novelraw Chapter 179 : Chapter 179
Chapter 179 : Chapter 179
Chapter : 179
"Alright, this is perfectly insane."
Beatrice, having finished her report, swept back her red hair.
A taboo, of all things, a taboo…!
"Should I just kill him?"
"Killing me will only be cutting your losses."
"I know, and that's what's so annoying!"
Beatrice, shouting with all her might, glared at Mordin for no reason.
I can't kill him… After restraining herself several times, she finally threw a small stone at Mordin.
A thwack! sound was heard, but Mordin didn't even show any sign of pain.
"Consider yourself lucky I'm letting you off this easy."
"I'm grateful."
"Ack! You're so annoying!!"
Beatrice tore at her hair and glanced at Evan.
"Why are you looking at me?"
How could she not?
In this situation where it was revealed that Iris Viden had really kidnapped the son who was the apple of her eye.
And on top of that, she couldn't even begin to imagine the feeling of having to leave the accomplice unharmed.
His expression might be indifferent, but how much must he be seething inside?
"My son will be safe."
"Ah, yes. That's right."
"If he isn't, then there's no reason for me to hold back."
Sigh. Beatrice really wanted to grab Iris by the collar and shake her.
She had known since their Academy days that Iris had a reckless personality, but did she really have to stir up someone who was just barely getting their life together?
She probably thought of herself as a friend, but Iris wouldn't give a damn about Beatrice.
Thinking about it made her feel a little hurt.
"So, you're not planning on hiding Iris Viden's hideout without saying a word, are you?"
"In return, I'd like you to spare my life."
At Mordin's words, Beatrice snorted lightly.
"You seem to be mistaken about something. Fake Master of Gold."
Iris, without hesitation, conjured a pure white, burning flame in the air.
At the intense heat felt even from a distance, Mordin momentarily swallowed a dry breath.
Indeed, it was said that Professor Beatrice Velfiaar of the Academy's mastery of fire magic surpassed even Evan Lisitoel's, and that assessment seemed to be accurate.
"You're in no position to be asking us to spare your life. The crime of daring to touch a Descendant of the Hero in the Imperial Palace is a grave offense that could lead to the extermination of not just yourself, but your entire clan."
"Unfortunately, my parents have been dead for a long time."
At Mordin's indifferent response, Beatrice was momentarily at a loss for words.
"So?"
"I'd like you to spare my life. I'm in a state where I'm more afraid of death than ever before."
At Mordin's shameless request, Beatrice's mind went completely blank, unsure of what to say.
He didn't care about his clan being exterminated, but he was afraid of his own death?
It was selfish, but also so far from the fake Master of Gold that Iris knew, that she was deeply flustered.
She had judged him to be a person who was indifferent to everything and didn't even fear his own death.
Was her judgment wrong? Beatrice glanced at Evan's state.
Although he showed no expression, Beatrice, who had interacted with Evan for a long time, could glimpse a fragment of his emotions.
Hmm, he seems a little flustered. Then, that would mean Beatrice's judgment was not wrong.
In other words, the fake Master of Gold had changed.
'…So suddenly?'
If she were to retrace her memories to see if there were any signs of it, a person who feared death in the first place would not have committed the crazy act of attacking a Descendant of the Hero in front of the Imperial Palace.
Then that would mean that in that short time, he had experienced something that had shaken his life to its core.
'Why do I have a feeling that the culprit is Theo Lisitoel?'
She thought to herself and then let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity.
No way, that can't be, she thought, but for some reason, she felt that it might be possible.
"If you want to live, cooperate in finding Theo. Then, in any case, I'll try to put in a good word with His Majesty the Emperor."
At this point, where he had confessed that the culprit was Iris, cooperating with the Academy's faculty meant betraying Iris.
Would the fake Master of Gold really betray Iris?
Beatrice looked down at Mordin with a slightly tense expression.
“…Yes, as much as you want.”
At the much more compliant answer than she had expected, Beatrice felt her body go limp for a moment.
She had thought that a longer… wrangling would ensue, but he was really going to cooperate?
“Ha, really.”
She had tried using lie-detection magic several times, and it came out as sincere.
Evan was probably using similar magic, and the reason he wasn't attacking was likely because those words were sincere.
"What is happening today?"
The fake Master of Gold betraying Iris.
Following the taboo, a series of shocking events occurred, to the point where her head was throbbing.
* * *
“Kuaaaack!!!”
I opened my eyes with a scream.
I immediately checked that my body was intact.
I clearly felt like I was being torn to pieces, but my body was perfectly fine.
Was it a dream? Or was I mistaken? To think that, it felt a little different from usual.
I had thought it was 'normal' before, but now that I was in a truly normal state, I could finally notice the past cracks.
"Are you awake?"
“Gyaaaaaaaack!!!”
This time, a scream burst out for a different reason.
