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「Oh? Is your business here done already?」　
「It’s starting to get cold after all. Are you okay, Hans?」
「Yes, nothing to worry about. Thank you for your consideration.」

The nights are getting colder lately. The season when it’s tough to walk around in the middle of the night, like how I did in the courtyard the other day, is steadily approaching. It’s a bit unfortunate¹ but since it’ll be bad to keep Hans waiting for any longer, we decided to head back to the mansion.

「Lily.」
「Hm? What is it?」
「Today, was really fun.」

Gck… That’s cheating! Urania! Seeing her peering into my face with upturned eyes and flashing me a beaming smile next to me, I reflexively gulped down my saliva.² Rather, her face is too close.

「I-I see. That’s good.」
「Let’s, do this again.」
「Yeah, of course.」

Urania is sitting closer to me than she did before our date. She might have been restraining herself up until now.³ As she continued talking, her hand naturally went on top of my shoulder. Before I noticed it, Urania was now holding my hand. Inside the carriage, we’re completely glued to each other. Her head leaned on my shoulder and it’s absolutely cute.

It’s cute, but it’s a bit of a problem. My self-restraint, or rather, my carnal urges are……²

「Hm?⁴」
「Lily? What’s wrong?」
「No… this is… Hans!」

I forcibly opened the closed shutters and called out to Hans.

「What’s the matter!?」
「Hans, speed up! The mansion could be in danger!」
「Affirmative!」

Hans couldn’t quite seem to process what my words meant, but from the tone of my voice, he hurriedly spurred on the horses. The carriage is speeding up, but my growing impatience just feeds my unease.

「Lily?」
「The magic I installed on the manor just activated. And it’s not just one or two. It was nearly all of them.⁵」
「That’s!?」

It was the magic I created the other day, “Thunder Ball”. I naturally set it up all over the mansion. Except for the front and rear entrances that people generally use, I installed them behind the walls, on top of the roof, on the corners of the courtyard, and many other places. Several dozens of them in total. They all activated. And not just in past tense, they’re still activating even now.
Was my magic ineffective or are there multiple objects continuously entering their effective range? All I know is that there’s more than one invader.

「Hans! Hurry!」
「Yes!」

Please make it in time.⁶ I know that Adan can use magic and old man Kent should be there too. Still, I have a bad feeling about this. Unlike the previous one, this invasion is too aggressive. Even if this is still by the same mastermind, there’s definitely something different. I couldn’t help thinking so.

◆◇◆◇◆

「Barry! Evacuate the servants!」
「But master! That’s-!」
「Don’t let any more get taken! Don’t force me to put them down!⁷」
「Ugk… Forgive me!」

The mansion is presently surrounded by crowds of people. Two-fifths of them have been incapacitated by the magic Lily planted all around. However, it appears that the magic couldn’t render them unconscious.

Good grief, look at what trouble they’ve brought upon us. A heretical art that manipulates the living as though they were dead. To think they would bring a fragment of the forbidden magic said to be written down by a sage of the past.⁸ With this, it’s now confirmed that there is a sorcerer amongst our enemy. Good grief, there should be a limit to the trouble one gets.

Half among the servants in our manor have been already seized from us. By the time we were aware of it, all the servants outside the mansion were already taken in. That time a servant attempted to talk to one of these expressionless individuals, he was then attacked and absorbed into the crowd. And even now, the b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲s̲ have yet to stop their increase.

Fortunately, there is not a soul that walks around these parts at night. However, if we fall here, the then aimless crowd would likely start assaulting the town.⁹ If that ever happens, it would become a stain to the name of the Iglesio household, the name of the Sage of Leo. That is something we must prevent at all costs.

「If only Ces was here…… No, in the first place, his sudden work could have been a trap itself.」

Ces is my son, the current Sage of Leo, and my pride and joy. It would take at least a week for him to return home. Simply too long for him to be able to help with controlling this situation.

With that being the case, there is only one individual that can control this situation. When she returns, we should be able to manage.

「She… I don’t know her. Teach me?」
「Wha-!?¹⁰」
「Master!?」

I froze as a girl suddenly appeared before my eyes and slowly reached out towards me. Still, though I may be a failure, I’m still a man of the Iglesio household.

「Don’t underestimate me! “Corona Burn”!」

The strongest magic in my arsenal. While it’s only a fake light unlike Adan, Ces, and Lily’s genuine article, it’s still magic. Even if I cannot kill her, it should leave her with a grave injury. That was what I thought.

「Fake light. That can’t kill me.」
「Wha-!?」

A second surprise. The magic I cast, the flash of my light, shrank rapidly like a dying candle fire and disappeared. Without leaving even a hint of the utilized magic power, it vanished.⁸

「I don’t need a fake. I’ll only take, your memory.」
「Gah!? AAAaAAaa!!!!????」
「Master!?」

As the girl’s hand touched my head, I felt the pain of my brain being stirred around as my memories were being pulled out.

「Barry… Ru…n… Take care… of… Adan…」
「…!」

In my fading consciousness, I can see Barry making his escape. Adan has no chance against this girl. And without the knowledge of the magic erasure’s mechanism, even Lily might not win against her.

「… That’s just pointless.」
「Is it… really…?」
「? What are… you…?」

As the girl emotionlessly watched Barry’s shrinking silhouette, I extended my hand towards her.

「Even if this can’t kill, this would work, won’t it? 」
「Tsk!」

Reading my mind, the girl attempted to run away but I firmly clutched her head. If magic is of no effect, then I’ll blast her with pure magic power. And judging from her flustered state, I can tell that it would likely affect her.

「I’ll leave the rest to you, Lily.¹¹」

1. Lyly: It’s highly unfortunate, you mean
2. Lyly: Thirsty
3. Lyly: Cute
4. Lyly: Hm?
5. Lyly: Oh
6. Lyly: Flag!
7. Lyly: ….Zombie?
8. Lyly: Excuse me?
9. Lyly: Yeah, definitely a zombie panic
10. Lyly: Wha-!?
11. Silva: Goodbye Old Man Kent, it was nice knowing you. I will build a grand tombstone for ya in memorial.
    Fire: RIP Old Man Kent. You’ll be avenged! F to pay respect.