Demon-Hunting Genius Mage

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

Chapter 104

That evening, after the 2nd wave had been successfully repelled.

The soldiers, having successfully switched out with the support troops and returned to the barracks, were reveling in the joy of victory.

"Hmph, let those damn demons come at us again! We won't even flinch!"

"They may have the numbers, but do they even know how to fight?"

"Exactly! There's a reason why this is called the Age of Humans. We've surpassed all other races."

The soldiers, their noses held high in the air, chattered amongst themselves for a while before turning their attention to me.

"Don't you think so, mage?"

They stared at me, waiting for an answer.

It was clear they were expecting me to agree with them, but...

"Well, I don't think it's quite like that."

I understood their excitement, but I didn't particularly want to join in their revelry.

The war wasn't over yet, after all.

'What? The Age of Humans?'

The very notion was absurd.

No, it wasn't just a matter of not agreeing; their words were simply wrong.

'What a joke. This isn't the Age of Humans, it's the Age of Demons.'

The apex predators of [Demon Fantasy], the ones who truly ruled the world, weren't humans, but demons.

And that remained true even now, a hundred years later.

'...To them, we're nothing more than playthings.'

No matter how much human magic, swordsmanship, and technology had advanced, they still hadn't escaped the clutches of the demons.

The proof was that the four nations, including Asternon, were still confined within the walls they had erected.

If it truly were the Age of Humans as they claimed, they would have torn down those walls long ago.

The fact that they hadn't meant they still couldn't win an all-out war against the demon race.

And from what I could see, the power difference between the demons and humans was vast.

'If they... no, if Baal ever changed his mind, humans could be wiped out at any moment.'

The battles fought just yesterday and today were evidence enough.

What if, instead of opening the rifts one by one, they opened all of them at once and unleashed their full force?

I could say with certainty that Asternon wouldn't last even three days before being destroyed.

The same would be true for the other nations.

So, did the demons currently lack the power to open all the rifts at once?

'Not at all.'Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Even a hundred years ago, they would open ten rifts at a time whenever they felt like it.

They were more than capable of doing so now, perhaps even more so than before.

The reason they were opening the rifts one or two at a time was...

'For fun.'

Because it was simply more entertaining that way.

Just like in a sports match where the difference in skill between the two sides is overwhelming, it becomes less exciting to watch due to the lack of tension.

In short, humans were currently being shown consideration by the very demons they so despised.

And that consideration would end the moment humans were deemed a threat to the demons.

This was the overarching backdrop of [Demon Fantasy].

Miserable and bleak beyond measure.

Well, it was unlikely that ordinary soldiers like them would know any of this.

This information was only privy to the royal family and high-ranking officials.

Unless they went around spreading it themselves, there was almost no chance that the common folk would ever learn the truth.

Anyway.

"Whoa, you're a tough one to please, aren't you? I was just trying to join in the fun with everyone else."

"Ahaha, was I like that? I must have been a bit tense. I didn't mean to be that way, so please understand. Ah, and I agree with what you said earlier. Those demons can come at us a hundred times, and it'll only give us more experience."

As I thought about it, I realized there was no need to react negatively.

It would be better for them if I just played along.

"Right? As expected, you're different from other mages!"

"I can take that as a compliment, right?"

"Of course! There's no shortage of eccentric mages out there."

"Heh heh."

Ignorance is bliss, as they say.

While I was having this trivial conversation...

"Hey, mage."

Someone called me from behind.

I turned around to see none other than Knight Commander Elbert Tyran.

Judging by his expression, it seemed he had something to say to me.

"Ah, yes. I'm coming."

I followed him, sensing his intentions, and he headed towards the command room in the barracks.

I wondered if he was going to entrust me with the troop deployment for tomorrow as well, but thankfully, that wasn't the case.

"Sorry to bother you during your rest, but we still have work to do, don't we?"

Elbert said, tapping on a chair.

Not the chair he was sitting on, but the one where another man was bound tightly.

Yes, the brainwashed resident of Sector 7 that I had smuggled out.

"Ah, you want me to do it now?"

"There's no other time. We won't even have time to stop by the barracks tomorrow, let alone the day after."

"That's true."

As Elbert said, now was the best time.

Starting tomorrow, more than ten rifts would be generated, and from the day after that, Asmodeus himself would directly intervene in the war.

It would be pointless to scramble for a way to undo the brainwashing at that point.

The problem was...

'...How do I undo this?'

I still didn't know how to undo this brainwashing.

To be honest, I had just confidently boasted about it, but I had no clue.

Perhaps it was the consequence of my "shoot first, ask questions later" mentality.

'I have to find a way somehow.'

