Chapter 83
The value of jewels is ultimately nothing more than an illusion.
In this world, jewels are synonymous with valuable possessions, but their essential nature is merely that of oddly shaped, glittering stones.
It means casting an illusion of value over jewels that are nothing more than stones, spreading that illusion to people until they mistake those stones for something truly extraordinary.
It's a notion accepted in a capitalist world, but it wasn't important to a magical girl's magic.
What mattered was that I believed it that way. After all, what manifested in the world was simply another illusion called magic. The reality, physical laws, and various philosophical problems contained in a magical girl's belief didn't matter in the slightest.
That's what an illusion is.
"Now then, Abyssal One! My castle charges a steep admission fee, so make sure you come with a fat wallet!"
<You think I'd pay for something lik... mmmph?!>
-Clatter
<Guh!>
-Rattle-rattle-rattle!
Finger-joint-sized emeralds poured from the Dullahan's mouth as it raged.
It was something completely beyond common sense. Even if one's head were properly attached, emeralds bursting from one's mouth made no sense—but it was happening to a Dullahan that carried its own head in its hand. It was a sight that made anyone watching doubt their own eyes.
<...What is this?>
"What kind of magic does it look like? You don't think simply putting a question mark at the end of your sentence will make me kindly explain the technique, do you?"
<It must be an illusion... so why does it have substance... Ngh!>
-Shrrk!
The fact that the Abyssal One's armor had been broken didn't simply mean that its physical defense had fallen.
It meant that the Abyssal One's resistance itself had been lowered. Debuffs would work much more effectively now.
Naturally, breaking that armor hadn't been easy... but this was Alice, after all. She had been exceeding common sense since long ago.
She had held out against this monster alone for an hour. If I couldn't manage the same from here on out, the title of S-rank No. 3 would weep. No matter how much a ranking reflected social standing, if I performed overwhelmingly worse than No. 4, I wouldn't be able to show my face anywhere.
At the very least, I had to do enough not to sully the name of S-rank.
<If it's an illusion, then all I need to do is smash everything to pieces...!>
-Vroooooom!!
Meanwhile, the Abyssal One proved that it hadn't survived as an S-rank by destroying countless worlds for nothing; it immediately prepared a way to counter ordinary illusion magic.
The most effective way to deal with ordinary illusion magic was simple. Assuming there were no allies, just destroy everything in the surrounding area.
This Abyssal One actually had the ability to do that, and I could see it preparing by wrapping its sword in a red aura.
It was the technique Alice herself had been unable to take head-on, forcing her to risk her life and dodge it repeatedly for nearly an hour.
But...
"Sorry, but this is my castle."
[Emerald Castle-Intruder Execution]
-Screeeech... Bang!
<Ha...! Cutting off my escape route poses no threat to me...!>
-Sparkle!
Twelve mirrors made of emerald appeared around the Dullahan as it shouted triumphantly, and figures in the mirrors took the exact same pose as the Dullahan.
The Abyssal magic in the heart-pulsing red sword contained the will to destroy the castle, but there were twelve Dullahans like that one inside the mirrors.
Mirrors had appeared around it. Within them stood its own duplicates, each taking the exact same pose.
<...!>
Even though it was undead, I could sense its bewilderment.
Its thoughts were probably something like this: Is this an illusion too? No, it must definitely be an illusion. There was no way a single contractee could duplicate its attack twelve times. But what if they were real? What if even some of them were real? If even one of them was real, could it survive being hit by it? With most of its armor broken?
That thought ultimately manifested in its actions.
<...Ghh!>
-Crash!
"Mmm~ Is that the choice you're making?"
In the end, it couldn't overcome its anxiety and changed the direction of its sword toward the twelve mirrors surrounding it.
The mirrors themselves didn't have much defensive power. All twelve were shattered miserably, and the Dullahan immediately charged toward me in fury after breaking them.
<How dare you!! Toying with me, Her Majesty's knight, with such petty tricks!!>
-Whoosh!
<Grr...!>
"Who told you to come, anyway? You're the one who came to Earth, and you're the one who entered my castle. I didn't ask you to do either!"
Naturally, the sight of me holding Alice that the Dullahan could see was an illusion.
It must have rushed in to ambush me before I had time to react, but the moment I entered the barrier and it became trapped within its range, my appearance had long since been concealed.
Of course, I was still holding Alice close. What if I put her somewhere else and that thing—or another Abyssal One—targeted her? Inside this castle, my arms were the safest place for her.
