying to break free, but the chains formed from his unique ability were unmoved by his struggles.

The brat, with a chilling glint in his eyes that didn’t match his age, yelled,

“Just die, you goddamn b*stard!”

“You probably meant to say ‘Just kill me’ right?”

“No, I said it right. You’re the one who should die, why should I?!”

“That’s… actually a pretty good point… but considering you’ve had all your artifacts and stashed magic stones taken, and you’re all bound up, isn’t that a little harsh?”

*Arrr-rrr-rrr*.

He was showing his true colors; the ferocity was practically beagle-like. It was a wonder he’d managed to suppress his emotions and deceive us for so long. Maybe he’d been using self-hypnosis.

Further misunderstanding is not an option. Let’s try to work through this bit by bit.

“First, there’s someone I’d like you to meet. This beautiful lady over here.”

“Um, um… Ah, hello. I’m, uh, from the Violet Mag-“

“Hah! No matter how pretty you look on the outside, if your heart’s rotten you ain’t beautiful. If you’re working with him you’re clearly a vile witch. And you’re short! You can’t call yourself a woman if you’re not over 170!”

“………!!”

Yuna, who had been about to introduce herself, was hit with a barrage of personal attacks.

*Thump*.

Yuna staggered slightly, then, with the look of a thunderstruck squirrel, looked up at me. She seemed to be asking if I really didn’t think she was a woman. I sent her a look filled with endless affection, to give her strength.

Even if she’s a little petite, there’s no one like our Yuna anywhere. I love her.

“I’m not small! I’m not small! I’m a woman too…!!”

Yuna, emboldened by this, glared at the brat and protested.

“That shrimp’s voice is too low, I can’t hear it.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯!!”

Unable to stand the shrimp’s voice coming from the shrimp himself, Yuna’s cheeks puffed up with rage. She took an advancing step, ready to unleash a Yuna Punch.

I lifted Yuna up from behind, stopping her. The Yuna Punch was a pseudo-head-pat, only I was allowed to receive. No matter how young he was, I couldn’t allow a strange man to receive it.

“Whoa, whoa.”

“Let me go, let me go⋯⋯! I have to teach that little guy what the scary side of adults is⋯⋯!”

“It’s okay, Yuri will show him the scary side of adults.”

“Isn’t that kind of subtly saying I’m small?!”

Wasn’t it the truth?

Agent Yuri Lanster stepped up as the second negotiator. She flicked her glasses up with a glint, and started to radiate an aura of high-pressure. She’d been on the front lines of the annihilation squad for a long time, so there was an undeniable aura around her.

A rigidness that made you feel like, given the chance, she might actually snap someone’s neck.

The little guy who had been so loud with the chick-like Yuna, seemed to hesitate for a moment in front of Yuri. Then he started spewing venomous words as if fighting for his life.

“Boob monster! You probably weigh a ton too!”

“Your ignorance is evident from that statement. There will soon come a day when you’ll learn about the curves of the female form and human reproduction, and when that day arrives, you’ll regret those words you’ve uttered.”

Yeah, like the clueless brat he was.

When it seemed like his attacks weren’t working, 『Hypno-Detective』 rolled his eyes.

“Auntie!”

“There’s an error in that term. I am-“

“Auntie, auntie, auntie!”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

Veins throbbed in the neck of the lone wolf, Yuri Lanster. I stared at her, dumbfounded. I’d never seen her this ruffled.

Yuna and I are around the same age, though I’d guess Yuri was slightly older than us. But it didn’t really bother me.

Personally, I don’t think age is all that important in relationships, and I thought Yuri felt the same. But this reaction is strange.

Age… was she, maybe, secretly hung up on it?

“Ahjum-“

“Shut it.”

*Charrrr-* The chain tightened, choking the kid.

“G-gah, keuh…!”

“Woah, woah! Yuri, you’ll kill him!”

“There are beings that are closer to animals than people. For them, establishing a hierarchy through violence is the most effective, Mima. But, perhaps… do I look old to you…?”

