070 – It’s hard to buy my own house! #10

070 – It’s hard to buy my own house! #10

Shuk-.

I headed to the balcony where El Cladeco was located.

She was conversing with several wizards, and when she saw me, she tilted her head.

“He’s Naru’s father. what brings you here?”

“Cladeco. Let’s borrow some help.”

“Can you help me?”

“Brigitte was kidnapped by the Walpurgis.”

“Professor Brigitte? kidnapping?”

Cladeco frowned at the continued question mark.

Then he said with a sigh.

“I already knew that the Walpurgis family was a bit eccentric. It was because I was prepared to take that much risk and interacted with them. Originally, I didn’t want to interfere in other people’s family affairs, but Professor Brigitte is a professor at our academy.”

“right.”

“Professor Brigitte is an excellent educator and researcher. It is unacceptable to take such a person on their own. Even if the Walpurgis family is held accountable—”

“No, I don’t mind that kind of thing, so please open the portal.”

“portal? Are you talking about the portal? If it’s a short distance, it’ll open enough. If it’s to create a portal to the home of Walpurgis in the west, it will take me a while too… .”

“How much time?”

“About six hours. A dimensional door requires a high level of magic and a huge amount of mana. The only thing in the world that opens and closes something like that is the Walpurgis family. And as for the people who can be sent, at least one person is all… .”

6 hours.

It’s late.

But it was better than nothing.

No matter how fast I run, if I can wait six hours to go a distance that would take two days, it’s worth it.

When I was relieved with that feeling, Cladeco asked.

“Judas, it won’t be easy for you to deal with all of them in the workshop of the Walpurgis family. Are you okay?”

Wizards used to exert more power than usual in their workshops.

In other words, it was similar to how otters become stronger in the water.

… Is the analogy a bit odd?

anyway.

Walpurgis Mansion is like the home of western wizards.

If I thought I was going to enter such a place alone, even if it was me, the nape of my neck would tickle a little.

Cladeco added.

“Moreover, Faust is a giant who acted as a ‘white’ wizard until last year. Even the medals received during the war are enough to turn over a bookshelf.”

Even though I had never met him, I knew very well that Brigitte’s father was a dangerous man.

There is nothing more cunning and troublesome than old wizards.

Because the devil did too.

However, when I was silently immersed in my thoughts without saying such a thought, Cladeco said as if he was making a good suggestion.

“Actually, there is a way to quickly create a portal. If I use up the magical tools I’ve been collecting for almost a year.”

jjalang-.

Cladeco pulled out the necklace she was wearing around her neck.

It was a beautiful necklace of golden jewels.

It was also a very expensive looking item.

“—-.”

Cladeco spoke an incomprehensible spell to the jewel in the necklace.

creepy-.

In an instant, I felt the hairs on the nape of my neck lift.

What this represents is ‘unlucky’.

… When did you feel this way?

Didn’t you feel it when fighting the demon king’s army?

While immersed in such reminiscence, Cladeco said.

“door. location. Pass.”

Woo woo woo woo-.

A bluish shimmer appeared in the air.

At the same time, Cladeco gasped and said.

“Since it was a door made in haste, the coordinates may not be set correctly. And I can’t even keep it for long. Because you can get caught in the barriers of the wizards of the Mage Tower… .”

The choice is mine, so that’s all.

Could it be that if you’re not lucky, you’ll fall on a trap?

Of course, there was no time to hesitate.

“I am lucky.”

Shuk-.

I entered the portal.

Is it the second time to enter the portal after the Demon King’s Castle?

My vision changed in an instant, leaving only the dark stone wall in front of me.

“here is… .”

It looked like the inside of some castle or fortress, but I couldn’t tell exactly where it was.

Of course, it’s something like a location.

I moved cautiously through the cold stone walls and dark hallways to find Brigitte.

* * *

Kang, Kang, Kang-!

The sound of metal hitting the dull stone floor filled the cellar.

Kang, Kang-!

“Ugh! Damn it!”

Brigitte, handcuffed to her wrists, frowned in pain as she pounded the handcuffs on the stone floor of the prison, slashing her wrists.

Gudrid, the sister directly above Brigitte’s hand, who was watching that scene, shook her head.

“Will that break the handcuffs made of western cast iron? If your wrist is broken, it’s broken. In the past and now, when something happens, the habit of trying to solve it by force has not been changed.”

“Quickly release this!”

Brigitte shouted like a wounded beast.

However, Gudrid’s expression as he looked at his younger brother through the barbed wire was exceptionally cool.

“no. you slapped me on the cheek you are so violent Of course, if you hadn’t slapped me on the cheek, I wouldn’t have bothered to let you go.”

“cheek? I don’t know what you’re talking about, but violence must be violent because you dragged me into it! I know I can get over it even after doing this to me… !?”

Brigitte was fixing her makeup in the bathroom mirror.

Then, suddenly, Gudrid and Friede burst into the bathroom and were handcuffed while they were not paying attention.

I knew that the people in my family were abnormal, but I didn’t expect that they would go out of their way to the point of kidnapping people at the social gathering place where Graham Academy and the Walpurgis family interact.

