Chapter 233 – [Wizard] After That
*The symbol magic of the last episode has been changed to the engraving magic.*
Everything is back
The distorted world returns to its original state.
What was abnormal became normal.
And… Even our emotions.
“… Let’s go down.”
We were finally able to come down long after the dirty man had left.
The world has definitely become better, but we went down the castle in an atmosphere as if a funeral had been held.
“Everyone…”
Hearing his voice, I saw Yuni startled and tremble.
Perhaps not only her, but also me.
What face should I look at him with?
It was heartbreaking to know that even though he was a member of the warrior’s party, instead of helping him, he only hindered him until the end.
I was so sorry that I betrayed him even though I once loved him.
Yes, this is all because of the bridle…
Thoughts like that keep popping up, but in the end, the conclusion doesn’t change.
Would that be an indulgence?
No matter how much my doctor was manipulated by something he couldn’t resist… Anyway, it doesn’t change that I did bad things to him.
The words I said in the past passed quickly through my mind.
I’m crazy, really… !
What the hell was I thinking when I said that?
“It was hard. Let’s go back now.”
He didn’t even get mad at us once.
Yes, more than anything else, that fact was the most pitiful.
***
Jeren requested detention by contacting Rudniel Magic Tower.
As expected, I couldn’t tell the truth, so I was a little evasive, but it’s okay to insist on that much.
Because we’re a hero party.
… It’s a warrior party.
Actually we didn’t do anything.
“Seria?”
“Ah, uh, yes… !”
Eric looked at me worriedly.
“I am really fine.”
“… Sorry.”
On the way back, I had a few conversations with Eric.
“What… Were you talking?”
It shouldn’t be like this.
His words don’t sound right.
Because I have other thoughts.
What I did to him,
I wonder if you are really angry with me.
Just because Eric had forgiven me, I felt so ugly that I looked into whether it really was.
“I was talking about what you’re going to do when you get back.”
“When I go back…”
… Why did I join this party?
It was to rise to a higher position in the Magic Tower.
It is good to achieve outstanding achievements in research, but it was good to have one strong achievement in order to go higher.
And the history of participating in the warrior’s party fit that condition perfectly.
As it was from the beginning, of course I planned to return to the Mage Tower.
But…
“… I don’t know.”
“Weren’t you going back to the Mage Tower?”
“Now… I really don’t know anything…”
I can never say that I played an active part in the hero’s party.
How dare you proudly present such a history?
Instead of helping the hero, I only grabbed his ankle.
Even if he made a mistake, he would stick to the devil’s side and become his eternal slave.
… Like Luella.
Eric did his best to comfort me, but unfortunately, that consolation only hurt me more.
I apologized to him several times, and he said he accepted everything, but… Even so, my heart was not at ease.
***
“You worked hard! Hey, maybe I can become an associate professor right away!”
“… Thank you.”
“Come to think of it, I heard that the thesis I wrote in the past is being re-examined…”
“It’s not that great…”
After returning to the capital, every day was painful.
A grand welcome ceremony was held, and people, people, people all praised me in the Mage Tower…
I was showered with all sorts of compliments, such as being an irreplaceable genius wizard and having made a contribution second only to Hero.
No, I… I didn’t do anything
She’s just an idiot-like woman who can’t overcome the pleasures of the flesh.
After returning to the capital, I returned to the Magic Tower, but I spent every day feeling lethargic.
Originally, I would have participated in various activities and accumulated results, aiming for this opportunity when my name was in full swing… I couldn’t possibly do that.
With what kind of face can I bring up the history of being from the hero party?
… Of course, like Arin and Uni, I’ll help Eric with whatever he’s doing.
That would have put my mind at ease a little bit.
I couldn’t even do this or that, I hesitated and eventually came to this point.
Arin and Uni… I’ve done bad things to them too.
Because I took the lead and cooperated in dropping them.
Yeah, I’m the worst bitch out of the three.
Now I can’t be shameless with them.
This depression and anger with nowhere to go eventually returned to him.
Jeren.
Detained underground, he will now live as a subject of the Mage Tower for 10 years.
This was my revenge and at the same time his last chance.
If you live for at least 10 years, you’ll be free after that.
I continued to have doubts about whether I had the right to punish him, but… Anyway, the Magic Tower had the authority to do so.
Blackmailing and attempting to rape a wizard is a serious sin.
Of course, it’s actually not at the level of an attempt…
No, let’s not think about it anymore.
I shook off the memories of the past that came to mind.
It’s not just the Magic Tower.
The church also had the right to punish those who offended their priests.
But if he had gone there he would have been executed right away.
The thought of him dying made me feel complicated.
Since he is the man who has tormented me so much, I think he should die, of course.
From the thought that it would be futile if I died too easily,
Even the self-blameful thoughts of blaming him for being good.