I absolutely wasn't taking revenge for how she always ran away and tormented me whenever I asked her to let me hug her just once—ah, but she's really light. She doesn't have much meat on her bones to begin with, but how does she manage her diet normally? If I indulge even a little, fat starts piling on
<Show yourself, mage!!!! If you possess even the slightest bit of honor, do not toy with me, who has upheld honor even toward my enemy!!!>
"What does an uninvited trespasser know about honor? You only went easy on me because you were busy hamming it up."
<Kraaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!>
As I said earlier, the foundation of an illusion was robbing the opponent of their reason. I couldn't deny that my own personality and my grudge against Abyssal Ones were mixed in, but even this cheap provocation was an essential element in maintaining the barrier.
-Bang!! Bang!! KABOOM!!!
-Crash!
It began swinging its sword indiscriminately in rage and destroying the castle. It seemed to think I might get caught in the destruction... but unfortunately, my hiding place was far away from there. Even if it noticed me and came over, there were plenty of efficient evasion spells I could use inside the castle.
'I think intelligent ones are easier to deal with, actually.'
This kind of torment was only possible because the opponent was an Abyssal One with human-level intelligence. It was meaningless against Abyssal Ones that could do nothing but go, Kraaah, keeugh!
That's why I had been able to draw the attention of the Abyssal Ones I'd tied up earlier. Back then, I had to beat them down with magic from outside the castle. They were huge, too, so if I tried to bring them inside, they would have had to break through the castle walls...
In other words, combat using Emerald Castle could be divided into two types.
A true defensive siege that utilized the castle itself, and guerrilla warfare in which I slowly wore down an enemy brought inside while using illusions.
If Alice hadn't broken its armor and I had faced it from the beginning, it would have swung that sword from outside, sliced the castle walls in half, entered the castle, fought its way through the illusions, and cut off my head. It was chilling just to imagine.
That was why battles against Abyssal Ones depended not only on rank but also on matchup. In many ways, Alice taking responsibility for this one had truly been the best possible choice.
'If Kariel had been here... this would've been easier.'
If Kariel had been in my place, the two of us could have dealt with this Abyssal One. Our odds of victory would have been around eighty percent. Alice had broken its armor all by herself; if she hadn't passed out and had continued fighting, that thing wouldn't have lasted much longer.
'If possible, I should finish it before Aia joins... Hmm... that might be difficult.'
Right now, I was smoothly buying time against it. Unless it suddenly found a way to see through this illusion or produced a new technique... steadily stalling it like this was the sensible choice...
<Grr...! This damned mirror...! I won't be fooled by it any longer...>
-Slash!
<Kraaaaaaaaaaa!!!>
"I never even said it was fake. You can smash it easily, can't you? Why let it hit you?"
<Mage...!!!! Contractee!!!!!!!>
A mirror that copied the actions of the strongest opponent trapped within the barrier. Each mirror was so fragile that even a glancing blow from the opponent's attack would shatter it, but its true strength lay in the dilemma it created.
Naturally, each replica was only about fifteen percent as powerful as the original. But if someone ignored the twelve mirrors, thinking they were nothing special, and took every attack head-on, the result would be a remarkable scene in which the attacker ended up more injured than the target.
-Drip.
<...Hrk. Is that so? Is this as far as I go?>
The Abyssal One, which had been raging violently until just moments ago, suddenly stopped moving and began speaking in a low voice.
<I admit it, mage. I, who have lived an honest life, lack the wisdom to see through your vile illusion. You are more wicked than any sinner I have ever seen.>
"...Thanks for the compliment?"
<Then... I too shall fulfill my duty. As Her Majesty's knight and gardener. Even if I fall, may my death become fertilizer for Her Majesty's glory.>
"Are you rhyming right now...?"
<Hup!>
-Thrust!
"...What the hell is that?"
The Abyssal One suddenly stabbed its own body with its sword.
Black blood began flowing from its body, impaled on the sword, and soaking the ground... Then I felt a familiar sensation.
Far too familiar. The sensation I felt whenever an Abyssal One appeared.
-Crack.
-Shiver!
The sound of a dimension breaking.
<I shall... invite you all... to Her Majesty's garden... in the name of the twenty-sixth gardener...>
"What the fuck...! Jewelry!!!"
[Run, quickly!! We need to get outside the castle first!!]
[Aaaah! Alice! Wake up!! StellarShift!! StellarShift, quickly!!]
As I ran without looking back, carrying Alice in my arms alongside the two mascots, I felt something unmistakable behind me.
The passage I had seen so many times by now—the one Abyssal Ones used to cross dimensions and invade Earth.
That thing, also called an Abyssal Hole, opened in a way different from usual. It opened not as an exit, but as an entrance.
In the middle of Earth.