Guiding Light (1)

Polar Night Prison, Balthazar’s containment cell.

Cynthia and Adeline, who had been gathered in a 5-minute waiting group (?) by Claire, were passing the time.

Kang Yoo-jin and Encia’s bodies do not even move, and even if they are touched, there is no reaction.

It meant that things were going smoothly, but it was a very boring time for the two of them who had to wait quietly.

“I’m bored.”

“Yes···.”

Nothing to do, nothing to go out.

This is also clearly part of the guard team’s execution of official duties, since the two of them must follow Claire’s instructions once they have been summoned.

Claire, who had actually said that, had been scrounging with her subordinates in a nearby office early on.

“Ugh! Now that it’s like this, let’s take off Kang Yujin’s mask.”

“Uh, uh huh…!?”

“Aren’t you curious? What does that man’s face look like?”

Adeline pointed at Yujin Kang with a mischievous face.

Standing upright with only his eyes closed, he does not move as if he is in a deep sleep.

“The professor will be angry…”

“I’m not angry. Look at this.”

Adeline, approaching Yujin Kang’s nose, reached out with both hands and rubbed Yujin Kang’s cheeks.

The mask was rubbed along with his hand, but he just closed his eyes without any reaction.

“Did you see it? He didn’t react at all.”

“Yeah, but…”

To put your hand on a professor like the sky.

For Cynthia, it is a matter of wrath.

However, there was a hint of curiosity in her voice that could not be erased.

‘Professor’s face…’

Kang Yoo-jin’s face, which no one in the school has ever seen since she usually wears a mask and a hat.

However, Cynthia had seen his bare face once a long time ago.

On the first day of first grade, there was an incident where Kang Yu-jin stopped the invasion of the spider tribe.

That day, Cynthia saw Yujin Kang’s bare face for the first time at the place where she went to look for Yujin Kang with Skadi.

Her appearance, which could not be described even with the word “beautiful,” was clearly embedded in her memory and came back vividly when she recalled it even now.

“·······.”

Hey, can I see you just once?

Maybe even the professor will forgive me at least once…

“Well, then… only once…”

“As expected. You’re curious too.”

Adeline giggled and first carefully took off his hat.

I put it on my head, and this time I reach for his mask.

He still didn’t respond.

“Peel it off?”

“Yes···!”

The dangerous (?) deviation of the two girls was extending its demonic hand toward Yujin Kang.

The moment those two hands were about to touch the tip of his mask.

Yujin Kang’s eyes flashed open.

“Ahh!”

“Kyaaagh! I’m sorry!”

The two girls, startled, hurriedly backed away.

Adeline’s frightened face froze, and Cynthia bowed her head while holding her head.

However, no matter how long I waited, Kang Yoo-jin’s answer did not come.

“…Kang Yujin?”

Called but no answer

No, the gaze itself was not looking at them.

He stood like a wooden stone, looking at Balthazar, who was chained in midair.

“It’s like you haven’t woken up…”

The moment Adeline opened her mouth, thick demonic energy flowed from Balthazar’s tied body and began to drip like ooze.

It didn’t spread far, but it was a demon with a tremendous concentration.

“I think something… is going wrong?”

“Uh, uh, uh…”

Scared to speak, a loud siren sounded throughout the containment room.

It was at that moment that Claire burst through the door.

“What! The magic concentration is suddenly soaring!”

“That, that’s…”

“We don’t know either.”

It happened suddenly, so I don’t know why.

However, the three women gathered there instinctively noticed.

that something is wrong on the inside.

“Emergency Protocol! Execute!”

“Ha, but…!”

Cynthia shrieked at Claire’s cry.

In case of such a situation, Yujin Kang wrote down an emergency response method and left.

To completely destroy Balthazar’s consciousness.

Originally, it was impossible to break the corps commander’s consciousness with the power of two people, but Kang Yu-jin had already written down the spell on a piece of paper and went.

This means that you just need to activate it.

“But…then the people inside are too dangerous…”

This is not a safe method.

Yujin Kang and Ensia have yet to get out of their inner world.

If the ceremony was destroyed like this, the two could have been trapped inside forever.

“Didn’t the professor know that? He must have left it there because there was a way!”

“still···.”

Normally, you would think that Claire’s words made sense, but Cynthia, who majored in anti-magic and mind control, can understand.

That this is not the kind of problem that can be addressed.

