ILLUSION TRIAL

“I reek? That’s odd; I make sure to wash myself three times every day.”

“You know as well as I do a murderer can’t truly mask his scent.” Norihiko replied, “I was about to track you down the old-fashioned way, but you saved me the trouble by coming to me yourself, so could you do me another favour and tell me your master plan? I’m the type of guy who enjoys the exposition before a battle, you see.”

“Plan? What’s the need of a plan when you are having fun, watching people scream and beg me right before they die? I say I won’t kill them to give them hope right before stabbing them through the chest, torturing, murdering, poisoning, and mass murdering. “Yes, all those things bring me pleasure,” he laughs hysterically before looking at Daena. “I can’t forget you, can I? You and your brother have been my form of long-term entertainment. Watching you run around looking for a cure which doesn’t exist, changing homes because the guards are on your trail, having to hide your true appearance from everyone around you – so much joy.”

“Are you sure you just don’t have a screw loose or something?” Norihiko commented.

“It is truly a shame to think I will have to find a new source of entertainment all because you had to be the good guy.” The murderer dispelled his ‘makeover’; unlike Deana, whose body changed gradually until she was in her true form, the murderer’s skin melted off, revealing his real face. He had a remarkable arced scar in front of his left ear; his eyes looked intimidating, and he gave off the aura of a killer.

“So what’s your real name anyway?” Norihiko stood up. “A genius murderer would have opened with that.”

“Silly me, where are my manners? “My name is Neldor, although it’s of no use to a dead man,” the elf said. “Now where do I start?”

Neldor disappeared before Norihiko’s eyes, and the room became a wide-open grassland (at least it appeared to be to Norihiko).

***

“She’s an elf,” Astrea said while they were still at the eatery.

“Elf actually exists.”

“Many races exist in these worlds, although I have no idea what an elf is doing out here and working as a guild receptionist, no less.” Astrea said, “Elves are very skilled in the illusionary magic arts, but they generally don’t relate very well with humans.”

“Anyway, I can counter their illusions.”

“Did you forget what I told you already? Any magic spell can be countered with an even greater magic or mana.” Astrea explained, “Just keep that in mind when you fight this A-rank, and you will be fine.”

“What about you?”

“Me?”

“You said your mana is currently weak and at best a B rank.”

“You forget, I’m a goddess.”

***

Even so, Norihiko still called her name first: “Astrea, are you okay?”

“Dumbass” was the reply he got back. “I’ll protect the girl, but that’s as much as I can manage. You focus on protecting yourself and giving this guy his trial.”

There was a sound like a blade slashing across a diamond.

She set up a barrier. Norihiko focused on dispelling Noldor’s magic with his own. This will take a while.

The slashing suddenly stopped as Norihiko managed to dodge a knife gunning straight for his heart.

“Isn’t this a coward's way of fighting?” Norihiko said to Neldor, although he couldn’t see him.

Norihiko dodged an attack spell going for his legs; he was only able to dodge at the last second.

“A cowardly way of fighting? I know a person who would do anything for the win when I see one; you are no saint.”

He isn’t wrong there; Norihiko dodges many attacks aimed at various parts of his body. “Your plan is to keep attacking me so I can’t dispel your illusion while also wearing me down so I can’t dodge anymore.”

“An excellent plan, isn’t it?”

Won’t he be worn down before me… unless… Norihiko stood still, and Neldor’s attack never came; he’s messing with my senses.

Norihiko remained standing still, not caring for the illusionary attacks as he attempted to dispel the illusion.

This guy is dumber than I thought. Neldor prepared his weapon, a short stabbing knife, ready to attack while Norihiko was blindsided. He’s wide open; I'll be sure to enjoy his death. He launched at Norihiko in a mix with his illusionary while disrupting his senses.

Norihiko caught Neldor by his wrist as his hand held a knife aiming for his forehead. “You are quick to forget what you hear; even if I can’t see you, your bloodlust will surely show when you go for a one-shot kill.” Norihiko threw Neldor across the room as his illusion magic faltered.

Neldor stood back up right after. “You just threw away your one and only chance to kill me,” he said as he cast his illusion magic again. “Don’t think I will make the same mistake twice.”

“You can’t use illusion magic again.”

Neldor’s spell broke, and the illusion he had created around Norihiko dissolved. “W-what just happened?” Neldor said as he attempted to cast his illusion magic again, but his eyesight grew dimmer instead. “My eyes, what did you do to my eyes?”

“I’ll recommend you don’t use that spell again.” The judgement of my skill is more severe the more crimes my opponent has committed. I expected him to go blind in an instant, but this works too. “One more law: you can’t use your legs.”

Neldor immediately fell to the ground.

The more laws I cast on my opponent, the weaker the laws are consecutively, but an A-rank like him should be able to dispel my second law.

I can’t stand; my legs won’t work. Neldor looked up to Norihiko; he’s looking down on me. Is this how I die?

“Tell you what, if you are able to stand even with the spell I cast on you, I will overlook your crimes as long as you change your ways.”

“W-what are you saying?”

“I’m trying to be nice here, or would you rather I just kill now?”

“I’ll do it.” Of course he would be lenient with me. He's only a kid after all; once he lets me roam free, I will tell them about him. Yes… even with how strong he is, they would rip him to pieces.

With effort and with all of his mana, Neldor managed to get to his feet for two seconds before falling back down instantly.

“Wow, I’m impressed you actually managed to overcome my law, even if it was for a little while.”

“You better keep your promise, kid.”

“Of course”, one more law which I wanted to try, although it requires the opponent to be completely drained of mana. The trigger word is…

Norihiko squatted down and put his hand on Neldor’s shoulder while he whispered in his ear. “Did my words give you hope? You couldn’t have actually thought I would let you go, could you?”

Neldor was horrified. “I’m still going to die. I’m going to—” “You lying bas—”

“… DIE,” Norihiko said.

Neldor’s eyes immediately became lifeless.

“Did you really have to go that far?” Astrea said, dispelling the barrier around her and Daena.

“I just wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine.” He opened Neldor’s hand and pulled out a trinket. “He held on to this to the very end. Any idea what this is?”

The trinket was the symbol of a heavily unbalanced scale.

“No clue”

Norihiko inspected the trinket. “My guess is there are more like him.” The trinket turned to dust while he held it. “There goes the evidence.”

“Is he dead?” Daena finally said something.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? All you want to do is do the deed yourself.”

“Well yes, but I see now that if I had gone up against him, I would have surely died, so thank you,” she said with a bow.

“I’m not done helping yet.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your brother’s sickness,” Norihiko said as he stood up, “It’s plenty curable.”