Level Eater

Internally and externally, Ennio, who had been literally showered with cold water, seemed bewildered by the unprecedented rapid calming effect.

But every time the two approached, anger would flare up again, and each time, Tatsuro would forcefully calm him down by splashing him with the calming water.

"Don't splash that weird water on me! Buu!" (Ennio)

"Well, don't get angry over little things." (Tatsuro)

"I'm not angry! Bububu!" (Ennio)

"You're definitely angry." (Ai)

While anyone would be likely to get angry when soaked every time they spoke, the three of them were not conscious of that fact.

"You lied! I hate you guys!" (Ennio)

"A lie, huh? Specifically, what lie do you think I told? I did make a room, didn't I?" (Tatsuro)

"Yeah! That was really great! When Ennio said he was going to live here, everyone was happy!" (Ennio)

"I see, I see. Then there's no problem, right?" (Tatsuro)

Misinterpreting Ennio's reaction, who, despite wanting to be in the same space as the thieves as little as possible, was happy for his own sake, Tatsuro spoke, and Ennio made a puzzled face.

"Huh? Is there a problem?" (Tatsuro)

"No, no, no." (Ennio)

"Huh? Hmm?" (Tatsuro)

Feeling that something was different but unable to recall what, as if saying he couldn't remember what was different, question marks fluttered above his head. Suddenly, he looked up and realized Yorn, who was slowly moving away from this place.

"It's different. You guys are… bad, I hate you, kill you." (Ennio)

"Why do you think it's us? And why do you think Iyaruki is dead?" (Tatsuro)

We collected the bodies, and all the thieves there are no longer in this world. Therefore, it's too early to conclude that they're dead if they're missing.

"Iyaruki said he was going to a place where the color was different, so Iyaruki's scent was on you guys! You guys, smell of death!" (Ennio)

"Just because of that, you think we did it?" (Tatsuro)

"Yeah! A lot, a lot, a lot, smell of death! It's definitely you, you're dead! Buu!" (Ennio)

"Well, calm down." (Tatsuro)

Since his blood vessels seemed about to burst again, I splashed him with the calming water. Then Ennio's mind also gradually calmed down.

"When you guys came, you had a killing intent. So, what I said at that time, it's all a lie! So, Ennio, you guys die. I hate liars!" (Ennio)

At that moment, Ennio swiftly launched a series of slashing attacks with his eight-clawed nails while plunging toward them. Only Ai saw through it all, knocked it down with her jewel sword, effortlessly took the direct nail attacks with her sword, grabbed Ennio's arm with her free left hand, skillfully executed a back throw, and slammed him onto the roof.

"Gaaah!" (Ennio)

"Too naive!" (Ai)

Despite being slammed, Ennio showed no sign of yielding, sprung up like a spring, and tried to bite Ai's neck. However, she easily evaded and countered with a kick, sending him rolling over the roof.

Tatsuro then set up a high-viscosity water with a mixture of water and darkness magic where Ennio rolled, causing it to cling to him.

"Guaaaah!" (Ennio)

"Hey, Ennio. Listen to me." (Tatsuro)

"Gaaaah───Aaah…" (Ennio)

As the level increased and the class changed, adhesive and durable water, even more so than in the Iyaruki battle, was attached to Ennio's entire body, keeping him fixed on the roof.

Despite being in a state where he could hardly move, Ennio continued to show aggression without losing his attacking stance. Tatsuro directly placed his hand and enhanced the power of life magic to its maximum with light magic, calming down the anger at once.

This not only forcibly eliminated Ennio's anger but also left him in a state of excessive relaxation, making him feel light-headed. It seemed that Ennio, while not as resistant as Ai, had quite low magic resistance. Tatsuro regretted going overboard. At that moment, he noticed a strange reaction that seemed to interfere with the use of life magic.

"Huh? What's this…? Cardina, help me analyze this." (Tatsuro)

"Something wrong?" (Ai)

"Yeah, something strange… like magic, but a bit different." (Tatsuro)

Analyzing the mysterious element with Cardina revealed that it was proof of a contract with a tamer. The identity of the person was unknown, but Tatsuro speculated that Gregory had applied it.

Attempting to analyze it further with dispelling magic, it appeared that the contract was not fully complete. There were cracks in some places, so Tatsuro used the magic power of dispelling magic to unravel those parts.

The contract vanished easily, and the interfering element that disrupted life magic disappeared.

"Gregory seems to have used a tamer skill called ‘Tame Contract' on Ennio." (Tatsuro)

"So, everything Ennio did until now was just being manipulated?" (Ai)

"No, even if he's more beast-like than others due to his ancestral characteristics, Ennio is still a human. The contract wasn't fully established, and it only had a simple thought-guiding effect. Therefore, it shouldn't have completely restricted Ennio's actions. However…" (Tatsuro)

"However?" (Ai)

"Ennio seems to struggle with thinking for himself, so he tends to delegate thinking to others. If we can cleverly use that tendency, even with just this minor contract, we might bring him close to a state resembling powerful mind control. Well, it's just speculation." (Tatsuro)

Saying that Tatsuro looked at Ennio, who was still in a dazed state due to the excessive calming effect of life magic.

He wasn't showing any signs of resistance, just sitting still. While it might be an option to confine him somewhere in this state, there was a possibility that he could escape through some means when left unattended.

So, once again. This time, without thought guidance, they decided to attempt a conversation.

"Ennio, pull yourself together." (Tatsuro)

"Huh? Who are you…? Tatsuro, was it?" (Ennio)

"That's right. I'm Tatsuro, the one who became friends with Ennio. You don't have the thing I gave you anymore?" (Tatsuro)

"I still have it. I put it in my pants pocket properly." (Ennio)

Perhaps due to still being half-asleep, he answered Tatsuro honestly.

