Chapter 31 : Demon Beast of Deception (1)

The Reason Why Carne is Behaving Strangely

It’s likely related to the “plausibility” of the novel.

In the original Armonia Chronicles, Carne kills Yuri without a clear purpose. There’s no explicit motive or description of her deriving psychological pleasure from the act. Therefore, the narrative had to create a reason for her to kill Yuri. This world likely provided her with the “plausibility” that she must kill Yuri.

This plausibility could be tied to new elements introduced into the story, much like the ironwood trees in the Luden Forest, which contain iron. The most immediate explanation that comes to mind is brainwashing—mental manipulation to evoke specific emotions or actions from a person. However, if it’s simple brainwashing, the intensity and meticulousness of it are surprising.

“Carne, I’ll ask you one more time. Who ordered it?”

To be certain, I needed to ask again.

“…I told you. It’s my will.”

Her response was reflexive, almost automatic. From a common-sense perspective, it doesn’t sound like the words of someone who genuinely wants to kill.

Is it some kind of spell?

The first spell that comes to mind is the dark-type intermediate magic, Suggestion. This spell is why dark-type Spirit Masters are often regarded as unsettling. It induces a specific action by implanting a suggestion in the target’s mind upon physical contact. However, its effects last only 10 to 20 seconds at most, and the spell is easily broken if the target moves during casting. It’s typically used to make an opponent self-destruct or to coordinate with allies.

Given its limitations, it’s unlikely that Carne is under the influence of Suggestion. The effects she’s displaying are far too profound.

This seems much more sinister than I thought…

With my current knowledge, this is as far as my reasoning can take me. According to the quest information, there’s about a month of grace left. Something is affecting Carne, and it’s tied to the quest. For now, I’ll need to spend some time figuring this out.

After our conversation, Carne became eerily quiet, almost like a different person. To monitor her condition, I had her rest in the dormitory and left the room alone.

Right now, I needed more information about brainwashing.

Who should I approach first?

The first person I thought of was Cled. There’s no particular reason other than that he’s the most approachable and frequently available instructor. He gives off the impression of being easy to talk to.

As expected, he was heavily drunk, even in broad daylight.

“Brainwashing? What do you need that for?”

“Just tell me if you know anything. You said you were a mercenary—have you ever encountered brainwashing during your time?”

“…Is this for some obscene purpose?”

“…”

When I glared at him, he cleared his throat and continued.

“Ahem, I’ve mostly been in fights, so I don’t know much about magic. But I’ve seen cases where aphrodisiacs were used for brainwashing.”

“Aphrodisiacs?”

“Yeah. There was this one mission in the Krio region with a big reward. During it, I encountered a female knight who made her subordinates drink aphrodisiacs.”

The Krio region is located at the northern edge of Semal, where snow covers the landscape year-round.

“She used the heightened libido from the aphrodisiacs to manipulate her subordinates. She’d lure them by promising rewards if they performed well on the battlefield, stimulating their excitement toward her. Of course, even if they did perform well, there were no actual rewards.”

“…And they just accepted that?”

“Not at first. They resisted—until the first guy who rushed at her had his neck cut off.”

“…Ah.”

This seems less like brainwashing and more like exploiting impulsive tendencies and overriding reason.

“Additionally, the aphrodisiacs raised their body temperature, which helped them cope with the cold.”

“The side effect seems more useful than the main one.”

As expected, Cled’s information wasn’t particularly helpful. Still, it did make me realize that brainwashing doesn’t necessarily require magic. It can be achieved through other means I hadn’t considered.

“Thanks, then…”

“Ah, wait a minute.”

He pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to me.

“What’s this?”

“This month’s performance report for the commander. Deliver it for me. I’d rather not face her for something like this.”

“Haha…”

I was annoyed, but as his disciple, I couldn’t refuse.

“While you’re at it, ask the commander. She might know something.”

Violet?

Come to think of it, she’s the most experienced person at the academy. I might as well ask her while I’m running this errand.

The commander’s office is located in the deepest basement of the academy. I’d visited her once before after sparring with Yuri and receiving a warning. Typically, higher-ranking officials occupy higher floors, but Violet chose the basement—a preference befitting a dark-type Spirit Master.

I knocked on the wooden door.

“Excuse me. I’m here on an errand from Instructor Cled.”

“…Wait a moment.”

After a pause, the door opened.

“…It’s you, Saya. Come in.”

Violet was dressed casually, having removed her armor, but her long white hair still gave her a noble air.

“I came to deliver this.”

I handed her the documents Cled had given me.

“Thank you. Would you like some tea?”

“Actually, Commander, there’s something I wanted to ask.”

“Oh? Come in and let’s talk.”

I sat down in her office and accepted the tea she offered. Just the aroma was enough to calm my mind.

