Chapter 49

"What's the matter, Master?"

"What kind of precious relationship do we have that would cause such a commotion?"

I can't understand her way of thinking.

Is she really a masochist?

"That guy is really off his rocker."

I can't help but curse.

"Master?"

Mad Hatter's eyes waver.

This time, I can empathize with the villain's feelings.

Why is this happening here?

I'm really going to lose my mind.

"Your Master has a bad habit of being distracted and seducing another woman even for a moment."

Squish, squish.

The shadow extends, and a beautiful woman with a brown bob cut and a blank expression rises from it.

It's Bella.

"What the hell are you talking about? Did you eat something wrong?"

Who is seducing whom?

Are you kidding me right now?

Even if you gave me Nishizawa Eri and Shinozaki Rin, I wouldn't want them.

Olivia is now somewhat acceptable, but I can't get used to her tsundere outbursts when she doesn't use her turn signal.

"Is that so?"

Click, clack.

Bella stands beside me, holding her shadow sword, a portrait weapon in the form of a sword.

Clang!

Mad Hatter uses his portrait weapon, Magic Stick, in the form of a cane to deflect Nishizawa's chainsickle.

"So, the negotiation is off, then."

Mad Hatter's face hardens.

Rumble.

Orange mana flows from his entire body.

"Then I have no choice but to fight you with all my might, Master!"

Mad Hatter's gaze turns to Nishizawa Eri.

"My daughter, you will regret passing up this opportunity."

Mad Hatter raises his Magic Stick and says with a solemn voice.

"Shut up. Trash. You deserve to die a thousand, ten thousand times just for daring to insult Master!"

Nishizawa Eri's brows furrow.

What kind of insult did he give her to make her react like this?

I sigh.

This can't be anything but a destructive fight.

Swoosh!

Nishizawa Eri throws her chainsickle again, and Mad Hatter deflects it.

"Master, shall I take care of your Master's Master?"

"Once I'm ready."

The magician-themed villain, Mad Hatter, specializes in illusions.

His portrait weapon, Magic Stick, has an ability called Illusion Site, which creates illusions in the surrounding area to deceive the opponent's senses.

In the original third volume, Mad Hatter used illusions to stimulate Nishizawa Eri and the protagonist's trauma, making them easy to manipulate.

However, unlike in the third volume, the current Mad Hatter hasn't awakened his gift, 'Illusion Projector.'

Without the ability to handle tangible illusions, he is clearly weaker than in the original.

'The protagonist in the original blocked his senses and used transcendent mana sensing to see through the illusions.'

I don't have that kind of talent.

But there is a way to replace it, just like when I dealt with Nishizawa Eri.

I close my eyes.

I spread darkness through Durendal.

My mana senses, synchronized with the darkness, spread through the dark fog.

"Then, I invite you. Gentlemen. To my Illusion World!"

Mad Hatter's lecherous voice echoes.

The same line he used when he appeared in the original third volume.

It twists my stomach to hear such a creepy middle-aged man say such a cringeworthy line.

It's even worse than a pervert.

I suppress the nausea and recall the original setting.

Illusion World.

His ultimate skill, which stimulates the trauma of anyone within a certain radius of him, rendering them unable to fight.

The countermeasure is that it's ineffective if the senses are sealed, and its effect is reduced if vision and hearing are sealed.

After all, it's a technique that deceives the physical senses of the target.

"Bella, seal your vision and hearing and synchronize with the shadows and mana senses!"

"I will comply, Master's Master."

The moment Bella's response reaches my ears.

A familiar voice rings in my ear.

"Hey, what are you doing right now?"

"I'm watching an anime. If nothing's wrong, hang up."

"Your mom has collapsed. Come to the emergency room right now."

Dad's urgent voice.

I remember receiving his call in my third-year university dorm after just returning from military service.

A memory I can't forget, a memory I buried in my heart because it was too painful.

I can't bear the sight of myself watching anime at such a time.

Guilt and self-loathing boil within me.

"Teacher, is my mom okay? Is she really okay?"

"I can only tell after seeing the surgery results, but unfortunately..."

The conversation in the hospital continues.

I feel terrible.

I never understood why characters in web novels or light novels would have such violent reactions when their trauma was triggered.

Now I think I understand.

"Damn it."

A curse escapes my lips.

I draw mana to seal my hearing.

The sound of the conversation fades and disappears.

I activate my mana senses synchronized with the dark fog.

A flood of information pours into my mind. I process the information.

"Ugh."

My head hurts.

The mana veins in my chest and the Black Stone heat up.

The processed information visualizes in my darkened vision.

Nishizawa Eri sits on the ground, Mad Hatter fires mana bullets from his Magic Stick, and Bella deflects them with her Chain Blade.

[Let me handle you with my shadow sword!]

[You are... the famous 'Phantom Thief' of France! What an honor. But the Illusion World is my domain. No matter how famous a phantom thief you are, you can't match me with just your mana senses sealed!]

The voices, synchronized with the dark fog, buzz in my head.

