Disappointment flickered across the fake Geisha’s face. Then, as soon as he adjusted his grip on his sword, he immediately swung it.
Clangg! However, this time, it was stopped by Lacius. When Lacius realized he was targeting the innocent and pitiful painting wizards, he stepped in.
“No further killing is permitted.”
“Ha, what are you going to do?”
“I will subdue you.”
In response to Lacius’ calm reply, the fake Geisha snorted and assumed a fighting stance.
“Do you have any idea how many more of them there are? You’re endangering my Shay.”
“Shay was never yours. Shay will always be her own, never someone else’s.”
“Oh, whatever. She was mine, until you snatched her away.”
What a great thing to do in this situation!
I looked at the two growling people and shook my head. However, there was something in Geisha’s words that warranted some thought.
‘Yeah, it was too easy.’
What we have here right now is not real. It made more sense for the strong leaders to wait outside.
It was then. The woman, named 782, shouted at the top of her lungs.
“Summon the demon!”
“Summon what?”
“Summon the demon and cancel the ancient contract!”
Her voice ripped through the air as she screamed desperately, struggling as if that was the only thing she desired.
“Why are you just standing there like a fool? You’re the only one who can summon the demon without dying! Do it!”
A group of gargoyles begin to take shape.
Graa. Graaakk. The ugly creatures appeared, making strange noises and swinging their tails. Seeing that scene, I slapped the fake Geisha in the back of the head.
“Go catch those things!”
“What will I get in return for catching them for you?”
“Nothing! You’ll get nothing. Just catch them!”
My mind was rolling for the first time in a long time.
Scales, the demon, an ancient contract. If so, this is the temple where the progenitor of the painting wizards made a contract with the Demon of the Scales. History incarnate. That was it.
“Hey, you crazy bastards, don’t destroy anything!”
A gargoyle slapped a stone wall with its wings in an attempt to kill the fake Geisha. I screamed at the top of my lungs at the sight of it. How dare those amoral bastards destroy a historical site! I was the kind of person who would feel the destruction of historical sites almost as much as the injury to my own body.
“Was it 782? I’m sorry, but I have no intention of giving up this power. I will free you instead, so help me.”
“Ha, you really… have you forgotten that it is our clan’s long-cherished wish? How can you forget it just to make it easy for yourself?”
Venomous eyes stared at me. I quickly responded, motioning for Lacius to untie the ropes that bound the woman.
“I already forgot; what can I do?”
“Selfish, wicked bitch. It should have been me who got out, not you. If I did, I would have found paradise and summoned the demon faster than anyone else!”
“You don’t happen to think that’s a very proud and noble mission, do you?”
“Of course it’s a proud and noble task! Do you think sacrificing half your lifespan is easy? You were entrusted with a sacred mission for the sake of our clan’s greatest wish, yet you didn’t even know how to be grateful for that honour…!”
Ah, now I understand what’s going on.
I helped the woman sit up, leaning her against the altar.
“So, we were all captured by the Fata-Morgana, and because I have an exceptionally long lifespan, our clan secretly helped me escape to find paradise and break the ancient contract. All I need to do to summon the Demon is this temple of the Demon of the Scales and half of my lifespan.”
As I poured out words without taking a breath, number 782, who was panting in anger, grunted in disapproval.
“An altar, to be exact. You must shed your blood on the black altar in the temple of the Demon of the Scales and offer half of your lifespan. We memorized this even in our sleep!”
It was something they memorized even in their sleep, and yet I don’t know about it. It wasn’t written in the original. Ignoring her outburst, I asked another question. I heard something crashing into the pillars of the temple behind me, but I didn’t turn around.
“Why? The power of a painting wizard is powerful. Why couldn’t you fight back with that?”
The bird masks were weaker than I thought. Of course, the stronger guys haven’t appeared yet, but it’s way below expectations.
“… Because not everyone in the clan thinks the same way. You wouldn’t know since you’ve forgotten. Brainwashing is terrifying….”
The nameless woman laughed hysterically. Then she suddenly changed her expression and bellowed.
“Besides, we were bound like beasts! What could we do?”
“Is there some kind of magic on those chains?”
“Yes. From binding magic to mind control magic! You’re ‘special’ so you weren’t bound by them, but we, on the other hand, were treated like livestock. We were no better than dogs and pigs!”
I took off the dog collar from around the neck of number 782, who was screaming. Although she is not friendly to me, she is a valuable source of information. Then I glanced at the profile of the fake Geisha, who was tearing a gargoyle to pieces.
The expression on the faces of the painting wizards turned fearful, causing them to falter, and the remaining bird masks disappeared at some point. As I was trying to take advantage of this opportunity to break the chains binding the painting wizards’ wrists and ankles, I heard the sound of bells ringing from somewhere.
Jingle, jingle. The sound of a bell, like a shaman’s bell, gave me goosebumps, and a shiver ran down my spine. A feeling of discomfort rises, similar to the chill that comes from summoning a lot of paintings.
‘Oh, I’m dizzy.’
Then a sharp pain hit my head.
“Aaaghh!”
You can now sponsor a chapter by buying me a Kofi! 1 Kofi = 1 extra chapter
