Isekai Journey Of The Magic Archer



[Eon's POV: ]

"I can certainly take you out, young gentleman and pretty lady. However, you will have to promise me you won't try to do anything funny." He wormed with a heavy voice.

"This is a safe place, I can reassure you of this fact, so I believe you will at least try to listen to what I have to say." He reassured with a smoother tone.

"I'm not a bad person, and this isn't very far from the place you were, so, we will send you back just the way you are right now and nothing much will happen.

My men have already taken care of the people in the place you were in so they won't remember you were here.

So, please, give me a little chance to present myself properly." And lastly, he requested with a warmer tone.

He was a unique abductor, just like this unique room we were in.

It wasn't very fancy or attractive, and just consisted of a room that had the little cage, or prison that we were kept in, a table and some chairs in the center of it, and some little elements that didn't fit with the overall design and colors of the room.

'It would seem strange but, it is a nice work actually. They specifically made it this way to mess with the senses of the ones that aren't familiar with this room.'

It was a technique we rarely see in the West but in the East, this was something people of higher status often do to some of the rooms of their houses to fuck the senses of the intruders, the enemies, or the unwanted guests.

Just sitting here for longer would start making even the sharp people let their guards down…

It's traditionally called something different but it can translate to (Dema no heya) or (Room of Hoax). And to even know the traditional techniques to build places like these isn't something just anyone can understand without proper training.

'So, this place was ultimately cool. Alas… it wasn't going to work on us.'

Looking at the person, or more like the illusion before us, I nodded and agreed with what it was saying. We can get out by ourselves but this was fine too.

"Fine decision from fine people. Please join me."

-Snap!

The gate opened and the person walked back and sat down on the chair at the northern side, the place that technically gives the most advantage.

"Something is weird, isn't it."

"Probably. Well, it might just be our imagination."

Rein might have seen this kind of room but she wouldn't know the exact information about them. It wasn't famous and too talked about after all. But, her eyes can figure out the weirdness of this place in an instant. So, it was fine.

We sat down and I told her the exact details while the illusionary man, downed in a silver-grey hood, looked at us with surprise.

"From the calm you have, it seems you have faced similar situations like this before… indeed. The unknown house captains with practically no background that can defeat strong opponents on their very first day and can afford the costliest place to live surely aren't normal people."

He had strangely glowing blue eyes under that hood but his voice was calm as if he had everything under control.

"And on top of that, you hosted a lunch for six other captains, became buddy-buddy with them, and even calmed the resistance in your houses. Amusing, certainly."

The aura around him was normal until now but as he said these things, the air around him seemed to be getting heavier.

"But…"

He was starting to show his true colors now. But I knew he won't have the chance to do that.

"I think you didn't know the house captains weren't allowed to be friendly and cozy like this, right?"

An even greater pressure was covering the table now, and the eyes beneath that hood seemed to have a hint of anger-

"Oh fuck this. This is actually annoying ."

-Snap!

-Ooooooooooong!

-Boooooooooooooooom!

I knew Rein would get pissed off at this place soon. But, it was sooner than I expected. 

But, as I knew, she used one of her (tier-4) explosion spells and blew up all the walls and ceiling of the room, and the impact from this blew away the people that were anywhere close to the point of impact.

"Oh dear… could have had a little more patience."

Maybe she was restless and annoyed because I brought out that fertilizer potion a while back, but thankfully, she controlled the power of that spell, and the ones blown away from the impact managed to preserve their lives.

"…!"

But, everything aside, the eyes that were looking at us with anger just a moment ago, now had an utterly shocked reaction.

"You…!"

He must have been confused by the magnitude of her spell which was clearly beyond the normal (tier-3) spells. And all the intel they had must have confirmed that she was a (tier-3) mage and I actually was just an [Rank-3] archer. 

"…!"

I knew he must have figured something was amiss and was just about to call off this illusion and run away from here but before he could do that…

"One shouldn't break an ongoing conversation midway, dear sir."

I summoned eight paper dolls and they created a translucent green barrier around this illusion that was directly connected to that person right now.

"You! You…!"

From what I can tell, I knew he must have figured out this was all planned and was a trap by this point, and he must have been prepared to run away from this place just like he always does, but, he wasn't allowed to do that this time.

I had to do a long, thorough research on him from the unsolid data I can gather and though the preparation for this operation was simple, we still had to go against hundreds of people in this place, if not thousands.

