Up until then, I thought Tara was about to cry while holding onto a flower or something.
"Calm down, the child's father is safe and has been waiting for his daughter all this time."
I told Tara about Mr. Eaton's well-being to reassure her, but it was no use. She simply took the flowers out of the vase one by one and tossed them onto the floor. At this point, I felt that something was off.
"What's wrong? Do you want a vase?"
I was backing away as I asked that. It was true that Tara needed a vase. However, it was clear she didn't intend to use it for its original purpose. Holding it high above her head, it was pointed at me.
"Are you trying to throw that?"
Tara stretched her mouth wide to the sides and gave a twisted smile. A sudden wave of fear washed over me.
'Surely you didn't approach me with this intention from the start?'
I was an alchemist, not a knight. If a physical fight broke out, it would only be disadvantageous to me. Trying not to show that I was scared, I spoke to Tara calmly.
"Tara. It's dangerous. Yes?"
Tara stretched her mouth wide once again, as if finding my words amusing. No matter how I looked at it, Tara really intended to throw that.
'Get out of the way! You have to get out of the way!'
I shouted that, but my body couldn't fully obey the commands my head issued. My legs wouldn't budge. At best, all I could do was wrap my arms around my head. I crouched down right there and squeezed my eyes shut.
Clink.
As I gently opened my eyes, I saw shattered glass shards. If Tara had aimed just a little more accurately, my head would have been smashed instead of the vase.
'Is, is this it?'
I looked at Tara, harboring such hope. However, Tara didn't care at all about throwing the vase or the fact that I almost got hit by it. She just walked slowly toward me, staring at me with half-focused eyes. She looked exactly like a zombie moving in a movie.
'I have to run away...'
I gauged the distance to the door. Even walking with long strides, it seemed I would have to walk at least ten steps. For the first time, I resented this large and luxurious room. Of course, that feeling didn't last long.
"First rule. Never speak of what happened before coming to the Magic Tower."
It was because that terrible sound soon burst from Tara's mouth.
"What?"
"You just broke the Magic Tower's rules."
"You... you."
I pushed my hips back and stepped back. But I soon hit a wall. It stung as if shards of broken glass had gotten embedded in my palm.
"You weren't talking about the novel's plot, you were talking about Tara's past. Did you really think I wouldn't know that?"
"The way you talk..."
"What's wrong with my tone? I'm speaking gently for your sake, Miss."
That way of speaking was definitely Marilyn's.
'Are you manipulating Tara's mind?'
I recalled Tara's excessive fear of Marilyn. I thought it was because she had been hit or severely scolded by Marilyn before. I never dreamed she was worried about something like this.
"Tara, where is Tara?"
"Miss, what are you talking about? I told you to get in right away."
Marilyn let out a giggle. She seemed to find the situation quite amusing.
"You're not Tara. You're Marilyn."
I stood up, leaning against the wall. I had to escape to the door somehow. But Marilyn was blocking the space between me and the door.
I pushed the chair in front of me toward her, knocking it over. It was an utterly insignificant obstacle, but I hoped it would buy me at least a little time. Then, with my back to the wall, I moved toward the door.
"Where are you going? You broke the Magic Tower's rules, so you must be punished."
As she approached me, a chair struck her shin hard, but Tara's body didn't seem to feel even the pain.
"Isn't it the Magic Tower Lord who gives the punishment?"
"I, I can do it well too."
It was a voice like the whining of a child insisting that they could do it too.
'I absolutely must not get caught.'
It seemed like something was about to happen that could not be simply defined by the word 'punishment'.
"No, if I have to be punished, I want to receive it from the Tower Master."
I spoke in a cheerful voice and suddenly sped up. The doorknob came into my hand. Tara shouted sharply at my unexpected escape.
"Miss!!"
The moment I stepped out the door, Tara shouted once again. I ran without looking back, but it was no use. A cold hand wrapped around my ankle.
Thud.
I fell to the ground as hard as I was running. My head shook as if it were paper, and I could barely breathe. It felt as if every organ inside me was being turned inside out.
"Hehehe. Gotcha."
Marilyn's voice, mixed with joy, was heard. It was enough to make me wonder if we were playing hide-and-seek.
"Now it is your turn to be punished."
“Help me!”
Given the circumstances, it would have been better to inform everyone and at least save my life. Dying here at the hands of Marilyn, who was controlling Tara, would have been a truly meaningless death.
As I was being dragged along by Marilyn, I stretched out my arms with all my might and grabbed the hallway railing.
"Huh?"
Realizing that my body wasn't moving as she wanted, Marilyn slammed her fist with force, as if pulling a fishing rod. It felt like my arm was about to snap off.
"Watch out, Miss. In this position, your upper and lower body could separate. Your legs would tear off from your pelvis. Just like tearing off a chicken leg. No, wait, maybe your arms will be torn off first."
Marilyn's words didn't sound like a mere threat. Thanks to her detailed explanation, I could vividly picture what kind of situation I might end up in.
Meanwhile, the sound of footsteps was getting closer. Still, the thought that people were running towards me after hearing my voice allowed me to hold on by holding onto the railing.
Soon, dozens of shoes came into view. They were black flat shoes worn by the maids. My face was being rubbed against the spot where the shoes were touching.
“Please save me.”
There was no answer. It wasn't just the lack of an answer. There was no voice trying to stop Marilyn, nor a helping hand reaching out to me. Their silence was ominous, like writing in red ink.
"You must not break the rules."
"You must not break the rules."
Without anyone saying who was first, the maids began to sing in unison. It was the very same song I had heard in the dining room. The shoes stomped on the floor in unison to the beat.
"The rules of the Magic Tower are strict."
"Death awaits those who break the rules."
This... this felt exactly like being a sacrifice captured by a primitive tribe. They even seemed excited at the thought that they could punish me, just like Marilyn.
"Death awaits those who break the rules."
It was the limit now. Before my leg could be ripped off, the strength drained from my hand gripping the railing. I would be dragged away by Marilyn just like this.
"I said help..."
It was when I lay sprawled on the floor, muttering like a dried-up earthworm in the sunlight.
[Give an order.]
I didn't notice at first.
[Don't beg, give orders.]
I realized that the voice ringing in my head was Eon's.
'To say I have to give an order...'
Do these crazy maids really stop if I shout at them to? The murderer watching this from somewhere and just blabbering was utterly detestable.
[You must give an order. If you want to live.]
Although Eon's words were unbelievable, carrying them out was not difficult. If that single word could help me escape this hell, there was nothing I couldn't do.
"Stop it! Everyone stop! Marilyn, take your hands off my leg right now! And you guys shut your mouths!"
I screamed as if making a final desperate attempt. At the same time, thinking that I had to give orders, I added this and that.
"This is an order! I said it's an order! Do you understand?"
Because I had screamed, I now had only enough strength left to truly keep breathing. As I felt my heart rise and fall, I could sense that the force pulling me had vanished.
'Huh?'
I cautiously spread my hand that had been gripping the railing. It had been a long time since the strength I had been holding on slipped from my grasp. If I were going to be dragged into the room, I should have been dragged away by now.
'Did the order really work?'
I realized that the thumping footsteps on the floor had stopped as well. I managed to turn over to look around. My eyes fell upon the ceiling, which seemed like a sight I hadn't seen in a long time.
I turned my head to the side and saw the maids kneeling. I couldn't believe that those madmen had become so docile with just a single command.
"Why did you stop singing?"
"The master ordered me to stop."
An answer was heard that sounded like a chorus.
“Master?”
I lifted my head slightly, and only then did I see Eon walking from the end of the hallway. It was obvious to anyone that I was his destination as he strode along.
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