This is amazing.
Siloque lifted his right foot, feeling completely refreshed.
So this is what it feels like to wield power.
Looking at the thugs groaning in pain on the ground, unable to even sit up, Siloque felt the same thrill as slashing monsters down to a sliver of health with a single blow.
But also the frustration of how monsters can be left with just a sliver and not die.
If this were the Dungeon, he would have finished these scum off already.
Unfortunately, on the civilized asphalt road of modern society, killing people means going to jail.
Siloque had made up his mind.
Today, he would completely settle the matter with Norius.
He tried to operate the Ring Chart to send a message, but it was a bit difficult with Kersey in his arms.
“Sorry.”
The voice came from his embrace.
Kersey’s watery eyes avoided his gaze, her cheeks flushed deep red, and her breath was warm and anxious.
“Could you put me down? I’m fine now.”
“………..”
Though Kersey’s coffee scent was alluring and her body soft and warm, Siloque wordlessly set her down.
“………..”
Kersey’s fingers intertwined and rubbed together, as if she was thinking about how to put her words together.
Siloque operated the Ring Chart and sent a request for help to the Tuners.
Faster than I expected.
Kersey’s recovery speed.
Her physical resistance to abnormal states was stronger than he had anticipated.
Originally, Siloque had planned for everything to be over by the time she woke up, and for her to wake up in her own bed at home.
But for her to wake up this quickly…
Siloque had a bad feeling.
“Excuse me, do you know Cass? Why did you knock me out? Is… is this some weird kind of game?”
Are you all in on this together?
But since Cass is here, this masked woman (?) in front of her shouldn’t be someone trying to harm her.
Faced with the blushing Kersey, Siloque silently walked over to the group around Norius.
Cass, like taking a baton, jogged over to Kersey.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt or uncomfortable anywhere?”
“Eh, eh? N-no, thank you for saving me.”
Kersey pressed her hand to her chest and gave a gentle smile.
“Um, who is she? Cass, is she your friend?”
“Uh, how should I put it…”
Cass was conflicted.
He hadn’t really done anything except try to stop Norius and the others.
Siloque had told him that if Kersey woke up in the middle of things, just make something up and play it by ear.
And whatever happens, don’t mention Siloque’s name.
But if Siloque hadn’t anticipated all this in advance, Kersey might not be safe now.
“? Cass, why do you keep looking at the ground? If you have something to say, just say it.”
“It’s Teacher.”
“T-Teacher?”
Sorry, Siloque!
After struggling, Cass chose a compromise.
“Could it be, the Teacher you mentioned the past few weeks?”
“Yeah, he…uh, she was free today, so I asked her if she wanted to go to your cafe. Who knew Kersey, you’d get caught up in this…”
Lying made Cass feel guilty, especially since he had been hiding nearby from the start.
And describing Siloque as female came from a little prank in Cass’s heart.
If he claimed Siloque was the Teacher who had been guiding everyone on Upgrades lately, it would make it easier for Bried and Kersey to accept the truth when he eventually revealed Siloque’s real identity.
Besides, the Teacher was Siloque anyway.
At that time, you definitely… Siloque, you’ll agree, right?
To join our team.
“I see. She was fighting while holding me the whole time. Amazing.”
Kersey glanced at Siloque not far away, her eyes tinged with admiration.
I can hear you, you know.
Siloque pretended not to hear their conversation and watched the four writhing figures on the ground.
They looked a bit like maggots or mealworms.
It wasn’t that he enjoyed watching them suffer, but he didn’t want them to escape.
Soon, the Tuners would arrive.
With Kersey’s testimony and what happened, Norius, who had just gotten out a few days ago, would be guilty of attempted assault and inciting trouble.
Not only would he be expelled, but according to the Tuners’ strict rules for repeat offenders, he’d also spend a year behind bars.
By the time Norius got out, having lost everything, he wouldn’t be able to cause any more trouble.
With that, a weight finally lifted from his heart.
His sister, Hill, wouldn’t encounter this scum, and there would be one less unstable factor when Cass and Cliff fought.