In reality, it is an act of breaking down the entire ground on which a person is standing.

No matter how much there is a safety device, it is of no use unless there is no ground to stand on.

Cynthia couldn’t help but hesitate.

“Oh. He’s also suddenly moving.”

“yes···?”

However, Ensia, who had been sleeping all of a sudden, woke up.

“Ansia?”

“Hey, are you out of your mind?”

The two hurriedly ran, but Ensia did not respond either.

His expression is expressionless as usual.

In addition, a soft golden light was flowing from the body.

The two easily noticed that it was holy power.

“What’s going on? Why is he like this again?”

“·······.”

Even as confusion enveloped the place, Encia was silently staring at the two.

Cynthia felt that gaze seemed to be asking for help.

“… I can’t either.”

“Hey. Even if your students fail—”

“There is a way… there is a way.”

Cynthia turned around and looked at Claire.

It was scary, but there was a pulpit in the eyes with determination.

“I can communicate with the Witchbeast’s consciousness. If so, I might be able to talk to Balthazar.”

Cynthia’s own method, different from the general use of mental control.

It was the only way she could inherit the demon’s blood.

As with the Balaur, Cynthia was able to transmit her voice directly to the inner side of the Witchbeast.

In the form of a ‘conversation’, not a ‘command’.

“No… what can I do with it?”

“…You can’t.”

Claire’s face was puzzled, but Adeline noticed early on.

Cynthia was trying to ‘negotiate’ with Balthazar.

“It’s too dangerous. If you do it wrong, you might be wrong.”

“… No. I can do it.”

It’s better than having your whole consciousness blown.

If successful, it would be possible to lift the two of them from below.

Cynthia made up her mind and answered.

“If you fail, I will break the ceremony as the professor said.”

“Hey···.”

“Are you okay?”

Claire’s expression changed every moment.

It’s dangerous, but if it doesn’t work out, I’ll do it according to the original plan, so there’s no good reason to stop it.

She scratched her head nervously.

“Ah! Do what you want! But do you know this? If we’re wrong, we’ll use the last resort. You guys can’t even guarantee your safety then?”

“···Yeah.”

Cynthia looked at Adeline.

She has a face that doesn’t matter.

It seemed that I liked Cynthia’s idea more than I thought.

When I made up my mind and approached Encia, she held out her hand.

like you’ve been waiting

“Keep in mind one thing. I can only give you help related to the sympathetic nervous system. I can’t actively respond, so the rest is up to you.”

“···yes.”

Cynthia held Encia’s hand.

Squeeze your bestie’s hand, ready to pass through her to the other side of the nervous system.

“Then, take care of yourself.”

Adeline’s magic envelops Cynthia, and her consciousness sinks to the bottom of the inner world where Encia is.

*

dark.

It is a world full of darkness.

The inner world of the demons who settled in was a world oppressed by pitch-black darkness.

“Ugh…”

I grabbed my head and looked around.

It was a dark and dark world, but for some reason, the light stayed around Cynthia, and she was able to distinguish between people.

It wasn’t long before Cynthia realized that familiar holy power was with her.

“Enshi…?”

It was definitely her holy power.

Would it be okay for Ensia to use so much holy power?

Angels who haven’t signed a contract yet have to be careful about using their holy power, but Cynthia started to worry about Ensia using her holy power like this.

“I’ll go now…”

We need to find Baltazar, who should be here.

Cynthia shouted to the sky.

“Adeline!”

When I called her name, the path I had to take appeared in the darkness.

A trail that leads inward.

Adeline was showing the way Kang Yu-jin and Encia would have gone.

Cynthia ran with all her might down the trail.

uh- uh-

Once inside, something ghostly began to approach the trail.

“Hee, hee…!”

Ghosts crawl out of the swamp-like darkness.

Cynthia, trembling at the grotesque sight, accelerated her running speed.

Fortunately, this place is close to Balthazar’s ego.

It was because Cynthia’s resistance had loosened up a little thanks to the magic she had.

“Hey there…!”

The end is near.

While running as fast as she could, she was suddenly knocked forward by a hand grabbing her ankle.

“Kyaaak!”

Looking back, a ghost was holding her by the ankle.

At the same time the trail sank into the swamp, and the ghost began to pull her into the darkness.

“Uhhhhh.”

She hurriedly tried to shake her off, but the ghosts that followed followed her and pinned her down.

