My dear witch, please turn evil according to the script!

Chapter 129 If you don't give me benefits, it's hard for me to do things for you.
Ignoring the slightly eerie "mutterings" for the moment, Roland shook his head at Cellina after hanging the gauntlet back on his back.

"It must be an illusion..."

"Well, it must be an illusion."

Cellina gave Roland a serious look: "Don't be careless. Don't forget that you're under the watchful eyes of those lunatics from the Chaos Brotherhood."

"Putting everything else aside, have you forgotten the experience of Miss Kalia being almost controlled by the other party through illusion magic?"

Roland shook his head: "Of course I haven't forgotten, but I'm pretty sure this isn't an illusion."

After all, if what I just heard was an illusion, even if the curse counter hadn't worked, there must have been some purpose in casting an illusion, right?
Why would I listen to that cryptic audio clip?
Even if what he said was truly the remnant soul of the Demon King residing in this gauntlet, wanting him to release it.

You haven't given me any substantial reward.

I can't really help you with just words.

I'll only consider letting you go after I've squeezed out all your remaining value.

He only talks the talk, and his mental state isn't quite right when he speaks, which puts me, Luo, in a difficult position.

Although she felt Roland lacked vigilance, Cellinina, who still saw herself as a "bodyguard," didn't say anything more.

Bodyguards, aren't they there to take bullets for their employers?
The problem is that the employer hasn't paid him the "wages" he was supposed to receive yet.

I'll find another opportunity to urge them again.

"Alright, as long as you're confident. Let's go meet up with Ms. Flam now."

"Ah."

Roland nodded, and then he and Cellina quickly arrived at the huge square in the center of town.

The square, which used to be bustling with pedestrians, was now nearly deserted.

Even the few citizens walking on the streets were all in a hurry, carrying the food they had urgently purchased and running two steps at a time.

"It seems that even though the war is taking place in Blackthorn Territory, such an emergency that breaks out in the heart of the empire is still bound to cause panic."

Cellina leaned against a wall, picking up a half-eaten sandwich cookie and sighing.

Roland's gaze also fell on Cellina: "You like these cookies that much?"

"Hmm, it tastes good. And it's quite good for killing time."

"It's a pity that it seems to be only sold in Blackthorn Territory, since I've never seen it in the capital."

"It's a local specialty? Perfect. Once we've dealt with the trouble in Blackthorn Territory, you can buy more. After all, Kalia ate almost all of what you bought last time, right?"

Upon hearing this, Cellina silently stopped chewing: "...Yeah, I don't know why she can eat so much."

After saying that, Cellina took a cookie from the cookie box in her pocket and handed it to Roland: "Want to try some?"

"Okay, what flavor?"

"Cream filling".

"Why not buy chocolate? Oh, sorry."

Realizing he had misspoke, Roland silently apologized and then started munching on a cookie.

But at this moment, the incessant whisper that kept repeating "I am the Demon King, release me!" changed its tune.

"Hey, can I have a bite?"

Roland: "..."

Celinina: “…”

The two exchanged a glance, and then, under Cellina's somewhat horrified gaze, Roland sighed helplessly: "You heard it too?"

"...Hmm. Could I have fallen under an illusion spell too?"

"I already said it's not an illusion."

Roland sighed, then took the gauntlet off his back again: "If I'm not mistaken, it's this thing that's talking."

"!!!"

Upon hearing this, Cellina was so startled that she almost dropped the cookies in her hand, nearly spilling them all over the floor.

"You...you mean...this gauntlet is talking?"

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Roland laughed. “Besides, the prototype itself possesses a soul, and there’s even a remnant of the Demon King’s soul residing inside. Didn’t you and Ms. Flam mention all this information together?”

"Having heard of it before is one thing, but shouldn't one be surprised when seeing it for the first time?"

Roland fiddled with the gauntlet, and the sound coming from inside it became noticeably louder.

Would it be better to disassemble this thing into even smaller pieces?
Safety first.

Since I have my own system, I won't have to worry about getting more equipment in the future.

Just as the thought popped into Roland's mind, the whispering that had been repeating itself suddenly stopped.

It was as abrupt as pressing the pause button on a tape recorder.

Seeing that the thing had quieted down, Cellina moved closer to Roland and asked, "What's going on with this thing now?"

"I don't know. Let's wait for Ms. Fram to arrive and let her, as a professional, take a look."

"Maybe even that silly cat Nash knows."

Roland didn't hesitate for long, because he had already seen Flam and Kalia returning not far away.

"You guys resolved it so quickly?" Flam looked at the two who had obviously been waiting for a long time, a hint of surprise on her face.