And while doing all that, we had to make sure he doesn't escape from this place

[[ "Celes, get ready." ]]

[[ Yesssss~ master! ]]

She would be the key to this operation so I wanted to have a little more time for her clones to settle down in the places that could be the most probable exit routes of this basted. But Rein's actions brought an end to that prep time.

Still, he was the end goal of today. 

The underlings didn't matter if the mastermind was taken out entirely anyway.

'Lucy, question.'

[[ *Yes master.* ]]

'The leader's current location.'

[[ *It is here, master.* ]]

A red dot appeared in the three-dimensional mental structure of this entire underground place that I had prepared with my (: Scan). And the good-natured Lucy even gave me the data on all the elements currently present in this underground building.

"Uriel. He's six floors below us. The stairs to go down are on the right side, in the place outside that room. 

There seem to be around nine hundred sixty people here, averagely [Rank-2] knights, (tier-2) mages, some fighters, a few healers, and as we go down the security get stronger.

The traps and security system are trivial but there seem to be a few strong opponents on the sixth floor so go have some fun, try not to kill any of them, and wait for me there. I will be there soon after dealing with a few things."

"Okay~!"

  She walked away while cheerfully jumping like a little girl but, she was here exactly for doing some fun things and beating up these people. There was no need for her to listen to our boring conversation anyway. And, she can take care of herself the best when she's alone so I wasn't worried at all.

"Alright so, the leader of these little Reformation instigator groups, code name Captain Monex. It is nice to finally meet you, mister."

I smiled at him, and he obviously gave me a look of horror.

"You…! You are from the student council! How did that girl-"

"I think you are misunderstanding something here mister."

Looking at him with a warmer smile and blocking his attempts to break this barrier, I started explaining to him what actually was going on right now.

"So, you see, we are new here but we have done our fair share of reading.

At first, we wanted nothing more than to just live our days here in peace and play around by ourselves. 

Yes, I was planning to take you people out at some point, but it surely wasn't going to be this soon.

But then, we became captains, and I knew I had to take out the trash before doing anything so, here we are, taking out the trash…

Oh, of course, I'm not referring to you when I say trash, it's just the real people belonging to the Reformation instigators.

You, the person using the reformation instigators to gain powers and connections, the person behind the total of a hundred and fifty minor incidents linking to a certain graveyard, someone that's most probably trying to do something very foolish… you aren't trash. If anything, you are just a normal person that's driven by a single hopeless goal that isn't-"

"It's possible!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, a shout that only a desperate person lingering on the thread of the last hope could express.

"Wand of true resurrection, an ancient item that you won't ever get your hands on; the origin divine ritual that would require the authority of at least three high gods, they would never be interested in someone as trivial as you; so lastly… the forbidden ritual of necromancy. Sure it can bring the dead back, but they won't have their wills intact, and the performer of the ritual itself won't be alive when the ritual is finished."

He looked at me with still eyes now, still, motionless eyes that couldn't understand what was going on and how I knew about the things I was talking about.

"Well, I know you won't listen to me anyway. And considering how you are still trying to break this barrier, I know you are determined too.

Haaa… breaking that barrier won't be easy, so… let's play a game, mister."

It was night, the operation was simple, and things were complicated a little, but there was no need to stretch this little thing more than necessary just yet. 

"Play a game?" He looked at me with eyes that couldn't fathom what I was saying or, what the hack was even going on at this moment.

He was the mastermind, the leader of all the people present here, and they believed in him. Of course, from what I knew, this person saw them as nothing more than useful pieces to realize his own ultimate goal.

'And actually, this was just the kind of person I needed to fill that specific spot.'

I wanted this person too, but, there were many things I will have to do for that. 

So, for the starters, I had to make him realize something…

"Yes, a simple game. I will leave now and come down and, if you can escape from here before I reach there, I will do whatever you want, even follow every order you give me.

But, if we managed to catch you… well, you know your crimes, the punishment would be inevitable."

He had a chance, of course, that was only a fantasy but I gave him hope he could look forward to as I left this room and walked to the other side.

"What is the guarantee that you will keep your word." He asked in the last moment just when I was at the door and, I smiled at the poor fella.

"There is no way to show the guarantee, mister. You will just have to take my word for it." I smiled and left the place, but with my third eye, I could still see he was desperate, angry, and determined to achieve what he believed in.

'But sorry to him, his unique third eyes weren't going to be much help when I had my Celes.'

He would lose today. And get caught. 

His long dream to meet the close person that he was so desperately trying to bring back, would fade today. 

And when he knows the depressing truth at last, he would have to let go of the hopeless wish, that would only bring disaster upon innocent people…