CHAPTER 344: 343

The sight of the small trembling back came into view.

Watching Lina’s back, I felt an intense and complex weight in my chest.

’...Lina may act otherwise, but she is deeply moved by emotions.’

That was true.

The director of Velvet Hunter Academy, the Archmage, the strongest being in the world. A superhuman known as the Mage Emperor, who never yielded to external pressure and always made bold and fair decisions.

Her name was a symbol of absolute trust to everyone living on this earth.

But as a person, not as the "Mage Emperor," Lina was inherently tender-hearted and susceptible to emotional ties.

The reason she had become this way was none other than her past losses.

Having lost all memory of her life before awakening, she paradoxically became deeply attached to relationships.

’...Though I didn’t know these people were her students.’

When Lina considered someone her "own," she granted them unwavering trust, stepping back no matter how suspicious things might seem, believing there must be a reason behind their actions.

If anyone were to say Lina was wrong,

’Absolutely not.’

Lina wasn’t at fault.

It was they who betrayed her trust.

If Lina had any fault, it was trusting people who didn’t deserve it.

The reason I knew such detailed corruption and crimes about them was partly because, in the game, their mugshots—taken after being handcuffed—were among the most satisfying moments.

From my pocket, a small blue gemstone peeked out.

Through the Gate’s specialized surveillance drone camera, I transmitted their images to Shin Se-hee, who conducted a real-time investigation.

Meanwhile, beneath my feet, Ichika’s shadow transformed, summarizing the findings.

Some time ago, when the Demons targeted the Gate’s achievements, several individuals here had already been implicated in their schemes, making it easy to identify them.

’Tch.’

Even if their roots had rotted beyond saving and needed to be cut off, the bitter taste in my mouth persisted—unlike in the game.

.

.

.

The faint hum of energy resonated through the air.

Lina, who had been covering her face with her hands and bowing her head, now had her limp, violet hair rippling like a mirage.

-Boom!

The very atmosphere vibrated, and the waves of power emanating from Lina shook the entire building.

-Crackle! Crack!

-Clang! Crash! Smash!

Lights flickered before dying out.

The chandelier above and every glass object shattered, scattering into countless shards on the floor.

"Eek! M-Master!!! P-Please, that’s not it!!"

"I-I’m sorry! M-Master!"

"We were wrong!! J-Just this once, please forgive us!!" "It-It’s not what it looks like!!!"

Realizing the situation, their faces turned pale as they began to beg desperately.

It was righteous anger.

Under Lina’s infinite trust, these people had received an abundance of support, only to betray that trust and exploit her kindness with malicious intent.

But...

’I can’t let Lina waste her strength here.’

If she used her abilities to attack them, the backlash would be severe.

Her body was already laden with exhausting constraints.

There was no way I could allow her to suffer pain because of this trash.

Easier said than done.

Lina, even now, wasn’t unleashing her full strength, but her transcendent aura was undeniable.

"Let’s stop here, Chairman."

I stepped forward to block her.

Her ominous gaze fixated on me.

"Move aside."

"Haha... That’s a bit difficult."

"I said, move."

"Calm down, Chairman."

Lina bit her lip, her voice trembling with fury.

"Why! Why are you standing in my way! Isn’t this what you wanted? That I would take responsibility for these wretched creatures I raised with my own hands?! So step aside!!!"

-Crack!

-Boom! Boom! CRASH!

Her emotions spiraled, splitting the ground and breaking apart the building, sending large debris tumbling down.

’Hmph, seems like words alone won’t work on this reckless girl.’

So what was I going to do?

I took a step forward.

The crushing pressure weighed heavily on my body as though it would break me apart.

Another step.

Crack—

I heard the unsettling sound of bones creaking. Gritting my teeth, I bore it.

And another step.

Her unstable, tear-streaked face came into view, trembling with vulnerability.

"Lina."

Calling her name softly, I reached out and pulled her into an embrace, gently cradling her head.

Then, I whispered quietly into her ear:

"Calm down. I’ll take care of this, okay?"

***

Rippling...

I barely managed to stop Lina from losing control.

There was a slight hesitation in her embrace, followed by the faint motion of her head nodding.

Good.

I heard her silent agreement to leave this matter in my hands.

As I turned my attention to the vermin in front of me, I saw their collective sighs of relief, as if everything had already been resolved, simply because Lina’s fury had subsided.

