I am kidnapped by a murderer.

In the current situation, this is a nonsensical statement. Because the criminal has been killing people and holograms without hesitation until now.

To someone who has no intention of extorting money or anything else, throwing myself at them and asking to be kidnapped only invites a knife to my throat.

So what should I do? I need to offer an irresistible bait.

Something so alluring that it could turn a murderer into a kidnapper, and buy enough time for Sishel to find my location.

Looking into their actions reveals their desires. Here, I can identify the bait to lure the criminal.

As the criminal observed my reactions, they erased one hologram after another, eventually reaching the main actor named Karen, whether by coincidence or fate. From this, I feel a clear malice directed at me.

To taste it a bit more in detail… Revenge? I’m not sure. There’s no passion in their movements. Given the way they involve unrelated third parties and handle corpses roughly, they might lean more towards being a pleasure killer.

Even the evil deity nodded in agreement with this speculation.

“I agree too. They don’t seem like the type to hesitate before killing, do they?”

“The question is, why is that arrow aimed at me?”

“Well… unless you were just incredibly unlucky, it must be one of two things, right?”

It’s one of the two.

I am an average wizard holed up in a tower, rarely engaging in anything that would build a grudge. So, the number of people who would dare to point a knife at me is few enough to count on my fingers.

First of all, all the academy students and session participants are completely excluded from the list of suspects. While I trust in our bonds, it’s certain since they’ve been in and out of my mind.

Then there’s one of the dark wizards who has squandered all sorts of facilities, plans, and lives in my hands. Or perhaps…

The red-flavored duke’s family, who sent Rodellus to try and take my life.

This allows me to take a step further.

From Odaesu, I learned that the red-flavored duke’s metamorphosis is related to fate manipulation. And while tracking the serial killer, I have been unable to catch their tail. Due to misfortune.

Yes, this was a collaboration of two metamorphoses.

It’s strange that I still haven’t caught them.

Though I’ve been neglectful due to running sessions, where else could I find a wizard who could keep up with me in information warfare?

Thus, the likelihood that the mastermind behind this incident is the red-flavored duke’s family is extremely high. At the very least, it’s far more likely than there being another wizard in the world just like me.

In response to this conclusion, the evil deity pretended to gag.

“How unfortunate.”

“Shut up.”

The conclusion is that this incident is a scheme involving the perpetrator as the executor and the red-flavored duke as the rear support… to prevent me from easily winning the hero selection tournament.

Are they genuinely aiming for the hero selection tournament?

If so, fine. I will provide information. The duke must also sense that there are many questions surrounding this tournament. If I dangle some tempting information, they will show interest.

Open the unofficial negotiation table. As if wanting to exchange information and call for a ceasefire.

And if that criminal comes to find me, I will signal Cissel immediately to raid the scene while I scream in Karen’s voice.

“I’ve been kidnapped, please help.”

Perfect.

“So? Then what bait are you preparing? And how do you plan to carry the fragrant scent of that bait right to the murderer’s nose?”

“I’m going to leave an irresistible sign that they would rush to.”

I quietly raised my finger and pointed above. Beyond the illuminated ceiling, above the roof, exists a large canvas where the sun, moon, and stars each draw their own trajectories.

“I will move the sky.”

“…Huh?”

“I’ve come to understand what a goddess is, and I have the device that receives the power of ‘that’ in my grasp, along with you and a sharp mind. Isn’t it more than enough to recreate the succession fable… the ‘Gear’ series?”

A brief silence.

After that, the demon-chan made a disgusted expression. As if watching someone throw jewels into a trash can. Or perhaps like seeing a fool who bought a watermelon for a thousand gold. Then, with a mix of frustration, he raised his voice.

“Yeah, with that kind of bait, their eyes would definitely spin. If I show them the next step right in front of those who can’t even control my slight power! They’d rush in like ghouls in front of a corpse!”

“Why, what… is there a problem?”

“That could be used as a trump card and also as bait at a more decisive moment. It’s a significant achievement. So why the hell are you using it here, you idiot! Just kill Karen!”

“No, if I want to use it, I will use it, so why are you getting all worked up!”

Has the kid hit puberty?

——–

Peeking.

Yuna Yurensto Violet Iris quietly held her breath behind the wall, listening to the bickering between Mima and demon-chan.

Yuna was always nearby. She was just hiding so that no one would notice.

When she heard the reverse kidnapping plan, she thought, “This guy is jumping in without caring for his own body again. Should I kick the door in and give him a good Yuna punch?”