Of course, I had no intention of trying to gloss over it now.

This was a problem I had to solve eventually.

Perhaps Elbert thought the same.

"Until you undo this man's brainwashing, you are excluded from the war effort."

"Huh?"

"Exactly as I said. You cannot participate in the war until you resolve this issue."

He had made a strong move.

'Huh, he must be serious.'

It might be immodest of me to say so, but I was one of the key players in this war.

Even the soldiers who had no particular connection to me knew that.

Therefore, not deploying me in the war was quite a risky move, and Elbert couldn't be unaware of that.

Yet, the reason he was doing this was...

'That means she's serious about undoing the brainwashing.'

It meant that Elbert considered Asmodeus's power a very important factor.

Of course, I did too.

'If, by any chance, her power affects the knights, the scale of the damage will be huge. Even if we win the war.'

Elbert was probably worried about something similar.

It was ironic.

He didn't treat the residents of Sector 7 like humans, but he valued his soldiers more than anyone else.

'That's a mindset ingrained in his bones.'

In fact, it wasn't Elbert's fault that he had such values.

It was the fault of the people around him who had instilled this ideology in him countless times from the moment he was born.

If I had also been born as the child of a renowned noble in this world, wouldn't I have grown up to be like Elbert?

Hiding a bitter taste in my mouth, I nodded.

"Yes, I understand. I'll be sure to undo it."

Whatever the answer was, what I had to do wouldn't change.

***

In a warehouse, untouched for a long time, covered in a whitish layer of dust.

The man who was tightly bound there struggled desperately and made noises.

"Mmm! Mmm! Mmmph!"

His eyes were bloodshot, indicating he wasn't just angry.

Wondering what he was trying to say, I slightly peeled off the tape from his mouth.

"Die!!"

It was nothing special.

Rip, slap.

"Mmmph!"

I covered his mouth with the tape again and continued my thoughts.

"...The most likely option is light magic, right?"

Having never learned any special techniques like hypnosis or constraints, I had to undo the brainwashing solely with the power of magic.

Among them, light magic seemed to be the most likely to work.

After all, the light attribute was the most closely related to holy power.

Brainwashing was ultimately derived from demonic power.

If I tried various methods using light magic with holy power added, I should be able to undo the brainwashing.

Having reached that conclusion...

Swoosh-.

I immediately put it into action.

Light mana rose above my hand like a heat haze.

It surged without a definite shape and carefully flowed into the man.

Soon, the mana, still under my control, began to roam throughout the man's body.

And with it, I felt demonic energy.

Tingle!

As expected of brainwashing done with a Legion Commander's power, the demonic energy was extraordinary.

It was incomparable to the demonic energy emitted by the suspicious passerby from before.

Even though it had been a while since the brainwashing was cast, the energy was still this strong, showing how much power Asmodeus possessed.

'...The demonic energy she directly possesses must be much stronger than this.'

If I ever had to fight her, I would have to keep my wits about me.

While I was thinking that...

"Hmm?"

There was one spot where the demonic energy felt particularly strong.

It was none other than the man's back.

Without hesitation, I lifted the man's shirt, and sure enough...

"This is..."

A familiar picture was drawn on the man's back.

A pattern that looked like a lotus flower...

"It's definitely Asmodeus."

It was Asmodeus's unique mark, often seen in the game.

It was a mark that usually remained on people killed by Asmodeus or those affected by her power.

However...

Thump!

For some reason, I had a strong feeling that the answer lay in this mark.

It seemed like my intuition stat of 30, raised through the Spirit Imprint, was reacting.

"So, the answer is here, huh?"

Even apart from my intuition, it was highly likely.

In the game, to dispel mental-type abilities, you had to destroy such marks.

Of course, the difference from other mental abilities was that this was brainwashing done with a Legion Commander's power, not just any ordinary ability.

Therefore, destroying the mark wouldn't be easy.

There was even a possibility that I would be exposed to the demonic energy and get hurt in the process.

But...

"I have no choice but to try."

I had no other options anyway.

Not only could I not think of any other way, but any choice I made would involve risks.

With that judgment, I carefully moved my mana.

Softly and delicately.

The experience from when I first attempted attribute combination at the academy, no, the training I did in Persson's lab, was helping me.

My already impeccable magic control had become even more perfect.

I appropriately avoided dangerous areas and poked at vulnerable spots with my mana.

A drop of cold sweat trickled down my cheek.

"Mmmph! Mmmph-!!"

Even with the man's screams, I didn't stop.

I maintained my concentration without the slightest movement.

There were only two possible outcomes.

Either I win, or she wins.

One of us would experience their power being broken.

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]