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Chapter 33 – Darkness and Sparkle
Star Owl took the letter and tried to fly through the trees and into the sky.
But then he noticed something foreign about his body getting tangled up.
His big blue eyes lit up and he turned his head 180 degrees backwards. He noticed that the sparkling thread was tangled up from his foot.
As he flew, he opened his beak and emitted something like a shock wave. It was meant to blow the thread away. The tangled thread seemed to easily snap and be blown away. However, the thread that should have once been torn apart continued to grow apart and tangled around his body.
Star Owl immediately moved his beak towards his foot to dispose of the letter. However, it seemed as if he had already taken this into account, as a membrane of light – a localized protective shell – spread around the part of his foot where the thread was tangled.
If he hesitated to act, it would only take an instant. Just as he thought it had entangled itself in the feathers, it spread like a net over his entire body, rendering him unable to move. The owl, falling in a spiral, was pulled in before it hit the ground.
If you cut Clare’s thread, you can’t nullify it. If you don’t intend to hide it like this time, you can cover the area around the thread with magic, and even if it is cut, you can transform it and reconnect it for a short time, or you can split it or connect other threads to make a detour, making the cut itself meaningless.
The grave keeper was aiming to counter it by slashing, and he was able to execute a wide-area cut with the aim of narrowing the field that gave Clare an advantage, so it actually worked, but if Clare had thought of a different strategy, the situation would have unfolded differently.
The thread that wrapped around Star Owl’s body transformed into a birdcage, and it was hung from a tree branch. Then Clare appeared, releasing the barrier.
In Clare’s hand was another birdcage made of thread.
“If you have a connection with monster users, you should be able to communicate with people to some extent.”
As Clare said this, long needles instantly appeared from all sides of the empty birdcage she was holding and then retracted. Seeing this, the owl’s eyes widened even wider, and Clare said.
“As long as you stay quiet, we won’t do anything rough with you. Don’t act violently or use your magic. The moment we sense you, we will automatically counterattack. Is that okay?”
Star Owl nodded with a stiff expression. The girl doll also nodded with satisfaction, and Clare secured the letter tied to her leg. The phalanx doll appeared and returned to Selena with the birdcage containing Star Owl in its hands.
“Damn it…! You too…!”
The man who saw the owl quietly in the birdcage collapsed to the ground and gritted his teeth.
“I’m glad you’re safe.”
“I’m glad you’re not hurt, Selena.”
After making sure neither of them were injured, Clare took out a rope from her bag. She tied the man’s hands and feet while he was still pointed at her with the sword, and then Clare sprinkled a potion on his leg to stop the bleeding.
“Please don’t resist. If you show any suspicious or magical movements, we will attack you automatically, not of our will. You will only feel pointless pain before you can move on to negotiations or bargaining. Please think that poisoning or biting your tongue is basically meaningless because it can be healed.”
“…I don’t think that would work on someone who can do this much.”
“Well then.”
After saying that, Clare turned her gaze to the darkness deep in the forest, wondering what was happening with Rona.
“–That’s strange. Star Owl hasn’t come back.”
The other man frowned at the words muttered by his fellow monster user.
“Is everything okay?”
“This is the Great Sea of Trees. It’s possible that they’ve been attacked by other monsters… but if they decide they can’t escape, I’ve set it up so that they’ll dispose of the letter as a top priority, regardless of who the monster is. It probably won’t be a big deal right away, but…”
“If they wait a little longer and he doesn’t come back, it’s better to play it safe. They might have made a mistake.”
“That’s right. It would be terrible if we both fell down. Let’s choose to retreat.”
The men who were talking in the darkness of the Great Sea of Trees were all wearing inconspicuous clothing and had cloth covering their faces to cover their mouths.
The men waited a little longer, but… the darkness and silence of the night just spread. The owl they had sent out did not return.
Perhaps realizing they had reached their limit, the men nodded and decided to move on. As they tried to move quickly, they noticed something unusual.
“It’s so quiet…isn’t it?”
Before they knew it, they could no longer hear the birds or insects.
The forest didn’t change, but it felt as if the surroundings had suddenly changed into something different.
“Hey, look at the direction…!”
One used magic, while another took out a magical compass, and even through their masks they looked shocked. The compass, which was supposed to show the direction and didn’t go wrong even in the Great Sea of Trees, was spinning around, stopping and then swaying left and right, making it completely useless. The scenery was also strange. The light from the lantern didn’t reach far. It was complete darkness except for the surrounding trees, and it didn’t even illuminate the groves or bushes.
“Damn! What are you doing here?”
“My detection magic isn’t working!”
The men stand back to back, unsheathing their swords and readying their staves. If there’s an enemy, they can just cut it down and finish it. If they can’t beat them, they can just run away. But what can they do when they can’t even see the enemy or know which way to go?
So, if they jump into the darkness in front of them, they can just run away. It’s because they’re cautious and tend to play it safe that they couldn’t do that carelessly.
[Drop your weapons and declare that you’re surrendering]
It was the voice of an old woman. I look around, but I can’t tell where the sound is coming from. It seems like it’s coming from far away, and it seems like it’s coming from very close by.
“Black Witch of the Great Sea of Trees…”
One of the men mutters, swallows his saliva, and another shouts.
“Who the hell would surrender! Come out, old hag!”
[Heh heh… You’re barking in that situation. But… you’re not clever]
The voice said that. A moment of silence fell. The men trapped in the darkness prepared themselves, but…
[Right hand]
“Guh!?”
Along with the witch’s voice. A man let out a cry of anguish, dropped the weapon he was holding, and held his arm.
Blood was flowing from his right palm. There was a small hole in it, as if something had pierced it.
[Left foot]
“Damn!”
The man, realizing what the witch was trying to do, cried out and pulled his left foot back. But it was no use. Just as he moved, something shot through the top of his foot and he fell to the ground.
One by one, small sparkles lit up the surrounding darkness. No, it was more than one or two. It was so bright it could be mistaken for a starry sky.
“Hey… did they use that to attack…?”
“No way, all that light…”
[Declare your surrender. Ah, suicide is useless. We’ll forcefully capture you alive. That probably won’t be any more pleasant for you.]
The men looked at each other at the witch’s words. It was true that they were helpless at the moment.
If they couldn’t fight back, they’d be better off pretending to surrender. If the situation changed, they’d have a chance to fight back.
So the man, whose hands and feet had been pierced and he couldn’t move, spoke up, saying, “I’m not going to fight anyway.”
“I… surrender.”
[That’s fine.]
The man’s eyes became hollow as the witch spoke. He was on his knees, but he unsteadily rose to his feet as if he didn’t feel any pain, and, ignoring his companions’ warnings, walked unguardedly into the starry darkness – disappearing as if he was absorbed into it.
By making the victim declare it with their own mouth, they are made prisoner, capturing and manipulating their mind. This is the witch’s magic. Rona doesn’t bother to explain, but the same result occurs even if the victim loses consciousness.
[–So. What are you guys going to do?]
The witch’s quiet voice resounded towards the men, who stood frozen in fear.
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