But when the idea of using the succession fable as bait came up, well, for some reason, a single question popped into her mind.

“Why do I like him?”

Changing the atmosphere of the purple tower and treating Yuna well?

No. At those times, there are simpler and easier feelings. It was simply gratitude. Thankful for helping me, for helping us… That was all it needed to be.

There was no reason to harbor a complicated and unfathomable feeling of love.

Looking back.

He is not someone to like.

He is twisted. Controlled by ‘that’ in his head, with a malignancy embedded in his heart, he derives pleasure from tormenting others; he is a wicked person.

He is making every effort to suppress himself.

He has lost his own name, is unpredictable, and his actions are unexpected. Fundamentally a brazen and shameless trickster, he sometimes flounders immensely.

And he throws himself into situations without hesitation.

He jumps in as if it’s nothing, but upon reflection, each act is perilous and life-threatening. Infiltrating the mental realm of the succubus queen alone, sticking his arm into the beam of a goddess falling from the sky…

Could it be that he doesn’t value his own life? It doesn’t seem so. Unlike Cissel, he doesn’t recklessly throw himself into danger without a care. He has his convictions.

The evil deity lets out a screech.

“That little brat you mentioned… it’s definitely complicated now. But this is clear. I won’t ‘overinvest’ to that extent. Absolutely not! Hey, is there really any value in investing that much in someone like Cissel?”

“Of course there is. As long as it passes through my hands, every story must have a happy ending. I’m looking for a story!”

Right.

He has an obsession with happy endings.

He hopes that those he finds interesting or grows fond of will live happy lives, and he does everything he can to help them. Even if he stumbles at times, in his own way.

Sometimes he hopes for a ‘good conclusion’ while bearing his own sacrifices.

His efforts contributed to the gradual change of the sorcerers of the purple tower. If you ask whether they changed completely healthily, one might tilt their head in doubt, but at the very least… it’s far better to be engrossed in bizarre hobbies than to pursue meaningless revenge.

That sight, shining around him like the sun, seemed impressive. It seems he has grown fond of it.

It pains him when he gets hurt. His heart aches. Sometimes he wishes he could take the pain instead. Taking on pain, enduring it, is one of the few specialties of Yuna.

But without that decisiveness, he wouldn’t be himself.

He bothered him because he didn’t want him to get hurt.

But was that the wrong approach? His actions.

Did he make a mistake again? Yuna pulled down her cone hat tightly with both hands. It was dark and she couldn’t see ahead. What am I supposed to do? It felt as difficult as escaping a maze.

Is it my heart first, or his heart first? How far should I accept, and what should I refuse? Is it okay to try to change, or not? Clumsy with human emotions, Yuna… her head spun.

At that moment, she heard his voice.

“Moreover, this time the story is different, man. Cissel is, well.”

“Mima. Why are you looking around like that?”

He glanced around carefully to see who was nearby, turned his magical sensing three times, and then lowered his voice to speak to the evil deity.

“…she’s your sister-in-law.”

“?”

From noble mtl dot come

“Yuna has a bad relationship with her family, so if she establishes a good relationship with her sister-in-law like this, when it comes time for Yuna’s wedding, there will be someone to walk beside the bride… right?”

“Ugh, damn, what a ridiculous thing to say…”

Splat.

“…what is this nonsense? Mima, is that you? You’re not angry, right? Honestly, that was a bit much.”

“No, I don’t want to…”

No. It was the sound of Yuna’s face turning bright red, ready to explode.

It was a torrent of emotions that seemed to bulldoze through her complicated thoughts. She said marriage. She said marriage! It was both embarrassing and joyful. She said it was because Shiseli was her sister-in-law that she was trying a bit harder.

Yuna, perhaps instinctively trying to cool her head, flailed her arms and ran around for a while… before squatting down in place.

In her chaotic mind, little Yunas were all shouting. Should we set the wedding date for tomorrow? Should I fit the wedding dress to the larger size or the smaller one? Should I go in now and plant a kiss first?

You fool, what if he ends up disliking me after that? But he seems like he would enjoy it since he has a bit of a perverted side. No, first and foremost, what needs urgent preparation is the honeymoon—

In the midst of all this, one thought emerged.

He does things for Yuna. Then Yuna should do things for him too. They were already doing that, but there was one puzzle piece missing.

Communication.

