Chapter: 96
The door invites curiosity. What could possibly lie behind it? This is a natural phenomenon.
Whether one opens the door normally, kicks it down, or breaks it apart, there will definitely be something on the other side. It could be treasure, ninjas, or even enormous tentacles—anything at all. It’s like Schrödinger’s box.
My illusion magic can draw upon the belief of others as a power source, allowing me to grant a certain degree of physical force.
『Step Through the Door(踏門昇界)』 takes that characteristic to the extreme.
The first victim is fabricated. Someone impulsive rushed to open the door, only to be promptly devoured by a grotesque monster that reached out from within. From start to finish, it was nothing but an illusion.
However, those from Fish Electronics who witnessed this will now think that the other side of the door is a terrifying trap.
If they dare to open the door themselves, won’t a monster leap out at them, too?
The belief that there must be something on the other side of the door is what allows 『Step Through the Door(踏門昇界)』 to function as a maze.
It stirs unease.
“Ah, a tentacle’s got me, it’s got me!”
“I just felt something brush my ankle…!”
The physical power that my still-maturing magic can manifest is only this much. However, as anxiety spreads and the belief in that ‘something’ on the other side of the door grows stronger…
“Ugh, I’m being pulled! I’m being dragged…!”
“AAAHHHH!!”
The weaker ones can quite literally be devoured.
At this point, a few minds that can still think clearly will cry out.
“Don’t open the door! For goodness’ sake… don’t open it!”
“Just don’t open it! Keep it shut!”
Then, once again, I release the poison. I show someone under the effects of 『Step Through the Door(踏門昇界)』 escaping through a doorway.
“Ha, ha ha! Here! This is the exit…!!”
BANG! And then the door shuts. It erases the used exit. The door vanishes like a mirage.
“This is another exit! Hurry…!”
“I’m free!”
BANG! BANG! The doors continue to close and disappear one after the other.
One by one, I release the minnows. Now, those trapped in the maze begin to understand the rules. Among these many doors, some are exits, and that number is at this very moment dwindling…
Panic spreads. As hope and belief in the exits grow stronger, so too do the physical force and restraints of 『Step Through the Door(踏門昇界)』.
“Get away! I’ll open this door… AAHHH!!”
“This has to be an exit! It says so right here!”
As the number of trapped people decreases and urgency mounts, the confusion only serves to tighten the grip. Slowly, they are consumed. And when a moment of respite arises…
“Block! We must calmly defend while searching for the exit…!”
“It won’t last forever…”
“Help me…”
“…”
Now, there’s no one left standing.
===============================================================
Pink-Balrez yanked the collar of a balding middle-aged man among the sprawled bodies. Given the armed state or his earlier attitude, she seemed to suspect he was the leader.
“I’ll be taking this one for interrogation.”
“…………”
“What’s with that look, Tower Master?”
“Ah, no. It’s nothing…”
Pink-Balrez let out a shallow sigh, and then spoke to the Tower Master as if giving a gentle admonition.
“I understand that when you say interrogation with a succubus in mind, you can conjure up certain images, but it’s very discriminative and rude. Tower Master. Pervert.”
ZAP!
The Tower Master froze, charred as if struck by lightning.
I quietly embraced the Tower Master, giving her a light pat. It’s not like people can’t have a lewd thought sometimes. As long as it doesn’t veer too far into the bizarre, it’s all good.
“It’s alright, Tower Master. I can love you even if you are a pervert.”
“…You’re the worst, you!”
Yuna delivered a relentless series of thirty-two punches to my body.
As I was wobbling, I scrutinized the statue placed in the center of the plaza. I couldn’t discern the religious significance or identify who the statue depicted, but I definitely came to know that this statue was a medium for 『Big Brother.』
I reached out and rubbed the surface of the statue. As I lightly infused it with magic, intricate patterns that were either barely visible or not started to flicker into light.
The Tower Master kept her eyes fixed on the patterns and abruptly turned her head to cover my eyes.
“…Isn’t this a hypnosis pattern? Like Melburton’s sugar coating.”