“You could waltz right into the academy in your uniform. What does a kid know? He’s probably just upset and scared about being captured by an enemy, so he’s just spitting out whatever. Chill out.”

I patted Yuri and pulled her away. To think both heroines would get worked up this fast. A child’s innocent insults are truly powerful.

“Y-yeah, you’re in your prime, unni! Totally!”

“If you’re trying to pick a fight, Selvier, I’ll gladly oblige. Bed or the ring, choose one.”

Selvier jumped in and only fanned the flames. A fire mage to the core, her ability to set things ablaze is truly top-notch.

Judging by her expression, Selvier didn’t seem like she was going to participate in the “Hypno-Detective” capture operation. Well, she *is* probably the most hot-headed of us all.

If she were to hear an insult like, ‘you look like you’re going to fail at your unrequited love’ or something like that, she’d probably blast the kid with a fireball on the spot. So, it seemed like she was holding back on her own.

Looks like I’m the only one who can keep things in order.

“Look here, young man. Behave yourself. I called this meeting to clear things up, so this behavior isn’t going to move things forward.”

“’The Goat’…sneaking into the academy and harassing students. You’re old and useless to society, not even living up to your age, and the way you’re talking like that sounds fake and childish!”

Whoa, whoa.

I tried to calm the situation, hands out, palms open. 『Hypno-Detective』 was like a wild, wary pup right now. Barking because it was too scared and frightened.

So, I had to get through to it that it was okay, that we weren’t its enemies, that this was a safe place. I gave a gentle smile.

“Just calm down and listen to me, okay? Just five minutes, and you’ll understand everything. I understand that you feel like you’re about to die, so you might as well swear, but….”

And then the brat hit my raw nerve.

“—It’s obvious you’re still so weird and immature with your hobbies, even at your age!”

“…What do *you* know, you little shit! TRPGs are theoretically the most perfect hobby activity, they’ve influenced so many famous works, they build social skills and reading comprehension, and all these benefits are even mentioned in ancient historical texts—”

“Alright, grab him! Yuri, grab him!”

“Mima, get a grip! He’s just a child!”

“Professor! You went to fix things and *you* got hurt, what’s the deal!”

I was dragged, kicking and screaming, by Yuna, Yuri, and Selvier.

–

Defeat.

Three grown, miserable adults and one more, all scratched up by the yap of a twerp who hasn’t even hit puberty, were slumped at the table, heads down.

Aisha came over and, seeing us like this, asked,

“Daddy, what are you doing? Why are those three like that too? Is ‘it’ finally about to escape? Are you going to die soon?”

“…We were stewing in our defeat.”

I briefly explained the whole situation. Aisha burst out laughing at the story of our defeat at the hands of the brat’s pure, unadulterated insult, then she rolled up her sleeves and volunteered. She’d clear up the misunderstanding herself.

“Humans get caught up in the most annoying things. Age, body type, it’s all just an illusion, something you can change. So… if we just clear up the misunderstanding, and make him listen, right?”

“Don’t do anything drastic.”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s just about not doing things like pulling out fingernails, right? I don’t know why we have to make things so complicated, but they say respect comes from fear, since way back.”

*Crack.* *Riiiip.*

“Just need to give ’em a little scare, right?”

“You’re even using kids as underlings…『The Goat』!”

“Well, you called me 『Hypno-Detective』, didn’t you? It’s not good to judge by appearances. Inside a beautiful flower, something far more gruesome can be hidden, you know──”

Aisha’s appearance shifted. In an instant, the genre turned into a horror movie.

Her pupils split, her tongue shot out, her head split vertically, and from the inside, hideous teeth and protrusions──

“Aish, hey!”

I hurriedly got up and smacked Aisha on the back of the head. She turned back in her horror creature form, pouting.

“Ah, why!”

“Right now, they already misunderstand me as a bad guy, but if you show something like that, even if you look at it backwards, you’d look like a black magic sorcerer, you idiot!”