Still, Siloque wasn’t entirely satisfied.
Mainly because this incident was a great opportunity for Cass to raise Kersey’s favorability.
At worst, he could have sent her home, and when she woke up with their eyes meeting, he could have just said he saved her.
But now, she woke up faster than expected and thought he saved her.
Is this another butterfly effect?
Siloque was exasperated. Because he had the team change grinding spots through Cass, which made Kersey level up faster and more resistant to drugs, she woke up quicker…
“You… who the hell… are you…”
Norius struggled, sweating profusely, blood oozing from his mouth, propping himself up with a trembling arm.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to run, but his body felt as if it could fall apart at any moment.
He looked up at Siloque, and for the first time, fear appeared in his eyes.
Siloque figured this was their last conversation. He wondered how to disgust Norius as much as possible before the Tuners arrived—
“?!!”
Siloque’s whole body suddenly froze.
(Gravity Bind)
Idiot! Did you really think I was afraid?
Norius burned all his remaining magic, a deep green aura flaring and vanishing in an instant, just to cast the full effect of (Gravity Bind) over Siloque.
With eyes full of hatred, he raised his blade to stab Siloque.
Even if it was just to slow Siloque down, it was enough for him to escape.
To Siloque, the moment the blade came toward him felt agonizingly long.
Ugh, I underestimated him.
Even in this situation, Norius’ psychological defenses hadn’t been destroyed; he still had the will to resist.
No doubt this stab was meant as a last stand, a futile effort against overwhelming odds.
But in reality, the move that exhausted all his magic could only bind Siloque for 0.000001 seconds.
Besides, Siloque was prepared to be stabbed; he still wore his Dungeon armor beneath his clothes.
Still, to another person, it would seem like an unexpected emergency.
Siloque!
Cass noticed something was wrong on Siloque’s side and rushed over, but as he stepped forward—
Swoosh—
There wasn’t even a cutting sound. Even with Cass upgraded to LV14, his eyes barely caught a thin red flash flicker by, then dart back behind him.
Norius felt his right hand become light. Looking closely, he saw a red cross-section.
It had been severed.
His right hand was sliced off by something moving at high speed.
Blood spurted continuously.
His right hand, still holding the blade, fell to the ground, the blade clattering against the asphalt.
“My…my hand…guuuaaaaahhhhh!!!”
Norius screamed, tears streaming down his face. His cries echoed through the block, lights flickered on in nearby houses, and the sound of dogs barking could be heard.
The effect of 〈Gravity Bind〉 dissipated, and Siloque quickly stepped back to avoid the blood spray.
Though seeing Norius in such a miserable state made Siloque feel a little better, cutting off his hand wasn’t part of the plan.
Previously, the scuffle could have been justified as self-defense, but now that Norius was so badly injured, anyone would think Siloque and the others were bullies.
Siloque looked at the sword on Cass’s back—Wraithblade.
If he wasn’t mistaken, the sword had responded to its master’s will.
But from Cass’s shocked expression, he clearly hadn’t expected the sword to act on its own.
“…How…how did his hand get cut off?”
Kersey was terrified, covering her mouth with both hands.
In her vision, she had only heard the sound of something slicing the air, and then Norius’s hand fell away like butter.
Cass noticed Siloque looking at him and quickly turned to look at Wraithblade on his back.
Was it you?
Cass asked the sword in his heart.
Wraithblade answered with a heavy sigh.
“I received a report of someone illegally using magic to commit indecency…”
Two Tuners, wearing gray-black uniforms and responsible for handling Explorer disputes, arrived and froze.
They looked around: four people sprawled on the ground and three who seemed completely unscathed.
“What did you do?”
One of them asked Siloque, who was standing closest.
“Can’t you see what happened!? They—they cut off my hand! I’m the victim! Arrest them, quickly! Aren’t you supposed to uphold order?!”
Norius screamed, completely disregarding his dignity.
The two Tuners remained expressionless, speaking in an official tone:
“Which one of you is the one who reported this?”