Chapter 15: Illusions of Power, Shadows of Truth

Using brainwashing skills to change the perception of enemies and allies is a strategy that is like the exclusive property of the ‘illusionist.’

In addition, it is an extremely vicious strategy that cannot be countered by those who do not have ‘Magic Eye’ and ‘Mental Control Resistance!’

The man who was fooled by the technique was dumbfounded and looked back and forth between the subordinate he had killed and Lucy.

His eyes were filled with deep doubt, wondering why he was under an illusion.

Of course, since Lucy’s class that he had expected up until now was ‘summoner.’

As evidence, the girl was using the Death Knight like an arm and a leg.

However, the fact that such a girl had cast an illusion on him complicated the man’s mind.

The Death Knight was a magic that only those who were well-versed in summoning magic could use (by men’s standards), and it made no sense for her to use an illusion that could fool him so easily.

Even if such a thing were possible, it would be impossible unless it was at least ‘platinum level.’

Due to various rumors, the danger level towards Lucy was increasing exponentially in the man’s mind.

“You… what the hell are you doing?”

“I told you, you’re an adventurer.”

“That’s a lie!

There’s no way a guy like you could be a mere apprentice!

Tell me the real reason you attacked us!”

Lucy remained silent.

The situation was already decided; there was no reason to hang out with him any longer.

She once again bound the man with ‘verbal power.’

The man, who had his physical freedom taken away without any time to resist, gritted his teeth, and then he began to struggle to break free from the bondage.

“Magic Buff. Increased magic resistance!”

“Magic Buff. Warrior’s rage!”

“Magic Buff. Eradicate negativity!”

The man tried to counter the verbal power by mobilizing all kinds of buffs such as ‘resistance,’ ‘strength,’ and ‘healing,’ but it was all a futile effort.

His level is in the late 30s at best, so it would be impossible for him to release a level 100 spell.

In the end, the man, who had exhausted all his magical power, took a deep breath as if he had given up.

“You monster b*tch…”

“That was harsh, so what are you going to do?

The demand you made a little while ago is still valid.”

The man responded with a cheerful laugh to the sweet offer of ‘I’ll spare you if you reveal the information.’

“That’s a meaningless offer. I won’t abandon the organization, and the organization won’t abandon me.”

“You’ve got a huge fanatic. The order from such a great organization was to kill innocent children?”

“Shut up, there’s no way a fool like you would know his noble intentions.”

“If you don’t want to talk, you can just pull out your memories for information.”

“It’s useless because we, as disciples, are under a curse of death.”

The curse of death.

Lucy thought of the apostle who had burned to death a little while ago.

He died when the curse was activated the moment he was about to reveal the information.

If the same curse had been placed on the man in front of her, it would be impossible to obtain information through illusion.

Although she felt a little sorry about that fact, Lucy didn’t care much.

The reason she wanted to know the truth of the incident was just to prepare for an emergency.

If they were acting in an organized manner, they might try to retaliate later.

However, that was just an emergency, and she didn’t think she needed to worry about it right away.

Right now, she was grateful that the man had told her about the curse in advance.

“Thank you, I almost let you go.”

“What?”

“Do you know the saying ‘Sapilguijeong’?”

“What are you talking about?

If you’re going to kill me, kill me quickly.”

“Remember, it’s a word that’s absolutely necessary for someone like you.”

She had no intention of letting him live from the beginning.

That’s because they were the kind of people she hated the most.

‘Fanatics, child abusers…

They’re all the same disgusting things in real life and here.’

Lucy used her skill to give him a fitting end.

[Magic Skill. [Trauma]

Soon after, the whole area was shaken, and dozens of undead began to emerge from the ground.

The undead, with their blackened, rotten skin and creepy groans, could immediately tell who they were.

‘Are they the ones I killed?’

The man was momentarily shocked by the illusion that was no different from reality, but soon let out a hollow laugh.

“Did you think I’d be scared because of this?

Even so, it’s just an illusion, something that doesn’t have a physical form… Ugh!”

He spoke boldly, but then suddenly felt pain and bit his mouth.

Something bit him, and the man looked down at his body, wondering if it was really happening.

There, an undead that had been created as an illusion was biting his thigh.

Along with the pain of his flesh being torn, the dozens of undead shackling his body felt realistic.

The man’s eyes widened at the absurd situation where he could feel sensations even though it was an illusion.

“That’s ridiculous… It’s an illusion, so why does it hurt…”

“Isn’t it strange?

I was surprised when I first experimented with it because a function that wasn’t even in the game was added.”

In the game, ‘Trauma’ was a stiffening skill that stopped the avatar’s movements, but here, ‘Trauma’ was a skill that reproduced actual senses and caused mental damage.

