Chapter 51: Fake Stigmata (14)

The guy, as soon as he recognized my presence, put his hand in his pocket. When his hand reappeared, three black shurikens were held between his fingers.

My gripping the sword hilt was almost instinctive. Because I felt the sticky flow of mana, and the mana gathering in the guy’s hand holding the shuriken.

Ch-ch-chang-

At the same time, the sound of metal clashing rang out three times in a row. As soon as I deflected all the flying shurikens, the guy quickly drew his sword.

A slash full of mana cut through the air with a cool whooshing sound.

“Ugh?!”

I quickly took a step back and pulled my hood down deeply. Because there was nothing good about revealing my face to an opponent who wielded a sword and threw shurikens at first sight.

A shuriken thrown in the darkness brushed my cheek, leaving a silver trajectory. A sharp drawing sound followed. The flow of mana, which had been calm, changed.

[Regina Strelechia (Lv.???) uses telepathic magic. Target: Player]

[Should I subdue him…?]

I shook my head in response.

The moment I subdue him, the whole plan will be ruined. Because he has to go down quickly and smash the magic circle of the fake Stigmata.

Anyway, he won’t know that we stole the magic circle. Because only the creator who made the fake Stigmata and Regina can manipulate the magic circle so precisely.

If he fails, the Dark Cult will think that the academy has noticed their plan. They will discard all the plans they had made.

Then, the terrorist incident that will happen during the midterm exam can be prevented. However, what happens after that is beyond what I can handle.

[Then… should we fight moderately, and then retreat?]

I nodded lightly to Regina’s question and gripped the sword hilt.

What I want is a situation that I can control. A situation within the original work that I can control with my knowledge of the original work.

The existence of the ‘seed’ has already ruined a lot… but I still wanted to maintain the original work as much as I could.

Because I can save far more people in a familiar situation that I’ve experienced dozens, hundreds of times in the original work than in a completely new situation. Because I can create a happy ending with minimal sacrifice.

[Be careful! He’s not an easy opponent…!]

Deflecting the shuriken flying towards my neck, I closed my eyes and spread my senses to gauge the guy’s location.

About 10 meters away, a man with a sword. I can’t feel his exact presence because he doesn’t have much of a level difference from me and has a fake Stigmata, but this was enough.

The sword, wrapped in dark mana, was shot towards him, hiding its trajectory in the darkness.

“?!”

Clang-

The guy quickly raised his sword, and an orange flash flashed. The guy, startled by the unexpected counterattack, took a step back, and Regina pulled my body back. Regina’s telepathy comes a half-beat late.

[Dodge!]

[The Cult’s Assassin (Lv.45) activates the fake Stigmata ‘Invisible Hand’]

At the same time, a terrifying slash passed in front of my eyes. The hood is slightly cut off, and pieces of cloth fall off.

Clearly, the guy caught in my presence was putting away his sword, but consecutive slashes come across the space and aim at me. I quickly took a step back and took a defensive stance.

I didn’t even have time to feel terrified by the fact that I almost died. I continued my thoughts while avoiding the ensuing slash.

I shouldn’t show too overwhelming of an appearance. Then the guy who is scared might run away.

Unless he’s a high-ranking operative of the Dark Cult, such as a Crusader or Paladin, he can’t win against me no matter how hard he tries.

Anyway, this is not a fight I have to win. What I have to do is to let him naturally win against me and go down.

So, I pretended not to notice the next slash that was fired at me. I gritted my teeth, shaking off Regina’s hand that was trying to pull me urgently.

[Sian, what are you doing?!]

The first thing I heard was a dull thud. A strange floating sensation, different from when using Blink, wrapped around my body. My body was flying in the air regardless of my will.

The pain came after my pushed body hit the wall.

“Cough!?”

The first thing I felt was a burning pain. A hot pain spreads around my side, which was stabbed by an invisible sword.

It’s a pain I’ve experienced dozens of times while living as an adventurer. But I could never get used to this kind of pain.

