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Chapter 32: Illusion

“Sorry, your playtime is over.”

Unlike Roy, who is a pure-blooded Extraordinary Being, most mages have weak bloodlines and need customized enhancement magic potions to enter the Extraordinary realm and gradually improve their bloodlines.

This doesn’t mean mages are weak. Quite the opposite; each potion a mage consumes is different, and their abilities can be incredibly varied, making them quite unpredictable.

But Roy knows just how dangerous the woman in front of him is, and he remains on high alert; otherwise, why would he dare to be alone with her?

Leanna possesses a silver-tier bloodline: Black Magic – Serpent.

The most troublesome ability, without a doubt, is the Illusion Magic Eye of Euryalice. A gaze into her eyes pulls you into an illusion, where you can stay trapped for a long time, even having subconscious commands implanted without your awareness.

Unless you have some kind of illusion defense, you’ll easily become a plaything for others of the same rank if you fall for it!

Fortunately, any illusion can be countered with illusions, and although Roy’s bloodline is slightly inferior, it’s sufficient for defense.

Naturally, Roy doesn’t believe Leanna’s nonsense. It’s just verbal seduction while assisting her illusions; if he buys into it, he might not even get the chance to use his Charm defense.

That said, it took longer to dispel the illusion than Roy thought. Recalling those tempting lips that were almost within reach, he couldn’t help but swallow hard, feeling both anxious and annoyed.

This bad woman really has no good intentions and wants to tarnish his innocence! If Charlotte or Nia finds out, he’d end up in a bind!

Roy pinched the girl’s slender neck, staring fiercely at her while demanding, “What exactly are you trying to do?”

“Ouch, so rough…!”

Leanna’s usual composed smile faltered slightly as Roy tightened his grip.

“Let’s stop the jokes here.” Roy threatened, “At this distance, you have no chance. If I feel even a hint of Extraordinary energy, things will get rougher for you.”

Is the destined girl just someone to be trifled with? Especially since Leanna is a second-year student with more practical experience. Roy wouldn’t dare to claim he’d win in a proper fight.

But that’s under normal circumstances.

Now that he has taken the initiative, as a traditional mage, Leanna is at his mercy the moment her illusion was broken and he got close.

There’s no need to keep probing and feigning ignorance anymore.

Roy tightened his grip again, asking, “Once more, what’s your scheme for stalking me?!”

“Hehe, I think you might have some misunderstandings about me.” Leanna’s smile faded.

“Misunderstanding?” Roy was so annoyed he almost laughed.

“How could you say I misunderstood, when you toy with others’ minds using illusions at the drop of a hat?”

“…That’s hard to refute.” Leanna’s gaze dimmed as a layer of mist formed in her eyes. With a faint sigh, she continued to look at him, “Because without doing that, I can’t have you.”

That forlorn expression was like an incredibly infectious painting, casting a shadow of melancholy over Roy’s heart.

“And once you have me, what do you plan to do?” Roy’s tone softened slightly.

But Leanna just chuckled lightly again: “Of course, to do something pleasurable.”

Her delicate fingertips, like a fine little snake, slowly crept along Roy’s arm.

Roy’s heart raced, and he tightened his grip once more.

Close call, almost fell for this bad woman’s trick! What was he thinking, feeling a moment of pity for her?

Even without the illusion, this girl’s acting skills are dangerously good.

As Roy gradually increased his strength, Leanna’s face grew paler, even turning slightly blue, her already vacant eyes losing focus.

But even at this point, she showed no signs of struggle or resistance, still wearing that faint, empty smile as she quietly gazed at him.

Looking into the reflections of his own purple pupils, Roy began to feel annoyed.

Rationality screamed at him that the person in front of him is a dangerous witch, yet a sense of dissonance bubbled inside, questioning his resolve.

Moreover, campus faction struggles prohibit serious casualties—he couldn’t actually kill her; at most, he could just beat her up.

Roy finally relented: “No matter what you plan to do, I couldn’t care less. Just stop bothering me from now on. If you agree, I’ll let go, and we’ll leave each other alone.”

Leanna, who wore a bittersweet grin, responded unexpectedly, “Sorry, but that’s something I can’t agree to.”

“You…”

Roy didn’t expect that even at this point, she still intended to cling to him! And by now, he couldn’t even determine what her true intentions were!

The boy gritted his teeth in anger, Extraordinary power leaking uncontrollably.

The window, reinforced with barriers, shattered under the strain, and as the Extraordinary fluctuations intensified, pain finally flickered across Leanna’s face, her complexion as white as paper, beads of cold sweat rolling down.

She looked like a candle about to extinguish in the depths of darkness.

As Leanna’s breathing weakened, Roy finally let out a long sigh and released his grip.

Leanna gasped for air, her previously pale cheeks flushed from the effort, her chest heaving with each breath. A sly smile played at the corners of her lips.

“I knew it, Roy, you’re such a nice guy; you wouldn’t really hurt a girl, would you? Since that’s the case, how about you be a gentleman and let me go?”

But as soon as Leanna finished speaking, Roy tightened his grip again.

“Don’t worry, I have plenty of gentlemanly tactics.”

He couldn’t kill Leanna. But he also couldn’t let her keep pestering him; he needed to uncover her true intent.

“Leanna, I’ve had enough of your nonsense. Next, I’ll personally confirm your scheme.”

With that, Roy pressed his forehead against the girl’s, in a distance close enough to intertwine their breaths, his flickering blood-red eyes boring into her hollow purple ones.

“…Alright.”

A faint whisper echoed from the girl’s lips.

Roy was submerged in the world of illusions, finding himself in a pitch-black pit where he could barely see his hand in front of him.

Regardless of the illusion’s strength, it relies on the state of the host. With Leanna in this state, even being a black mage, dragging her into an illusion shouldn’t be difficult.

But even so, it felt too easy, as if she wasn’t even resisting.

Realizing this, Roy frowned, cautiously surveying his surroundings, fearing she might have some hidden cards up her sleeve.

However, this place was a bit odd.

Charm is meant to enchant hearts, picturing a world that reflects one’s deepest desires.

But Leanna’s illusion was pitch black, the ground coated in sticky black sludge, with countless unknown skeletal remains all around.

Good grief, is this woman really planning to destroy the world?

Recalling the bleak ending of the original story, where Leanna went insane and slaughtered numerous mages, Roy felt an even stronger chill creep over him.

Gazing into the distance, he finally spotted Leanna at the edge of the darkness.

The brown-haired girl wore a thin black dress, her fair feet bare, hair disheveled, her once pale skin smeared with sticky black blood, a tragic beauty.

Roy moved closer, noticing she stood by a cliff, silently staring into the abyss below, a darkness even deeper than the dark itself, as if some indescribable monster lurked beneath.

She stepped closer to the edge, her eyes shimmering with unmatched longing, like a moth drawn to flame. Just then, a shadow suddenly appeared beside her.

Roy was startled to find that the shadow bore his own features.

The shadow reached out its hand to Leanna.

It was at that moment Leanna suddenly lifted her head, gazing at Roy’s shadow with a slight smile, opening her arms wide.

Her smile was still ethereal and hollow, but the tears pooling in her eyes carried vivid sorrow and loneliness.

“Come with me—”

The cliff collapsed without warning.

Roy instinctively reached out, wanting to grab her, but it was too late; he could only grasp at the emptiness.

He remained rooted in place, staring blankly as Leanna plunged into the endless abyss, completely disappearing into the darkness.

 

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