Stigma Effect

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

"Master….”

The tense air was released in an instant. Raphlet turned away from Helio. His gesture of approaching the bed where Yuriel was lying was sharp.

“Yuriel.”

Raphlet called Yuriel, but there was no answer. It was a simple sleep-talk.

Raphlet sighed and sat down beside Yuriel's bed.

“I will go and hear the results of the investigation when Commander Baraha returns.”

“The Princess….”

"Don't worry, I'll talk to her later."

Seeing the calm Raphlet, Helio let go of his sword and nodded.

While Helio was leaving the medical barracks, Raphlet was only looking at Yuriel's face. When Helio left the barracks, the last thing he saw was the big finger rubbing Yuriel's forehead.

＊＊＊

Baraha stared blankly at the ceiling. His wavy, black hair was pulled back, revealing all of Baraha's face. He stared blankly at the light coming through the hole in the ceiling, contemplating.

He had an ecstatic face like someone seeing the light for the first time.

Helio frowned as he saw Baraha, who said that he had entered the building alone to investigate the interior of the building, staring blankly into the air.

He didn’t know why Baraha was so dazed without investigating quickly.

Compared to the other knights, Baraha's pale face looked bright in the sunlight. All of the wavy hair that normally hangs on his forehead has been pulled back so that his expression can be seen clearly.

Baraha looked like a priest who presided over prayers, not a paladin.

Baraha, who was staring at the ceiling, could feel someone coming in, and tilted his raised head slightly to check for the intruder. Seeing Helio, he bowed his head down.

His hair was dangling again over his fully exposed face.

Baraha asked while looking at the floor,

“Commander Helio. Is this where Yuriel was standing?”

Helio, who had pressed his eyebrows down in tiredness as he looked at Baraha standing dazedly, looked at where Baraha was pointing and nodded his head. The place where Yuriel was standing was where the stone protruded.

The center of the building. This is where Baraha is tapping his feet right now.

“Yes, it was there.”

Baraha heard the answer and sank to the floor. Without hesitation, he sat down on the floor and looked carefully at the protruding stone. He turned himself and looked closely at the sides and corners. Baraha said in a shriveled tone.

Lying down and talking, he looked like an unemployed.

“This is it.”

At first he couldn't tell what it was. Helio raised his eyebrows, and Baraha sat back up.

“It amplifies the unique energy you have. This whole building was made for that, and if you get up here and meet certain conditions, it works.”

Baraha, who sat on the floor, muttered as if talking to himself even after finishing the explanation.

"Is that it? It didn't seem like amplification? No, is this the correct character for amplification?”

Helio asked, looking at Baraha who was constantly muttering.

“Is that possible?”

“It’s ancient magic…. In fact, I don't even know if it's possible. I’m just saying what I saw in the old books.”

He responded with an irresponsible voice, and got up. He climbed up like Yuriel on the protruding stone and looked at the open ceiling, but when there was no reaction, he tilted his head.

“I can’t….”

Helio, who listened to Baraha's words, then thought carefully, and said.

“Miss Yuriel has the ability to predict the movement of monsters, so if that’s amplified…. Is the foresight ability amplified? It was an illusion where no monsters appeared, so I think it could be said that the foresight ability was amplified.... That was the future... ?”

“It could be. You must not speak outside. Don't even tell the Princess, Sir Helio."

Baraha, who came down from the stone, answered Helio's self-talk.

“Even if you don’t, the Princess shows interest in Yuriel…. Knowing this would be annoying. Every day she will try to drag Yuriel here.”

“Commander Baraha.”

Helio said while stopping Baraha's muttering words.

“What I saw was a vision of a dead man alive.”

“So?”

“I’m asking if it makes sense to predict that the dead are alive.”

"Well….”

At Helio’s insistence, Baraha muffled his words. Seeing his unwillingness to give a proper answer, Helio sighed and turned around.

“Even if you don’t tell me, I will eventually find out when the other researchers start investigating.”

"No."

