Stepping into the room, I felt a faint prickling sensation against my skin—a phantom echo of the friction I'd encountered in Fuyuki City.
It was a trace of the same malice found in the mud of Angra Mainyu and the Shadow Servants that crawled out from it. That same dark intent was radiating, however minutely, from the girl before me.
Discarding the facade of ignorance and her innocent smiles, her face remained frozen in a hard mask. Finally, as if seeking confirmation of her own reality, she spoke.
"I still don't understand my own emotions. How did you know… that I want to kill people?"
"There's someone quite like you. He was a priest who suppressed that same impulse for decades… though, truthfully, his condition was far more advanced than yours, Fujino."
"…Then, what do you intend to do with me?"
It was starting to make sense now.
The reason she exuded such a tingling thirst for blood while simultaneously making no move to attack me.
I had already suppressed her once with overwhelming efficiency. Moreover, I was the one who had just provided medical treatment. Fujino, who had yet to establish her identity as a murderer, was caught in a multidimensional state of confusion: Should she kill me? What would happen if she did? And above all, how on earth could she even hope to kill me?
With a mind flooded by such chaos, it was only natural that she couldn't control the murderous intent she had awakened for the first time. She was leaking bloodthirst without even realizing her own state.
However, compared to the primeval curse of Angra Mainyu, her malice was… adorable, to say the least. Lightly brushing aside the killing intent, I held up two fingers toward her.
"There are two paths available to you, Fujino."
"…Two paths?"
"The first is for you to endure these impulses through your own willpower. Those who harbor such intent deep in their hearts eventually become aware of it, and you, too, will gradually be able to consciously recognize your 'urge.' But it will be grueling. A path of thorns."
"…Why? You said that priest endured it for decades. Why do you say I can't?"
"Because he isn't exactly a normal priest. Fujino, could you stop a speeding car with your bare hands?"
"What?"
When her expression hardened, perhaps feeling mocked, I cut straight to the truth.
"That priest can. He is a man who underwent more discipline than you can imagine. He dedicated his life to service and sacrifice for others, and he was even married once. His self-control over his impulses is, quite literally, beyond human."
"…So, you're saying I'm different from him."
"Precisely."
Of course, that was a lie.
In the original records, Fujino Asagami successfully suppresses her impulses while attending Reien Academy, even maintaining enough of a moral compass to prevent a friend from committing suicide.
But why should I bother telling her that?
"The second path… and honestly, I believe this is the only true solution. You receive our assistance."
"…How can I trust you?"
"I'll give you two reasons. First, hours have passed since you fell asleep, and not a hair on your body has been harmed—excluding the medical treatment, of course. Not a finger was laid on you. Second, I understand the underlying mechanics of this world far better than you do."
From there, I began to educate Fujino on the dangers of the Moonlit World—the world of Magecraft.
I explained that the great fire in Fuyuki City was a cover-up for magi (news she had already heard), that the chairwoman of her academy was actually a member of the Holy Church, and that a magus possessing Mystic Eyes as powerful as hers would likely be captured alive to be turned into a specimen preserved in formalin… the usual cheerful details.
"Most importantly, the decisive reason you were protected at Reien Academy was because your father forced you into that place. But what happens if your analgesia disappears and you gain full control over your Distortion? Do you think Gojou Asagami will just stand by?"
"…No. Father despises my ability. He hated it to his core… enough to force me to take drugs to erase it."
"We've already found evidence that he's contacted a notorious yakuza family. Have a look at this."
I handed her a contract I had prepared in advance.
If I bound Kirie Fujo through debt, I intended to bind Fujino Asagami through an employment contract.
"We have several methods to alleviate those murderous impulses. Despite appearances, I am referred to as a Magus by some; I have the means to block tracking or any Sealing Designation placed on you… and, naturally, I can facilitate a complete severance of your ties with Gojou Asagami."
"And if I refuse to sign?"
"If that happens… you will remain a civilian uninvolved with us. I will simply wipe your memories and send you back to the academy. After that, you might die at the hands of the assassins Gojou hired, be caught and killed by your chairwoman for committing a murder… or, if you're lucky, live your life forgetting everything."
"Can you not leave my memories intact?"
"Impossible. If I did, I'd be hunted down for a Leakage of Mystery."
Pure fiction.
What does 'exposure of the mystical' matter to someone who already possesses the Mystic Eyes of Distortion? But Fujino took it as a valid threat, and her resolve seemed to crumble. I decided to deliver the finishing blow.
"For your reference, these are the targets we are considering recruiting in Mifune City. Tell me if you recognize anyone."
Along with the already recruited Kirie Fujo, I presented photos of several others.
Fujino stared at the photographs: Satsuki Kurogiri, who should be at her academy; Touko Aozaki, the owner of the Hollow Shrine; Shiki Ryougi, the successor of the Ryougi family…
"I'll do it."
