Chapter 320.
Hillis looked confused as she saw my face, alternating between looking at her unconscious sister and me. Then she blinked for a moment.
"There’s a lot to ask, but yeah. There must be special circumstances. It’s not important right now, so I’ll move on,” she said. Then, she took a deep breath and asked seriously, "Is my sister’s mind being controlled like those people?"”
Hillis was calm, even though she was likely confused and emotional at the moment. This calm was something that came from wisdom.
"Yeah,” I answered.
In response, Hillis’ expression seemed to collapse into despair. "Then...!"
"But it’s different. The paladins you overpowered now are one-time-use and disposable, but your sister was brainwashed carefully over a long period of time,” I explained subsequently.
With that, Hillis regained her lost calm. "Then, will my sis-sister be okay again?”
"Yeah. It’ll take a long time, but if it were me... No, I’ll introduce you to one of the great madosas, the Curse Specialist, instead. He’ll be better at it than me."
I was an enemy who had killed this person’s comrade. Just looking at the level of emotional agitation, it was highly likely that her comrade was a lover or equivalent benefactor. My presence could be used as a material for the treatment, but the treatment I could provide myself would be the worst in terms of mental care.
It was fortunate that I knew the contact information of the great madosas. The question was more about what price they would ask for undoing the brainwashing.
"That’s a relief..." Hillis’s legs lost strength and she faltered, seemingly from the great mental shock.
I tried to support Hillis, who was wavering, but she put up her hand and refused.
Hillis supported her body using her wand as a cane, looking at her unconscious sister sadly, saying, "I need a moment to think. I trust my sister as much as I trust you. I’m sorry that I’m a greedy person who doesn’t want to lose anyone."
I nodded, answering, "You don’t have to apologize. It’s a matter of course. Think as much as you need. Whether it’s an explanation or an excuse, you can listen to it when you want after you calm your emotions."
I fully understood that if her sister’s precious person had died by my hand, she might not want to listen to me for the rest of her life.
Hillis smiled sadly and said, "I won’t say thank you." She slowly approached her unconscious sister to support her.
This was before I had known Hillis, and it was Leo that I had really been trying to kill, so if one were to ask me if I regretted it, then that wasn’t particularly the case.
Anyway, the one who had died by my hands was an accomplice and servant of Leo. If you were trying to kill others, shouldn’t you be prepared to die yourself?
When Hillis bent down and tried to grab her sister, she suddenly felt a strange mana.
"Lionel!" I called as I grabbed Hillis’ arm and quickly swung my sword behind my back.
Kaaaaaang-!
Countless thorns of black mana emanated from Hillis’s sister.
"Ugh!"
Most of the thorns were struck away by my sword, but because I was too close to where the magic had been triggered, the thorns that couldn’t be struck away penetrated my side.
"Den! You’re bleeding!" Hillis cried.
"It’s okay,” I replied. After my experience training under Elder Weger and my father, this couldn’t even be considered a real injury.
"Did you get hurt?" I asked.
Hillis shook her head and called on her divine power. "I’m unhurt. Wait a minute. I’ll heal you soon!"
Unlike the effects of my potion, I couldn’t feel any pain even when the wound healed.
I glanced at Arwen. Fortunately, Lionel, who had been trying to protect me, heard my cry and defended Arwen, so I couldn’t see any wounds on her.
I was surprised and moved away from Hillis, who was trying to help me, and looked at the source of the magic. Hillis’s older sister had already disappeared from where she was supposed to be lying unconscious. Obviously, this had been a trap aimed at Hillis.
I looked into the air, where I could feel a chill even before Tristan told me. In the central hallway on the third floor of the temple, Libra stood, carrying Hillis’s older sister.
Libra was chuckling and laughing openly as he said, "What a shame. I could’ve killed the saintess."
Hillis shouted, aiming the wand full of divine power. "Let go of Unni right now! Possessor of hideous mana!”
A vicious aura came from Hillis’s whole body. She was unable to use magic recklessly because of the hostage, but it wouldn’t have been strange for her to kill Libra right away.
"Ahahaha! How can I let go of the shaman that was so difficult to find?! How foolish!” Libra ridiculed. Hillis gritted her teeth.
I glanced at the hidden Tristan as I provoked Libra. "A ‘shaman’ that was difficult to find? Then, did you use that shaman as bait? Didn’t you think I could’ve killed her? I guess you don’t have a brain.” I tapped my head and openly sneered.
Libra clenched his teeth angrily. "Shut up! How dare you ask if I have a brain, with that face that looks like that warrior ruffian?"
With that, I could see that Libra had a very bad relationship with my great-grandfather. Were they both using each other?
"Ayy, then you shouldn’t do such a stupid thing. Right? There’s no way you’d take a risk without an extra shaman,” I said.
In fact, despite the fact that I was provoking him, I didn’t know what the ‘shaman’ that Libra referred to was.
Since Libra was a Demon King worshipper trying to summon the Demon King, it was only assumed that the shaman was an existence needed for the Demon King summoning ceremony. Perhaps if I read ‘The Prophecy of the Holy Tribe’ again, I would find out more about a shaman.
