TYND 66

TL: Motokare

Shortly after, Rothy emerged, looking exactly like a snow fairy in a lightweight pure white robe. 

“Theon, were you petting Chi-chi? Isn’t Chi-chi really soft and squishy?”

“Yes. And you’re absolutely adorable.”

“You dressed Chi-chi in a yellow outfit. That’s so adorable.”

“You’re as adorable as a snow fairy.”

“This is terrible… my worry has come true.”

“What worry?”

“I knew the moment Ultje gave me this outfit. When I wear this, you’d spend the whole day saying I’m adorable.”

“You’re right. It’s because you’re so adorable and so lovable.”

Rothy let out a deep sigh. 

Theon fussed around with Rothy’s collar even though there was no need for further adjustment, then moved a hand to cup Rothy’s cheek. 

That was his original intention. 

Rothy looked up, pressing his face into Theon’s large hand. The look on his face showed he was braced for another barrage of ‘you’re adorable’ from him, so Theon kept it up and said it at least ten more times. 

Once the doting time was over, it was time to leave. As usual, Theon bent down and spread his arms, but Rothy, who’d stepped forward half a step as if about to immediately jump into them, flinched and backed away one step.

“I’m not a child who needs to be carried around.”

“……”

Seeing his resolute face, Theon silently acquiesced and took Rothy’s hand instead. If they were heading to the underground prison with steep stairs, he would’ve persuaded Rothy and picked him up, but since it was an above ground prison, he decided to respect his wishes.

The grey building behind the main mansion was where the above ground prison was located. They approached it directly and passed through the entrance as the guards greeted them. 

Scree…

When they entered the new space, Chi-chi climbed down Rothy’s body and started crawling across the floor, sniffing and inspecting everything. Inside, a prisoner who’d been sitting with his knees hugged to his chest raised his head. 

With brown hair and brown eyes, he looked like a completely ordinary-looking sixteen-year-old. However, he was definitely not ordinary. His name was Naran Daisy, and the young assassin currently had his eyes fixed on Rothy.

“Rothy, is that fella trying to use telepathy on you again?”

“No…”

“So the magic restraints are working.”

Thick black cuffs bound Naran’s wrists. They were made of thremuhle that had the function to disrupt mana flow. It didn’t affect sixth- or seventh-grade mages, but it worked just fine on him.

Theon seated Rothy on a chair opposite the iron bars, then stood beside him and stared intently at the prisoner. The knights who could sense aura felt the menacing energy spreading dangerously within the prison. It was the kind of presence that made it clear—any movement mistaken for a threat, whether lifting a hand or shifting a foot, would be met with severed limbs.

And in the middle of such a hostile atmosphere……

“Hi.”

Rothy waved at Naran. That made him faltere for an instant since he hadn’t expected anyone to give him such a friendly greeting here. 

“You kept calling for me, didn’t you? What’s the reason?”

“……”

Naran’s eyes flicked to Theon, then to Rothy, and then the guard. Theon, Chungnip, and Zey didn’t intervene. They just watched.

“I’ve a grudge against The Mandate. Let’s make a deal. I’ll give you all the information about them if you release me.”

Whether that was the truth or bait, no one knew yet. The immediate question was simple. Could Naran Daisy be trusted, or not? This conversation would determine how much of ‘expert’ level brainwashing would be needed.

“I was—”

Naran, raised in an assassin’s guild, quickly understood the current situation and began to speak.

“I was kidnapped by The Mandate when I was young. Usually, the guild uses brainwashing magic to erase the memories of kids they snatch, but occasionally, there are some people who’d be immune to it. Some are born with mental resistance so extreme the magic doesn’t take. I’m one of them.”

The Mandate kept close watch on children with that kind of resistance since they could, depending on how things turned out, become the most effective weapons for the guild. 

It turned out, Naran wasn’t just resistant to mental magic; he’d also shown talent in magic, academics, physical training, and hand-to-hand combat. It was no surprise he had caught the eye of those above him from early on.

“They pegged me as one of the core assets and put me through brutal training. To learn how to endure pain, I was made to cut into my own thigh and then submerge myself in ice water. To kill off my emotions, they’d make me kill friends I’d shared rooms with.”

Naran recounted, one by one, the harsh training he had endured. From what he described, it was basically torture rather than actual training. He detailed the wicked acts committed by Avindior, the guild master of The Mandate, during the time Ken Bane and Depley Rose were preoccupied with the Human-Demon War and royal politics. 

Venom flashed in his brown eyes. His lips, chapped from the strain, trembled, and blood dripped from his clenched fist. Observing this, Theon thought to himself, 

‘He has good acting skills.”

Any ordinary person would’ve been completely drawn in and felt pity, but no one among Theon’s party, hardened by war, was that easy to fool.