“I think that’s indeed where the inspiration came from.”
This statue was close to being an artifact that naturally ensnares anyone looking at the patterns into 『Big Brother.』
An extraordinarily exquisite piece. Truly, the world is vast, and there are many geniuses, huh? Though the intentions behind it are wicked and sinister, I could applaud the craftsmanship of that magical tool.
Then…
It would be reasonable to assume that all the alley-dwellers gathered here have fallen prey to 『Big Brother.』 Since they reportedly had regular prayer sessions.
At this point, it has been confirmed that two types of magic currently studied in the Purple Tower have been mixed.
It truly means there’s either a leak or a traitor among us.
“We’ll have to investigate the statue…”
“Isn’t this rather difficult for you?”
“Yeah, since it’s not my specialty.”
I had been so occupied with my own research that I didn’t bother intruding on others’ work, so I lacked expertise regarding body manipulation or geass. I might know quite a bit about inducing accidents from what I had played in TRPGs, but…
If I were to start self-studying from scratch and dissect it piece by piece, time would surely be an issue.
It’s also a concern that my hobby time will be reduced, but after that much time has passed… the person who created this would have long fled, wouldn’t they?
Now that we’ve dug this deep, it’s a race against time.
It’s a battle of how much of the trail we can catch before the creator of 『Big Brother』 realizes the abnormal situation and cleans up their traces.
“……”
Wait a minute.
“Tower Master.”
“…Uh, yeah?”
“What would you do in this situation, Tower Master? Hypnosis and brainwashing are automatically activated by this statue, and we have no means to track it. Meanwhile, the Tower members are under suspicion right now.”
“…I, I don’t do research or that sort of thing. Ummm… I think I would look for the wizards from the Purple Tower in Crownhall. I would have interrogated the collapsed individuals or inquired about it, since they must have been here at least once when placing the statue…”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
And when they do inquire, I believe… numerous testimonies regarding the scar-faced senior will emerge.
It’s not that he’s a criminal, but he’s a social butterfly who exceeds a fifty percent outing rate at the pub, after all.
But we would have taken that fact suspiciously. If someone has shown their face dozens of times at the crime scene, it’s only natural to raise concerns, right?
An unpleasant sensation continues to prick at the back of my mind. It started off with… the boy who tried to pickpocket me, as if he had been led along by something. And then the series of events that followed.
The activation of 『Big Brother』 when I grilled the boy, and the similarities I felt from the scar-faced senior appearing from all directions. This… sequence.
It feels like someone’s trap, and it’s quite unpleasant.
I don’t know who the culprit is, but circumstantially, they definitely seem to know a lot about the Purple Tower. That means they would also obviously know about me and Tower Master Yuna.
That I’m such a genius that I can grasp magic just by sitting in a place.
That if Yuna catches me, I’d be in deep trouble.
Let’s assume the scar-faced senior is the criminal. Is it feasible for him to plot such a scheme while completely disregarding our chances of visiting Crownhall? It’s risky since, if caught, he could be in serious trouble.
Also, if he’s plotting, he wouldn’t use his own signature style. Even if he were to roll towards those and try to attain the scar-faced senior’s magic, is there even a chance he could carry it off? If caught, it’d mean surely facing dire consequences.
And finally, why would he need the hypnotized boy to rush at me with a headbutt? If caught, the backlash would be catastrophic.
I cautiously voiced my speculation.
“I think it might be a trap.”
“…W-what kind of trap? Right now?”
“No matter how I think about it, I can’t make sense of it. It’s too blatant, like shouting ‘I’m the scar-faced senior’…”
“W-What do you mean? You think he’s trying to frame me?!”
The Tower Master clapped in glee, a bright smile lighting up her previously gloomy demeanor. It seemed that suspecting someone from her living environment had been an enormous source of stress for her.
Though it is merely speculation, I felt that if the scar-faced senior didn’t want to die, he wouldn’t pull something off so recklessly.
As we awaited with bated breath, Pink-Balrez emerged from within, pulling along a blood-smeared middle-aged man. With a regretful expression, Pink-Balrez stated.