“Isn’t it important to clear up misunderstandings? Then, all we have to do is prove that my d-ad isn’t 『The Goat』. Look, 『Hypno-Detective』. This person is much greater and more powerful than that stupid goat, or whatever it is.”

“Is that… right…?”

Even though it didn’t seem right at all, I tilted my head, and then the 『Hypno-Detective』 kid, whose face had turned pale at the shocking facial gymnastics of the girl who looked to be about my age, mumbled, searching through his memories.

“…Page 32, third line, 『The Goat』 has a tendency to obsess over illusion magic. He doesn’t dabble in other magic. That belief is almost like a religion. It’s a distinguishing marker.”

“Hmm…?”

“He wouldn’t have tampered with human modification. I get it, you are… a terrible black magic sorcerer, but you’re not 『The Goat』. But nothing changes, you disgusting b*stard. How could you turn a person into such a monster…!!”

Wow, the misunderstanding is cleared!

“How was it? I did good, right, Dad?”

Aisha grinned slyly. A terribly thick playfulness sparkled in her eyes. No matter how you looked at it, it was on purpose. She’d pulled a prank at this timing.

“…Look, you screwed it up, you little shit.”

“I didn’t lie? I cleared up the misunderstanding, and I knocked down their high horse a bit, too.”

“Get back here, you!”

“Neener neener.”

I, for the first time in a while, chased after Aisha, enveloped in a 100x enhanced sense magic.

Adding a bit of playful banter, too— all to try and lift Yuna’s strangely downcast expression, which she’d been wearing throughout all the teasing.

–

But actually, what if it wasn’t body modification but illusion magic? This possibility sent 『Hypno-Detective』 into suspicion mode again. Aisha had just stirred up trouble, after all.

Afterwards… after a long, drawn-out period of persuasion and conversation, we managed to lower his suspicion level to around ‘the mad mage might not be the same person as 『The Goat』’.

Also, Yuna’s identity as the Violet Magetower Lord was confirmed. Apparently, there was information left in the archives, only accessible to the Magetower Lord, that served as a keyword.

『Hypno-Detective』 widened his eyes.

“…The Violet Magetower Lord, who was rumored to have purged all the corrupted ones in the tower, was… this kid?”

Yuna had a brief flare of emotion, but then she calmed herself and persuaded the little guy.

“Mm-hm. So, please believe me. I don’t know who 『The Goat』 is, but… if 『The Goat』 is a bad… person, like you said, then I would have definitely erased them. That day, I didn’t leave a single person connected to it behind.”

A chilling conviction settles in the air. That declaration, while also a vow, sounded like a desperate plea. Yuna wants to believe that she erased all of the past nightmares.

If she is so sure, I believe it too. Also, Yuna’s 『Subtraction』 is a perfect counter to all illusionists. If she erased it, then it’s gone.

But 『Hypno-Detective』 firmly shook his head.

“No. 『The Goat』 is definitely still alive.”

“──I erased everything. I said, I clearly erased it. Are you lying now?”

*Click-clack.*

The space whimpered, frail, just from the intensity of her emotion. The kid, maybe sensing the power in that fury, shrunk, hunching into himself. But there was no going back on his words.

“…b-but, he’s alive. There’s proof. In my bag…”

“Yuna. Let’s hear him out a bit, okay?”

I pulled Yuna into a hug from behind, her mere presence radiating a chilling pressure. I could feel her heart beating, slow and deliberate.

The ‘Hypno-Detective’ spoke, beads of cold sweat trickling down his face.

“There’s a way to identify ‘The Goat.’ A way to prove he’s alive. They’re the same. If you’re really innocent, give me back everything you took from me. Then I’ll believe you a little more.”

“What a royal pain. Here, you jerk.”

“…I’ll apologize if it turns out I was wrong. Not now, though.”

“Oh yeah? Go ahead and see if you can.”

