My Illusion Is Survival - Chapter 26

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 26

That look in Linoa Marigold’s eyes was clearly the expression of someone who misunderstood me as ‘that thing.’

“Are you the Holy Maiden?”

“Cough!”

However, this misunderstanding wasn’t limited to just Linoa Marigold.

Kazen’s gaze toward me was already filled with conviction.

They were clearly misunderstanding me as the Holy Maiden.

‘…Damn it.’

This was the worst possible situation.

‘Just kill me instead.’

If I could, that’s what I wanted to scream.

“I’m not.”

Instead of screaming, I quickly denied the suspicion before my eyes.

But naturally, no one believed my desperate denial.

“Don’t lie. If you’re not the Holy Maiden, then how do you explain that power from before?”

Just how serious was he that Kazen even dropped his earlier crazy tone and interrogated me with a proper demeanor.

Of course, this was unfair to me.

‘I’m telling you I’m not.’

Even though the real Holy Maiden seemed to have switched careers to become a proper Heresy Inquisitor, she was the real one.

If I had to be precise, I was just a fake with suspiciously high luminous power.

“…”

However, he didn’t seem to have any intention of believing me.

Meanwhile, there was a reason I was so negative about the Holy Maiden suspicion.

‘If this somehow spreads as a rumor that I was impersonating the Holy Maiden, I’d be truly screwed.’

That’s right. This was the problem.

I would have to leave Azel’s Cozy Shade soon. It meant I was planning to live as an ordinary resident of This World.

In such circumstances, the suspicion that I might be the Holy Maiden was extremely fatal to my future ordinary life.

‘Well, This Place is a world where real Heresy Inquisitors exist!’

For an ordinary human to impersonate the Holy Maiden was blasphemy.

And originally, Heresy Inquisitors were a collective of fanatics who went crazy over blasphemy.

If I became a target of the Heresy Inquisitors because of impersonating the Holy Maiden, which I never even wanted to do, nothing could be more unfair.

“I’m not the Holy Maiden.”

“Then show me proof?”

“If I’m not, then I’m not. Why should I provide you with proof?”

At my firm denial, Kazen’s expression became strange.

“So it wasn’t Azel Viotz who tamed those vicious beast bastards.”

Just when I was wondering why he was acting like that, Kazen’s gaze suddenly turned toward my side.

Soon, something damp was felt on the back of my hand.

-Snort!

It was an Aigres’ nose.

-Grrowl!

-Growl!

The two beasts, purring affectionately, competed to rub their heads against the back of my hand.

For some reason, they looked desperate, just like when I first met them.

While I wondered why they were acting like this again, I was still somewhat grateful that my reliable allies seemed to have increased.

“Even after seeing this, you still won’t reveal your identity?”

On the other hand, Kazen spoke even more triumphantly, as if the Aigres’ behavior was evidence.

“I told you I’m not the Holy Maiden.”

“Then what are you?”

He had no intention of believing my words from the start.

In the end, there was only one thing I could do now.

“…Sigh…”

I soon deliberately lowered my head.

As I let out an annoyed sigh as if this situation was bothersome, Kazen’s expression instantly hardened menacingly.

Although my back was damp with cold sweat, it was fine as long as I wasn’t caught.

“If I tell you, can you handle it?”

“…!”

I threw away the respectful speech I had been maintaining out of minimal courtesy and stared at him with indifferent eyes.

Also, when I consciously relaxed the strength in my shoulders that had been stiff with tension, Kazen’s gaze naturally followed.

This would leave an unconscious impression that this was my true self.

As expected, the smile disappeared from Kazen’s face.

“I’m asking you. If I tell you, would you be able to handle it?”

As soon as I finished speaking, silence descended upon the surroundings.

At this moment when I had gained the upper hand thanks to the unknown light, I gripped the Illusion Pendant in my pocket under everyone’s gaze.

*

Kazen felt an inexplicable sense of intimidation from the woman before him.

‘Is it because of that light from before?’

No, no.

This wasn’t a problem of that dimension.

Although he had seen the purifying light that erased magic earlier, Kazen had no intention of yielding to it.

