Stigma Effect

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Yuriel stopped breathing while looking at the long line of wagons and Shudmuel in turn. The purpose of the terrorists has always been the cores.

So far, there have been no casualties, but she did not know what would happen today.

It was not clear why the monsters were gathered here. If they want to gather monsters around the wagon and cause an explosion together with the cores…. Yuriel herself, who was around it, would not be able to survive.

The moment Yuriel sensed danger and stepped backwards to get out of the vicinity of the wagons, the wind gently ripped Yuriel’s robe off.

The robe that Shudmuel gave her was constantly being fixed with her hand because the collar did not close properly. The problem was that she was shocked to learn that Shudmuel had ties to a terrorist group, and her hands loosened and let go of the collar.

There was no time to close the collar. It was because passersby began to recognize that the appearance of the fallen object off the outer wall and crawling down was different from that of a human being.

The monsters did not die even if they fell from a high place. Their bodies, which hit the floor, were crushed like porridge, but as long as their core was not broken, they were revived intact.

Perhaps they saw the first fallen monster come back to life, so the monsters that were crawling down the high outer wall began to fall down.

It was a strange sight like a black waterfall pouring down.

“Hey, it’s not human. That.”

“Isn’t that a monster?”

“No, why are living monsters in the Alchemy Tower?”

“Wait, more than that…. Don’t you think they’re coming this way?”

Even those who had stopped, belatedly recognized the danger.

“Aren’t we supposed to run away?”

“What’s happening… ?”

“Uh, over there.”

“The person over there by the carriage. She is the woman who controls monsters!”

The eyes of the people who wandered here and there, unable to decide whether to run away from the street or to continue watching the situation, reached Yuriel.

Yuriel, who was about to put the robe that was ripped off by the wind back on, was pointed at. Passers-by fiercely pointed their fingers at Yuriel and began to judge the situation.

“Maybe that woman is calling the monster this way!”

Someone shouted in a loud voice. Criticism poured in from here and there, following the voice that came out of nowhere.

“Get out of here now! Don’t call monsters here, you witch!”

“The things in the carriage are monster cores, and it’s clear that she’s calling the monsters to steal it!”

A young voice intervened. People who did not know that the wagon contained cores, roared.

Yuriel felt that the child’s voice was somehow familiar. As she turned her head toward where she had heard the voice, she saw the child who had stolen her belongings at the festival, clasping his hands around his mouth and screaming loudly.

It looked like he was spreading rumors quickly as if he had been instructed by someone.

Besides the boy, several other people caused a riot in the crowd.

Their target was Yuriel. Yuriel felt as if she was about to suffocate from the incomprehensible madness towards her.

“Stop that woman!”

“You have to get her off the wagon so they don’t steal the cores!”

“Witches can control monsters with cores.”

“Hurry up before the monsters come!”

People went mad as if igniting gunpowder.

“It’s a monster, run away!”

“That woman really summoned the monsters!”

Passers-by who rushed to Yuriel reached out to grab her arm. Yuriel, who had been trained by Raphlet, easily avoided the touch of the blindly rushing man.

As she quickly avoided the ferocious hand, he rushed at her even harder, as if he had been on drugs.

“Where are you going to run away?”

It was not difficult to avoid the ignorant attack, but there were too many. Yuriel saw several people rushing towards her at the same time, and wrapped herself around and sat down.

She thought she’d feel a strong hand grabbing her by the neck, but no one touched Yuriel.

“Get up.”

“… Sir Shudmuel.”

“It is dangerous near the wagon. Step back.”

Mercenaries were protecting Yuriel. Perhaps it was Shudmuel’s orders, they surrounded her so that people’s hands could not touch Yuriel.

Shudmuel held out his hand, but Yuriel stood up without taking his hand. He stared strangely at Yuriel, who retreated to avoid him.

He stared at Yuriel through his glasses, placed his hand around his eyes and muttered lowly. It was then that he realized that he was wearing glasses.

“Oh, I didn’t take this off.”

He took off his glasses and looked into Yuriel’s eyes and said,

“Step back, Yuriel.”

“Ah…. Yes.”