After returning the items confiscated from the ‘Hypno-Detective’, the boy immediately grabbed a thick book. Judging by his attitude, it was clearly something precious to him.

And then, second, he picked up… two pieces of parchment. A quick glance revealed them to be tightly packed and meticulously crafted scrolls.

“These are location-finding scrolls. If you activate them… a beam of light will fly for ten seconds towards the direction of ‘The Goat’.”

“They’re packed with bits of information, huh. I get the principle. Maximized the property of returning to the original?”

“How did you know…?”

“If ‘The Goat’ is dead, they won’t fly anywhere and just vanish. If he’s alive, they’ll work. Okay, activate them.”

“…I can’t.”

Ah.

Right, this kid didn’t have any mana in him.

You could use magic stones to supply the mana, but these scrolls are incredibly complex. They required the skilled mana control of a trained mage. The only ones who could probably use them here would be me or Aisha.

“No wonder you were going around blindly suspecting people. It’s ’cause you can’t use ’em.”

“… The results aren’t out yet, so you’re still a suspect! Keep that in mind!”

“You’d better get ready to apologize, 『Hypno-Detective』. Or I’ll tear you apart?”

I ripped a scroll and activated it.

*Whoosh-!*

Then, an arrow made of light shot through the air, piercing the wall and disappearing. I quickly pulled up a mental map and reviewed the trajectory. That direction led towards the Violet Magic Tower.

Of course, there were many areas and buildings along the path. I couldn’t say for sure that it was the tower.

But somehow, I had the feeling that if the light’s duration had been infinite, it would have reached the Violet Magic Tower in the end.

“…So, it really wasn’t you.”

『Hypno-Detective』 was relieved. Since that light arrow hadn’t been directed at me, it was clear that the insane magician wasn’t 『The Goat』.

Conversely, I tightened my grip on tension. I had long suspected there was a traitor in the Violet Magic Tower. But I hadn’t thought it would be a member of the old tower, someone I thought Yuna had killed.

If this kid’s words were true, then that 『Goat』 or whatever had somehow survived 『Subtraction』. I needed to increase their danger level by at least three levels.

I asked the kid, who was letting out a sigh of relief.

“So, who the hell is that b*stard? What does he do?”

*Shuffling.*

『Hypno-Detective』 flipped through a book. Its pages were filled with dense information: how to deduce criminals, manners for detectives, the principles and advanced techniques of hypnosis magic, and a chart of appropriate fees.

And on one page, information for grudges and revenge was scribbled in rough handwriting.

“Page 31, he resembles a clown. He’s a staunch determinist and sometimes acts as if he worships fate itself. He’s an excellent talker and skilled at exploiting human desires. He appears kind and affable at first glance, but has no sympathy for the suffering of others. Mercifully, the gods have bestowed upon him natural talent.”

“…………”

“Saying his name aloud carries magical risks, so I’ve decided to call him 『The Goat』. You shouldn’t say his name either, my disciple. I will write his real name in the following paragraph, read it but do not pronounce it out loud. His name is──”

“Steward Painkeeper.”

The name didn’t come from “Hypnotic Detective,” but from Yuna.

*Creak.*

Space twisted, the dining table bolted off on all fours like a foal, the ceiling laughed, and the sofa folded in on itself four times, slumped over. All sorts of illusions swirled around Yuna.

Afterimages flashed. As her emotions destabilized, her memories were projected onto the outside world.

A prison, and young Yuna trapped inside it.

A man smiling behind the bars. His lips moved, forming words. No sound came, but the text could be read through lip-reading.

“Your friends all writhed in agony and died. The project is complete, and now you’re the last one. Think of what you’ll say to your friends in hell beforehand, Yuna Yurensto.”

So, that’s it.

I vaguely knew that Yuna had gone through something terrible in the past. I didn’t know what it was. She wouldn’t tell me, saying ‘it’s all over now.’

But…it seemed like the person who left an indelible scar on Yuna was still clinging to life somewhere in the world.

Maybe closer than I thought.