Chapter 190

Chapter 190
## Chapter 190: Delirium (8)

—Aiselin Eleanor Duplein is an impostor. She shouldn’t be here; her presence is a red flag.

Derek has persistently pointed out the Witch’s true identity. In the midst of the chaos, he relayed this information to Princess Roselyn. According to Roselyn’s account, this cycle has repeated at least four or five times. Even counting the times that were not recorded, Derek has managed to unmask the Witch of Confusion, hidden under various guises, every time she reset her memories.

However, the instant he lowers his guard, the surroundings are devoured by the power of the Witch of Confusion, restoring the situation as if the progress had never existed.

Meanwhile, the entity under the guise of Aiselin crossed the main hall, her dress swaying. With artificial grace and narrowed eyes, she observed the princess standing on the balcony and offered her a smile full of malice. She placed a finger to her lips, indicating that the whole disaster was a shared secret.

No matter how much she tried to alert the academy or what tactic she used to spread the news, the result was always the same: returning to that balcony facing the hall. Mingling with the people, “Aiselin” marked the floor with her finger once more. With a sneer on her face, she lost herself among the nobility present.

Despite having the person responsible for her father’s death just a few meters away, Roselyn couldn’t get anyone to retain the knowledge of the truth.

“My stamina… has reached its critical point…”

Princess Roselyn slumped against the railing, exhausted, trying to catch her breath while wiping her face. After two full days without rest and having screamed until losing her voice trying to expose the betrayal in more than a dozen attempts, her fatigue was absolute.

At first, she was driven by an internal fury to capture the culprit. She believed that not even a 6-star sorcerer possessed eternal reserves; she thought that if she persisted in informing everyone, the killer would eventually falter.

However, after more than forty-eight hours, the structure of the barrier was about to give way.

It was irrational. An unattainable task. Trying to stop a 6-star Confusion Mage seemed like a lost cause. A heavy despair settled in her chest, and the feeling of uselessness, added to extreme fatigue, threatened to make her lose consciousness.

Even so, Roselyn wiped her face again and stood up. She had fought, kept watch, and run without pause for over forty hours. Although she suspected that everything would return to the starting point, she was determined to persist until her last breath.

*

—…Lelah?

—…Hehe.

The being occupying Aiselin’s body released fragments of magic and moved her arms. The surroundings took on an unreal appearance: the light broke and the images twisted as if the fabric of reality were turning in on itself.

She had the ability to suppress the memories of any individual within this zone whenever she desired. Altering hundreds of memories selectively was complex, but erasing them completely was within her capabilities.

However, Derek perceived something different.

More than two days had passed since the crimes began, now entering the third day. The defenses maintained by Kochella were at their limit. At the same time, the Witch of Confusion was forced to expend energy constantly to neutralize Princess Roselyn’s efforts to expose her. Although Roselyn knew that her actions seemed sterile, she did not stop devising new forms of resistance.

It was like lashing out against the bars of a cell with desperation; the walls remained firm, but inaction was not an alternative.

—What is your purpose with Emperor Gertrel’s scepter?

—Why bother asking? Soon there will be nothing left in your memory.

The figure with Aiselin’s face floated in the dim light, while an intense reddish luminescence erupted from her being. Her clothes moved fluidly, and the moonlight pierced her silhouette, evoking the stained glass of an ancient temple.

An individual who ignored common laws, capable of molding the mind and the senses. The 6-star Witch of Confusion, barricaded behind Aiselin’s image, displayed vibrant red eyes, foreign to the young woman’s original appearance.

—All of you are quite annoying.

They were memories doomed to be forgotten. The girl sighed before continuing.

—The protection of that old transformation expert is extremely rigid. The princess, protected against spells, forces me to retouch memories and wear down my power without rest. And you, no matter how much I try to hide, you always manage to track me.

She was facing three obstacles in this enclosure. Kochella, who kept her confined in the barrier; Roselyn, who forced her to consume her magic with her resistance; and Derek, who managed to expose her again and again. Each one was a considerable problem that hindered her escape.

—But time has run out.

In the forest plunged into night, under the chorus of insects and the light of the full moon, the barrier that Kochella had erected in the firmament began to vibrate with instability.

—I must ask you: what did you overlook? Did you really suppose that old Transformation Mage could hold a shield of such magnitude for three days straight?

With the huge moon at her back, the young woman let out a laugh.

—I’m sorry, but that calculation didn’t take distractions into account. More than two days have passed; by the third day, even someone like Kochella would reach the limit of his capacity to hold something like this.

*Zip! Crash!*

Closing her fist in the direction of the celestial body, a blast of energy erupted from her body. Her goal was evident: to demolish the walls herself. Destroying the shield of a 6-star Transformation Mage is an almost impossible feat, even for others of his same rank.

However, after two days of maximum tension, Kochella’s stamina was weakened. Under such circumstances, the general exhaustion affecting the integrity of the magic system would accelerate the collapse.

—I can perceive it. The dome hiding the stars has been losing strength for hours.

—…

—A small push will be enough to open a crack. After, a final memory erasure and I will leave, considering everything concluded.

The young woman showed a smile charged with foreboding as her power overflowed.

Mages of this caliber handle forces that exceed human comprehension, capable of influencing entire regions. The aura she gave off was overwhelming. She had waited for the moment when Kochella was exhausted enough to deliver the final blow.

Despite the fatigue caused by the stubborn Roselyn, victory seemed hers. She extended her fingers and her magic transformed into a multitude of arrows that struck the protection.