Previously, Yuna had tried to extract ‘that’ for him—there had been a bit of trouble. In the end, he had woken up and sorted out all the chaos.

Given the nature of ‘that,’ it was better not to know anything, but still, if they had talked and discussed things, wouldn’t the outcome have been better?

Earlier, he had tried to connect with the goddess for Yuna—he had burned his arm. It was a desperate situation, so it was unavoidable that there was some regret, but if he had asked for help, Yuna could have assisted him.

In the end, then.

If they were both looking out for each other, they shouldn’t be fighting… It was an obvious realization that they should have joined forces. Neither he nor Yuna had managed to do that.

So, if they change things from now on, that would be enough.

Yuna still wore a mask to hide her flushed face. It was the butterfly mask of the mysterious sorceress X.

And she appeared before him, who was entangled in a joint lock by the evil god-chan.

“It hurts, it really hurts, Mima!!”

“I’m making it hurt, today I’m going to teach you a lesson… M-Master Matap?!”

“I-I think I need help, chasing after a faint sound—The ally of justice, the mysterious sorceress X has arrived here!”

“You didn’t hear that, did you?!”

The mysterious sorceress X confidently declared, thumping her chest with her fist.

“Leave the tournament to me! I’ll stall for as long as possible to delay the finals, create bait so we don’t have to write a fable, and set the stage for Shiseli to win… Just focus on the bait operation!”

“No, I’m glad you showed up again and I appreciate that, but did you happen to hear even a part of what I just said…?”

“This rogue will now disappear, ah, adios!”

“Did you hear me?!”

With a flutter, Yuna transformed into a butterfly and scattered, leaving the mad sorceress in a state of shock, unable to accept the sudden change in circumstances.

However, her brilliant mind, no matter how muddled the situation, quickly grasped the logical connections. Soon, she thrust a terrifying truth before Mima.

In a situation where she hadn’t even confessed yet, he was saying he was going to marry Yuna and that he was helping his sister-in-law to come to the wedding—he was drinking kimchi soup and spouting nonsense.

The party involved had heard it all.

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

Thud.

Over the head of the embarrassed young man, Yuna’s handmade letter fell down. It was a slightly crumpled letter, marked with traces of having been erased and rewritten multiple times, yet it was filled with deep contemplation.

When that vivid weight pressed down on him.

Mima had to roll around on the floor for quite some time, her face as red as Yuna’s.

——–

The finals of the “Courage” tournament are approaching soon. It’s a festival.

The mysterious magician X, who boasts a thick fan base with a terrifying showmanship, officially requested to postpone the match. The external reason was that his parents had not yet arrived in the Holy City.

As a child, he wanted to show his parents the moment he became a candidate for the hero, such profound filial piety!

This was, so to speak, a bit of a tantrum.

For various complex reasons, the Cardinal faction agreed to delay the tournament schedule by about three days. This was due to occurrences like the administrative paperwork necessary for the match suddenly disappearing or the person in charge unexpectedly falling into a deep sleep.

Cisel, who was anxious about Karen’s disappearance, also agreed to this.

The Cardinal faction, too, was uneasy about the individuals gathered in the Holy City and needed additional time to manipulate the “Goddess.”

After signing the schedule delay consent form, Cisel asked X. The excuse about his parents was too transparent and obvious a lie.

“⋯⋯Why did you postpone the match? Mysterious magician X.”

“Hmph. You have fatigue and worry all over your face. There’s no joy or meaning in fighting an opponent who can’t show their true self. I want to fight you at full power and fairly.”

“Fairly, is it? I appreciate the consideration. However⋯⋯ the fight you desire might, well, turn out to be a rather dull duel.”

“What I desire is not the physical power but the power of the heart. If you come with one arm missing, I’ll fight you with a handicap. Just come with your heart.”

That attitude is oddly endearing. Indeed, that X seems to evoke a familiar feeling, as if I’ve seen him somewhere before. Cisel asked if they knew each other, but X merely brushed it off with a vague smile.

And then.

At the top of the tall spire, the mad magician activated bait magic while riding on the demon god. It was a grand spell to create a setting for an unofficial meeting disguised as a hostage situation.

“『Gear: Clear Weather_Revision_ver.2_Final』.”

“Even if it’s a makeshift bait made on the spot, couldn’t you at least give it a name that has a bit of class, even if just a fingernail’s worth⋯⋯?”

“What’s wrong with my naming sense?”

As their intentions intersected and the finale approached.

Three days passed like that.