The life I spent as a slave to him is still clearly embedded in my head.
What I was thinking at that time, and what kind of mindset I lived with.
… Let’s forget
Have to forget everything
But in the end, every time I thought of him, I felt a tingling sensation, so I withheld judgment.
The punishment that the Magic Tower gave me instead was 10 years.
10 years.
In 10 years, he and I… Something could be different
At least I hope you have the courage to face it.
On the way up after notifying him of the situation, I saw the helpers of the Mage Tower busily moving.
“What are you doing?”
“Ah, wizard. That is… We are moving our luggage due to the reorganization of the laboratory.”
It’s a laboratory reorganization.
The time has already come for that.
Even though space was limited, Rudniel Magic Tower, where people were increasingly crowded, always lacked the number of laboratories.
Therefore, the laboratory is reorganized periodically, but usually a new position is prepared by depriving the professor position or organizing the laboratory of an unknown person.
What they are holding must also be the research materials of a former professor.
Since the culprit is invisible, is he an unknown person?
I wonder if it was an accident, I’m a little sad.
He would have been a great person if he even had a lab…
“Oops.”
At that moment, a book fell from an assistant’s luggage.
“I’ll pick it up.”
“Thank you, Wizard.”
I had no idea.
I just thought I’d pick it up because it fell on my side.
But the moment I picked up the book… Something inside me moved.
[Lue Astra]
“Is this Professor Lue’s luggage?”
“Yes, that’s right. His recent whereabouts are unknown…”
… Unknown.
I guess so.
“Did you know someone? I’ve already archived all the necessary materials, so you can take the rest…”
At his words, I opened the book slightly.
In fact, rather than a book, it’s more like a bunch of papers bound together.
On the first page that I unfolded like that, there was a very familiar pattern on it.
“Wizard?”
“… Is it okay if I take it?”
“Hmm… The remaining ones are personal, so we plan to dispose of them anyway. Well, if you are an acquaintance, it would be okay to bring one.”
This is her research record.
It also has a lot to do with me.
“Then… I will take care of this.”
“Yes, do it.”
I took it and returned to my room.
Louella… Come to think of it, even when we first met, I was familiar with imprinting magic.
He must have studied imprinting magic quite a lot.
It’s not a very popular discipline, but there are virtually no researchers now…
Why did she study imprinting magic in the first place?
There is only one reason.
Bridle.
And a rose pattern.
In her slim notebook, there were pictures and some explanations about it.
To those who didn’t know, it would have looked like graffiti without much meaning.
The contents written are absurd, and they have nothing to do with actual magic.
Maybe that’s why I didn’t think of it as research material.
In fact, it seemed closer to writing down thoughts rather than research materials.
I see
She’s been researching this.
Come to think of it, Luella was once a human mage like me.
At some point, the pattern must have been engraved on her body, and if she was a wizard, she would naturally have doubts about it.
And that suspicion did not change even after becoming a demon.
This is part of the material she studied throughout her life.
Throbbing.
For some reason, her heart skipped a beat.
Naturally, she put my hand on her shoulder.
Glyph now erased.
This is… What was it?
She said that the demon king of the past made it.
Which demon king?
Who the hell made this?
In the final moments of the decisive battle, we definitely saw it.
Countless vines and roses wrapped around the bridle.
How?
I’ve been looking at my research for the past few days.
I write with the thought that I have to do something without any particular purpose or reason.
They have no nutritional value whatsoever.
And now this.
A study that makes my heart race.
After looking at the two for a while, I hardened my heart.
It was the moment when the direction of future research was decided.
***
I reviewed Luella’s research step by step.
Looking at what and from which direction she approached, she analyzed her research.
Of course, the Mage’s Tower didn’t like me because I didn’t get any results, but I continued digging into it.
After spending half a year like that, I felt like I knew something.
After that, she continued her research alone.
I approached it from a different direction and started digging into related fields little by little by recalling the memory of the time when there was a pattern.
Hypnosis magic, sex magic, etc. I touched on all the fields that seemed to be related to anything.
As a result, strange rumors began to circulate around the Magic Tower.
Rumor has it that there is an eccentric wizard who is engrossed in imprint magic.
Before I knew it, I was being called more by the nickname of the eccentric wizard than the nickname of the hero party colleague.
As the research progressed, little by little results came out.
Based on them, I expanded my research.
Then I even hit a wall.
Wall.
Surely Louella must have faced a wall like this.
How did she get over it?
None of us knew the answer.
“… Do we have to accept monsters into our mage tower? That’s an absurd claim.”
“The church says they will release a statement soon, but it seems the world is about to change.”
The chatter of wizards he heard passing by became a hint.
Yes, isn’t there someone who should know more about Luella?
The monster that was under her.
No, demons.
“Are you the one who insists on accepting monsters?”
“Omg… Geek, geek… Oops, excuse me! Yes, Ma, that’s right!”
