"Do you think I can help you?"
I asked the Duke, letting out a hollow laugh.
Not only have you been exploiting me my entire life, draining my magical power to the bottom, but now you want me to give it all back.
All he wants to gain from these many victims, including the children who are being sold, is to become a wizard.
The thought of that human blood flowing through my body was so disgusting that I wanted to die right away.
"You've always been so selfish. I'm not surprised you're ignoring your father."
"Who is so selfish...!"
"Come in, Warlock. I apologize for keeping you waiting."
The Duke turned his head away, not listening to me any longer. Then, still tied to the chair, he called someone.
I flinched and turned my head to follow the Duke's gaze. What I thought was just a wall opened like a door, and a gaunt old man walked out from beyond it.
I once saw him duel with Sarah at the auction house.
He was right. Sarah's former teacher and the target of her life's revenge.
"Did you have any trouble getting here?"
Polite speech and easy-going voice. If I didn't know his true identity, I would have made a good first impression, but it was an attitude that didn't suit the terrible warlock.
The Duke bowed to the warlock and took a step back.
I looked at the figure carefully and fleshed out my guess.
Has the Duke also been subjected to some kind of brainwashing?
It seemed strange that he would treat a black magician so condescendingly. The Duke was also the head of a family and a businessman in his own right.
'But that doesn't mean anything changes.'
Even if he hadn't gotten involved with the Warlock, the Duke was already evil enough.
Bringing in the warlock and starting the auction were all decisions he made on his own.
It just made me feel a little more wary of warlocks.
'At this point, it seems like your specialty is mental magic.'
I had never heard such an explanation from Sarah. I thought I should avoid eye contact as much as possible.
Because mental magic requires you to make eye contact with the target.
The Duke spoke to me as if scolding me as I kept my mouth shut and lowered my head to avoid eye contact.
"Enrica, you must be polite."
Soon, the black magician opened his mouth to speak to the Duke, pretending to be nice and smiling.
"No, please go out for a moment. I need to run some tests for the ceremony that will be held soon..."
"Oh, yes. Of course."
The Duke immediately left the room, seemingly unconcerned about leaving his own daughter alone with such a suspicious person.
The sound of a heavy iron door slamming shut was eerie and scratched my ears.
"Whew, he finally left. You don't like him either, do you, Miss?"
The black magician, who confirmed that the Duke had left, suddenly changed his attitude as if he had turned his palm over. Not knowing what kind of trap it might be, he cowered and remained still.
The damp, humid air seeped into my nose, making me feel even more uncomfortable.
"Oh, so now you're saying Her Highness the Grand Duchess instead of the young lady? Who would have thought that bastard would actually become the Grand Duke...?"
The warlock laughed. I flinched at that moment, vaguely aware of the abuse Raphael had suffered from him.
"Well, to me, being young and fresh is the same, so I just call you Miss."
Sarah and even Raphael all had bad memories of being entangled with him. It was a strangely persistent bad relationship...
The black magician seemed to be thinking the same thing as me, as he kept grinning and muttering.
"That redhead is with you too, isn't she? She was a pretty good maid for a while, being so stupid."
I hesitated for a while, wondering whether to open my mouth or not, but eventually, I stuck out my tongue and asked.
"Why on earth are you doing that to Sarah?"
"Sarah? Oh, that's the name."
Sarah told me that if she ever met her master again, there was something she wanted to ask him before taking revenge.
Shr told him that she had done nothing wrong to him and that she needed to hear why he had even touched her mother.
"What are you talking about... Oh, that's it. The story about setting fire to that woman's hometown? Right..."
The warlock trailed off as if he was going to say something, then clicked his tongue.
"I think there was a reason. I guess I just remembered it now. I'm getting older, and my memories are fuzzy."
As time goes by, you destroy someone's life for reasons you won't even remember.
It might have been better if I had heard a clear reason. My anger was boiling inside me.
"It's so funny that the young lady is their friend and wife."
The warlock muttered and lowered his head, sticking his head under his chin. He bent down deeply and smiled with his wrinkled face.
"You don't have to look so angry. It's your turn now anyway."
"How are you going to handle the aftermath? If you're doing this because you're relying on the Duke's support, it's no use. His reputation and his business are both falling apart."
"How long do you think you can hide it? The auction you're holding will soon be exposed. When that happens..."
"That time will never come, Miss."
He answered, humming. He had the attitude of a man who, even if he wasn't a Duke, had a corner of him that believed in something thoroughly.
The warlock suddenly stomped on my foot. I thought it was intended to cause me pain, but he soon twisted my ankle at an odd angle and placed his weight on that area.
"Ugh..."
I bit my lip. It hurt so much that I shed tears without realizing it.
He continued his actions without any regard at all. It seemed as if he was very used to causing pain to someone.
"Understand. You're a powerful sorceress. I can already smell it."
"You son of a bitch."
"That won't happen since I took away their magic power, but we should also take physical measures to prevent them from running away."
I couldn't tell if it was badly sprained or completely broken.
However, if this were to happen, I would feel such great pain that it would be difficult to walk.
The next thing he did was grab my chin with his hand and lift my head. I tried to fight back, but even the old man's strength was no match for the strength I had while tied up.
I instinctively felt bad. The long, vertical pupils of the warlock constricted, and he stared at me.
As expected, it seemed like they were trying to brainwash me. But... somehow, I didn't feel anything.
As if this couldn't be happening, the warlock licked his lips with his snake-like tongue. The hand holding my chin tightened its grip.
"Huh, that can't be happening..."
The warlock tilted his face, then met my gaze once more.
I didn't know the details of how mental magic was applied, but judging from the warlock's reaction, it seemed like my case was special.
The eyes of the warlock in front of me gradually turned red. My reflection in them looked the same as usual.
"Well, okay. Since it's my body, this level of resistance is fine."
The warlock dropped his arm that was holding my chin, as if he had just given up.
Before I could even relax, I had to point out the sentence he had just uttered.
"A body for you to use?"
"Hmm? Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you."
As if he was going to leave the room after this conversation, the warlock put on his cloak that had been hanging on the wall.
"The young lady's talent is truly outstanding. Not only is your magical power overflowing, but your resistance, like just now, is also like that. You're healthy and cute."
I felt bad about the words that seemed to be judging me. I frowned slightly and listened to the rest of the story.
"It would be a shame to give you away to a non-magician like the Duke. So I will have the young lady."
I blinked at the incomprehensible words. The warlock looked at me and smiled, then groaned.
"I'm getting older now, so it's hard for me to use this level of magic. It's time for a change... I'm grateful that you showed up at such a good time."
"... That can't be possible."
One thing suddenly occurred to me. If what I was thinking was true, and if he could do it, he was a really dangerous person.
"Did you notice? Of course, it is possible. It's a kind of mental magic."
"..."
"I intend to transfer my soul into your body."
It was a calm and peaceful voice, like someone choosing dinner for tomorrow night.
While I was hiding my trembling hands, the warlock finished putting on his coat and left, leaving a greeting behind.
"Well then, have a good night. The ceremony will begin tomorrow, right after the auction ends."
I was blankly staring at his back, and soon I was left alone mutterin
"This place is a den of lunatics..."
But I didn't feel too scared. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
From our conversation just now, I think I figured out a way to escape from this place.
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