Chapter 55: The Tricky Judge VI

Wabid laughs awkwardly.  

“Getting here was tough. Next time, I’ll bring a solid party.”  

I know it’s an excuse. If he really came for the lich, even a skilled guy wouldn’t come alone. 

But today, I’m just here for the extra test. Wabid’s presence doesn’t bug me too much.  

“Gotta hurry, so I’ll head out.”  

“Good luck,” he says.  

Karen and I open the golden door.  

A staircase leads deeper underground, pitch-black and eerie.  

A bad vibe hits, like stepping in means death.  

***  

“Big Bro…”  

Karen feels it too.  

“Should we turn back?”  

“How can Big Bro say that? You have such a high-level!”  

“Nah, doesn’t this feel like a dungeon entrance you can’t enter without the right level?”  

“Yeah, but…”  

The evil aura from the stairs screams we’re not ready.  

I take a deep breath and step forward.  

The stairs seem endless.  

Choking fear creeps in when a passage appears.  

It’s so dark, without light, we can’t move an inch.  

Is there really nothing down here?  

“The Sin Wolf felt easier…”  

Feeling stuck, I pull a lantern from my inventory.  

As it lights up, snakes slither into corners like a witch’s hair.  

Ugh, gross.  

“This sucks,” I mutter.  

Anything could pop up now.  

“Want me to hold the lantern?” Karen asks.  

“Nah, I got it.”  

It would be better if her hands are free if trouble hits.  

“Block any magic attacks.”  

“Got it!”  

Also, I’m no longer a mage needing protection.  

Karen and I walk side by side.  

The fourth floor has few monsters.  

Did a vanguard already clear it? Gotta hurry then.  

“Why’s it so empty?” Karen says.  

“Someone already swept through.”  

“No way, that’s it?”  

Karen gasps at bone fragments crunching underfoot.  

“Yeah… looks like 600 monsters’ worth of traces.”  

No need for search skills.  

Scattered bones hint at a fierce, long fight.  

We pick up the pace.  

After a long walk, we exit the passage into a wide stone chamber.  

I instantly know this is where Skeleton Warriors keep spawning.  

Piles of old swords, like an armory, and even more bones with a damp vibe.  

But the lich is already dead.  

“We took it down!”  

Twelve people in the chamber cheer.  

At the center, a blonde girl, likely the party leader, stands out.  

“It’s over…” Karen murmurs.  

Yeah, we’re late.  

I figured this might happen.  

Like we nabbed Sin Wolf first in Black Forest, someone else beat us here.  

Killing the lich dramatically would’ve been cool, but reality’s a letdown.  

“Since it’s done, let’s report back.”  

“Yeah, no choice…”  

Karen tears up.  

I’m lost—how do I comfort her?  

As the adventurer party disbands, the blonde girl approaches.  

Not an adventurer. Never seen her before.  

Long blonde hair to her waist, red eyes, white uniform.  

Up close, she shines like a sun in this gloomy chamber.  

“Don’t cry like a loser,” she snaps at Karen.  

“Huh…?”  

Karen blinks, facing her.  

“…There’s always another chance.”  

Not sure if it’s encouragement or meant to sting.  

The girl barks at Karen, then struts past.  

She glances back at me.  

“Why’s a guy like you letting the w0man beside you cry? Pathetic!”  

“…”  

Is calling people pathetic her thing?  

She walks off before I can respond.  

“What’s her deal?”  

Talking like she knows our situation.  

There’s no next chance.  

With the lich dead, there’s no way to pass the test.  

Not the normal way, at least.  

“You’re right. No crying.”  

Karen shakes off disappointment, forcing a bright look.  

“Let’s go, Big Bro.”  

“…”  

I’m bummed.  

This dungeon makes it worse.  

“Yeah.”  

I start back but freeze.  

“Big Bro?”  

“Was this path here before?”  

On the way back, I spot a new passage.  

There were a few like this, but they were dead ends.  

This one goes deep.  

Thought it was a mistake, but my search skill confirms it.  

This passage wasn’t here before.  

“Let’s check it out.”  

Karen and I walk the new passage.  

At the end, another stone chamber.  

No treasure, but an unexpected figure stands there.  