Even though she suspected Shudmuel was a member of the terrorist group, Yuriel followed his instructions and moved backwards. A little further away from the wagons, and while fighting with the passersby, the monsters who had left the Alchemy Tower were getting closer to the street.

“Sir Shudmuel. It’s ready.”

“Put it in the wagon.”

A man dressed as a mercenary spoke into Shudmuel’s ear and talked about the situation. He was the man who had the monster eggs. Shudmuel calmly ordered.

Yuriel bit her lip while watching Shudmuel talking to the mercenary naturally.

Recognizing that Shudmuel was a dangerous person, she couldn’t get away from him. She wanted to shout that these people were terrorists to those who were still pointing fingers at her, but her lips wouldn’t open.

Shudmuel, who was protecting Yuriel from the people, sent the mercenaries carrying the monster eggs to the wagon and approached her.

“I have something for you to do, Yuriel.”

He grabbed her shoulders tightly and the voice that poured into her ear was hoarse. As Yuriel twisted her body to get out of his grasp, she felt her body not moving according to her will, and she burst into tears. Yuriel listened to the commands he whispered in her ear with a stiff body.

“You just have to pretend to control monsters using that core. It won’t be difficult. Now, hold on to this.”

“I, I don’t want to. Sir Shudmuel.”

“Put your hands out.”

He handed over a core the size of Yuriel’s fists combined. Yuriel did not open her hand and shook her head, but as soon as she met his eyes and he commanded her to open her hand, she did.

The monster core fell into Yuriel’s hand. It happened while people couldn’t see it.

“The monsters won’t attack you, so there won’t be anything dangerous. When this is over, I will take responsibility for the safety of you and your child.”

Shudmuel said with a guilty expression on his face.

“… I’m sorry I decided to use you. But you are qualified for it. After today, people will realize just how dangerous monster cores are.”

Yuriel looked up at him with a pale face. It was evident in Shudmuel’s eyes that the trust he had built up was completely destroyed.

Even so, it was impossible for Yuriel to deviate from his orders. Unless Commander Raphlet was by her side, the brainwashing effect was still there.

“Come on, let’s go.”

Shudmuel pushed Yuriel’s back and said. The mercenaries who received his signal disrupted the formation protecting Yuriel.

Yuriel showed off the core and stepped out among the mercenaries.

As if proving that what people shouted so much about was true, it looked like she was controlling the monsters.

The monsters rushed towards the wagon closest to Yuriel. The figures approaching the wagon loaded with the eggs looked like they were running towards Yuriel.

“It’s too late. Avoid it!”

“Run away!”

“That woman is going to gather monsters and kill us!”

People without weapons fled with their tails between their legs. Perhaps the terrorists had no intention of hurting people, and they were dealing with monsters that sometimes try to attack people.

People on the street fled far away. The monsters clinged to the carriage like barnacles on rocks and moved their bodies as if trying to find the eggs.

The wooden luggage compartment was easily broken by the monsters’ attacks. Looking at the luggage compartment full of core, the movement of jumping down after confirming that there were no eggs was disturbing.

When a significant number of monsters approached the wagon full of eggs, the mercenaries began to take out explosives as if they were waiting.

“Did you have a bomb?”

A group of mercenaries, but not terrorists, made a startled voice. Since it was an urgent situation, no one answered.

They lit a short wick and started throwing explosives at the carriage where the monsters were attached. Some people were aiming and threw it at a wagon filled with cores in a row behind them.

Shudmuel, who was protecting the passers-by from a little distance from Yuriel, looked at Yuriel when he saw them taking out explosives.

“Yuriel, come this way!”

Shudmuel wrinkled his face and cried. While she was controlling the monsters, Yuriel was closer to the carriage than expected.

If she was in that location, there was a high chance that she would be swept away by the explosion.

If there are any fragments….

He shouted at Yuriel, but she covered her ears and turned her head away as if she didn’t want to hear Shudmuel’s voice. She was expressing that she no longer wanted to follow his orders.

“Yuriel!”

He cried once more hastily. He has no intention of hurting Yuriel.

Shudmuel hastily moved his feet. The explosives have already been thrown. It was unclear whether Yuriel could be safely protected even if he ran now.

Shudmuel’s face was horribly contorted when he was faced with an unexpected situation.