Chapter 111: Another Eye - VI

Entrenched within the mana flow of a 6th-Circle Magic Spell, Taylor’s heart pounded in his chest. As a Mana Mage with <Manakinesis> engraved in his heart, being in range of such a powerful spell had terrified him.

The sheer force of Lillie’s existence had quite literally gripped his heart and threatened to crush it.

Being able to feel the surrounding mana was a prerequisite to moving it with his mind, after all.

Still—

Despite the bone-deep terror that seeped into his body, Taylor also felt exhilaration.

Seeing the heights he could one day reach... the drive to learn magic gained a little more kindling today.

Ever since that fateful day when Clementine had saved him from all those curses, his life had changed.

Although he was basically a glorified slave for fifty years of his life, at least he was well fed and slept on a comfortable bed. The laboratory work he was tasked to do had been laborious and tedious—and most of the time painful—but he was learning a new skill.

The fine mana control needed to manage the different alchemical apparatus allowed him to slowly advance his mastery of <Manakinesis>. He was getting better and better at controlling the mana inside and around himself.

So much so that he no longer created explosions in the lab.

He was particularly proud of himself for that.

’There’s also that book...’

Aventine had lent him the cursed tome that recorded the <Ritual of Blasphemy> called <Despair on Despair>.

Although it wasn’t cursed and he couldn’t get the high that he always enjoyed from the experience, the knowledge recorded within was enough of a curse.

No one else except him and Aventine was aware of its contents. Clementine did not want the complete knowledge of the ritual in her mind. Just the summary and the points to look out for were enough.

The same went for Kuvie and Reazue, having seen and heard about dangerous knowledge that could corrupt them throughout their long lives.

Unlike humanity, the members of the myriad races exercised greater self-control, it seemed.

Only Lillie had a peculiar reaction to the cursed tome.

When asked about it, she refused to answer, opting instead to laugh and change the topic of conversation.

Having realized that she did not want to talk about it, he could only take a step back.

It was probably personal.

Thus, Taylor studied the <Ritual of Blasphemy> and felt sick to the gut whenever he did.

The descriptions, the details on torture, and the analysis of its victims’ suffering were always more horrifying than the last. Especially since it was targeted at humans in particular, he was eventually forced to read the book at specific times of the day for two reasons:

First, to not throw up everything he just ate.

Second, to have enough time to work up an appetite again.

It truly was a horrifying set of knowledge. Taylor had no idea how Aventine seemed completely unaffected.

Did nothing in this world surprise that guy?

Taylor wanted to become someone like that one day.

For now, however, he was very happy to learn more about his own humanity from the cursed tome.

After all, to torture a human so thoroughly that their entire self shattered so perfectly... One had to know how their mind, body, and soul worked.

Through the graphic descriptions of mutilation, isolation, abuse, and necromancy...

Taylor gained a very solid grasp of the limits of a human person.

From there, he began to plan out his path forward.

***

Unbeknownst to Taylor, the very knowledge of the cursed tome should have driven him mad. The existential dread one would experience from reading about the greatest evils performed on someone would have worn him down.

The only reason why Aventine had even given him access to the cursed tome was that he had awakened the <Indomitable Human Spirit>.

The worst symptom Taylor experienced was just a bad stomach.

Any other normal human would have crumbled the same way Aventine did when he perceived the victims’ experiences through [Absolute Awareness].

"Hm," Lillie suddenly spoke to herself, her tone filled with satisfaction. "That should do it."

Taylor and Clementine were both shaken out of their stupor. Their eyes regained their focus, darting around the vibrant surroundings.

Under the influence of <Vitality Domination>, every chloroplast and plant cell gained a vivacious supply of chlorophyll and various nutrients. The waters were oxygenated, awaiting the stocking of the preferred fish species and the visits of water fairies.

"Thank you, Madame. This really means a lot to me that you came to help." Clementine bowed her head.

"Well~ We’re a team, aren’t we? This was also what Aventine intended when he suggested the idea." Lillie proudly replied, straightening her posture and inadvertently drawing Clementine’s gaze to the bouncing of her chest.

’...Why am I looking at her chest?’

Barely catching herself, Clementine pulled her gaze away and noticed that Taylor fell into another daze.

—Smack!

"Rude human child."

"Ow—! Hey!" Taylor stumbled from the sudden slap to the back of his head.

He was about to say something back, but he himself knew that he’d fallen into a trap.

It was better to stay silent.

"Ufu~" Lillie simply let out a breathy laugh and brought her hands together, covering up her chest with the puffy sleeves of her fine linen robes.

A mischievous glint flashed in her eyes, but she no longer acted on her whims.

There was a presence nearby that drew her attention.

Her fingers, hidden in her sleeves, twitched several times. A few blocks away, three seemingly normal Snakespawns all looked over.

From the shared vision of her puppets, Lillie identified the cause of her vigilance.

However, she did not act upon it. From experience, she knew that they were being watched.

By whom?

’It isn’t necessary to find that out right now.’

With full confidence in her abilities, <Bliekon the Manipulator> knew that danger wouldn’t befall her two little teammates. This feeling of protectiveness was quite new to her.

It was a sentiment alien to her usual possessive desire.

They weren’t a part of her collection and yet... she did not wish to see them damaged. She didn’t wish to see even a hair on them put out of place.

Lillie somehow felt a wave of killing intent rise within her—directed at that peeping tom.

’Mm~ What an odd sensation...’