“Examiner, what’re you doing here?”  

Veil Noah, silently gripping the wall, pushes.  

Her hand sinks in, triggering something, and the passage behind us closes with a thud.  

“What do you want?”  

Doesn’t feel like she’s here to judge us.  

Someone else appears from the shadows, unnoticed until now.  

It’s Wabid.  

Veil Noah, “The Iron Wall Examiner.” with a black blindfold, speaks.  

“This is a secret room in Bordeaux Dungeon. It’s got a fun mechanism, so I used it.”  

“Is the secret room hunting your hobby?”  

“Not quite, but this felt like the perfect setup.”  

“Perfect setup?”  

“You probably guessed, but Wabid’s my subordinate. Second-rank examiner of the Holy City. Or executioner.”  

“Executioner… you too?” 

Veil Noah nods slightly.  

“Yes. That’s my real job. Coming to Dry Village early was for scouting.”  

“What’s this about?” Karen says, frustrated.  

Wabid raises a crossbow, answering curtly.  

“That man’s suspected of using brainwashing magic. Step back.”  

“…What?”  

“I met all the w0men who’ve been with Decal. Don’t deny it.”  

“They said I brainwashed them?”  

“No. But it’s clear s9xual exploitation happened without them noticing. Your dangerous magic was obvious.”  

Guess that’s one way to see it.  

In a world with magic, suspicion comes easy.  

This is an interesting situation.  

Veil Noah already had the answer back then. Her instincts are sharp.  

“Why not arrest me right away?”  

“The elf’s behavior was off. I needed to separate you. This extra test was a lucky chance for us.”  

“The test was just bait to lure me?”  

“Not exactly,” Veil Noah says firmly.

“The trial was fair. It’s a shame the Bordeaux Dungeon boss was taken down first. Now that it’s over, it’s time to deal with what’s left.”

What’s left.  

My fate.

“Anything to say?”  

“Where’s the proof I used brainwashing magic?”  

“You’ll see. Wabid, bring it out.”  

“Yes.”  

Wabid pulls a crystal orb from his coat.  

“This is for proving the crime. This orb cancels mind-affecting magic. We’re using it on your companion now.”  

That kind of item exists? Wild.  

I’m curious if it’ll work on my hypnosis.  

“Miss Karen, look at the orb.”  

“No way! What are you doing to Big Bro?”  

“Protecting you.”  

Karen squeezes her eyes shut, scared.  

“Karen, cooperate with the interrogation.”  

“…”  

Only after I speak does Karen open her eyes and stare at the orb.  

It glows.  

“Feel any difference?” Noah asks Karen right away.  

“I don’t know… feels the same…”  

“No way. The spell’s effect should cause a reaction in your b0dy. Look at the man beside you. Is he your companion?”  

Karen glances up at me.  

“…Yeah.”  

“Be honest. This is serious.”  

“Karen, tell the truth. You can’t fool the examiner.”  

“…Not my companion.”  

Karen mumbles.  

Wabid and Noah catch their breath.  

“I’m… Big Bro’s c0ck house. I chose this myself.”  

Karen hesitates but finally speaks, ears red from embarrassment. 

Cute.  

“…”  

Noah looks stunned.  

“You really think it’s your choice? Other victims were fed similar lies. No sense of wrongness?”  

“None! I’m proudly Big Bro’s c0ck house.”  

“Hmm.”  

I look at them both.  

“Can we stop now? That orb doesn’t seem to help much.”  

“So embarrassing…”  

I grab Karen’s hand.  

“Let’s go, Karen.”  

“Okay.”  

“Who said you could move?”  

A chilling aura bursts from Noah.  

She’s armed now—a dark iron rod spins slowly with her wrist’s movement, reaching her elbow.  

“The interrogation isn’t over. Depending on the outcome, you might die here.”  

“…”  

Is she serious?  

No trial? Just authority to judge criminals on the spot?  

If this isn’t a joke, I need to change my approach.  

“You just saw, didn’t you? What’s there to suspect?”  

“I knew something was off when I heard the ‘Noble Huntress’ was smitten with a human. She’s a known human-hater. Always has been.”  

“Then ask me directly.”  