I didn't bring Bella for nothing.

Bella's gift is Shadow Master.

Her ability to manipulate shadows perfectly complements my gift to control darkness.

Moreover, the dark fog fills the area, making the situation increasingly favorable for Bella.

I can just sit back and occasionally counter any attacks.

This is another easy win.

Then.

[Grgh! This kind of false illusion...! I will overcome it! Master, I need to be useful to Master. I need to prove that I'm more useful than Shinozaki, that emotionless maid with only big breasts! Eri can do it. Eri can do it!]

Nishizawa Eri's muttering echoes in my head.

This is beyond annoying; it's terrifying.

[Master, I must... protect you! Master, Eri will protect you!! Master, watch me! Eri is coming!]

Why is she acting like this?

Is she completely insane?

I feel like my stomach is being turned inside out.

Flash.

An overwhelming mana wave flows from Nishizawa Eri's body.

Her eyes sparkle with orange mana.

[Shadow Dance!]

[Is that all? Phantom Thief! Let's play a bit more! Illusion Bullet Barrage!!]

Bella and Mad Hatter, shouting their skill names, continue their battle.

I distinctly remember telling them not to shout their skill names.

In this crazy world, if I say 100 things, they might understand 10.

I sigh.

Dozens of orange mana bullets shoot from the tip of Mad Hatter's cane, and Bella deflects them with her shadow sword.

Boom!

The explosions continue, and mana waves sweep the area.

[The ultimate technique of the shadow sword style, Shadow Hell, will end you, Mad Hatter.]

Swoosh.

Just as Bella's shadow sword takes shape, the shadows around her rise like a swarm of bees.

The shadows, now physical, transform into numerous tentacles and envelop Mad Hatter.

"Kyaah! No! No way!!"

Mad Hatter's terrifying screams echo around.

The sight of him being attacked by the tentacles is a visual horror.

A middle-aged man being attacked by tentacles.

"Ugh."

I really feel sick.

Boom!

Continuous explosions.

"Kyaahhh!!"

With his screams, his full-body armor is dispelled, and his Magic Stick falls from his hand.

His portrait weapon's battle mode is forcibly deactivated.

"End of the line. Shadow Restraint!"

Swoosh.

Bella's shadow sword restrains Mad Hatter's entire body.

"Seize the portrait weapon. I'm disgusted. Trash. I'm ashamed to be the child of someone who dared to insult Master. Rot in hell for a hundred, a thousand years."

Nishizawa Eri recovers Mad Hatter's portrait weapon, Magic Stick.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh!!"

Mad Hatter, whose mouth is also restrained by the blade, struggles with his whole body.

As he doesn't use his mana to cause trouble, it seems he doesn't have an emergency return device, as expected.

After all, why would Messenger give such a precious device to a mere B-rank villain, a new recruit at that?

Flash!

With an orange flash, Nishizawa Eri blinks in front of me.

She offers me the Magic Stick and says,

"Here, Eri has taken care of all the enemies blocking Master's path. Did I do well? I want praise. Master, pet my head... it would be even better if you guided me... hehehe."

Nishizawa Eri blushes, closes her eyes, and leans her head towards me.

I sigh.

I snatch the Magic Stick from her hand and flick her forehead.

"Are you crazy? You're putting on a show, a show. Eri, what kind of ridiculous name is that? Hey, Nishizawa, stop making disgusting remarks and help Bella clean up."

"Hiiing..."

Nishizawa Eri opens her eyes, slumps her shoulders, and heads towards Bella.

Where does she get the nerve to act cute?

"Indeed, Master's Master. A man who has a dedicated lady-in-waiting like the noble French princess Olivia. Your disciplining skills are exceptional."

Bella, with her blank expression, comments on the scene.

What? Disciplining?

My head spins, and I feel nauseous.

How can she string together such foul words to strike at someone's core?

"Damn it. Stop making those dog sounds and get to work."

"I understand, Master's Master."

I'm going to lose it.

I'm a non-smoker.

I never understood why people smoke.

I mean, it's bad for your health, so why do they do it?

But after falling into this crazy world, I fully understand the feelings of smokers.

The dizziness hasn't gone away yet.

I really want a cigarette.

I sigh and write a message on the Hunter Watch.

[Situation resolved. Mad Hatter subdued.]

The moment the message is sent.

[Kyaahhh──!]

Boom.

A terrifying scream shakes the entire model gate.

The student council president and the protagonist have successfully exterminated the Yatagarasu.

[Message received. Our situation is also resolved. Good job, Kim Deok-sung.]

Aris's reply arrives immediately.

It was the moment the episode from the original first volume ended.

Now, it's time for the interim school.

Say whatever you want (Illustration included)

In the round table meeting room with stained glass.

The body of the highest-ranking officer of the New World League, one of the 13 Apostles, stiffens in his black robe.

An uncomfortable silence fills the meeting room.

The only one sitting in a white chair, a black-haired handsome man in a white suit, Messenger, speaks in a gentle voice.

"Mad Hatter has failed his mission."