*Kaboom! Crash!*

The brightness in the sky intensified. Hundreds of magical projectiles illuminated the darkness.

*Crack!*

At the same time, spatial fractures spread across the barrier. With a dry noise, the entire environment vibrated with force.

*Crack! Broken!*

The triumph for the Witch of Confusion depended on breaking Kochella’s wall. Both had managed their reserves to the limit, but it seemed that she would be the one celebrating in the end.

Seeing the collapse of the shield, the young woman laughed loudly, looking upward. *Hahaha! Hahahaha!*

A monstrous being hidden under the features of Aiselin. All her energy concentrated in the air, structuring complex magic circles. With the barrier disintegrated, there was nothing left to hold back the mage. A final mental adjustment and her escape would be a done deal.

Without memories in her enemies, any attempt at tracking would be useless; the evidence would vanish. Only the remains of the monarch and the void left by the stolen scepter would remain. The pieces fit for her success. The conflict ended there.

—You were an interesting opponent, Derek Raidow of Ravenclaw. I will keep you in mind. You always choose the most logical decision in critical moments, but it is simply not enough to stop me.

*Fwoosh! Crackle!*

Several fire orbs launched by Derek flew toward her, but the young woman dissipated them with a simple hand movement. They disappeared as if they had never been conjured.

The attacks couldn’t touch her. It turned out that she had erased her trace from Derek’s memory the moment he lost sight of her. Even to recognize her presence, her consent was required. The weight of facing such an absolute power was capable of breaking any will.

Derek watched her with wide eyes, with an expression of total helplessness. Seeing him like this, the girl laughed even more heartily.

—Of course you won’t remember me. If fate crosses our paths again, it will be I who welcomes you.

Over the remains of the barrier, the young woman’s magic circle shone. 6-star Confusion Magic: “Memory Breach”. She prepared to execute the massive spell that would put an end to everything. Every person in the academy would forget what happened, leaving only unknowns after her departure.

—Goodbye forever. It was a good try. Perhaps you’ll have better luck next time.

She smiled. The circle shone with intensity to erase every trace of memory before her flight. She thought that, in a future encounter, she should be more cautious with that man. With that last thought, she activated her power.

*Splurt!*

Suddenly, a mouthful of blood came out of the young woman’s mouth.

—?

*Gush! Splat!*

Blood also began to gush violently from her nose and eyes. Her immense magic flow was interrupted suddenly; the red aura extinguished and the complex confusion circle shattered into pieces.

*Crack! Break!*
*Burst!*

The figure that had been floating fell heavily to the ground amidst spasms. Dust rose when her body impacted. Gasping, she vomited blood again and again, trying in vain to lift her head with her trembling limbs.

—I… I…
—This… is madness…

At that very instant, Derek’s igneous projectiles headed directly toward the downed mage.

*

Knock, knock.

Kochella was moving at a swift pace down the corridor. After leaving the crime scene, he immediately summoned his subordinates. While traversing the shadowy halls, he observed the firmament.

The barrier had fallen. Upon noticing the confusion circles manifesting above, he raised his voice with authority.

—Mobilize all assistants and the guards! This is the opportunity to capture the Witch of Confusion. Now! We must apprehend the 6-star Mage immediately!

—”Capturing a 6-star confusion mage is, in essence, impossible”.

In the shadows where the king was murdered, memories of his previous talk with Ryner became clear. He stroked his chin with a smile charged with irony.

—”Even if you manage to catch them, they will manipulate your mind to erase what happened. They are experts in deception. That is why… the only way is to take a total risk”.
—”And taking risks is what I do best. We only need to pinpoint one detail: at what exact moment does the Witch of Confusion erase our memories?”.

Ryner interlaced his hands on the table surface, with a sharp gaze. Kochella recognized it: it was the ambitious expression that Ryner had shown years ago.

—”If we choose the precise instant, we will strike at her vulnerability. Derek will take that advantage to defeat them”.

Coming from such an experienced magic professor, it was obvious that he had already planned his move.

—”How can you be so sure?”.
—”Do you think such an upright mage usually gambles? He has already foreseen it. I would give anything to ensure Elennte’s well-being”.

Ryner smiled again.

—”Even though she is a sister who gives me trouble, she is the one who appreciates Belmière most and strives for her protection”.

Elennte always gave her support to Ryner, even if reluctantly, while he simply laughed. Although his ambition and internal fire had softened due to Elennte’s presence… for Ryner, she remained the sister he had to protect.

He recommended Derek to stop Leonard’s plans for that one reason. Because he fully trusted her.

So he made his bet.

—”The collapse of the barrier will be the key moment. We will let it fall when the time is right”.
—”The Witch of Confusion will resort to mass Memory Erasure to flee. In the microsecond she tries to alter our minds, we will have our window of attack”.

No one can guess when the hidden mage will decide to intervene. Except at the end, when she needs to close the cycle to escape. That is the exact moment.

When Ryner, a professional gambler, puts everything on the table, what he risks is his own existence.

—It is ironic.

Kochella exited the imperial chambers. The door opened with a sudden creak. Inside was Ryner, solitary and covered in blood. Despite his state and the violent cough that shook him, the young nobleman maintained a triumphant smile.

Through the large window, one could see how the Witch of Confusion’s magic circle was disintegrating into a thousand pieces.

—Batuk… he… he… Bingo…

Ryner, bathed in red, watched the remains of the spell fade into the night.

—Don’t fail, Derek.

The moon, after the absence of the barrier, illuminated his eyes. As his smile widened, more blood sprouted from his lips. But his expression remained that of a winner.