Chapter 97

97

Struggling to straighten her body, she saw Kaishan, who was unaware of the situation, taking out cookies from the table by type.

"Kaishan!"

"Uh?"

"Over here…."

Just as she reached out her hand to call him, Kaishan's pupils elongated vertically, and his figure disappeared from her sight.

In an instant, Kaishan was right in front of her.

As he reached out his hand to her, he drew the short sword that dangled from his waist like an ornament, resembling a Sharant Clown.

"Shelina!"

When she came to her senses, she found herself rolling on the floor, trapped in Kaishan's small embrace.

Kaishan pushed her back and stood in front of her, sword at the ready.

"Even if they are weak, they are still clowns. They are definitely beasts."

A familiar voice struck her ears.

Kaishan, with his pupils elongated like a beast, panted as if excited.

The sharp aura in the air made it hard to breathe. Moreover, the pitch-black aura surrounding him.

‘…A black mage.’

It was definitely the man she had met back then.

No one else could be as full of negative energy as that man.

It was even worse than Dantalian.

‘Why today of all days…’

If only today had passed, she could have had Chaser as her bodyguard.

Black magic power swirled around the man. Despite the commotion inside, the knights showed no sign of entering.

"Shelina, run."

Kaishan's hand, which was pointing the sword, trembled.

Run? How could she run from here?

Moreover, how could she leave this child behind? If you die, the Sharant Clown will kill me too.

She clung tightly to Kaishan's clothes and rolled her eyes. The bracelet on her wrist, filled with magic stones by the Sharant Clown, was there.

‘He really thinks ahead.’

She remembered thinking how unlucky she was several times when she was Hella.

Kaishan lowered his body and put strength into his legs.

Like a crouched beast springing up, Kaishan quickly swung his sword at him.

"Don't…."

Kaishan was too weak to win.

If it were a regular mercenary or knight, there might have been a chance.

‘A sword that cannot reach, in the moment it bypasses a thousand eyes, erase the aura and protect the flame.’

She quickly recited the spell in her mind.

〈Shepets Cheter!〉

As her voice ended, a gentle wind barrier enveloped Kaishan.

The magic stone on the bracelet, which had exceeded the amount of magic power she could handle, shattered, and the bracelet broke.

Thud.

She laughed bitterly at the bracelet that fell to the ground.

‘It’s so fragile.’

Damn Sharant Clown. If you were going to give it, why not give a decent one?

It felt like her blood was boiling, making her chest feel tight.

She pounded her chest, feeling something about to rise from her throat. A snake made of black magic, formed from the man's hand, lunged at Kaishan.

Kaishan turned in mid-air, but it was difficult to fend off the snakes coming from all directions.

One of the snakes, dripping with black venom, aimed for Kaishan's neck.

"Ugh…!"

Just as the snake was about to bite Kaishan, sharp wind blades shot out from the transparent barrier surrounding him, slicing the snake's body in half.

The man in the robe, letting out a low sigh, grabbed Kaishan by the neck and pulled him close.

Crack, crack.

The protection barrier she created and the man's hand, filled with a chilling, damp magic power, clashed, sending sparks flying.

The effect of the protection barrier she created was gradually fading.

The man's grip tightened. It seemed as if Kaishan's neck would break at any moment.

If the barely holding barrier broke, Kaishan's life would be cut short as well.

"Stop it!"

"I need you, kid. I tried to save a few magician's children because the clown's unusual protection of you seemed troublesome, but they didn't have much endurance."

Am I some kind of object? Endurance? And cute children are supposed to be soft and squishy like sponges.

"You don't seem to have much endurance either."

He said as he slowly took off his robe.

His eyes were frighteningly red, his skin a tanned copper color, and his hair a pure white.

‘For a villain, you look pretty normal.’

For someone who could say such crazy things, he had a surprisingly normal face. Innocent and normal-looking people are often more dangerous.

His eyes, dark and lifeless, were filled with a deep weariness, and beneath it, curiosity lingered.

"Shelina! Run!"

Kaishan, barely restrained by one arm, kept struggling to break free, but not a single scratch appeared on him.

Kaishan was far too inexperienced and weak compared to his opponent.

At the very least, the Sharant Clown would be needed to stand a chance.

Or if I had that crown, I could have defeated him.

Or at least, I could have escaped.

It was strange that no one came despite the commotion.

The Sharant Clown should have returned by now.

"If you come quietly, I promise not to kill the little clown."

"What kind of trick is this?"

"I just slightly distorted your sense of time. It's just that you didn't realize how much time had passed after repeating the same situation a few times."

Even though it seemed like I had a choice, I didn't. Either I go with him, or Kaishan dies and I am dragged along.

At least, I can only hope that the Sharant Clown will notice the situation and come.

"Playing with time is my specialty."

I didn't expect to meet a mage who could manipulate time.

I took out a magic stone from the pocket dimension and held it in my hand. I had to get Kaishan out of here somehow.

‘I can do it, but he’s too young.’

What if the Sharant Clown goes berserk?

If he loses control and destroys all the evidence, that would be a disaster. So it was better to let him escape first.

‘…I can do it.’

If I set Kaishan as the medium, I could do it quickly.

The problem was whether the man would stand still while I cast the spell.

"Me!"

I raised my hand.

The man, who had been watching me, narrowed his eyes.

I couldn't shake off the feeling that he was probing my mind. Despite the strange feeling, I waited for his response.

"Me?"

"Can I use just one spell?"

I asked bluntly.

It was clear that the man found me interesting, and I needed to send Kaishan away.

The man's eyes turned cold, as if he was watching to see how far I would go.

"Cute."

Tell me it's terrifying.

It didn't suit him at all.

He hesitated for a moment, then nodded readily.

"I don't know what you're planning, but go ahead."

As soon as he gave his permission, I immediately checked on Kaishan.

Kaishan, exhausted from struggling, was now almost limp.

‘The constraints of a subservient space, a pact that transcends time, open the hidden path beneath the inviolable earth, and move the breath that has formed a bond.’

I recited the spell only in my mind, so he wouldn't notice.

The magic power flowing through the magic stone slowly moved inside my body.

I closed my eyes tightly and waited for the magic power to gather and move.

〈Arats Yaval.〉

It was a forced teleportation spell in ancient language.

Literally, a spell to forcibly move someone else.

The man's eyes widened when he noticed I was reciting a spell or when he sensed my magic.

He tried to block Kaishan with his other hand, but my spell was completed faster.

"…You got me."

He smiled as if amused but spoke in a slow, unpleasant voice. His expression and tone were impossible to read.

"Your black magic has increased a bit since we met at the orphanage. It's a bit darker. But you're still far from it."

I shut my mouth.

That's because I've only killed three people.

To gather black magic, you need souls filled with someone's malice or resentment. That's the fastest way.

"I don't want to waste more time, so I'll leave now."

His arm reached out to me.

Due to the excessive use of magic, I had no strength left in my body.

I was already extremely exhausted.

Using a high-level magic like forced teleportation, which required a lot of magic power, it wouldn't be strange if I collapsed.

‘I don’t know. I don’t think I’ll die.’

Why do I get targeted so much in this life? Especially by psychopaths.

They say similar people attract each other, so maybe I'm not normal.

Just as his arm was about to grab my neck,

"Getting caught by the tricks of lowly people twice…."

Sharant Clown walked out from a corner of the room, his face twisted in rage.

While he usually exuded a cold anger, now he was like burning lava.

"Feeling as if I've touched filth, it's worse than disgusting."

The veins on Sharant Clown's hands were bulging.

His face, holding a spear, was contorted beyond description.