Baraha was walking along the wall, carefully checking the drawn letters and pictures. He answered in a tone full of confidence.

“No one else can figure this out but me.”

Helio's gaze moved slowly following Baraha's movements. He paused at a certain point and murmured, looking intently at the letters.

“Oh, not amplification.”

"Yes?"

"Ah….”

Baraha narrowed his brow and sighed.

“It’s not amplification, it’s extraction and transfer. It's because of this magic formula that Yuriel was ill....”

Baraha let out a sigh in annoyance as he shook his head and turned around.

“It’s too much because she temporarily pulled out a lot of abilities. If only one more person had come in, she might have died.... How is Yuriel?”

“They said she would be fine as long as the fever went down.”

“… That's a relief. Then please explain this to Commander Raphlet, Commander Helio.”

“Please do it yourself, Commander Baraha.”

“I was asked to investigate the ruins, not to explain it to Commander Raphlet.”

Baraha answered in a disgusted tone and walked out of the building.

After Baraha left, Helio looked around the building and thought for a moment, looking at the light coming in like Baraha.

If the fantasy he saw together with Yuriel was really the future....

＊＊＊

“It’s too much because she temporarily used a lot of abilities. I heard that the building itself is some sort of ability extractor, but they don't give details.”

"I see."

“… Are you okay with this explanation?”

"Yes."

Helio asked nervously. Raphlet was so docile that he felt strange.

It's an unavoidable situation, but he didn't think he’d get such a calm answer from Raphlet.

Helio looked at Raphlet’s face to see if he was really okay, but he eventually couldn't help but ask out of wonder.

“Are you really okay? Don’t tell me you’ll visit the Princess and ask her something more...”

“I don’t intend to.”

“No, then why are you so quiet….”

“Commander Helio.”

Raphlet, who had been listening to him, cut his words fiercely.

“Yuriel is resting, so get out. Talking like that will disturb her rest.”

Helio was kicked out by Raphlet.

＊＊＊

“Raphlet Mogris! You son of a b***h!”

Helio woke up with a sigh at the loud voice he heard at dawn.

As he went outside, he saw the Princess confronting the knights of Albraka.

For whatever reason, the Princess was very angry. The Princess, who was not easily excited, was red in her face.

Her eyes, which had burst open up to the veins, gleamed like a monster. The Princess pushed out the Albraka knights and headed for Raphlet's barracks.

“Princess. You must not do this.”

“You dare stop me? I’ll have to cut off your leg so you won't be able to block my way. Yes, I will cut you as I want.”

The Princess took the sword of her own knight and shouted.

Even Baraha came out and was watching the Princess in action. At the ferocity of the Princess whom no one could think of stopping, Helio pressed his forehead and stepped forward in front of her.

“Princess. You must not do this in the subjugation area.”

“Can’t do this? Pass those words on to the guy next to you!"

“… You’re here, Commander Raphlet?”

Raphlet appeared from the direction of the medical barracks where Yuriel was, not his barracks where the knights were blocking the Princess.

Helio quietly asked Raphlet to figure out the situation. He needs to know the cause of the Princess' anger to know how to respond.

"What's going on?"

“I destroyed the building.”

“… Yes?"

“It doesn't have to exist. Just ignore it.”

Helio, who was trying to get over the situation without conflict, couldn’t believe the answer.

It was an unexpected answer, but he knew what building was destroyed without asking.

“What kind of building is that and how dare you touch it?”

Helio left behind the Princess who ran rampant on his path and went to check out the ruins that Yuriel had gone to.

The outside building was unharmed, but the building that passed through the courtyard was completely destroyed.

The numerous paintings and texts that filled the walls of the building were blackened out, possibly from the aftermath of the explosion, and could not be recognized properly.

The center of the building where Yuriel was standing was literally a mess. The shape of the stone could not be found. Only gray crumbs were scattered in the wind.

The subjugation of the Krug Ruins ended horribly.

Problem solving Raphlet-style: if you don't like it, destroy it XD