“Is this Iremia tea?”

Iremia tea, brewed from Iremia leaves, is known for its calming effects. When brewed properly, it’s soothing and fragrant.

“You know your teas well. Most people who aren’t enthusiasts wouldn’t recognize it.”

After savoring the tea, I decided to broach the topic on my mind.

“Commander, do you know anything about brainwashing humans?”

“…I know a bit, but you’re not planning to use it for something nefarious, are you?”

Oops. That was too direct.

“No! I’m just studying it for personal knowledge.”

“Brainwashing… The most common method is, of course, dark-type magic.”

“Are you referring to the Suggestion spell?”

“Exactly. I’ve used it a few times myself in my younger days. Though, I rarely have a reason to use it now.”

As a dark-type Spirit Master, this was the answer I expected.

“What about a long-lasting Suggestion spell? Is that possible?”

“…Long-lasting? How long are we talking?”

“Say, about a month…”

Her response was immediate.

“Impossible. Even for me, Suggestion lasts only about 30 seconds at most.”

Thirty seconds is already pushing the limits of common sense, so a month-long effect is out of the question.

“Impossible, impossible…”

She muttered to herself, then added quietly,

“…Unless the caster isn’t human…”

“What do you mean?”

She paused, then frowned slightly and placed a hand on her forehead.

“…I’m sorry, Saya. I’m getting a headache. Could we continue this another time?”

I’d heard she suffers from chronic headaches, a side effect of overexerting her mental power when she was younger.

“Of course. I’ll visit again another time.”

As I was leaving, Violet added,

“By the way, that’s a lovely earring, Saya.”

Earring?

I instinctively touched the earring I was wearing.

“…Thank you. It was a gift from my parents.”

“…I see. Feel free to visit anytime.”

I left her office, closing the door quietly behind me.

Violet’s final comment lingered in my mind.

Unless the caster isn’t human…

This opened up a completely new line of reasoning. If the caster isn’t human, what could it be?

Suddenly, a memory flashed through my mind.

Sarkas?

It’s absurd to think of non-human creatures using spells, but if it’s a Sarkas, the story changes.

The two-headed Master Sarkas I fought during the grade evaluation—it spewed fire from one head, which was undoubtedly a form of magic.

This is too strange…

If Sarkas can use magic, could there be one with the intelligence to cast a spell as complex as brainwashing

I needed to learn more about Sarkas.

The first place that came to mind was the Armonia Academy library, which houses centuries of history and vast resources.

Upon arriving, I frantically searched for books on Sarkas—history, biology, magic, anything.

What the…?

To my surprise, not a single book or resource on Sarkas existed. This was strange. In an institution where Spirit Masters train to combat Sarkas, how could there be no information on them?

“Is something wrong?”

A woman’s voice interrupted my thoughts. I turned to see Instructor Iris, the brunette instructor in charge of summoning magic.

“Instructor Iris?”

She had helped me when Daengdaengi, my summoned creature, refused to obey me during my first summoning.

“Why are you here?”

“Ah, I don’t have many classes, so I also handle librarian duties. Honestly, I wish they’d give me more classes…”

“Ah… I see.”

Since she was here, I decided to ask her about the lack of Sarkas-related books.

“I’ve searched everywhere, but I can’t find anything on Sarkas. Do you know where they might be?”

At my question, Iris looked startled.

“Yes? In Armonia, books about Sarkas are illegal, Saya.”

“…Illegal?”

“Since the previous emperor’s reign, publishing or possessing such books has been banned. Any remaining books are burned.”

“No way…”

After all this, there’s not a single book on Sarkas in the entire country?

Seeing my dismay, Iris tried to comfort me.

“I’m sorry…! I wish I could help more…! I’m not much of an instructor…”

“No, no…! You’ve been helpful…”

“…Really? I’m glad, then.”

“Thank you, Iris. I’ll look forward to your next class.”

I left the library, feeling frustrated.

What’s wrong with this country?

They discriminate against black hair and censor books about Sarkas. Of course, the black hair discrimination was something I wrote into the story, but I hadn’t expected book bans.

In this case, the only option might be to search the outskirts of Armonia, where censorship is less strict. But that’s unrealistic—there’s not enough time for a long trip, and there’s no guarantee I’d find anything useful.

What should I do? Where else can I look?

Is there anyone who knows a lot about Sarkas?

Then it hit me.

There is. Someone who loved Sarkas more than anyone else…

A veiled figure briefly mentioned in the protagonist’s recollections in the original novel.

When I visited Yuri’s mansion to borrow a dress, Carne had been curious about a locked room in the hallway. Yuri had been adamant about keeping her out.

The owner of that room, and the man who loved Sarkas more than anyone else in this country:

Vincent Freesia.

The disinherited eldest son of the Freesia family.