“Ugh… !”

Brigitte raised the mana flowing within her body.

The pulsating blood flow from the heart and the magical energy that rides on it swelled up for a while.

“What are you, what are you doing!”

Gudrid, outside the cage, looked very flustered and nervous.

He heard a lot of rumors about Brigitte, who was active enough to be given the color ‘black’ even though he was his younger brother.

“Look with your own two eyes to see what you are about to do!”

It was when Brigitte growled.

Soon, the various letters engraved inside the prison radiated light and shimmered.

Gripping support -.

Hearing the chirping of the birds, Brigitte felt an electric shock.

“Ugh, Magic Jammer… !?”

The magic jammer was an advanced technique that interfered with the casting of magic.

I never thought something like that would be installed all over the prison.

As Brigitte shuddered with rage, Gudrid let out a sigh of relief and said,

“After you ran away in the past, I felt the need to supplement the prison in many ways. Other than that, it will be the same in many ways as the punishment room where you were locked up every day in the past.”

“… … .”

“Doing this reminds me of the old days. Then I’m going to leave, so I’m reflecting on it a little bit. If you feel like cooperating with us, let us know. I’ll release you when that time comes.”

“go away!”

Shuk-.

Brigitte threw the rice bowl that had fallen on the floor into the cage.

Tung-!

Of course, the old bowl didn’t reach Gudrid, only hitting the rusty iron.

Gudrid snorted lightly and disappeared into the distant darkness.

Now, only Brigitte is left in the seat.

“Damn it.”

I spat out a slight disgust, but the situation did not change.

Still, I felt a little better.

Should I say I have enough money?

If it was the same in the past, Brigitte would have collapsed from exhaustion after running amok, but Brigitte, who had even defeated the demon king, was no longer the immature crybaby of the past.

“here is… .”

First, Brigitte looked around to assess the situation.

A prison equipped with a magic jammer.

Hands are tied, making it difficult to work.

Her magic was sealed and her movements were also sealed, but fortunately her eyes were able to move freely.

‘During the war, there were plenty of worse situations than this. There must be a way to get out somehow if you keep your senses.’

And.

Since more than an hour had passed since he disappeared, it was clear that Judas had noticed the change.

Maybe he would come to help himself.

‘Still, it’s a little scary that you went missing for more than an hour after you said you were going to the bathroom! Being mistaken for a woman who sits on the toilet for too long is the worst!’

We have to overcome this situation somehow.

It was time to look around with that thought.

“… … .”

Looking at the prison, Brigitte noticed something.

It was a little scribble.

Graffiti that looks like a child scribbled on a stone floor with a sharp object such as a fork.

It looked like two small children holding hands.

“I hope you will come back here again.”

this prison.

It was a familiar place to Brigitte.

Even now, very occasionally, it is a place that comes out of dreams.

“hungry.”

“I want to eat chicken when I get out of here.”

“When I grow up, I will travel the world. Anywhere other than this prison is fine.”

“Hungry.”

“boring. I haven’t eaten anything for five days already and haven’t talked to anyone.”

The walls and bricks were full of thoughts from childhood scratched on forks.

What would you say when you see yourself from this era now caught up in this prison again?

Cheekduck-.

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Just then, a noise was heard from the iron window.

“who!?”

“Shh… . you have to be quiet… .”

A black shadow directed Brigitte’s attention.

Finally, the iron door opened with a creaking sound.

“Judah!?”

Brigitte wondered if Judas had come to save her.

It was a considerable distance from the duke’s palace to this western Walpurgis mansion, but I had wishful thinking that Judas would have done something.

however.

The size of the shadow, which was unfamiliar to Judas, was extremely small.

It’s about the same size as a child of only about 6 years old.

Above all, its appearance was strange to be called human.

The skin was made of rough cloth, and the eyes were worn buttons.

A sloppy appearance that doesn’t know what kind of animal it is.

However, Brigitte could see that it was a teddy bear stuffed with cotton.

“… you, maybe… ”

Brigitte thought it was nonsense.

Even though I knew it was impossible, I had no choice but to ask with a doubtful mind.

“Are you Aruna… ?”

Then the teddy bear said as if he had been waiting.

“… Yes! Brigitte, nice to meet you! I’m Aru, Brigitte’s friend!”

* * *

Aru.

It was a teddy bear that Brigitte made for herself when she needed a friend.

It was a doll made with old clothes, rags, cotton stole from sisters’ cotton blankets, and buttons from Gudrid’s school uniform.

We couldn’t talk or play together.

Brigitte’s only friend and only family during childhood.

but.

A teddy bear is, after all, just a teddy bear.

Brigitte really wanted to have friends and family that came alive, and she found a way.

A study of the homunculus.

At the time, Brigitte didn’t even know what it was, but she later found out that it was a study of an existence called ‘Homunculus’.

That it is a huge taboo to touch the realm of life creation.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Brigitte’s research failed.

It was a natural story because it was an imperfect experiment for a mere 6-year-old.

It should have been…

“… you how… .”

