Chapter 132: I Was Just Kidding

Chapter 132: I Was Just Kidding

“Is he…”

“He’s the one who created all this chaos.”

“Is he… the one who manipulated me before?”

“Did Faima tell you?”

“No… but this place… when I see him, it hurts so much.”

Kuro placed her hand on her chest, where that ugly ornament had once existed and controlled her like a puppet. Though it had been removed, the scar and trauma remained intact.

“When I was under control, I retained very few memories, but this scar and the feeling I get from him… I’m certain he’s the one who attached that thing to me.”

Kuro bared her wolf fangs in anger at the figure before her. It seemed like she was ready to tear him apart right then and there.

“I know you’re angry, but please stay calm.”

“How can I possibly stay calm…”

“Alright… I understand…”

It’s best not to tell an angry person to calm down – it might just make them lose control and become even more enraged.

“Faima, in your assessment, how strong is this guy?”

I’m not great at evaluating people with magic like this. Faima has been the only one fighting him with magic until now, so she must have gathered quite a bit of information.

“According to our mages’ ranking system, that kid… no, that person must be equivalent to an A-rank mage.”

“You’re seri… well, I guess that makes sense…”

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Since he’s a member of the Divine Knights Association, it’s not surprising if his ability is on par with Heavenly Sword Shera.

“I don’t doubt either of your abilities, but with Kuro-san’s B-rank strength and your C-rank, can we really stand against him?”

“Are you scared?”

“Not at all, I’m just worried about your life.”

The Wind Spear she shot earlier had overwhelming power compared to my ice bullets, yet she showed no signs of fatigue after using such an enormous amount of magical power. It seems this lady’s abilities are far from ordinary.

“Then if we add Agaht and Rand…”

“I’m sorry, but we can’t do that.”

Faima shook her head.

“There’s no time to explain the detailed theory, but I’ll tell you the main points. Every stream of magic he releases has incredible precision and power. It serves both as a combat tool and a means to confuse opponents. If he wants, he can even use it to control others.”

“I see, that’s why he calls himself the ‘Puppeteer.'” Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

Of course, I wasn’t complimenting him.

“Both Rand and Agaht are excellent vanguards, but they’re not mages capable of confronting his abilities. If we’re not careful, we might end up killing each other here.”

Controlling humans to destroy humans? Is this some kind of zombie horror movie?

“For people like me, dealing with those mind-controlling threads isn’t too difficult. Even with just a bit of magic resistance, the effectiveness of the manipulation is greatly reduced. You might still be controlled, but the duration of the control spell will be much longer.”

This seems complicated…

“Will I be okay? I’m not a mage or anything…”

“Kuro-san has magic, so you’ll be fine. Mind control spells are easy to break free from if you have resistance. A Black Wolf clan member with strong spirit like you should be fine.”

In other words, only the three of us can face him?

I’ve had the chance to witness the abilities of Adventurers before. But I’ve never seen them when they’re “serious.” So I don’t know if this will be enough to face him.

“Kuro, how did you resist those threads?”

“Somehow, if I use ‘Lightning Sword,’ I can cut through them. But Lightning Sword can’t be maintained for long, so…”

Kuro’s magic, “Lightning Sword,” significantly increases the power of her slashes, but it has a drawback – it quickly generates heat that makes the blade too hot to maintain for long.

“Faima, support us from behind.”

“I know… after all, I’m the one with the weakest physical abilities.”

Then I turned back to Kuro, facing the puppeteer.

I rested my hand on my chin and began to think.

The atmosphere around seemed to sink, time around me gradually slowing down.

For a moment, all around me were just the roars of dragons and the screams of monsters.

Is there any viable way???

I removed my hand from my chin.

“Kuro, you defend the front to protect Faima, I’ll take the vanguard.”

“Eh? Wouldn’t that make you the most vulnerable? Is that okay?”

“When you use Lightning Sword too much, the heat makes it impossible to maintain, wouldn’t that make you the dangerous one?”

“Um… but…”

Kuro’s face dropped sadly.

“Don’t worry, I’m not much slower than you. And Faima doesn’t have enough ability to protect herself while casting spells.”

“That’s right… if we want to attack him with a powerful spell, we’ll need time to chant. During that time, I won’t be able to do anything.”

As mentioned, Agaht and Rand can’t risk facing him head-on, so Kuro would be the best person to hold the position protecting Faima.

“Are you done with your discussion?”

The puppeteer spoke up, interrupting our conversation.

“You’re quite kind to stand there listening to our planning.”

“Even if you try anything, the result won’t change. I want to face all your tricks to broaden my horizons, so I’m not losing anything.”

“In that case, since you’ve been kind enough to let us discuss for a while, how about this – let us go back to the inn for a night to discuss, and we’ll have a rematch tomorrow afternoon, what do you say?”

“You clearly just want to run away, don’t you?”

Well, obviously – I was just kidding.