‘As long as I can get revenge on Azel Viotz, I don’t care what happens to this body of mine.’

However, the moment the woman’s atmosphere changed, Kazen was engulfed by a terrible sense of unease.

And right at that moment.

“…Gasp!”

Suddenly, tremendous pain was felt in his abdomen.

“Cough, gah, …gasp!”

Instinctively, his legs buckled and he bent his waist. The place he looked down at without realizing it was full of bright red blood.

As the hand clutching his abdomen was stained with blood, Kazen’s gaze wavered for the first time.

‘When on earth did this happen?’

Soon, someone’s calm voice descended from above his head.

“You speak of revenge when you can’t even block something this trivial.”

The composed voice was like a verdict.

It was neither criticism nor mockery. The woman simply evaluated Kazen with an indifferent face and spoke exactly what she felt.

It was terrible ennui and languid domination.

That made Kazen even more furious.

“Captain, are you alright?”

Meanwhile, a subordinate who discovered Kazen in pain hurriedly supported him.

“Does this look alright to you?”

But the subordinate’s expression was somehow strange after hearing the answer.

“Did that woman do something?”

The subordinate said something stupid, as if he couldn’t see the viciously pierced belly.

Only after roughly shaking off the supporting hand did Kazen realize the reason.

“What the hell…!”

His belly that he looked down at again was far too intact.

The blood-stained hands were the same.

The dark red blood had already disappeared without a trace, and the terrible pain was no longer felt.

‘Did I see it wrong?’

But it didn’t make sense. The pain from earlier couldn’t have been an illusion.

“Are you okay?”

“…!”

At that moment, hearing a voice so close by, he unconsciously swung his fist.

Screech, clang!

When Kazen finally came to his senses, his magic-wrapped claws were already blocked by a pure white blade.

“How dare you.”

Linoa Marigold had drawn her sword at some point and blocked Kazen’s attack.

Clatter, clang!

However, as the sword quickly corroded, unable to withstand the magic, Linoa Marigold used the momentary recoil to shake off Kazen’s hand.

“Please step back, Lady Elpis.”

“Oh my. Thank you, Linoa Marigold.”

Linoa Marigold stood protectively and hid the woman behind her.

However, Kazen’s gaze was still busy following the woman’s figure.

‘What is this. What the hell is this. What’s going on.’

As his breathing became rough from instinctive crisis, he saw the woman’s lips moving silently.

‘Is your stomach okay?’

“…!”

Soon goosebumps rose all over his body.

As her seductive red lips curved into a smile, the woman now met Kazen’s gaze.

Her darkly sunken blue eyes held laughter as if this situation was amusing to death.

“I told you. I’m not a Holy Maiden.”

At the voice filled with artificial kindness, Kazen realized something was wrong.

‘Dangerous.’

That woman was not a Holy Maiden.

A human with those eyes could never dare to be a Holy Maiden.

*

Judging from Kazen’s gaze looking at me like I was crazy, fortunately the misunderstanding seemed to be safely resolved.

‘Though it seems like he’s misunderstood in a different way.’

Well, it doesn’t matter.

The goal was to appear as a dangerous lunatic who shouldn’t be messed with in the first place.

More importantly, the fact that the Illusion Pendant worked properly.

‘I’m glad I brought it.’

This artifact’s ability is literally ‘illusion.’

Causing pain to someone through false illusions. But the interesting point here is that the illusion doesn’t simply stop at deceiving the eyes.

‘This deceives all five human senses.’

It perfectly reproduces not only sound and smell but also touch and pain.

I actually showed Kazen an illusion of his stomach being pierced, and he precisely clutched his stomach and cried out in pain.

Moreover, the Illusion Pendant exerts greater power the more detailed the caster’s imagination.

‘In that sense, it’s a very useful weapon for a modern person like me.’

For me, who has lived exposed to the indiscriminate visual stimulation of modern media, that level of work is a piece of cake.

As I was smiling broadly with satisfaction, Kazen’s gaze looking at me like I was the world’s greatest psychopath deepened, but I didn’t care.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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