A breeze stirs the stone chamber.  

Karen and I quickly sense where Isti will appear. Her landing spot feels clear.  

Even so, Isti arrives like a gust of wind.  

“…You followed me?” Noah says.  

“Yeah. Worried you’d mess with my darling. Guess I was right.”  

“You’re the biggest victim of his brainwashing magic. Wake up, and you’ll understand why I’m doing this.”  

“No, Noah, you don’t get it. My love for darling is true, sworn by elven oath. I’m not brainwashed by some filthy trick.”  

“Not brainwashed? You think a brainwashed person would know? Nothing feels off?”  

Their voices rise.  

Isti, with zero doubt, declares boldly: “Nope. None. I hate humans, but I trust darling. He’s the one I trust most in the world. Doubting him? Impossible.”  

“This is… Wabid.”  

“Look at this orb.”  

“…”  

Isti stares at it, unfazed.  

“Stop this nonsense and apologize to darling properly, Noah. I don’t respect your actions as an enforcer.”  

“Ugh…”  

Noah, cornered, looks at me.  

Her blindfold hides her eyes, but I sense her anxiety.  

“You’re… more dangerous than I thought.”  

“Not sure what you mean. Given the situation, shouldn’t you be apologizing to me?”  

“Tch… So shameless…!!”  

Noah’s gut feeling has her almost certain. She thinks I used brainwashing magic on Isti and reached for other w0men too. 

But there’s no proof.  

If she’d attacked without evidence, she’d just be a lunatic. But Noah’s not that.  

She’s tracked me as a criminal yet insists the trial was fair, guided by her own code and convictions.  

Noah looks at Isti again.  

“You really know nothing about his mind-control powers?”  

“…”  

Isti meets my eyes.  

“Can I tell her, darling?”  

“Yeah.”  

Isti smiles.  

“Yep. Darling can control people.”  

“What?”  

Noah and Wabid flinch, trembling.  

“You know this and don’t realize you’re brainwashed by it?”  

“Me, hypnotized by darling?”  

Noah shouts, frustrated.  

“Wake up! He’s manipulating you to blindly trust him, even planting the illusion of love!”  

“Darling hypnotized me? Doesn’t matter. I love him anyway.”  

“Ha ha ha…”  

I burst out laughing.  

Noah looks at me, pale.  

“What have you done? This is unforgivable.”  

“Thanks for testing the final stage for me, examiner.”  

“Final stage?”  

“In simple terms, it’s irreversible.”  

Noah spins her rod, charging at me.  

But Isti, faster, shoots an arrow, halting Noah’s advance.  

“Noah, one more step, and I’ll aim for your head. For real.”  

“Ugh…!! Wabid!”  

“S-Something’s wrong. I’m trying to aim, but I can’t…!”  

Wabid struggles to point his crossbow at me, blocked by my suggestion, unable to attack.  

Like an invisible force stops him.  

“Hahaha.”  

I laugh heartily, feeling refreshed.  

“Noah, thanks for the entertainment.”  

“Even Wabid…!”  

“Got him too.”  

“Ugh, hrrgh…!”  

Wabid groans, swinging his crossbow in the air, frustrated at his lack of control.  

“Big Bro, what’s all this about? Hypnosis? I… I…”  

Snap.  

I snap my fingers, putting everyone in the chamber into a trance.  

“Karen, forget everything you saw or heard in this chamber.”  

“…”  

“Wabid, you can’t interfere with my plans.”  

Non-interference and no attacks.  

Wabid’s bound by two prohibitions, unable to hinder me now.  

Next, the examiner. What to do?  

I’ve got an idea. Like with Isti, I’ll bind her with three suggestions.  

First, the one I used before: “You can’t refuse when I ask for help.”  

“Noah, ‘You’ll never forget my scent once you remember it.'”  

“Never… forget…”  

“‘The stronger you smell my scent, the more you recall it, the more dizzying pleasure you feel.'”  

“…”  

“Because it’s your favorite thing.”  

“My favorite thing… Decal’s scent…”  

I drive a fervent, rather perverse obsession for me deep into Noah’s subconscious.  

Clap.  

I clap my hands, waking everyone up.