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The trials left behind by the ancestors of the Count’s House. The pendant possessed by Shione, enchanted with magic, allows for the re-examination of a trial failed once before.

“The ability left behind by our ancestors was said to be for confronting the demons of illusions and deception.”

“That’s right, the content of the trial was to find the demon hidden in dreams that appeared to resemble reality. Even before being cast out, it was mentioned that this demon would rear its head.”

The power contained within this pendant, created solely to deal with the demons of illusions and deception, serves as a key tool, particularly useful in overcoming this foe.

Now that Allen Kalia has begun to seriously manipulate the powers of the demon, nothing could be better than obtaining a definitive method to bewilder the enemy and ultimately topple them.

“Shione, do you have the pendant right now?”

“Here…”

Shione retrieved the pendant from her bosom.

Siabel stared quietly at the pendant and whispered.

“I too could take that trial─”

Just as she was about to receive Shione’s pendant for a closer look—

Crackle—!

An electric current abruptly surged, repelling Siabel’s hand. Therefore, Siabel reluctantly had to withdraw her hand, as if feeling regret.

“It seems that perhaps only my sister can take the trial. After all, you’ve already experienced that trial once, so your chances of success would be far higher than mine.”

With that simple realization, Siabel fell into thought.

Before long, Siabel gradually began to speak.

“Shione, the special scout team of the extermination force has suffered devastating damage.”

“…Is that really true?”

“Is there any need to lie? It’s the truth. The survivors consist of two rangers from the Count’s House and one ranger from the Marquis Family. Among them, two are in a severely damaged mental state and are receiving healing from a priest.”

The special scout team of the extermination force.

This was a unit composed of the best among the rangers dispatched together from the Count’s House and those from the Marquis who were well-versed in the art of gathering enemy intel.

They were known to check the enemy’s movements from outside the castle walls and had to survive even in small skirmishes, thus only exceptional individuals skilled in stealth, camouflage, and combat techniques were selected for this unit.

Three survivors out of a unit of about twenty and, of those, two had been severely impaired was by no means a trivial matter.

“When I asked the sane ranger, he said they had been halted during the wall attack to assess the situation and had ventured into the surrounding forest where they encountered Allen. Ultimately, they were exposed and fell victim to illusions created by him and the dark sorcerer.”

“……”

“However, they said that those illusions had a tangible reality differing from what had happened during the wall attack. If such a being suddenly launched an assault on the territory, it would lead to troublesome consequences.”

The emergence of an enemy that doesn’t diminish no matter how many times it is killed.

Moreover, unlike the war at the Count’s House, these creatures would reproduce infinitely within a defined area. Thus, when such illusions are cast not just outside the castle walls but within the territory itself, especially inside the last defenses protecting the lord’s castle, it would become impossible to assure the fate of the Marquis Family.

Should Allen methodically unleash even stronger magic, it would only worsen for the Marquis, breaking them from within as the prolonged battle went on.

The one who must strive for a swift resolution was not Allen Kalia, the traitor, but us.

“The scout team is currently on the lookout to continuously pinpoint Allen’s location. However, receiving news in a timely manner seems unlikely. Rather than waiting aimlessly for updates while sucking our thumbs, I feel it would be wiser to devise even one more means to confront that scoundrel.”

Siabel clicked her tongue as she folded her arms.

“If we’re not careful, it might not be a funeral march for the Count’s House, but for us from the Marquis Family instead.”

Allen Kalia.

He was genuinely intent on overthrowing the Marquis Family.

*

A quiet place reached under Abel’s guidance.

He slowly began to speak.

“You said you could also cleave down the enemies at the castle walls just like you. There’s a way to defeat an enemy without wielding mana. I can’t get a grip on it, no matter how I think about it alone.”

Born as a noble, he had gently lowered his head.

Abel Kalia, he was a military officer, not a man from the cult. He had never lowered his head unless it was in front of someone of higher rank.

“Could you perhaps share a small enlightenment, Ray?”

As he bowed his head, he sought an answer.

Since a noble like him would speak like that, it was only right to lend an ear.

I took a moment to collect my thoughts and explained.

“The illusions and hallucinations we see are all disruptions of the senses caused by magic. Initially, they create the effect of seeing something vague in an empty space, coupled with incomprehensible noises. And then—”

This is when the deceptive thoughts take root, projecting the illusion of a real enemy onto the mental landscape.

Although it’s odd that everyone sees the same appearance when they’re looking at the same enemy, it’s not a concern in the current level of hallucination. Allen’s ploy was to produce confusion rather than merely increasing the potency of the illusion.