Caught by countless hands and dragged into the swamp, Cynthia struggled to stick her head out of the darkness.

“Apu… Ah, no…!”

You shouldn’t be dragged into it like this.

Once you are immersed in the world of consciousness, it is impossible to get out again.

However, the number of ghosts was too many, and Cynthia’s power was too weak.

Her body just slowly sank.

at that time-

“—Catch it.”

Someone grabbed Cynthia’s hand and pulled her up.

The moment she managed to shake off the ghosts and climb up, the reflection in Cynthia’s eyes was a woman chained up.

As if she had forced her way through the gap, numerous chains were pulling the woman from the other side of the boundary.

“Hold tight.”

“… Huh? Ah…!”

Leaving herself in the gravitational pull of the chain, the woman’s body is dragged backwards.

Cynthia, who was taken along with her, soon succeeded in entering her destination, the world of unconsciousness.

“Ugh…”

“Wake.”

When I cleared my confused mind and looked ahead, the woman in the example was looking at Cynthia.

In an achromatic space full of black and white, the only woman with color was a person with her unique black hair and graceful eyes.

“you are···.”

It was a face even Cynthia knew.

someday.

Because I had seen that face before in Avantrat.

“…Balthazar?”

“that’s right.”

She immediately affirmed.

The way he spoke was different, but his appearance was the same.

“I···.”

I came to meet her, but when I met her face to face, I couldn’t get enough of it.

Even if he is in human form, the other person is the commander of the Demon Beast’s corps who leads the ghost tribe.

It’s a situation where you can die with a hand gesture if you do it wrong.

“·······.”

I swallowed a dry spit and gathered my courage.

The moment I looked at her with a resolute gaze, the woman spoke as if stealing a player.

“Are you looking for your friend?”

“Swing?”

“Follow me. I’m running out of time.”

Holding Cynthia’s hand, she walked aimlessly forward.

It was the place where Yujin Kang and Ensia passed through, and it was a path that led to a deeper unconscious.

“Hey, over there! What is this…!”

“You won’t understand. Why am I helping you, why am I like this?”

That’s right.

Cynthia couldn’t understand the current situation at all.

He had obviously been thinking of difficult negotiations with Balthazar, but he was leading Cynthia to the place where his colleagues were without any intention of negotiating.

“Thank your friend.”

“My… friend?”

“That white-haired girl.”

white haired girl.

It was clearly referring to Ansia.

“Thanks to that kid, I was able to save you.”

The woman, ‘Kaya’, is the ego trapped in this unconscious world.

Originally, I wouldn’t be able to escape from this place, but earlier, I was able to break the seal and go out into the unconscious.

It was only a few steps away, and the pulling power of the seal was still there.

She goes out and succeeds in rescuing Cynthia.

“That white head loosened my seal.”

“Seal… are you Baltazar…?”

“Sometimes Balthazar, some times not.”

It was a cryptic explanation, but she didn’t explain further.

“Your friend is calling.”

She heads deep inside.

As outside, she couldn’t go any deeper than this.

But now it was possible.

I don’t know how, but it was because Ensia’s holy power was suppressing the seal that bound her.

There were only a few steps outside, but you could go down as deep as you wanted.

“let’s go.”

The door was thrown open, and she sent Cynthia down into it.

And seeing Kaya following, Cynthia couldn’t help but ask a question.

“Why… help us…? I haven’t told you anything yet…”

“Well.”

Kaya’s eyes looked at Cynthia.

Kaya, who had already met her, knows.

That Cynthia is Yujin Kang’s disciple.

And, that I came here to save him and his friend.

It was something she couldn’t do in the past.

“It might be a belated atonement.”

“·······?”

she kept her mouth shut.

Their feet once again set foot on the trail and reached the bottom of a vast unconscious.

“There it is.”

And in the middle of a distant trail.

I could see a huge shadow shining in the sky and a confronting light beneath it.

“You. If you open the road, can you take those two out?”

“Yes? Yes…”

It came in for that from the beginning.

If it is Cynthia’s ability to convey her will inside, it is possible to take the two of them back with Kaya’s permission.

“I will help you.”

Kaya’s eyes see a shadow in the distance.

Seeing the source of the seal holding her back, she walked forward as if guiding Cynthia.

“let’s go.”

To add a little atonement for a mistake that was too late.

Kaya led his pupil forward.