Drunk with excitement, Libra continued to speak without even being prompted. "Ahahaha! Are you really asking without knowing the answer? I guess you weren’t that close to the kid next to you, since she didn’t say anything?”
I glanced at where Libra was looking. Arwen was shivering there, avoiding Libra’s gaze.
"Ududuk! If it weren’t for that damn former chief of the Crow tribe, I wouldn’t have had to have a hard time finding a shaman with such thin Holy tribe blood. Now, this obedient child is more useful than that one who doesn’t listen." Libra ground his teeth with a moment of anger, but soon smiled lightly again.
In Libra’s gestures and tone, one could see some schizophrenia and severe bipolar disorder, which could be commonly seen in black magicians. Since the fundamentals of black magic were based on self-sacrifice, it was also affecting his mind. That was why I hadn’t learned black magic.
"I’m sure that’s not the only purpose,” I said provocatively.
Libra laughed nastily. "Kuhuhuhuhu! That’s right! Of course!" Black mana emanated from his magic wand, and shadow dolls containing horrible death aura emerged. He cried, "Hand over the holy book, ‘The End of the Holy Tribe’!"
I picked at my ears with my little fingers and said sourly, "Oh, that? I used it as firewood to make roasted sweet potatoes."
Libra looked at me, dumbfounded. "You dog! I thought you seemed like a Crow... So that was you!”
"Oh! Did my great-grandfather tell you already? Roasted sweet potatoes made with the Demon King summons taste amazing,” I said, laughing.
Libra grabbed the back of his neck and got angry to the point he looked as if he might faint immediately. "How dare you do that to the holy book! I won’t forgive you!"
"So what if you don’t forgive me? You’re going to come at me? Arthur, where do you get off trying to go against me with your insignificant skills?" I laughed openly.
Libra fired off black magic toward me, but at the same time, Tristan shot Libra’s shoulder.
"Arrrrgh!"
The arrow, surrounded by a powerful aura, completely blew off Libra’s shoulder. Because his shoulder turned into dust, the arm holding the magic wand fell through the air, and the black magic he was shooting at me also changed direction.
"Tristan! Securing the hostage’s safety is the top priority!" I called.
"Yeah! Got it, Master!" Tristan replied.
Blood poured out from Libra as he grabbed Hillis’s sister by the neck, having broken out into a cold sweat. He threatened, "Don’t move if you don’t want to see her die!” He had really taken Hillis’s sister hostage to save himself.
"He can’t kill her anyway!" I cried.
"No!" Hillis screamed.
-Master, the angle doesn’t work here. Even shooting with a curved angle, his reaction will be faster than the shot.
Is that why you aimed at the shoulder, not head? I thought as I clicked my tongue and shook my head.
Tristan relaxed his arm and lowered the bow that had been nocked tightly.
"Keuk! We’ll see about this! Damn Crow tribe!” Libra broke the Great Temple window with black magic and flew away into the sky.
"Tch, if I had Fail-Not, I would have hit his head in one attack." Tristan clicked his tongue regretfully.
Certainly, if it were Fail-Not, one of the five holy relics, it would have been possible to hit Libra before he reacted, since it was a bow that transcended the concept of time and space.
It was exceptionally difficult to handle, but Tristan could handle that bow just fine. I should get it for him later.
"Tristan, don’t get caught and chase him secretly. If necessary, tell Caradoc and mobilize the dragon tooth soldiers,” I instructed.
"I receive your orders." Tristan concealed himself and chased after Libra. However, even if he pursued, it wouldn’t be easy to steal the hostage.
"Unni...!" Hillis sank to the ground with a devastated expression. Tears formed around Hillis’ eyes, even though she usually never showed her weak side.
"It won’t be too much comfort to just tell you this, but she’ll be safe for now,” I said. “The Demon King worshipper brainwashed your sister so painstakingly because he needs your sister.”
Hillis lowered her head and shed tears. "What if the brainwashing is completed?"
"Don’t worry about that. The condition for that is likely your death,” I explained. Hillis looked up at me with red eyes and I continued, "The Demon King worshipper tried to set a trap for you, to the point where he put your sister in danger. That means your existence is interrupting the completion of the brainwashing."
"Really...?"
"Yeah. So, don’t cry."
Hillis closed her lips tightly and wiped away tears with her hands. Then she got up and calmly withdrew her divine power, saying, "Tell me everything you know. Why that black magician brainwashed and kidnapped Unni, and how you became an enemy of the black magician and killed Paladin Mario, my brother-in-law to be." As if she had hardened her heart, Hillis’s eyes were shining vigorously.
"Okay. I’ll explain until you’re satisfied. I think tonight will be long,” I said, and looked at Arwen.
Arwen flinched and hesitated. There seemed to be something I needed to hear from her.
On another note, it would be best to cling to my father like a koala for the next two to three days until my mana recovered. The enemy likely already knew I had the knowledge of Demon King summons in my head.
The problem was that if my father ran wild with all his power, it wouldn’t be easy to follow him around with my body lacking mana. Well, whatever. I’m sure it’ll work out.
Sometimes, having no plan could be the best plan.
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