"It's just a matter of exchanging pleasantries, it shouldn't be that slow," Roland muttered, then asked, "So, Ms. Flam, are you going to fly us there now, or will we use some other method to get to Blackthorn Territory?" "The Marquis told me that he just used the military teleportation array in the city this afternoon, and it's still cooling down. The earliest it can be used is the morning after tomorrow."

Frum sighed: "Of course I flew you there, what else do you think I went to buy?"

"Here, one for each of you. Keep them safe on your person."

Roland took the object that Flam handed him, which resembled a knitting needle, and after examining it for a while, asked curiously, "It looks like some kind of magical tool used for transmitting spells?"

"Yes, after all, my flight technique can only allow me to fly alone in theory."

"Even if I bring people, I can only carry one person at most. I don't have that many hands."

"We'll have to make some temporary purchases of these items."

"Not great, not reliable, but enough for us to get to Blackthorn Territory."

Kalia chuckled beside her: "This stuff is still slow-moving."

"When the boss saw that we bought so many at once, he simply gave us several for free."

Roland felt uneasy watching Kalia wave two needle-like magical tools at him, looking smug as if she had gotten a small advantage.

Are these unsold mass-produced goods... can their safety really be guaranteed?

Well, I'll just have to make do with this. If it really doesn't work, I'll just have to use Flash to get around.

Anyway, with me and Flam around, even if the magical tools are unreliable, nothing unexpected will happen.

Seeing the expression on Roland's face, Flam punched Roland's knee unhappily: "Hey, you brat, don't you trust my judgment at all?"

"Don't worry, I've made some adjustments to these things. Sharing my flight technique is fine!"

"Alright, alright, you decide."

"Hey, hey, hey, don't just make that decision! Even though I'm a cat now, please consider my safety, okay!?"

Nash, who was already back in Kalia's arms, quickly called out.

It can't fly now!

Its pitiful cries went unnoticed by anyone, so it had no choice but to seek refuge with a different master.

With a big leap, he jumped from Kalia's arms into Roland's coat pocket.

Then he slipped down the collar and into Roland's inner pocket.

Highlighting one's professional competence.

Just as the group had put on their magical gear and were preparing to take off directly into the city, an unfamiliar voice suddenly rang out.

"Hey! Wait! Hold on a second! Roland, you bastard, slow down!"

"Huh!?" x4
The three people and the cat in front of Roland all cast suspicious glances at him simultaneously.

Especially Kalia and Cellina.

The reason for Kalia's death is self-evident.

Cellina, on the other hand, was mostly skeptical and curious.

That can't be right. This guy hasn't had time to fool around since he came to the city, and I've been following him the whole time. I haven't seen him have any contact with other women.

What's going on? Could this be Roland's past misdeeds?

Damn, this kid is only sixteen years old, right?
As for Flam... well, she's on the same side as Cherlinina, watching the show.

After glancing at Roland, she focused her attention on Kalia.

Before Kalia could react, Roland explained, somewhat speechlessly, "No, why are you all looking at me like that?"

"Do you think I have absolutely no credibility in your eyes?"

"besides……"

Roland reached out and stopped the short, red-haired girl with glasses, who was only half a head taller than Fram, from running towards him, saying, "Do you think I would like this type of girl?"

Cellina recalled Iluvia's appearance and figure, then glanced at Kalia, before shaking her head: "It seems unlikely."

When Kalia saw Cherlinina's gaze, she silently turned her head away.

She blushed a little.

Fram was quite annoyed: "Roland, what do you mean?!"

"Ahem, I didn't mean anything by it... Besides, shouldn't we ask who this guy is first?"

Roland changed the subject, then used his free hand to point at the little girl who was being held back by Roland's hand and was now baring her teeth and claws.

It was rare for Flam to see someone who was roughly at her level, someone she didn't have to look up to, so she took the initiative to step forward and ask, "Who are you? What are you planning to do? What is your relationship with Roland?"

"Hmm... white hair, pointed ears, and even a little shorter than me, oh! You must be Ms. Flam! It's an honor to meet you!"

The red-haired girl immediately reached out and grabbed Flam's hands, then shook them up and down excitedly.

"My name is Mash! I'm your fan! Ah, I'm a magic researcher from the Aslan Academy branch!"

"As for Roland... ever since he entered our Knowledge Reserve Hall last time, the text has been garbled. We've been trying to fix it for almost half a month and it's still not fully fixed!"

"Everyone in the society who's busy doing experiments and writing papers wishes they could eat this thing dipped in butter!"

"Oh right, are you planning to go to Blackthorn Territory to provide support? Take me with you!"

"Those guys didn't even call me before they set off. I was only two minutes late because I went to prepare my secret weapon!"

(End of this chapter)