Tatsuro then further secured Ennio with wires, and Ai extended her whip with Ki's energy. He wrapped it around Ennio, applying a triple restraint of adhesive water, reinforced iron wires, and the whip, enhancing it further with life magic.

"I see. I'm glad you still have it. By the way, Ennio, I did lie about something. The part about being asked by Iyaruki to do this was a lie." (Tatsuro)

"Iyaruki… Iyaruki! You really are a liar!" (Ennio)

"Yeah. I apologize for that. Sorry, Ennio." (Tatsuro)

"Sorry." (Ai)

Both Tatsuro and Ai bowed their heads in apology to Ennio.

Ennio, not expecting to be apologized to, nor having any memory of being apologized to, became unsure of what to do. He clung to his initial pursuit of revenge.

"Um, um, liars are bad people! So you guys, be killed by me!" (Ennio)

"Yeah. Lying is certainly bad, but Iyaruki and Gregory have done worse things. Do you realize that you yourself were also manipulated into helping with those bad things?" (Tatsuro)

"Wrong things? No, we haven't done anything wrong! Ennio is a good kid!" (Ennio)

"Then let me ask you, Ennio. Do you think it's something good for a good kid to take things from people who haven't done anything and kill them?" (Tatsuro)

"That's… that's bad!" (Ennio)

"You understand, right?" (Tatsuro)

"I get it!" (Ennio)

Relieved that he had at least some basic sense of ethics, Tatsuro and Ai became curious about how Ennio was involved in the crimes.

"Hey, Ennio. What kind of things were you asked to do by Iyaruki and Gregory?" (Tatsuro)

"What kind of things? Well, it's killing the bad guys who bully us! How about that? Isn't it good?" (Ennio)

"Do you know why those people you said were bullying you actually targeted you guys?" (Tatsuro)

"I don't know. Iyaruki and Gregory are smart. So what they say is never wrong. That's why Ennio just do what they tell me. (Ennio)

"This is severe." (Tatsuro)

"Yeah, there's a limit to thought abandonment." (Ai)

While the nature of hating to think for himself still had a significant impact, it seemed that he was indeed controlled and influenced by the contract to some extent.

"Ennio, let me be clear. Iyaruki and Gregory are bad guys. That's why you've been bullied by various people. Do you think it makes sense for someone who hasn't done anything to be bullied so many times by strangers? Think back on what you've done so far. Was there anything that seemed even a little off?" (Tatsuro)

When Ennio looked back on himself and did as Tatsuro told him. He remembered the many times he was told to kill someone who was too weak. Even though they didn't put up any resistance, he killed them and took their possessions, claiming they were loot.

"That… but… Iyaruki." (Ennio)

"Ennio, think for yourself!" (Tatsuro)

"Yeah. Ennio, start by deciding things for yourself." (Ai)

"Decide by myself?" (Ennio)

Up until now, he believed Gregory's words to be correct and never doubted. However, now that the contract was gone, he couldn't blindly believe it and found himself listening to the words of the two.

For the first time, someone was seriously considering his thoughts, looking into his eyes, and having a proper conversation with him, making Tatsuro and Ai the first humans he felt that way about.

"I don't know. Until now, the two decided everything for me." (Ennio)

"If you don't know, ask us. We can at least offer advice even if we can't provide answers." (Tatsuro)

"Yeah. We're friends who enjoy chatting, right?" (Ai)

"Chatting… I like chatting. Sorry, I remembered…" (Ennio)

Ennio recalled the first time he met the two and spoke with them in that underground place. He remembered the joy of having his words responded to and felt it as if it happened yesterday.

"Hey. What should Ennio do? I don't want to kill you guys anymore. But I don't know what's right." (Ennio)

"If that's the case, let's first go talk to Gregory. After that, we can decide who is right, us or Gregory's group." (Tatsuro)

"Yeah. It's not good to decide based on just one side's words." (Ai)

"Is that… right? Yeah, okay. I'll listen to Gregory's story too." (Ennio)

Since Gregory was likely to be with the lord's son, there was a high chance he would be in the residential area of the lord. If he could expose in broad daylight the kind of people he was with, Ennio might be able to decide for himself which side was better.

Thinking that way, Tatsuro hastily made an improvised iron chain necklace, enhanced the calming effect of life magic with light magic, and hung it around Ennio's neck.

Excited by the new gift, Tatsuro and Ai decided to buy a real present for Ennio this time. The new item was significantly more powerful than the previous one, with its magical effect lasting until the depletion of enchantment magic. This eliminated the need for Tatsuro to stay by Ennio's side continuously applying magic.

"Ai, I am releasing him now, but just in case, stay on guard" (Tatsuro)

"I understand. Dealing with Ennio's sudden attacks seems to be my job for now" (Ai)

With Ai on alert, they removed the adhesive slime of water, unbound the wires, and put away the coiled whip. Ennio stood calmly without any signs of resistance.

"Alright, let's go" (Tatsuro)

"To Gregory's place?" (Ennio)

"Yeah, but let us handle our matters first" (Tatsuro)

"Hmm? Hmm?" (Ennio)

"It means, just wait for a bit." (Tatsuro)

"Got it. I'm feeling good now, so I can wait a bit." (Ennio)

Tatsuro and Ai boarded Cardina, and Ennio was connected to Cardina with wires, hanging beneath them. Initially, they thought about making a board for both of them and placing Ennio on Cardina's back, but Cardina resisted carrying anyone else. Despite concerns about Ennio's situation, since he was now in a calm state and willing to listen, they asked him, and he found it amusing.

With their sights set on Yorn, the large serpent still within visual range, the trio and the serpent headed toward their destination.

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