And there, the face of Mikiya Kokutou—her first love and the sub-protagonist of the Garden of Sinners.
'…All according to plan!'
Fujino's impulses hadn't fully manifested yet. I instructed her to stop using her Mystic Eyes of Distortion for now and to block out her external senses as much as possible to sever her connection to the outside world.
Murderous intent arises from emotion, and emotion is a byproduct of one's interaction with the exterior world. By shallowing those senses, the impulse can be mitigated.
"So, what's the next move? You said it yourself: suppressing that girl's impulse isn't possible with simple suggestion. You didn't want a ticking time bomb next to you, did you?"
"If it were mere suggestion, yes. That's why I'm going to recruit a proper specialist."
While I was at it, I needed a solution for Kotomine Kirei's impulses as well.
My connection with Mother Riesbyfe was paper-thin at best, and I wouldn't be able to meet Ciel until Michael Roa Valdamjong surfaced. For now, Father Kotomine was my only link to the Church's human resources.
"Now that Asagami-san has returned safely, it's time for me to move."
If mere suggestion wouldn't work, then I simply needed to acquire the power to rewrite the world's common sense.
I needed the Master of the Unified Language: Godword Mayday.
* * * * *
Twelve hours after sending Fujino Asagami back, I headed toward Reien Academy, having stored all my Six Paths of Pain puppets.
I infiltrated as silently as a serpent. As a precaution, I scouted the academy grounds, including the director's office… and as if the heavens were smiling upon me, Mother Riesbyfe was away on business.
"Whew, thank goodness. I'd rather avoid direct friction with the Holy Church if possible."
On the surface, Satsuki Kurogiri was an exceptional English teacher and a civilian. If I tried to take him by force or initiated a battle, the director would certainly try to kill me for encroaching on the Church's neutral territory.
But as they say, it's only a crime if you're caught. The Church's sole representative was out of the office, and the campus was under curfew. Not even a mouse was stirring.
In other words, the current situation was ideal to kidnap the Master of the Unified Language, Godword Mayday—is what you intended to say, I assume?]
"Shinra Tensei!"
'It' appeared in an instant.
He had wedged himself into the very gap in my stream of consciousness, finishing my sentence as if he were an extension of my own thoughts.
Thin, dry hair, a hollow jaw and face… and eyes that looked entirely void. You're thinking that I look more like a corpse than a man, aren't you?]
"Ugh, the sensation of having someone forcibly interject into my consciousness is extremely unpleasant—don't you agree?]
As he effortlessly finished my thought once more, I transformed the arm of the Asura Path puppet into a cannon and fired a missile at him.
[The-Asura-Path's-attack-falls-to-the-ground]
"Damn that Unified Language!"
I deployed all six puppets to surround him, but the language connected to the Root proved its worth as a Sealing Designation candidate. He began neutralizing my puppets one by one with spoken truth.
[The-Human-Path's-receiver-is-non-functional]
[In-this-place-the-vector-of-force-is-reversed]
[Magical-Energy-shall-not-flow]
Finally, having even neutralized the Deva Path, he looked at me with that same melancholy expression and began to explain.
"It was a rare sight to see Araya so furious about losing one of his pieces. He is the personification of human bitterness, but he rarely exposes his emotions so openly… I suppose I should thank you for the interesting memory."
"…Yeah, you've done a fine job breaking my toys. Haven't you?"
"Don't take it so personally. You were the one trying to attack me, right? This is merely justifiable defense."
Right, self-defense. From the perspective of Godword Mayday, this was indeed self-defense.
"Bansho Ten'in!"
Which meant that from my perspective, the justification of saving humanity—cannot be established. I have done nothing wrong.]
[Your-attack-cannot-reach-me]
The moment his declaration rang out, the gravitational pull I'd aimed at him vanished like spring snow. Ignoring my extended left arm, he continued with an expressionless face.
"I'd prefer if you backed off now. After all, I do nothing but collect memories and regenerate the forgotten… I haven't truly harmed you, have I? I don't care if you and Araya kill each other. You should just leave me be and—"
He couldn't finish his sentence.
One of the fallen Six Paths of Pain puppets had suddenly clamped itself onto his head.
[The-pup-pet-can-not-mo...]
He tried to shout in a panic, but I was faster this time.
Closing the distance instantly with Shinra Tensei, I drove my elbow hard into his windpipe. As he choked and clutched his throat, I quickly summoned the Naraka Path to pull out a gag and shoved it into his mouth.
"No matter how potent the ability, it still falls under the category of 'Language.' If you can't speak, you can't use it, Godword Mayday."
To ensure he remained contained, I pierced him with the metal receivers that doubled as Prana suppressors. I stowed him inside the Naraka Path, retrieved my puppets, and took to the sky.
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