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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: TushChen
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[Constellation Gaunis is perplexed at the sight of the corpse!]
Elena’s agitation was natural.
With a tremor that started from who knows where, Elena tried to run forward.
If I hadn’t stopped her, Elena would have already been by Elin’s side.
“You can’t go.”
“But Young Lord…!”
Elena reacted intensely.
The transparent teardrops gathered in her eyes fully entered my field of vision.
Her only twin.
Her only family.
This reaction from Elena was very reasonable.
However,
“Can’t you tell? It’s a trap.”
I said to Elena in a lowered voice.
Elena was startled and looked back towards Elin.
The contaminated zone created by the Raven King,
Not only that, it tries to enchant people with all illusions that evoke longing, fear, and sadness.
That was also one of those illusions.
“Senior?”
And the illusion does not end just because you see through it once.
I turned my eyes to the vividly heard voice.
Livia, who had summoned a shadowy magical beast, was looking at me with trembling eyes.
“S-Senior. It’s not like that….”
Her aqua eyes trembling with desolation.
Her hair fluttered uneasily in the chilling wind, even her trembling fingers filled with agitation.
There stood Livia, who had clearly committed an act she shouldn’t have.
“Miss Livia? What is that magical beast? Don’t tell me you did that to Elin…!”
Elena looked at Livia in disbelief.
In the mouth of the magical beast controlled by Livia was a piece of Elin’s torn saint’s garment.
That sight was too real to be an illusion shown by the Labyrinth of Illusion.
Even the tears gathered at the corners of her eyes were just like Livia’s.
[Constellation Gaunis is surprised by Livia’s appearance!]
[Constellation Gaunis says to be careful! She exclaims that she might be a murderer!]
Even Gaunis was deceived to that extent…
No, this fellow is easily fooled in the first place.
Anyway, even I, who was confident that what this place showed were illusions, felt like I would fall for it.
In the original work, the protagonist suffers from seeing illusions of his companions in this Labyrinth of Illusion.
Not only that, but they are also driven to a situation where internal strife occurs and they almost kill each other.
If I had no countermeasures, I would have ended up like that too.
Of course, I had no intention of going through it with the same difficulty as the original protagonist.
“Wait a moment.”
I took out a magnifying glass from my chest.
When I suddenly took out the magnifying glass, both Elena and Livia had puzzled looks.
Although I was confident, I was still nervous.
For now, I aimed that magnifying glass towards Livia.
Ding!
[Unable to identify the target. No status exists.]
The moment I saw that system window, I fired the magic I had prepared towards Livia.
The illusion hit by the magic wavered like a mirage and slowly disappeared.
“Kyaak…! Huh? There’s nothing where Miss Livia was standing!”
“Because it was an illusion.”
When Livia disappeared, the illusion of Elin lying there also disappeared in the same way.
The 2000pt item for constant status confirmation.
As expected, I knew it could be used to distinguish illusions.
[Constellation Gaunis admires your ability to use that tool!]
[Constellation Gaunis says she discovered a strange function.]
[Constellation Gaunis stepped away for a moment.]
No, for now, let’s ignore Gaunis.
I tucked that item securely into my chest and shouted towards the surroundings.
“Then come out. You wouldn’t have prepared just this, right?”
The Raven King was a magical beast that took the utmost caution.
Deploying strategies in layers of two or three was his specialty.
Sure enough, at my shout, the surrounding trees wavered and slowly turned into monsters.
Several soldier-grade and about two disintegration-grade.
Finally, a magical beast with a huge body revealed itself.
“Impressive. How did you figure it out? The illusions of this labyrinth should have reproduced everything you know. Is there some magic bestowed on that magnifying glass you’re holding?”
The one speaking was a monster in the form of an ox with large horns on its head.
That giant body was so large that you would believe it was a huge tree.
One of the two destruction-grade magical beasts led by the Raven King.
If I remember correctly, its name was Aluax of the Demonic Strength (怪力擊).