But Rothy was an exception. 

“Oh no… How painful and difficult it must have been. That’s so pitiful…”

His eyes welled up with tears as he tightly hugged the weasel that had returned from inspecting the prison. Naran suddenly rolled his loose sleeve up to his shoulder, displaying both arms that were covered in scars.

“That must’ve hurt so badly and frightening…”

Next, Naran rolled up his trousers to his thighs. His calves were covered with so many burn marks that there wasn’t much unscarred skin left.

“Oh dear, that must’ve been unbearable…”

Naran then turned around and tried to lift his hair to show the back of his head.

“Enough.”

Theon stepped in, stopping him and blocking Rothy’s view. Seeing his hardened face, Rothy made a tearful expression.

“Theon… I think we should summon a healer for him.”

“Rothy.”

“I get it. You’re saying that he’s faking. This is also his act and it’s a trap, right? But those scars are real. So the must must’ve been real too.”

That was certainly true. No one could’ve gone through that without suffering pain.

However.

“It’s dangerous to sympathise with him or feel compassion for him. He’ll notice and dig into your heart.”

“I understand. I’ll be careful.”

“His goal is to trigger your compassion. Don’t fall into it.”

“I won’t.”

Seeing the concern in those red eyes, Rothy repeated once more.

“I’ll keep my emotions in check. You don’t need to worry.”

“……”

Theon still couldn’t help but be worried… But he returned to Rothy’s side, and the conversation resumed.

Enduring all that torture only deepened my grudge. Because of the curse mark, even if I escaped, I was quickly caught again, and I couldn’t put up any meaningful resistance. I realised it’d be faster to master dark magic and destroy the curse mark myself. After that I played along and acted like an obedient tool. It was during that time that I first heard of you, Lord Rothy.”

There was a living magic stone in the Zibiah Empire! 

Yolone Sirin had created a living magic stone, and it’d ended up in the hands of Theon Detre Falsen. 

It was an absolutely remarkable story. 

“I felt sorry for Lord Rothy. Because I know how much pain would have been involved in that process. What I experienced was different, but it was pain all the same so I couldn’t help but sympathise with him. The devils of The Mandate looked at Lord Rothy and only thought about how to get their hands on him. Even that behaviour disgusted me.”

“They’re such terrible people…”

Rothy’s mouth drooped downward, and a small walnut formed on his chin. His round eyes pulled slightly at the corners, giving them a faint wedge shape. The earlier warning seemed all but forgotten from his mind. 

Theon put a hand to his forehead.

Sigh.

“When they said they were sending me on this mission, I thought this was an opportunity. I hoped Lord Rothy, being an archmage, might be able to undo the curse mark, and he really did undo it. Now all that remains is to return to the Mandate and repay my grudge.”

“If that’s the case… You shouldn’t have cast a curse on Chungnip.”

“That’s because…”

Naran flinched at the unexpectedly sharp observation.

“Actually… if I hadn’t directed the curse at someone then, I would’ve suffered it myself. And I thought Lord Rothy would definitely be able to break the curse. I am very sorry. My curses will never be directed towards the Empire again. I swear it. I know it’s hard to believe, but please use Oath Magic to confirm.”

Theon shook his head at Rothy, telling him not to. Though he wasn’t a mage, he knew that oath magic entangled both the caster and the target. He wasn’t about to let Rothy risk that.

“Chungnip.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

It was obvious Rothy couldn’t be the one to perform something so dangerous. Chungnip had already memorised magic one level lower than brainwashing magic but one level higher than oath magic. Using a broad condition like ‘I won’t curse anyone from the Empire’ wouldn’t be effective. The spell needed a narrow, precise condition. Theon had him swear to this: 

“I will never use curse magic on Lord Rothy.”

When Naran repeated the condition, Chungnip’s blue magical energy and Naran’s purple magical energy intertwined and inscribed themselves on Naran’s heart. A mage of higher rank than Chungnip could still dispel the spell, so it wasn’t absolute. It was a temporary measure to secure Rothy’s safety for now, as they planned to keep Naran in the mansion’s prison.

“Will you release me now?”

“First, tell us all the information you know.”

“Of course, Your Grace.”

“And one more thing.”

“Please speak.”

“If you intend to take revenge on The Mandate as you say. What do you plan to do after your revenge succeeds?”

If Naran continued to be an assassin after taking revenge on The Mandate, Theon, by releasing him, would be helping cause someone’s death.

The young assassin lowered his eyes before replying.

“I’ve lived a horrible and painful life, and I’ve no more attachment to living. I want only one thing. To take revenge on The Mandate and die. After I kill the guildmaster, Avindior, I will immediately take my own life.”

The face of the sixteen-year-old boy talking about ending his own life was frighteningly devoid of emotions.