[V11C25] Yes, this is Chantless Illusion Magic
Translated by Jodas 11: Envoy of the AbyssSeeing the girl rocketing towards him at high speed with the Magical Flying Device’s wings spread wide on her back, Hütter couldn’t believe it.
The first thing that came to mind was ‘What the hell is she doing here!?’ Then, considering the fact that Tia was here, Hütter had a terrifying realization.
(…Ah, shit. If Tia’s here, that means Sevil’s here too. And if she’s here, then the others could be as well…!)
Why was Tia here? To help Rose? To find Finn? Because Sevil went wild again? … He could think of any number of reasons.
And Tia being here meant that Sevil was almost certainly also here.
He had been at ease knowing that the Apprentices — aside from Rose that is — were safe and sound at the village. Now he had a headache.
(What the hell are you guys doooooinggg?! You’re getting a real lecture after this! … Oh I really hope there’s an ‘after this,’ dammit!)
Thia was bad. Everything was going wrong in every way he could imagine, but the bad scenario that he had to worry about happening right now was the chance that Tia might get killed by Tia, or that he would die in the crossfire himself.
“Oh? Why are you here? What is Charonlala thinking?”
Jill snapped with the hand that wasn’t holding Hütter.
While Tia’s Magical Flying Device was powerful, he didn’t think she had a chance of landing a strike on a Greater Monster. Nevertheless, Tia was aiming straight for them as she flew. To take Hütter back. No matter how he looked at it, she would lose for sure.
(Right, I can use that thing I brought just in case…!)
Hütter took a card he had hidden in his sleeve and brought it to his palm.
The timing would be critical here. Praying that she didn’t die in a single blow, and that she took notice of what he was doing, Hütter waited for the moment Tia and Jill colide.
Tia deftly managed her altitude, aiming for Hütter. Her plan was probably to grab him and steal him away from Jill. But Jill must have known what she was trying to do, as he laughed “Too slow!” as he twisted his body away.
(Now!)
When Tia’s attention was focused on Hütter, he held his index finger over his lips in the ‘it’s a secret’ pose, then flashed the card in his palm so only Tia could see it.
Tia’s sharp eyes widened. Looked like the message got through.
As naturally as he could, Hütter dropped the card and gestured towards the main gate.
Tia quickly spiraled around, caught the card Hütter had dropped in her mouth, then flew off towards the main gate. As she left, Jill cackled.
“You think she’s off to ask her friends for help? She’s wasting her time~!”
With the card Hütter dropped in her mouth, Tia flew off to the main gate.
Once she got to the gate, Spiremaster Lowein raised his voice in shock.
“Wait, aren’t you the Apprentice…!? What are you doing at a place like this!?”
“Tia, I’m sorry! I couldn’t save Mr. Hütter…”
Rose ran up to her with an apologetic look, but Tia shook her head at him.
Then, grabbing the card out of her mouth, she held it up for everyone to see.
“This is a message from Mr. Hütter.”
“Chantless illusion magic in process”
Surely everyone who saw the card saw an image of Hütter saying “Yes, this is chantless illusion magic.” appear in their minds.
With wide eyes, Rose asked a follow-up question.
“Wait, so does that mean… Mr. Hütter is using chantless illusion magic to infiltrate the Monsters’ side?”
“I think so. When Mr. Hütter and I made eye contact, he did a ‘Shh!’ gesture at me. That means ‘keep this a secret,’ right?”
Deciding to leave their thoughts on Tia’s presence for later, the adults whispered their impressions of the situation among themselves.
“When he says chantless illusion magic… Does that mean that Greater Monster can’t see Mr. Hütter or something like that?”
“No, if anything, maybe it’s some kind of illusion that makes him look like a fellow Monster to them.”
“But didn’t Mr. Hütter say earlier that illusion magic wouldn’t work against Monsters?”
Hearing the other mages’ discussion, Lowein crossed his arms and spoke with a weighty inflection.
“Perhaps making us think that was all part of Hütter’s plan. That man always thinks two or three steps ahead of us.”
Yeah, he was right. Hütter always had in mind a future far, far ahead of what Tia could even comprehend. He would never do something on the spot without planning carefully in advance.
…Meanwhile, a certain con man who always did things on the spot was thinking ‘Man, at this rate Tia’s gonna get killed by the Vampire. I need to find some way to convince her that I’m fine and that she should back off… Oh, what if I did this!’ Unaware that such decisions were made at the seat of his pants, Tia and the others were impressed with Hütter’s impeccable forethought.
Spiremaster Alto took her fiddle — her weapon — in hand and declared with her eyes closed.
“I tried using detection magic… There’s a strange mana signature around the Water Bubble. I’m worried something might have happened at the mana forge.”
“How’s the mana density looking inside? It looks like the crystal contamination is done with, and I’m sure my Rose Fortress has thinned it out at least a little, but…”
In response to Rose’s question, Spiremaster Alto adjusted her detection range, then spoke again.
“It’s become quite manageable near the walls by now. But… there’s some strange blips here and there where the mana density is oddly high. Especially around the dorms in the west… What’s with this mana… No way, is this really just a single Monster’s mana?”
Around the dorms. Tia immediately had an idea what she was talking about.
While Tia’s attention had been focused entirely on that fateful girl, Fiene, she remembered seeing a pale Monster standing beside her.
“There was a pale Monster near those dorms. That has to be the King of Monsters. Everyone else is there too. I’ve gotta go save them!”
When she recalled the image of that pale Monster, the hairs on back of her neck tingled. Her instincts were telling her she should never disobey it.
But her fellow Apprentices where right there. She couldn’t just leave them to their fates.
(Besides, I still haven’t seen Kai yet. I haven’t persuaded Sis yet either…!)
Charonlala’s song had come to a halt. That alone made her uneasy. It was as if she was preparing for something big that was about to happen.
“Tia.”
Rose called Tia’s name. He, who was apparently some super important mage back in his home country, addressed Tia like the Rose she knew.
“I can’t move from this spot. Can you take care of the others for me?”
“Piyopp! I want you to support me too, Rose!”
Tia expressed her honest wishes, to which Rose smiled cheerfully and patted his chest.
“You betcha, piyopp! Leave it to me!”
Buoyed by his confident piyopp, Tia laughed “Pefufu!”
She was glad that, even at a time like this, Rose was still Rose.
Fiene, the Daughter of God, looked to the sky and muttered sadly.
“Tia…”
For a brief moment, Tia was looking at her. Staring directly at her, with intense emotions burning inside.
Instantly, Fiene felt her chest seize up. The sparks of a very human emotion kindled within the Daughter of God’s heart.
—She glad. So glad. Tia was alive. Tia remembered her. Tia felt a powerful, powerful fixation towards her.
(Your pure white wings are so lovely, it’s like you’re an angel. It makes me so happy to see Tia flying in the sky… Ah, I want to hear her singing again. Won’t you sing for me, my cute little birdie?)
This reunion was a culmination of Fiene’s destiny and a critically impactful moment for her. And yet, something else intruded on their moment. The moment Tia caught sight of it, she flew off without even sparing a second glance toward Fiene.
“GIVE BACK MR. HÜTTEEERRR!!”
(…I see, so his name is Hütter.)
The fixation that should have been directed toward Fiene alone was stolen away by this interloper.
Such a presence birthed a tiny darkness in the Daughter of God’s chest.
She had to eliminate him. After all, Tia was Fiene’s little birdie.