Being a Walker of Illusion, is dangerous and these last few days had proven me right in many occasions.
The passive skill [disillusioned] helped me a lot with its innate strong sense of self, but I knew it would not be enough in the long run.
Compiling all the knowledge of psychology I attained in the Hotel Morvane, and with the book I just found in the library, it was finally time to make some real contributions to my own Codex of Errancy.
Every other path had it easy. Meditation, mana breathing, body temperament. Even spell creation was not needed in most cases, they all had their own family grimoires after all.
I on the other hand, needed to put in the effort myself.
The mana breathing technique, was coming up good, but it still needed some tweaking, I would probably have to steal the techniques the other heirs used to finish it.
The body temperament, I had no clue on how to even begin.
As for the meditation, something that others used to replenish their mana and stamina quickly, it had a complete different meaning to me.
The constant use of doppelgängers was putting a strain on my mind, sometimes even deceiving myself. That needed to end now.
It was clear that the path of the Error had some semblance of madness and undoing in it, I needed to be able to always remember, always be free. I needed to make the concept of self so intricate into my soul that nothing could shake me.
That's how, once I reached my dorm, I begun writing on my research booklet.
Meditation of the self: Singular Reflection.
______________________
3148639 482 40281774
"Again, every time the young master starts to write on that book, I can't make heads or tails about what he's up to."
It's been sometime since I started serving Young Master Crow and the change that happened after that banquet was undeniable.
He stopped speaking, even his orders were written on pieces of paper and left for me to execute, I thought he was spiraling in an unending depression; only to discover he was seething with fury.
Master Dionen's order when the punishment started and Crow changed were as simple as impossible: make him happy and ready to forgive and forget what happened between us, use magic if necessary.
Yet everything failed miserably.
I tried talking reason into it? He ignored me.
I tried being as subservient as possible? Ignored.
I tried seducing him? Ignored.
But when I was ready to throw the towel and used magic. Something horrible happened.
I lost consciousness and when I woke up the bones of my arms and legs were all broken.
He's reacted to confusion magic before it could take effect, probably hit me with his [Foxfire] spell that against all logic he was able to silent cast and when I wasn't able to react because of the pain, he broke my bones.
When I came to, one of his Doppelgängers was waiting with a piece of paper in hand, it turned it and the writing was as clear as the summer sky: try using magic against me one more time and it will be the last spell you ever cast.
That's when I went back to the master to report, I needed to get stronger, or some kind of artefact to protect me from his mental attacks.
The duke gave me 2 artefacts, one to protect myself from mind attacks and the other to conceal my mana when casting spells. And this was the only possible time I could act.
From the moment the young master entered the academy, his demeanour had changed again. Sure he was much more focused, but his guard against me seemed to have lowered considerably.
It was now or never.
I approached the young master and from behind his back, I lifted my hand.
[Mind erasure.]
______________________
[attention, memory manipulation type of spell has been used on you.
The skill [Disillusioned] has effectively cancelled the spell.]
There we go, finally showing your true colors Judas?
I stopped in my tracks and faked a completely voided expression.
"Young master, you love very much your adoptive father and your brother."
"I do."
"Young master, your father has never punished you and only showered you with love and gifts."
"He did."
"Young master, you appreciate all the other heirs and would like to collaborate with each and everyone of them."
"That'd be lovely."
He exhaled, convinced his spell had worked and decided it was time to push for more informations.
Not once did he doubt his success. So I just played along.
"Young master. What is the matrix formation for the correct [foxfire] spell?"
"Mirage at the top corner of a triangle, confusion at the left corner, mind at the right corner, a circle enclosing the triangle, another triangle enclosing the circle, but upside down. Burn to the left, freeze to the right."
"Very well, wait here without doing anything, please."
"Of course."
He left to probably report his findings to whatever higher up he needed to report and I got back to writing my meditation technique, only the gods knew how long he would take to finish up his duties and I wouldn't just stand there idly.
I also needed to send some doppelgängers into the city market to buy somethings. But that could wait until Judas came back. After all he needed to be punished and brought back to his sweet father.
When Judas came back half an hour later he froze at the sight welcoming him.
One Crow close the door behind him, another threw a card at him and another Crow started filming on his phone.
In the card he found written the description of a seizure and then Crow spoke.
"Hhaaa, this really was a satisfying prank, you honestly believed your spell worked and even gave your higher ups a spell that would fireback and cause a seizure to the caster, now this is true poetry."
He was completely frozen and I started laughing, my laughter becoming louder and louder every moment, I was relishing.
"Was it worth it Judas? Was it worth it not respecting my orders and try to cast magic on me again?"
I started walking towards him, slowly, deliberately.
"Were those 30 pieces of silver worth your betrayal Judas? Were they worth your life?"
He finally found the strength to talk back.
"My life belongs to the Duke, there was no payment. I only did what was necessary."
"I see, but you know Judas? You're wrong about something."
"What, you think you can kill me? I have a protection artefact against mind attacks, your magic is useless and we both know who is stronger with a blade."
"You're wrong again Judas. Here's a thing. With all the talent in magic you have seen from me, do you really believe I only walked the path of mental attacks? Do you take me for a fool?"
His eyes widened at the realisation.
Everyone could create elemental magic with a little effort and with my talent for magic, it was obvious I would have done so.
I could see reality dawn on him.
"Let's make this as slow and painful as possible. [Decay]"
The screams were a melody I didn't know I needed to hear. After all the tension and rage I had been through, finally have someone pay the price for all that mistreatment was beautiful.
When the job was finally finished, I only had a brilliant smile plastered across my face.
Limbs and pieces of flesh on the ground blackened beyond belief, blood pooled around the corpse like a tapestry encasing an art piece, internal organs rendered nothing more than a beautiful mush of nothingness.
This was something really worth showing to my dad.
Or not.
I had just committed murder in cold blood.
And not a shred of guilt was present in my entire being.
"He had it coming. I did warn him."
When I ordered my doppelgängers to start cleaning, I noticed 3 small but delightful details on the corpse of my butler.
Objects my system immediately recognised.
[Ring of serenity: protects against mental attacks up to the rank of a Trailer.]
[Choker of normalcy: masks your mana and mana manipulation for everyone of your rank and below.]
[Judas' Inventory Card: locked with the Eternal curse of Disorder]
I didn't waste a second and wore the dead man's choker with no regrets whatsoever.
"Such bountiful goods, should I tell dad that my butler escaped after trying to kill me and failing or should I just come out with it?"