A monster whose fist pressure alone could become a weapon.
“Young Lord!”
As the enemies appeared, Elena immediately stepped in front of me and used her blessing.
A bright light flashed and Elena was now wearing white armor created using “Holy Armaments.”
And in both hands were a pure white sword and shield that seemed to match its color.
“I’ll buy time here, so…!”
Although Elena shouted bravely, the tip of her sword was trembling.
For Elena, it was her first time facing a destruction-grade magical beast.
She must have felt the overwhelming difference in power.
“No. Elena. I have some things to say to that guy.”
“Young Lord.”
“It’s okay. I have it all thought out.”
Rather, I sent Elena behind me and smiled at the overwhelmingly powerful monster in front of me.
“You asked how I figured it out? Information warfare is your Raven King’s army’s specialty, right? You should find out.”
The corners of the ox’s mouth twitched and tendons bulged all over its body in a crisscross pattern.
“Ugh. And wipe this off.”
“You’re looking down on me. You insignificant brat.”
I couldn’t stop sighing.
Perhaps because the author created this character early on, the quality of the dialogue is a bit low.
Should I say it’s a bit like a third-rate villain?
“Don’t tell me you’re not going to say you have no hostage.”
The Raven King prepares hostages whenever possible.
Because he believes that through it, he can threaten the opponent and gain the upper hand.
The ox smiled and arrogantly jerked its chin, and one of the monsters transformed.
It was Caiden, with his clothes torn and bleeding all over.
Fortunately, it seemed to be wounds from resisting, and there were no fatal injuries.
“…Leonhart…. Me….”
Caiden shed tears and looked at me earnestly.
I took out the magnifying glass and checked Caiden.
Ding!
[Checking Caiden Adan’s status.]
With those words, Caiden’s status appeared briefly.
Since I originally only intended to check if it was the real Caiden, I turned off the screen and spoke calmly.
“No. Senior. It’s okay. It was me who told you to stay still.”
I reassured Caiden and looked at the ox.
“If you move even a single step from there, this woman’s head will fly off.”
“Woman?”
Even then, Elena tilted her head.
The magical beasts seemed to have distinguished it right away by scent, probably because they generally have a good sense of smell.
“Well, you must have made a mistake. How does Senior look like a woman?”
At those words, Caiden made a slightly hurt expression.
“What are you talking about? This kid is a woman.”
“N-No. I’m a man!”
Caiden shouted, struggling.
“No, you are a woman!”
“I’m telling you, I’m a man!”
“That’s right. Senior is a man!”
In the middle of the argument, the ox snorted again.
“What! Stop this nonsense argument! Anyway, if you want to save this woman’s life, prepare to be beaten by me.”
“I told you, I’m not a woman!”
Ignoring Caiden’s shout, Aluax raised his fist with bulging tendons.
“Young Lord!”
Sensing the crisis, Elena ran out in front of me again, holding up her shield.
In the meantime, I was calmly checking all the magical beasts with the magnifying glass.
There seemed to be no entities disguised as Elin or Livia among the magical beasts.
Then there is only one answer.
They were kidnapped.
“Where did you take the two women you dealt with as illusions earlier?”
“You speak with confidence.”
“The Raven King’s mind is obvious. If I don’t surrender, you are going to bring them one by one and demand surrender again.”
“…You think you know the Raven King’s schemes with your measly self? What a presumptuous delusion.”
Aluax seemed to have no intention of conversing with me further.
As the ox-shaped magical beast raised its fist, the magical beasts pounced.
The moment the pure white sword in Elena’s hand was about to cut down the first magical beast that rushed in.
Ding!
I activated the sword’s ability.
I had intended to follow the original story’s development as closely as possible, but that thought had now completely disappeared.
It would be a problem if even one person died and the achievement was broken.
Above all, touching the people around me was unforgivable.
In return, I will thoroughly destroy this damn labyrinth.
It should be fine to proceed while burning down the whole labyrinth and still reach the goal, right?
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