Again Brainwashed

"Cecilia!?"

Elder Hall's eyes widened. He hadn't expected her to suddenly appear here.

At the sound, the cultists wearing silver masks rushed inside.

When Mary realized the unexpected visitor was Cecilia, she looked utterly stunned.

"You said she wouldn't come!" Elder Hall snapped, shooting Mary an angry glance.

"What?" Cecilia's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Did you think I'd stay cooped up in that secret estate in the Riverside District, researching magic for the Order day and night?"

"You seem to know my schedule pretty well, Mary."

Mary's face turned ashen. She knew she was as good as dead.

But she couldn't understand why Cecilia had shown up here at this particular time.

Could it be...

Was it because of that boy??

Mary stared at Ansu in disbelief.

A faint smile still played on Cecilia's lips, but it held no warmth. It was already brimming with murderous intent.

"Attack! All of you, attack!" Elder Hall bellowed. "Don't be afraid. Elder Colin's on his way, too. If we fight with everything we've got, the two of us might still be able to take her down!"

In the dim, flickering firelight, Ansu watched the masked cultists. He couldn't see their expressions, but their trembling hands gave away what they were thinking.

Cecilia's oppressive presence was simply overwhelming.

But they could only steel themselves and charge forward. Disobeying Elder Hall would mean death, too.

A terrifying, razor-sharp surge of Magic Power swept through the room.

The next moment, the heads of a dozen cultists dropped neatly to the floor, and scarlet blood gushed out like a fountain.

Cecilia had cast her spell so quickly that no one could even tell what magic she had used.

At the same time, Elder Hall's body had turned into a mass of worms, which scattered and fled through the cracks in the walls.

Ansu couldn't help but curl his lip. The man had shouted for everyone else to attack, yet he was the first to run. Elder Hall had never intended to fight Cecilia to the death.

"Heh. Trying to escape?"

Cecilia narrowed her eyes. Black flames swept over the worms, and Elder Hall's screams rang out without pause.

But there were simply too many worms. Unless every last one was killed, Elder Hall could still cling to life for a while.

Seeing Cecilia and Hall playing "cat and mouse" in the basement, Ansu hurried over to Mary, who lay on the ground.

Cecilia hadn't cut off Mary's head, perhaps as a form of punishment. By now, fierce magical flames were already burning across her body.

Ansu's scalp tingled at the sight of Mary's suffering.

The flames seemed to carry a corrosive power. Large patches of skin had peeled from Mary's body, exposing stark white bone. She screamed in agony and tried to put out the fire, but to no avail.

It was about the most agonizing way to die imaginable.

"Teacher Mary! Answer one question, and I'll make her spare you!"

Mary's hideously burned face jerked up. Her vocal cords were damaged, and she couldn't even manage a complete sentence.

"W-what...?"

"Ether! That bottle of ether you used to knock me out—where did you put it in your office?" Ansu pressed her at once. "Hurry! Answer me, and you'll be free!"

Mary could no longer think clearly. Her instinct to survive made her cling to the last thing he had said.

"In... the office desk's... second drawer..."

"P-please... save me!"

"Okay!" Ansu picked up a knife lying beside a cultist's corpse and plunged it into Teacher Mary's heart.

Her agonized screams finally stopped.

Ansu had indeed given her release.

He had asked her that seemingly pointless question because, once he returned to reality, he'd have to face Mary in the office.

He didn't think he could beat her with his sole 0th-circle spell.

Ansu looked around again. In the firelight, the basement had become a slaughterhouse.

Blood and bodies were strewn everywhere. Among them was Elder Hall, back in human form but missing several parts of his body.

Even as he lay dying, Elder Hall kept screaming. His voice was full of despair and venom.

"I told you... I told you long ago! A lunatic! Samantha brought back an uncontrollable lunatic!!"

"You filthy demi-human! Beast! Devil!!"

"You think you can get away with this? You'll die in the most agonizing way possible! I curse—!"

"You talk too much!" Cecilia impatiently cast an explosive spell. Elder Hall's body burst into a cloud of blood, sending chunks of flesh flying in every direction.

Only after the battle was over did a speck of filth finally land on Cecilia's clothes.

She furrowed her brow, disgust showing on her exquisite, beautiful face.

"Disgusting. I hate bugs the most..."

Then Cecilia slowly turned her gaze toward Ansu, who stood some distance away.

"Your Excellency, Witch..."

Ansu didn't know whether to feel relieved or worried.

He'd already used up his Magic Immunity...

He didn't know when Cecilia had appeared, either. She'd arrived at just the right moment... Perhaps she'd been secretly watching him for a long time.

And whatever awaited him probably wouldn't be a good end...

"Ansu~"

She walked toward him with an amused smile. "It seems you've been hiding quite a lot from me, haven't you?"

"Hmm..." Ansu blinked. "What do you mean?"

With each step Cecilia took, the aura of forbidden magic spread.

"What do you think?" she asked with a smile. "That remarkable magical ability of yours, or... your inexplicable quarrel with Marina?"

Ansu gave up completely. He had so many secrets he couldn't even make up a story to explain them...

A layer of demonic patterns faintly appeared on the pale skin of Cecilia's arms. Her eerie, unblinking eyes—the mark of her demon bloodline—remained fixed on Ansu.

She raised a hand and lightly pressed a sharp fingertip against Ansu's throat. It seemed that a single small jab would be enough to pierce his neck.

"I thought you were someone worth nurturing."

Cecilia narrowed her eyes. "But it seems you have another side I can't see through, Ansu. Just how much have you lied to me...?"

Ansu opened his mouth, but in the end, he chose to remain silent.

"No answer?"

Cecilia gave a cold laugh, and the aura of her foul magic quickly engulfed Ansu.

[Hypnosis]

"Tell me everything you've been hiding..."

Who knew how much time had passed?

Cecilia looked at Ansu's vacant stare, and the smile on her face slowly faded.

In the end, all that remained was disappointment.

"Heh..."

"So it was a lie from the very beginning."

She lowered her eyes and sighed so softly it was almost inaudible.

"I thought you were different. I even had such high hopes for you... How ridiculous."

"If it hadn't been for what happened today, I don't know when I would have found out..."

Of course...

If there's no hope, there can be no disappointment.

She waved a hand, and the magic circle suddenly lit up.

"Only like this... can you be truly loyal."

When [Soul Domination] took effect, the Ansu before her lost all sense of self and thought.

Looking at Ansu, whose eyes had lost their former liveliness, Cecilia nodded in satisfaction. A faint smile returned to her face.

At last, he would no longer tell her lies or disappoint her.

And yet.

The inexplicable sense of loss in her heart lingered, refusing to fade.