The opponent was a sorceress a little younger than me.
She is a wizard from the territory of the demon tribe, and it is said that she learned magic from the demon tribe who lived in the same village.
“Well, they must have known magic… Although not systematic, he was using high-level magic. Perhaps one of them had a good teacher…”
“… Let’s do it together.”
“Yes?”
“I want to do it too.”
I held her hand with her.
Arin must be working hard to harmonize with the demons in the church.
I heard that Uni also does what she can in her hometown.
Then me too… I have to do what I can where I am.
Didn’t we promise when we parted?
To grant his wish.
His pure wish for all of us to be well.
This is atonement
It’s just a means to alleviate the guilt in my heart.
But… At the same time, it was also for me.
In order to know the secret of patterns and bridle.
Louella… To continue Professor Lue’s research further.
And Eric, to help you.
We constantly demanded that the Mage Tower accept the demon mages.
After a few more years like that, a lot has changed.
***
“Ah, Miss Seria! I enjoyed the afternoon lecture. I have something I want to talk to you about, is that okay?”
I looked at the other person while slightly adjusting the glasses that I had been wearing for some time.
Hmm… I don’t think he was a student or researcher.
“Ah, I belong to the administration department.”
“Management?”
I instructed my assistant, who had started learning magic under me, to go upstairs and chatted with him for a while.
“I came because I have something to tell you.”
“What are you looking at?”
Was there anything special?
The regular evaluation is over, and it’s not time to reorganize the institute…
“It is a story about the end of the punishment of the subject.”
“… Okay.”
Yeah, come to think of it, this is the 10th year.
It’s over.
The 10-year sentence given to him is coming to an end.
“I’m going to go through the withdrawal process soon. Do you have any plans to participate? If not, between us…”
“Please let me talk to you for a moment.”
“Yes?”
10 years.
I’ve run into him a few times in the meantime, but he hasn’t had a deep conversation.
I didn’t even feel that way easily.
10 years.
Jeren, how did you spend those 10 years?
“Hmm… All right.”
I decided to face the past again like that.
Because now, I was confident that I would be able to face all of them with confidence.
After another few days like that, I finally had a conversation with him after 10 years.
“Congratulations. It’s been 10 years since today.”
Seeing him after 10 years, of course, he was a little older.
Me too, he too.
Both got older
It’s time to adapt to the world to some extent.
His eyes were calm.
The eyes that were shining with his desire disappeared, and instead, calm and quiet eyes took their place.
“How do you feel?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Yeah, I’ve been through a lot.”
It did change.
You or me
To be honest, I thought I would be angry if I saw it again.
At that time, I wondered why I did that, I wondered if I would forget my face and grab the skin right away…
I wasn’t that angry anymore.
Did time fade my feelings and memories, or was it because I still felt that I had no right to blame him.
Originally, after a few words of conversation and an apology, I was going to let him out.
I wasn’t proud to want more than that, and something inside me didn’t accept it.
But…
“What are you going to do now?”
“… Well.”
I suddenly asked him that question.
What can he do outside?
The work of using the body has already been occupied by powerful demons, and human gamblers are disappearing one by one.
“… I know that?”
Maybe that’s why, I was suddenly handing him such a word.
“What do the subjects of the Mage Tower do the most after they finish?”
I hate him
He forcibly fed me aphrodisiac, caught my weakness and threatened me, and even after becoming his side, he never treated me on an equal footing.
But at the same time, I hate myself.
He hated me for falling for such a stupid threat, and hated my heart for wanting to stay by his side even while receiving such treatment.
Between me and his hatred, I was struggling.
What am I supposed to do with him
Should I be angry, angry?
Or should I forgive him for forgetting everything?
Bridle, destiny, goddess.
There are many excuses that can be given.
If it was all because of bondage that I hurt Eric, then it is also because of bondage that he brought me into submission.
But I made a promise.
I won’t blame everything I’ve done on bridles.
I will regard it as my full responsibility, and I will not run away from it.
So you too… Please don’t run away
“I will continue to stay in the Magic Tower.”
Did I bring him here thinking from the beginning?
Well, it’s so old that I can’t remember.
“… I will stay here.”
He chose to stay.
Assistant to my disciples.
The role of helping those who remain in the Mage Tower and walk the path of magic behind the scenes.
There may be an effect of threats other than my threats, but he will continue to help others anyway.
“Okay, then please take good care of me in the future.”
I’ll have to think a little bit more about how to treat him.
There will be plenty of time in the future, and there are a lot of other things to think about right now.
After sending him off, I lost myself in thought as I fiddled with the recently arrived letter.
A letter from Eric saying he wants to see everyone’s faces after a long time.
I am… What kind of face can I see Eric?
If there’s one thing that’s for sure, it’s that I won’t hesitate any longer.
That much was certain.