Brigitte was puzzled by the fact that the teddy bear was moving like a living human.

But the teddy bear slipped out of the dungeon without a word and deftly entered the vent.

“Let’s go! Before people notice! This way!”

Aru, the teddy bear, seemed accustomed to going to and from the vents of the mansion.

But there was a problem.

“… Ugh, I can’t go in… .”

Brigitte’s chest and hips were too full to fit through the vents.

Seeing that, the teddy bear Aru nodded.

“Brigitte, you’ve grown a lot while I couldn’t see you! I’m a full grown man now! In the past, he was much smaller and thinner than Aru. Did you eat a lot of delicious food?”

“… … .”

“I can’t. There is an aisle where people throw out their trash. It is large and wide enough for a cart to pass through. I’ll go there. It’ll be a little messy, but… .”

waddling -.

Brigitte chased after the teddy bear running hard with its short legs.

Brigitte, who was flustered but calmed down, examined the teddy bear more slowly.

It looks old and worn out here and there.

There are many places where it has been ripped off, probably because it often crawled around places like vents.

“you… Since when… ?”

“Aru, I don’t know about that. But winter has changed once or so… ! It was cold. I saw the change of autumn.”

One fall and one winter.

Brigitte recalled the summer of last year.

Is it when the demon king fell?

I had heard that after the demon king fell at the hands of Judas, many abnormalities began to occur in various parts of the world.

It was probably at that time that Aru started to move.

“Rather than that, how about Brigitte? Have you traveled the world a lot? Have you made friends?”

“I… .”

Brigitte recalled a lot of things she had been through so far.

I thought I had a lot of hardships, but looking back, I also had a lot of fun memories.

And there were a lot of people who wanted to see it.

“Why am I back here… .”

drop by drop -.

When tears fall from Brigitte’s eyes.

said the teddy bear, opening the locked door at the end of the passage.

“Don’t cry, Brigitte. I’ll be sure to send you outside. Brigitte, leaving this mansion was your biggest dream. He said he would tell me what happened outside sometime!”

Gi profit-.

Finally, the tightly closed door opened.

It was a time when Brigitte’s nostrils were filled with an angry, strange smell of medicine.

Soon I saw flasks and beakers and a large water tank piled up around me.

There were all kinds of beasts in the tank, and among them there were monsters that couldn’t be called beasts.

As Brigitte frowned at the terribly distorted figure, the teddy bear said.

“When I woke up, this place had become like this. it’s an awesome place Brigitte, the mansion you knew and the one you have now must be a different place.”

“It seems so.”

“But it’s okay. If you go out here, the passageway to throw away the garbage is—.”

waddling -.

It was time for the teddy bear to say something and walk forward.

“I knew you would appear if I caught Brigitte. only finished product. the only successful one. Teddy bear Aru.”

pat-.

A savage hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the teddy bear’s head.

“Hey, let go of this… !”

Aru, a teddy bear that struggles.

Faust, the man who caught Aru, laughed.

“I managed to hide and run away well, but as expected, you bite the bait right away. Is it because of loyalty to the master who created it? It is a good habit to follow the Creator.”

“B-Brigitte—run away—. Make sure to escape and enter the wider world… .”

The man ripped open the teddy bear’s belly with his hand.

And among the cotton, I found a small marble that a child could play with.

The man holding it opened his mouth wide and laughed.

“Okay, this is it. “Homunculus Core”… ! With this, we, the Walpurgis family, will enjoy the glory of our 10,000 years… ! It is possible to transcend and reach the truth… !”

dump-.

The teddy bear that lost its marble fell to the floor like garbage.

He no longer moved or spoke.

just like it was originally

“You’ve become a useful daughter while I couldn’t see you, Brigitte. Thanks to you, I was able to capture Aru hiding in the mansion.”

“die!!!!”

Brigitte couldn’t stand it any longer.

I don’t remember much after that.

“Protect Faust!”

“Keugh, the firepower is too strong! Unfold the barrier! If we continue like this, the lab will be destroyed!”

“Everyone get out of here. I will come.”

“Ph, Mr. Friede! Dangerous! The number of magic power far exceeded our expectations—”

When a light flashed in front of my eyes and I came to my senses again.

Brigitte was only once again in prison with many wounds here and there.

Of course the wound healed.

Because Brigitte was cursed like that.

However, the severely injured heart never healed.

So Brigitte cried out loud.

like myself in my younger days.

A very black darkness approached through the iron bars towards Brigitte.

The coldest winter when the moon doesn’t even rise.

Among them, it was a cold shadow, as if lurking in a deep cave.

It was winter in human form.

“… … .”

he didn’t say

just quietly watching

Brigitte suppressed her sadness and spoke to the shadow.

“Yuda, accept my request… . I couldn’t pay for it, and even if I stole it, it might turn out to be useless. There’s something I really want you to steal… .”

“… … .”

“… save Aru. My friend.”

“Is that really what you want?”

the shadow asked.

Brigitte was silent for a moment.

A very brief moment of hesitation.

Then the man, Judas said.

“I will steal you. From this needlessly large prison.”