In reality, if object A appears to some as an apple and to others as a banana, but it is named Kiwi, wouldn’t everyone then agree that they see the same object as a kiwi? This large-scale illusion is often crafted in such a manner, causing others to perceive differing things yet consider them the same.

Therefore, the important thing remains that while they might see different things, their essence is the same.

“If the illusion created in the mind is projected, then if you succeed in vividly picturing the scene where you annihilate and subdue them in your imagination, wouldn’t that projection take place?”

“Ah—”

“With strong willpower, the envisioned victory and the subsequent sword strikes can discern and dispel the illusion.”

Thus, even if Abel did wield his sword, his straight strikes would make everyone believe they had perfectly struck down the enemy.

Fortunately, it seemed Abel understood my somewhat intricate explanation, his eyes shining with newfound realization like a monk who had grasped something.

However, he soon settled his excitement and cautiously began to speak.

“I have one more question to ask. You certainly mentioned the concept of karma.”

“……”

“Karma is a record that is being forgotten in the world. For noble families like us, it’s merely mentioned in very rare ancient texts. Thus, I don’t expect an answer, but… I want to ask something.”

Abel took a moment to catch his breath before heavily opening his mouth.

“Have you… achieved any great feats?”

After the war at the Count’s House came to an end, I had gained one particular trait.

The same ability as Shione. It had waned with wear, but it was still a pleasing outcome.

Abel Kalia seemed to seek a glimpse into the possibility of whether I had achieved it.

I too responded with a sense of hope and seed planting for this unusual fellow.

“I have, in a small manner, achieved it once.”

“Oh.”

In his gasp, I could feel it.

One day, he would become support I could lean on.

Abel Kalia would henceforth become a true knight, walking a different path from Allen, through a different approach.

*

Shione lay on her bed, fidgeting with the pendant.

Seeing her treat it with such care, which she always kept close to her heart, it was clear that Siabel must have mentioned something about the pendant.

I served her a cup of herbal tea with a sharp aroma.

“Here, have this.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Perhaps feeling quite anxious, Shione gulped down the herbal tea in one go.

She grimaced, sticking out her tongue.

“Ugh, it’s bitter.”

“Put your tongue back in. It looks awful.”

“It’s your fault for giving me strange herbal tea.”

“I gave it to you to help organize your thoughts.”

“Thanks to you, my tongue is all sore… Ah, I wish Ray would kiss me to get rid of this odd taste.”

“Did Lady Siabel tell you to wear the pendant?”

“Oh, it seriously is bitter.”

In the utterly mismatched flow of conversation, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“It’s too pale to consider it now.”

Startled!

Shione quickly retracted her tongue back into her mouth.

“…Did it really look pale?”

Seeing her fidget even more, as if she’d revealed something embarrassing, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter over how she unconsciously prioritized her own appearance over the pendant’s trial.

“It was just a joke, a joke.”

“That’s not funny at all.”

Saying that, Shione again fiddled with the pendant and began to speak.

“I think it’s better to wear the pendant. Since this is the last chance, I’m a bit worried.”

“Our founding head referred to it as a preparation for confronting the demons of illusions and deception.”

“Yes, since this matter is again related to that demon. If we are to fend off the commotion at the castle walls… I think it’s best to secure that preparation on time. That way—”

This time, Shione raised the corners of her mouth and continued speaking.

“We can safely return to the Count’s House together quickly.”

Shione flashed a bright smile.

“Then, do as you wish, Your Highness Shione. Nonetheless, it’s fortunate that this time, the frontline isn’t within the engagement area, making it a bit easier to protect.”

Certainly, I didn’t know what kind of power I would gain by acquiring the pendant, but it was the legacy left behind by the head of the family who had delighted in thwarting the horns of demons. At the very least, I would obtain exceptional abilities when facing demons.

Whether in the long-term or now, it would indeed be a most advantageous ability to acquire.

It seemed that Shione had drawn strength from my words, reaching a decision.

“Then I guess I’ll pay a visit again after a long time.”

“Visit again, you say?”

“The one who taught me the meaning of ‘damn’.”

“…How do you know that? Tania?”

“No, it’s the old you I met inside the trial. Brace yourself; this time, I’m going to take charge from the start.”

“………”

I couldn’t even imagine what the author of that version of me in the trial had done.

I merely patted Shione’s head as she leaned in to embrace me, pretending it was just a short greeting.

 

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