Volume 17 Chapter 8 To Get A Happy Ending
Finding Mars' location was easy.
I just had to follow the directions from Compass Eye (Ra Shingan) and search from above.
As I approached Mars, who was standing in the middle of the road, I felt a mix of emotions.
"...Is Ravuri dead?"
Mars muttered to himself without looking at me.
"...Did you come to kill me too?"
"No, I came to thank you."
"...Thank you?"
Mars looked surprised and slightly turned his face towards me. Then he said,
"I heard it from Ravuri. You wanted to end the fight with only one person getting hurt. You could have won easily, but you chose a plan that wouldn't harm anyone else. That's why we didn't get hurt this time."
"...What are you talking about? That's for my own good,"
Mars said with a hint of sarcasm, raising the corner of his mouth.
"I'm just a normal person who wants to do the right thing. I think everyone is the same, and if I hurt someone, I'll feel guilty and sick to my stomach. That's why I aimed for a perfect win without hurting anyone. Who would do something for someone else's sake?"
"Still, thank you."
"...You're a weird guy. Whatever."
Mars replied, opening a book. He touched a panoramic model of the city on the page.
"...If we get rid of the monsters, we can't kill the Holy King. Let's try again next time."
"It sounds like you're saying there's a next time."
"There is. My equipment -- the World Map -- is perfect for escaping. No matter how fast you are, you can't beat the speed of map manipulation."
"That's true."
I felt a pang of emotion.
The power of map manipulation is really strong in the city. It's probably because of this power that Mars was able to hide in the holy city for so long.
When I try to get close to him, I realize I can't keep up with him. My speed is no match for his, because he can move the map really fast just by touching it with his finger.
It's like he's controlling a video game character!
"If I chase after you, I'll just fall into your trap again... I'm no match for your alone."
"...What do you want to say--Huh!?"
But then, Mars seemed to notice something was off.
He quickly turned around, and behind him were the Inquisitors, surrounding him with their weapons. They appeared out of nowhere!
"How is this possible? I thought I trapped the Inquisitors with a magical barrier/"
"I found a loophole in the barrier."
Just then, Little Mimi jumped back into the scene, and on top of the Gluttony Mimic Bag was Juju, holding a Silent Shell. Juju asked me,
'How's my bag handling?'
"Nice job!"
The magic barrier they set up was meant to keep humans out, but it didn't account for objects inside the bag. So, it was an easy loophole for the Inquisitors to exploit.
Mars didn't know about the Gluttony Mimic Bag, so he let his guard down and didn't expect the Inquisitors to sneak up behind him.
Then, I said to Mars,
"Your weakness is that you need to touch the map to move it. You can only move one thing at a time, and you can't defeat all the enemies surrounding you at once... right?"
"..."
Mars was silent for a moment, then he seemed to give up and lost his energy.
"I... I lost."
Those words meant that his current struggle was over.
But to get a happy ending, we still had one last task to complete.
"Kill me."
"No way, I won't kill you!"
"What's going on?"
"You're not one of the 'Cursed Users' anymore, so..."
Suddenly, a shining needle appears in my hand.
It's a beautiful needle that holds many contradictions -- it's hot like fire and cold like ice at the same time.
This needle has the power to change a destiny, which is already decided.
It's a cursed needle.
- World Map (Curse)
This is a special map that can change the world. But no matter how much it changes the world, it becomes a maze for the person who uses it.
Rank: SSS
Type: Magic Book
Effect: Increases magic power by 360
Ability: Can change the layout of buildings and geography around us
Cost: You'll always get lost and can't find your way to your destination without a guide.
By the way, there are many stories behind the cost of using the World Map, and it's connected to the background of Ravuri's escape. Also, Mars' monocle is a tool used for navigation.
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