Chapter 76: Genius Girl

Assuming that the bell in the clock tower drives the inhabitants crazy, how long will it remain in effect?

A few tens of minutes or a few hours? The longer it is, the more annoying it is, and the more troubling it became.

When the girl bit his arm, Shion sensed that it was not the power of a five-year-old’s jaw. The bell, a tool of the Brainwashing Hero, seemed to not only brainwash those who listened to it, but also enhance their physical abilities and so on.

“Fucking hell, there is actually a terrible Hero…”

Shion sighs as he looks at the residents who seem to be about to attack him. The fact that he had gained an ability that was not innate to them meant that the side effects when the effect wore off would be greater.

‘He didn’t care about what happens to the people of this town… Honestly, I despise it’

“Me too. Let’s go to the clock tower first”

‘Got it—aaagh! Hey, you guys! What are you doing?!’

Haku shouted as several adults bit him on the torso. Since they were unarmed, they must have decided that biting would do more damage than punching.

Haku swung his body rapidly from side to side, blowing the adults away.

‘Aah, they’re biting me again… and I can’t throw this girl… would you kindly, Shion-san?’

“I gotcha”

Shion pulled the young child of three or four years old away with all his might. At the same time, the residents who had surrounded them attacked them all at once.

So, he straddles Haku’s back and gives him a hint on how to escape.

“The wall’s open”

‘I’m not an acrobat…though I’ll do it anyway’

Dash———

Gatagatagata——

Determined, Haku turned his body sideways and ran along the wall of the building, brilliantly fending off the malice of the fierce residents.

As they made their way through the crowd, arrows flew at them from behind, but Shion deflected it with his sword to prevent them.

Although they succeeded in escaping the siege, they still can’t let their guard down. Every person in the city is an enemy. Haku’s speed is so great that most people can only follow them with their eyes, but some of them will jump on him.

For such opponents, Shion will kick and push them back.

“CHASE THE—AAAGH”

Shion used wind magic to deal with the big man who jumped down from the roof. During his descent, Shion created a strong wind to keep him away.

It was so powerful that the man broke through the wooden wall of the building and disappeared inside.

“…… did I overdo it?”

‘He seemed like a strong man, so I’m sure he’ll be fine. Anyway, we’re already here’

It was a fast trip, and Shion found himself in front of the clock tower. The entrance to the tower was locked, and there must be a staircase leading to the great bell.

“There’s no need to open it. Well then, I’ll go”

‘Good Luck~’

When he produced his black wings, Shion flew vertically and landed in front of the Great Bell in the blink of an eye. There’s a huge bell, and a T-shaped hammer to hit it.

In addition, one young man was standing there who seemed to have been hitting the bell.

“Don’t defy Jin-sama!”

“Yeah, right. No thank you”

With a thud, Shion’s fist struck the stomach of the man.

Relieved that he had fainted properly, Shion started to break the bell.

“It’s a little painful to destroy a symbol of the city, but ……”

He had no choice but to make up his mind. From what he experienced so far, destroying this will not immediately undo the brainwashing of the people in the city.

But if he leaves it, there is a risk that it will be sounded again after the effect wears off and people will be manipulated again.

Shion destroys the bell with a slash of wind that can destroy even large rocks. However, this does not seem to be a relief. There is a strange sound coming from below, and he looks down to see Haku fighting with someone.

His white fur was changed to green and he was also clad in wind. Since he had changed into a green fox with the attribute of wind, he was no ordinary resident.

That much was immediately clear, but Shion could not see the enemy. No, even Haku, who was in the middle of a battle, didn’t know who he was dealing with.

A large number of large stones, wood, and even benches in the square were floating in the air, and they flew at Haku on their own. Of course, he wouldn’t take any damage from that, but the attacks continued to be annoying as if the assailant trying to get Haku on his back.

“Telekinesis, huh? But, where is the caster?”

It is classified as non-attributed magic and can manipulate matter as desired.

The ability of Telekinesis people is often measured by their ability to move heavier and larger objects faster. However, even the most advanced telekinetic cannot apply force to living things. If you have mastered it to that level, the government will usually not leave you alone.

Shion’s eyes searched the square for anyone hiding there. With that level of aggression, there was no need to go save Haku.

The first priority was to find the caster, but then suddenly an unusual situation occurred. All the trees planted in the plaza were pulled out at the same time and floated up into the air.