It's Iris Viden! Run!!
I urgently tried to run away somewhere, but Iris grabbed my wrist before I could.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Struggling to escape is what a normal kidnapping victim does!"
At my confident shout, Iris smiled brightly.
"Well, that's true! Then should I shatter your ankles so you can't even try?"
Wow, a smile so fresh you could believe she was a human orange.
Though the words she uttered with that smile were so horrifying it was hard to believe.
"Please spare me."
"Then you should be quiet, right?"
“…Yes.”
She's seriously scary.
I quietly shut my mouth and glanced at Iris's expression.
She wouldn't suddenly change her mind and say, "I'll just break them," right?
"What is that bird in your arms?"
Iris's gaze turned towards my chest.
I tried to hide him, but Lou, who had used up even the last of his energy for me, was nestled in my arms, sound asleep.
"If you don't tell me, what—"
"My pet snake has been hungry for a long time, so wouldn't it make a perfect meal?"
Sigh. The thought of having to forcibly reveal one of my cards made me sad, but I had no choice.
I couldn't hide 'Lou's' identity now, and I had already encountered him once when I confronted her as 'Ray'.
She must have known that he was no ordinary bird.
"He is the light spirit I have a contract with."
"You were a Spirit Summoner?"
"I just happened to make a contract by chance, it's nothing as grand as a Spirit Summoner."
I had too many shortcomings to call myself a Spirit Summoner.
Besides, a Spirit Summoner is someone who communicates with spirits, but I had a contract with a demon, so it wasn't easy.
Though I could probably pretend to be a Spirit Summoner.
"Hoo, that's impressive."
"Do you really think so?"
"Yes, because I've never heard of a magician who has a contract with a spirit."
“…So you're going to make me your toy?”
"You're too much to be just a toy."
Iris's blood-red eyes sparkled with interest.
"If you don't want to be my son, will you be my subordinate?"
“…Are you aware that I saw you with my own two eyes rip out the heart of a subordinate who had been loyal to you for over 10 years?”
"That was keeping a promise."
Iris sat in a chair with the utmost leisure and smiled.
At the smile that was constantly on her lips, a genuine anger welled up inside me.
"The one who asked to be killed was Mordegar."
Ah, was it because I was in the back and couldn't see?
The look in Mordegar's eyes, which seemed like they would burst into flames at any moment because he so desperately wanted to live.
Well, that's why she could spout such nonsense so nonchalantly. Not everything that comes out of a person's mouth is a word.
"Sorry, but I'm not interested."
"Do you think you have a choice?"
Iris's eyes widened and she tilted her head.
After being kidnapped, was I now being forcibly employed?
"You even saved your life thanks to me."
"If you hadn't kidnapped me in the first place, my life wouldn't have been in danger."
Sharp words came out without hesitation.
"You mean it."
"There's no reason to create a false heart."
"Well, that's true."
"If you become Ouroboros like this, you'll swallow the whole world and it will be destroyed. If you're going to kill me, kill me now."
"Ahaha, that's not entirely wrong either."
A greedy snake of destruction that will swallow the world, could there be anything more fitting for Iris?
In fact, in the original storyline, wasn't Iris destined to become Ouroboros?
Lerwon becoming Ouroboros was a mistake by the game company.
"Well, you didn't hear it back then. So I'll explain it to you kindly again."
Iris smiled and placed her hand on my head.
I wanted to slap that hand away immediately, but strangely, my body wouldn't move. Was it magic?
It was a different, alien feeling from usual magic.
Rather than being forcibly moved by magic, it felt like, as a living being in this world, I was refusing to even resist.
"Ouroboros and I are in a tug-of-war."
"A tug-of-war?"
"Yes, we're competing to see which one gets swallowed."
At those words, I felt all the blood drain from my body.
No matter how much of a monster Iris Viden was… No way. No, no way.
Was a mere mortal human declaring that they would swallow Ouroboros, which even the ancient demon Baal was wary of?
I'd sooner believe that 「Lapis Academy」 had been reborn as a god-tier game thanks to a major overhaul by the game company.
That would be a cause for celebration, as the game company would have come to its senses.
But Iris swallowing the power of such a monster would be a disaster for the world, so terrible that destruction would be preferable.
"That can't be possible."
Even as I thought that it couldn't be possible, I found myself thinking that if it was Iris, maybe it was.
"Seriously?"
"Yes, seriously."
Iris, who had been stroking my head, then stroked my cheek.
"So, Theo. Before you lose all your precious things to me, who has swallowed the power of Ouroboros, it would be wise to choose me."
Everywhere Iris's touch reached, goosebumps rose, making it difficult to even breathe.
I looked up at Iris in suffocating fear.
"Choose wisely."
With those words, Iris left leisurely.
Trapped in a slightly more luxurious prison than the underground one, all I could do was clench my fists.