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Episode 270.1

I was slowly coming to terms with it.

The fact that I was screwed.

Damn, this wretched prison.

I need to escape quickly.

The underground prison of Angmar’s castle, 「End of Hope」, was far more secure and sturdy than I expected, leaving me with no opportunity for escape.

Moreover, the chains and restraints wrapped around my body were so strong that moving was difficult.

The only way was through magic.

But with my hands, feet, and even my tongue tightly restrained to the point where I can’t move even slightly, it’s difficult to even cast a simple spell.

━That guy’s too quiet now, isn’t he? He was struggling so much earlier.

━Leave him be. He probably realized there’s no way out. No matter how skilled a mage is, if they’re sealed up like this, they can’t do anything.

“…….”

It was as the guards said.

If at least the gag in my mouth or the heavy stones wedged between my fingers loosened a bit, I might be able to do something.

Or if there were a spell that didn’t require gestures, incantations, or magic circles…

Then, it was like a lightning bolt struck my mind.

It was such a brilliant plan that even I was amazed.

If I could use a spell that didn’t require incantations, gestures, or seals, I could escape this place.

A spell that activates solely through imagination and mental imagery.

But was that even possible?

Everything in this world had a cause and effect.

This principle was especially crucial in magic. Spells and incantations, or magic circles, are what bring about the inevitable results known as magic.

However, the magic without incantations that I envisioned was an act that observes results without any cause or effect. If that’s truly possible, it would be a miracle and genuinely worthy of being called ‘magic.’

If there was anyone who could do that, wouldn’t it be Solomon, who, as Marmar said, was the only one who was qualified to be called a true mage? 

Then maybe I could do it too.

Imagination.

They said magic was imagination.

Using the tips Aira had taught me, I began to imagine myself spectacularly overcoming this predicament in my mind.

Goooo-.

I suddenly felt something bubbling in my lower abdomen, vividly coursing throughout my body. A feeling that something was about to happen.

But my meditation was interrupted by a noise from afar.

━Orders from above. Transfer the Court Mage Theo Gospel. Why is he here when the order wasn’t to imprison him?

━Weren’t we instructed to keep him isolated from others and prevent his escape? Doesn’t that mean to imprison him?

━… I can see how that could be misunderstood. Anyway, yes. Rather, have either of you had contact with this half-fairy? If so, both of you come along.

* * *

I was transferred to a facility filled with white structures.

It felt more like a laboratory than a prison. I couldn’t help but frown, remembering a similar place in the Bellhawk’s basement recently.

Was this a secret lab located somewhere within Angmar Castle?

Why did they bring me here?

“Are you Theo Gospel?”

Kuuuuu-. Kuuuu-. 

People in protective suits took me over.

Led by them, I was stuffed into a device that looked like a transparent glass tube. Was this how the bread feels when it’s inside the plastic packaging? 

I was the bread now.

“Sir Theo, we will remove the restraints and gag, but you must not act rashly. If you agree, please blink twice.”

Blink, blink.

Seureuk-.

Just before closing the door, one of the researchers in the protective suit removed the gag from my mouth. Then, after closing the glass door, they asked through it.

“Sir Theo, do you have any headaches, difficulty breathing, or any instances of uncontrollable anger or irritation?”

The questions were strange, but their manner was quite kind.

It didn’t seem like an attitude towards criminals. So, instead of hastily chanting a spell to escape, I decided to find out what was going on.

“No, I don’t have any pain. But what’s happening here? Why did you capture and confine me, and why put me in this bizarre device?”

“We received a report from Sir Reinhardt that there is a serious issue with Sir Theo’s body. Are you familiar with the Nymph Flu Coronoi?”

“Coro-what?”

“Coronoi. It’s currently in Sir Theo’s body.”

“… Why is it in my body?”

“Have you, by any chance, encountered or come into contact with unauthorized test subjects in Bellhawk’s underground laboratory?”

“Well….”

Many times.

While I was recalling all sorts of things, the researcher in the protective suit continued.

“Coronoi is a deadly disease for nymphs and other fairies. It drastically shortens their lifespan by more than half. If it spreads, it could mean the end for fairies.”

“So, you’re saying my lifespan has already been reduced because I have the disease in my body?”

I was struck with fear. However, the researcher, whose expression was hidden by the suit, remained calm.

“We need to test that now. We have Drug Nymph Medinoi-nim, a specialist in fairy pathology, with us, so the test will be conducted shortly.”

Drug nymph?

I found it hard to grasp this bewildering situation. The reason for my capture was because I was an infected carrier of the Nymph Flu Coronoi?

Then I remembered Elga crying and saying that I would die if they didn’t do this.

Maybe Elga knew I have some sort of disease and summoned the soldiers to examine and cure me. Was that really it? Even with Calm Thinking, I’m a little confused.

Seuuk-.

At that moment, someone appeared beyond the glass.

It was a peculiar girl with blue hair, dressed in a white coat. With her slightly pointed ears and sharp features, she was definitely a nymph.

“Are you Drug Nymph Medinoi?”

“Yes…! I am Medinoi-nim…! Theonoi, I heard you’ve caught a terrible, nymph-hating disease…!”

“……”

“Tell me everything from the day you went to those wicked long-eared elves’ lab until now, including everyone you met and where you went…! We need to trace anyone who might have been infected…!”

This was more serious than I thought.

But asking me to recall everything I did and everywhere I went since that day was a tall order. Remembering it all and explaining it was a difficult task.

Still, isn’t this better than being executed…? As if the tension I had been feeling was a lie, I felt a wave of relief wash over my body.

I thought I was going to be executed for my true identity being revealed.

I recounted my movements as best as I could remember. I could feel shock spreading among the researchers in protective suits who were taking notes. 

━The park, the zoo? The cathedral and the central market street too? Does it even make sense to trace them…?

━I don’t know.

They seemed dismayed that I had visited such crowded tourist spots. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have gone to such populated areas either.