“…The one who set up the statue is confirmed to be ‘Puppet’ Lorei. I conducted three rounds of repeat interrogations, but the same eyewitness testimony keeps coming up.”
“…Woohoo!!”
“…?”
The Tower Master cheered joyfully. Since scar-faced senior wouldn’t be foolish enough to pull this stunt without disguise, it seems she had solidified her trust in the idea that he was attempting to frame someone.
Pink-Balrez quietly leaned over to me, her expression tense.
“Could it be that, the Tower Master and Lorei weren’t on good terms…?”
“They were good. But hold on, listen Pink-Balrez. This is just a guess…”
Isn’t this information a bit too on-the-nose? I also explained to Pink-Balrez that this could be a plot to frame someone. She nodded in acknowledgment.
However, she added with an ‘but’ that required caution.
“Still, the most likely suspect remains ‘Puppet’ Lorei. You’re aware of that, right?”
“Of course. That’s why I’m trying to figure out if he’s innocent.”
“Is there a way to find out?”
Of course, there is. Isn’t there a very straightforward way to prove his innocence?
“Simply ask him.”
“?”
I decided to contact him directly. After all, a defense should be made by the one involved.
Pink-Balrez asked what if the scar-faced senior is indeed the culprit and fled, but I declared that the Tower Master would take full responsibility and execute him instead, which made her step aside.
The calm before the storm.
It’s possible that scar-faced senior is a lax criminal. This could easily turn into a situation where I’m blatantly telling the criminal to escape. It’s a risky act that could stir suspicion within the Empire suggesting, “Hey, aren’t you all in cahoots with that guy?”
However, both the Tower Master and I… we wanted to believe in him.
I borrowed the emergency communication crystal and the magical power needed for communication from Yuna. Then, forcefully connected the call. The static crackled until the scar-faced senior’s voice could be heard.
-So, this is sister’s body… feels strange.
-That’s right, Loren. Move around a bit. You’ll get used to it and become comfortable to use it.
-My heart’s racing. Sister, are you in pain?
-No, I’m just happy. It’s only been three hours, but soon, we’ll be able to travel together.
The conversation continued, but the voice I heard was alone. It appeared that the younger brother had taken over the body of the scar-faced senior. Clears throat. I spoke matter-of-factly.
“Um, excuse me, senior?”
-…Huh? Junior? Why are you there?
Even someone who got caught watching adult videos wouldn’t be able to express a ‘what are you doing there’ with such intensity. I spoke on calmly as possible.
“I’m here to inform you that you are suspected of collusion with an unseemly organization. If you don’t clear things up now, the Tower Master will zap you with lasers.”
-What the heck… where should I go, junior? No, Loren. It’s fine. No need to worry. My sister didn’t collude with anyone…
THUD!
The frantic sound of hasty clothing changes, rolling noises, and the senior reassuring his younger brother reverberated through. I silently spoke into the crystal.
“We’ve booked a room at the ‘Seagull Inn’ in Crownhall…”
-Yes, please tell him to wait just a day longer.
Click. The call disconnected.
“He’ll be here soon. Let’s collect the statue and take it to the inn, and then I guess we can take a break.”
“…Those siblings seem quite close.”
At Pink-Balrez’s uneasy remark, the Tower Master swiftly shielded her.
“Y-Yeah! Lorei is quite sweet. He cares for his younger brother so much! He’s not the type to leak research or engage in wrongdoing…!”
“I don’t think that ‘close’ necessarily means a compliment.”
As Pink-Balrez erased 『Big Brother』 from the heads of those sprawled on the ground, she called over the guards to take the prisoners away to jail.
Thus, the first day of our visit to Crownhall came to a close.
===============================================================
Throughout the night, as the scar-faced senior darted between the warp gate and carriage, he looked haggard and with weary eyes stared at the statue, nodding.
“This is indeed my magic.”
“…Lo, Lorei!!”
“P-Please don’t shoot! Yes, this magic is mine, but I never did it…!!”
A grand explanation from the scar-faced senior began.
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