Touch, smell, sight, taste, hearing, etc.

The illusion Lucy had created was currently perfectly reproducing the five human senses.

“I’ve never heard of such an illusion… Whew…!”

“Then it’s the second experiment.”

How long can an opponent with no tolerance for the mental world endure the pain created by the illusion?

Soon, dozens of undead clung to the man’s body and began to devour him.

At first, he gritted his teeth and held on, but that was only for a moment, and soon, a scream of agony echoed through the underground space.

How long had it been since then?

The man, who had been crying until his throat gave out, died from a heart attack.

Leaving the corpse of the foaming man behind, Lucy approached the children who had collapsed on one side.

[Magic Skill. Teleporter]

She teleported the seven children to the pre-designated point.

People would be gathered in the central square by now due to the commotion, so the rescue would follow right away.

This concludes the second request.

Lucy took off her mask and took a deep breath.

The first thing she felt was the terrible smell of blood.

Six people… No, seven?

The number of people killed today, and it was also her first murder.

She put her hand inside her robe and touched her chest, and what she felt was the sound of her heart beating calmly as usual.

Even though she killed someone for the first time, she didn’t feel the slightest bit uneasy.

That fact even she herself questioned.

Why on earth could it be?

Was it because she still didn’t realize that this was reality, or because they were guys who didn’t need to feel guilty, or was it because she was possessed by this body?

She had many questions, but in the end, she couldn’t come up with an answer.

‘There’s no point in thinking about it any more, let’s just go back quickly.’

Since it was too late, she decided to hurry back to the castle.

“But… what were these guys trying to do here?”

With that question in mind, she teleported.

***

The next day.

Lucy, who was taking a liberal arts class in the study, was dozing off with her head on the desk.

Last night, even though she used her skills to move at high speeds, it was already dawn when she arrived at the castle, so she couldn’t sleep at all.

Rubia, unaware of this, stroked her chin and made a displeased expression.

Her hazy eyes were filled with worry, not worry, wondering, ‘How can our princess sleep so much?’

Lucy, whose back of her head felt hot, reluctantly raised her head and swept her snow-white hair back.

Whether she decided to act like a princess or live a double life, it was her choice; she had no choice but to endure it with evil and courage.

Lucy glared.

Rubia smiled as if she found it admirable and continued the lesson.

The main contents of the lesson were ‘History of the Demon Continent,’ ‘Basic Mathematics,’ ‘Kingdom Ethics,’ and ‘Magic,’ basic liberal arts that a member of the royal family should know.

The difficulty level was very easy.

Perhaps because she had lived in the wilderness, it seemed like they were providing customized education.

Lucy meticulously wrote down the contents of the class on the parchment.

Fortunately, the letters matched, so she had no trouble writing them down.

‘But no one is surprised that someone who lived in the wilderness can write.’

Regardless, Rubia continued to study enthusiastically.

For a while, she studied day and night without fail.

Finally, the first class was over.

Rubia put the parchment she had written down aside and stretched.

Far from feeling refreshed, she was still sleepy.

“Hey, Rubia.”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t there coffee?”

She knew better than anyone that caffeine was the best for fighting off drowsiness.

However, Rubia’s reaction was the opposite.

“Coffee? That’s caffeine. I haven’t told you yet.”

From her perspective, she could never feed caffeine to Lucy, who was still growing.

“If you’re feeling sweet, it’s dessert time now, so bear with it a little… Oh, you’re here already?”

Knock. Knock.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and a maid… no, Arasia entered the study carrying dessert.

Rubia bowed and immediately became polite.

“Lady Arasia, why are you here?”

“I have a letter to deliver to Lady Lucy, and I also wanted to have a tea party to strengthen our friendship.”

“I see, then I will step aside for a moment.”

Rubia quietly left the study.

Arasia placed the dessert she had brought on the table and sat across from Lucy.

“Are you experiencing any inconveniences with palace life?”

“Yes… Thanks to you.”

“Hehe, that’s good.

You must be tired from studying, so at least have this to wet your stomach.”

Egg tarts and black tea.

Lucy, who happened to be hungry, ate the egg tart in one bite.

It was an undignified act that would have made Rubia tremble, but Arasia was smiling casually.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, excuse me, you got some on the corner of your mouth.”

Arasia naturally wiped the bread crumbs off Lucy’s mouth with a handkerchief.

Lucy turned her head, feeling like a real child.

“… But didn’t you say you had a letter for me earlier?”

“Yes, here it is.”

The envelope she was handed.

Judging from the fact that it had the royal seal, it was inferred that it was sent by Satan.

Lucy immediately opened the envelope.

As expected, the letter was from Satan, and there were several choices written on it.