Chapter 5: When Did You Get the Illusion That I Didn’t Use Flower in the Mirror, Moon in the Water?
Shaya walked to Annrina, who was in an akahao expression, and disdainfully threw the Nightmare Butterfly, which had fainted, aside.
He then squatted down, extended his hand, and began to search from her neck, all the way past her large chest and abdomen.
Finally, his target was found in the interlayer of the clothing at Annrina’s waist.
It was a small stone carving, depicting a twisted beast’s head.
From time to time, an invisible but decaying and dead-silent aura emanated from it.
This aura was very familiar to Shaya; it was indeed a pollutant contaminated with the aura of an Evil God.
Shaya picked up the stone carving to examine it, then placed it into a pre-prepared mithril box. The decaying aura ceased to overflow due to the mithril’s isolation.
“Next time, be more mindful. Even if you’re going to compete in ingenuity, choose your opponent wisely.”
“However, given your crimes, the best outcome would probably be spending the rest of your life in the Directorate’s Black Iron City prison. You likely won’t have another chance to use it.”
“Hmph, you’re just a selfish bounty hunter, yet you insist on putting on a hypocritical facade of superiority.”
“You have the power to control the whole situation, but for a bit of bounty, you still allowed me to kill the first group of young people.”
Annrina seemed to have recovered somewhat from her aphonia state of mental exhaustion, slumping on the ground with a mocking smile at the corner of her lips.
As if she had seen her own unshakeable fate clearly, her gentle face no longer maintained any pretense, replaced by a ferocious hatred.
However, Shaya, the object of those resentful and hateful gazes, remained indifferent.
“I don’t reject your assessment of me being selfish.”
“However, you might have misunderstood one thing.”
Shaya closed the mithril box, carefully tucked it close to his body, and looked at Annrina, whose face was contorted with ferocity not far away, sighing softly.
“Causing casualties among innocent bystanders while on a mission will result in a deduction of part of the mission reward by the Directorate.”
“Moreover, as a selfish person, I believe I cherish my own life quite a bit.”
“To be arrogant enough to charge headfirst without summoning a Familiar is the fighting style of those brutes in the Knights’ Academy.”
“And I am not the kind of guy whose brain is full of muscle.”
He stood up, looking down at the noble maiden below him, who had been bewitched by the Evil God and the thrill of gaining power, ultimately walking down an irreversible path.
“So—”
“When did you get the illusion that I didn’t use Flower in the Mirror, Moon in the Water?”
Shaya’s suddenly indifferent words caused Annrina’s body to freeze in place.
The next moment, she only saw the high silver moon outside the window suddenly become incredibly radiant.
Clear and translucent.
In an instant, as if by some magical power, the silver moon captured her entire attention and occupied her entire mind.
Then, on the surface of that bright silver moon.
Three blood-red, comma-like patterns spun and enlarged continuously.
When Annrina suddenly woke up, she found herself still slumped on the ground.
However, at some unknown time, her underclothes had become completely soaked with sweat, as if she had woken from a nightmare.
Shaya was still standing in front of her, looking at her with calm eyes.
The only difference was that on Shaya’s shoulder, a snow-white figure had appeared at some point.
It was a delicate sable, its silver-white fur as smooth as silk, reminiscent of the Three Sages Snow Mountain in the Far North.
The small sable was perched on Shaya’s left shoulder, and within its blood-diamond-like left eye, three silver moon patterns, like blood-colored magatamas, were gradually fading.
This was his Familiar?
It looked no different from those ornamental Familiars, and certainly didn’t seem powerful?
I lost to such an unremarkable Beast Tamer?
When Annrina shifted her gaze from the sable to the surroundings.
Her gaze completely solidified at that moment.
She saw behind Shaya, those who should have drunk the poisoned wine and fallen without the ability to resist were still sitting in their seats, staring at Shaya and Annrina with bewilderment.
Even the unfortunate person whose life Annrina had taken with a dagger was now standing unharmed.
He was looking at Annrina, whose face was contorted with ferocity, with an unbelievable gaze.
His eyes were filled with the despair of shattered dreams and a collapsed world.
The angel he had admired had suddenly transformed into a life-taking demon before his eyes and then started attacking the air with a knife.
One could imagine the immense blow this sudden turn of events must have dealt to this devoted follower.
“Good job, Silver.”
Shaya reached out and stroked the sable on his shoulder.
The sable, called “Silver,” lazily narrowed its eyes under Shaya’s touch, while its fluffy tail gently brushed against Shaya’s neck.
After teasing Silver, Shaya turned around again.
His gaze swept over the group of bewildered pyramid scheme victims in the auditorium: “I will take her to the Directorate branch in the city center.”
“As for you, there’s no need to worry.”
“After the Directorate’s hounds finish inquiring about the relevant information, you should be free, probably.”
“Given your soul quality that has reached the level of a trainee Beast Tamer, the officials will likely make proper arrangements for you.”
“Whether it’s becoming a reserve in the military, enjoying the empire’s salary, or being accepted into the local extraordinary academy of Lesa City, these should be good options given your current situation.”
“Well then, it’s time to end this.”
Shaya yawned, took his trench coat from the back of the chair, smoothed out its wrinkles, and put it on.
And just as Shaya finished speaking.
Annrina, who had not yet recovered from her shock, felt a strong wave of drowsiness wash over her.
Even with her mental strength as an intermediate Beast Tamer, she couldn’t stop the rapid spread of this drowsiness even in the slightest.
“Almost forgot to mention, my Main Familiar also specializes in illusions.”
Before her consciousness was completely engulfed by darkness, Annrina only saw Shaya make a finger gesture in front of her.
“And, its illusion, ‘Tsukuyomi,’ its proficiency might be a bit higher than that ugly, giant butterfly of yours…”
“by a whole lot.”