Unacceptable.

’Let’s start by teaching them some manners.’

Yes, Lina trusted me to handle this.

These shameless wretches needed to be taught a lesson they wouldn’t forget—a lesson so severe that the mere memory of today would make them tremble and wet themselves in fear.

I didn’t even bother unsheathing my blade; I gripped the scabbard itself and advanced toward them.

Smack!

"Your lot."

Smack!

"Dare to call yourselves human?"

Smack!

"Trash like you lot."

Smack!

"When given trust, should at least."

Smack!

"Have the decency to feel grateful."

Smack!

"And yet, you wretches."

Smack!

"Dared to stab Lina in the back?"

Smack!

"Does it hurt?"

Smack!

"I asked if it hurts."

Smack!

"Does something as minor as this hurt?"

It was one-sided violence.

At first, they had dared to hope when Lina’s rage receded.

But they soon realized it was nothing more than a false glimmer of hope.

My icy voice, coupled with my expressionless face, made it clear that this was not mere punishment; it was a grim execution of their arrogance, blow by blow.

"Aagh... ah..."

They tried to resist, plead, negotiate, even run away—but every attempt was crushed beneath the weight of my relentless violence.

The more they struggled, the more agonizing their suffering became.

Faced with an overwhelming power they could not resist, they were utterly helpless.

Realizing their plight, they turned their desperate gazes to Lina, silently begging for help. But she did not move.

Only then did they finally understand.

Ah.

They had been abandoned. Truly abandoned.

The realization came too late.

To be discarded by Lina meant losing the shield that had protected their reputations, power, and achievements.

Smack!

Thud! Crash!

"P-please! I’m sorry! Aaaaargh!!"

Park Ji-yoon clung to my pants, begging desperately.

In response, I kicked her away, sending her flying with a shrill scream. She hit the wall and slumped down, trembling.

"..."

I finally exhaled deeply and stopped swinging my weapon.

Looking around, I saw them sprawled on the floor, bloodied and battered, none of them unharmed.

After hours of violence, they now averted their gazes, trembling in fear.

They didn’t even dare to speak. They knew that any word might provoke more pain.

"Lina isn’t someone who should be wounded by the likes of you filthy wretches."

I rotated my stiff neck, massaging it as I did so.

As expected, dealing with Lina’s pressure head-on had taken a toll on me.

Even though I had deliberately avoided killing them, merely ensuring they wouldn’t die, I felt drained.

But I couldn’t stop here.

Finishing was just as important.

I pulled a stamina potion from my spatial tattoo and downed it.

Gulp.

Hoo—

"Honestly, I’d love nothing more than to kill all of you right here and now..."

I glanced at Lina.

She was biting her lip, her hands trembling. It was clear she wanted to step in. But she stood her ground, watching everything unfold.

Her steadfastness conveyed her trust in me.

’Unbelievable. Even after being betrayed so badly, she still hasn’t given up on them.’

That, after all, was Lina’s unique charm.

’Fine, know this. You owe even this much mercy to Lina, you garbage.’

Turning my attention back to them, I continued.

I didn’t have the power to enforce binding vows like Lina. But I could achieve something similar.

I imbued my voice with mana.

Its resonance would etch fear deep into their hearts.

The memory of today would burn into their very beings, a scar of terror that would never heal.

Raising one finger, I began.

"One. From now on, your lives and deaths are entirely under my control."

Raising a second finger.

"Two. You are no longer free. Whether eating, dressing, bathing, sleeping, or even conversing with others—I will be watching."

Raising a third finger.

"Three. You will not be allowed to die, even if you wish for it. Everything you once enjoyed no longer belongs to you."

As much as I wanted to kill them all, doing so would leave Lina with wounds that would never heal.

That was not an option.

"Your task is simple: clean up the mess you’ve made."

And so, this was the punishment I delivered.

"Find every victim you’ve wronged and atone in the name of the mage.

Compensate them.

Apologize.

Until the day your lives end."

Having said this much, I added a warning, just in case any of them clung to futile hope.

"If any of you get the foolish idea of trying to evade my watch or plot something behind my back..."

Several of them flinched, their bodies trembling.

Hah, so some of you really thought of it, huh?

"Go ahead. Try it."

I smiled coldly.

"If you do, you’ll find out that the pain you felt today was nothing compared to what awaits."

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

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