As the invisible sword made of mana ripped through my side and exited, a flash of light popped in front of my eyes.

“Ugh…”

The assassin didn’t miss that gap and passed us down the hallway. Regina glared at him with fiery eyes, then gritted her teeth and turned her gaze to me.

Because Regina roughly understood why I did this. There is no better way than to be hit by a sword to deliberately lose.

However, even though she knew that, Regina couldn’t just leave Sian alone. To Regina, Sian was the only hope she had met in thousands of years.

Regina, as soon as the guy’s presence disappeared, threw away the pouch she was holding and ran to me.

“Sian!!!”

“Ugh, Regina…?”

Regina’s red eyes turned to my wound. It was a wound with a diameter of several centimeters, a wound that would require an ordinary person to lie down in the infirmary for several days.

Tears welled up in the girl’s eyes as she checked the wound. Regina, who was half out of her mind at the sight of me bleeding, hugged me tightly and muttered incomprehensible words.

“Wait, just… Regina?”

“Ugh…”

…Did I, think too lightly of Regina’s wounds? I forgot how Regina thinks of me and acted too rashly.

I thought she was okay because she was showing a cute but still strong appearance in front of me. Anyway, since Regina knows that I have a second Stigmata, I thought it would be okay.

It seemed that Regina couldn’t tolerate even the slightest possibility of losing me. Because the endlessly repeating daily life is really terrible.

…From now on, I should live a little more carefully. Because I had a responsibility to make Regina, who was so broken because of me, happy.

Reflecting inwardly, I quickly changed the Stigmata.

[The set Stigmata is changed to ‘Cherry Blossom Garden’]

[Activate Stigmata ‘Cherry Blossom Garden’]

A soft spring breeze blew in the cool basement.

The sweet scent of cherry blossoms spread softly, and vitality began to appear on the hard marble floor.

Pink particles spread in all directions, turning into flower petals and scattering. A light pink garden full of vitality unfolded in a corner of the blood-stained hallway.

Regina, who was sobbing in my arms, finally noticed the change in my body. As the petals fell on Regina, reason gradually returned to her red eyes.

The large hole in my side was already covered by dozens of petals. The pain I felt gradually decreased, and a comfortable feeling wrapped around my body.

My blood that had been scattered around turns into red particles and disappears. Instead of the strong smell of blood, the scent of warm spring fills the hallway, and Regina gradually came to her senses.

“Ugh…?”

“I’m sorry. I won’t do such a reckless thing in the future.”

I slowly stroked the girl who came to her senses and was wriggling in my arms. Regina, who was trembling as if having a seizure, gradually calms down.

I held Regina like that for a while without saying a word.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Y,”

Yes…!”

Regina hid her reddened face and separated from me almost 10 minutes later. 8 minutes after the time I promised Yelena.

I wanted to comfort Regina a little more, but we didn’t have time for that. Time was flowing even at this moment.

There is no one here now to carelessly talk to and question Yelena, but we couldn’t leave our seats for too long.

“Are you… okay?”

“Yes. You know what my Stigmata is. I can heal this kind of wound in an instant.”

I answered that and lifted my clothes. Regina’s face turns red at the sight of my fair skin without a single wound.

“Well, hold my hand. We’re late, so let’s go up first. Yelena will be waiting.”

“I understand….!”

Unlike me, who knew the map of the maze, the intruder who entered now does not have proper information about the morgue.

So he’s probably still wandering down there. Even if he somehow enters the morgue, it will take some time to break the password.

So there’s still some time… but if he comes out using the transfer magic circle. And if he sees us looking fine, things get complicated in many ways.

Regina, who erased the traces of crying with magic, quickly grabbed my hand.

“It’ll be a bit dizzy.”

“I’m okay…! I’m used to it nooow?!”

Regina’s words were drawn out long, and the space was instantly distorted. Particles wrapped around our bodies and a floating sensation was felt. Regina hugged my arm tightly.