There were nearly thirty of them, both large and small.

They overlapped and fell from above, crushing Haku. There were so many of them and they were so heavy and fast that even Haku could not react.

Shion jumped down from the tower and landed nearby.

“Haku, you need some help?”

‘I’m fine. It barely scratches me’

Haku emerges from the overlapping trees with a reply that seems to have a lot of energy to spare. His body hair had changed to brown, and it was obvious that he had undergone an attribute change.

The earthy brown foxes hardened their bodies, so they increased their defenses and withstood the heavy trees.

“Where’s your opponent?”

‘I don’t see anything that looks like an enemy. The only thing is, there’s a girl over there, and I want to protect her’

Haku extends his gaze to a place less than ten meters away. There is a bench that has not been affected by telekinesis, and a blonde girl is hiding face down underneath it.

I guess she hid under the bench to avoid being damaged by the telekinetic attack. It was a wise decision.

‘I want to help her, but there’s a possibility that she’ll be targeted if I get close so I didn’t. But now the attacks have stopped and Shion-san is here’

“Let’s go together”

As they move to the bench, Haku carefully watches the surroundings, and Shion reaches out to the girl.

“Can you come out?”

“…it’s…not scary…anymore…?”

“It’s alright now”

The girl comes out from under the bench and brushes the dirt from her pretty dress with her hand. She had blond hair and blue eyes and was about seven or eight years old. She has a lovely face that makes him want to see her mother’s face, and Shion imagines she will be very beautiful in the future.

The first thing she did was to let out her impressions of Haku, which she saw up close.

“Big…Fox Monster-san…”

‘Oh! You have a very good eye, even at such a young age! I’m often mistaken for a wolf or some other unidentifiable monster. I’m almost touched that you guessed correctly’

Haku was excited and happy, but Shion raised his eyebrows in the opposite direction. He couldn’t help but be curious about the word “Monster Fox”. It’s understandable If it was just a fox, so how could a child of this age say it was a Monster Fox?

And precisely because it is a mutant of the Monster Fox, it is not a widely known entity. It’s suspicious even if you’ve already been informed about it to guess it on first look.

“What is it?”

“Nope, nothing at all”

Shion shook his head, wondering if he was thinking too much. The girl didn’t seem to have any killing intent or hostility. In the first place, a person of this age can’t use magic of that level.

The amount of magical energy increases in proportion to the growth of the body. In other words, if you are a child, you tend to have less magic power than an adult.

Shion asked the girl her name. She replied, “Mei”

“Where are Mei’s mom and dad?”

“I don’t have mom or dad. Just Granpa”

“Okay, where is your Granpa?”

“He went out a while ago and didn’t come back. He said he got caught by some bad guys.”

“Bad guys… Do you have any idea who that is?”

May nodded responsively and used both hands to point at Haku and Shion.

“Shion and Haku. The two of them have done something bad to Granpa. If I defeat them, Granpa will come back. So, Mei has to defeat them”

Shion and the other froze at the unexpected reply. They were not only surprised by the content of the answer, but also by the fact that she knew their names even though they had not told her their names.

It might be the enemy’s assassin after all - it was the same time when Shion pulled out his sword, he and Haku were forced to float up.

‘Whaa?? Wai… What is going on?’

Invisible power. Shion intuited that this was the same as the telekinesis he had seen earlier.

It’s amazing to be able to lift a living creature, especially Haku, even just for a moment.

“Mei stopped their movements”

At the same time May said this, a man arrived by teleportation magic.

“Well done, Mei. That’s a genius girl that even Jin-sama recognizes!”

As soon as Abarth appeared, he touched Haku in the air and quickly transferred. He must have sensed from experience that if he took his time, he would be killed by Shion.

That action was very quick.

“You were working for a Hero. Where did he take Haku?”

“A place where there are people who are good at hunting monsters. Mei said she was going to defeat Shion. Then I can help Granpa”

“I see, I think I’ve got the gist of what you’re saying”

It becomes clear why the Brainwashing Hero chose this city as the stage for their battle.

No doubt, this little girl is the reason. Shion is not sure if it’s brainwashing or just deceiving, but it’s succeeded in making her do this.

And he has to admit that the Brainwashing Hero’s tactic is excellent.

If he fought straightforwardly, Shion might lose.

Mei’s potential in battle was that high.