The woman whose throat Leon Casmod had pinned struggled twice—but there was no way she could shake him when every parameter of his strength was pushed to its limit.

She clenched his wrist tightly and gritted her teeth.

“Damn it… how could anyone break free of my illusion magic this quickly… those were the things buried deepest in your hearts—the things you never wanted to face.”

Leon raised an eyebrow, turned his head to glance at Rosvisser Melkvey beside him, then gave a short laugh and shrugged.

“I trust the bond between my wife and me more than any empty illusion.”

“My husband…”

For some reason, a fleeting trace of envy surfaced in the woman’s eyes.

It vanished almost instantly.

That emotion was quickly replaced by exhaustion and resignation.

She released her arms and closed her eyes.

“Do whatever you want with me. But please… spare my husband.”

Her husband?

Leon and Rosvisser turned to look at the man nearby, whose hands and feet were bound by magic-sealing chains.

So he was her… husband?

Tied up like that—it really did look as if he were some sworn enemy.

Rosvisser withdrew her gaze and spoke softly.

“We have no intention of taking your life. We only want to retrieve what you took from this forest.”

The woman froze briefly, then reached into her pocket and took out the Mevis Bracelet.

Rosvisser accepted it and examined it carefully.

She herself had never handled a relic of the God of Wisdom, so she couldn’t determine its authenticity.

But given the short amount of time involved, this woman clearly lacked the ability to forge a convincing counterfeit.

Rosvisser put the bracelet ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) away, then continued,

“Before we let you leave, I need to know your purpose for stealing it.”

As she spoke, she called softly, “Leon.”

Leon understood at once. He released the woman’s throat and instead formed a pair of shackles from lightning magic, snapping them tightly around her wrists.

“If you use magic—even the slightest trace—these restraints will instantly unleash lightning powerful enough to kill you,” Leon said calmly. “Do you understand?”

The woman bit her lip and nodded.

“I understand.”

Only then did the couple finally relax slightly. It seemed this strange pair truly were not the kind of vicious criminals they had first suspected.

“Then let’s sit down and talk properly,” Rosvisser said.

She ignited a campfire with dragonfire nearby, and the group sat around it.

After a moment of silence, the woman slowly spoke.

“My name is Fanny. He is my husband, Owen.”

Leon looked toward the man called Owen.

His eyes were vacant, fixed on the ground, with no intention of speaking at all.

Owen’s condition looked like some form of severe mental damage.

That made Leon suspect that Fanny’s risk in stealing the Mevis Bracelet had been for Owen’s sake.

“My husband and I grew up together,” Fanny continued. “From a very young age, we trained illusion magic side by side. Our dream was to one day enter the 【Church of Communion】.”

At those words, Rosvisser frowned slightly.

“The Church of Communion? That is…”

“It’s said to be the gathering place of all illusion-specialist mages across the Samael Continent,” Fanny explained. “The most miraculous and greatest illusion magics in history are preserved there. Every illusion mage longs to enter it. Owen and I were no exception. Until some time ago, when we finally passed the church’s trials and became members. Yet before we could even celebrate, we discovered the truth behind it. The gathering of illusion mages was only a disguise. Its true nature is that of a cult devoted to an extreme doctrine. Once we realized that, Owen and I decided to leave. But it was already too late. To buy me time to escape, Owen was captured by the church. I was branded a traitor and hunted down. Though I was forcibly brainwashed and barely managed to forget everything… I eventually recovered my memories. That’s why I came here to steal the bracelet.”

After Fanny finished speaking, the three exchanged glances.

After a silent look passed between them, Leon asked:

“You said this Church of Communion follows an extreme doctrine. What exactly do you mean?”

“They believe that all living beings should merge their individual consciousness into a collective ‘will,’” Fanny replied.

“Once a person reaches adulthood, everything they think, feel, or do becomes public thought—public intent—public awareness. In that way, true 【mutual understanding】 can be achieved. If everyone understands one another completely, then there will be no conflict, no schemes, no war or strife. All thoughts would be transparent. That is the world the Church of Communion believes to be ideal.”

Rosvisser’s gaze shifted slightly.

“If that were all, it wouldn’t be enough to define them as a cult. Any doctrine can construct a grand ideal to attract believers. That in itself isn’t unusual.”

She then looked again at Owen, who had clearly been brainwashed.

“But judging from your husband’s condition, the means they use to achieve this ‘mutual understanding’ are extremely radical—and violate all moral boundaries. Am I right?”

Fanny nodded.

“Yes. They use a deeply sinister form of illusion magic to forcibly strip a person’s consciousness—or rather, their soul—and merge it into the so-called collective consciousness. Those who lose their consciousness in this way become true followers of the church. They call them… Communion Ones.”

Communion Ones.

At last, that sounded properly cult-like.

And there was something else that caught Leon’s attention—Fanny’s mention of that “sinister illusion magic.”

A spell capable of forcibly stripping consciousness.

Atos had once used some kind of magic to seal the previous Void Sovereign’s consciousness into what later became the Magic Eye.

Could there be a connection between the two?

Or was it merely coincidence?

“After becoming a Communion One, your husband shares consciousness with them?” Rosvisser asked.

Fanny gave a low hum of confirmation. She lifted her hand and gently brushed Owen’s weathered cheek.

“To prevent Owen from exposing our location through the collective consciousness, I planted an illusion barrier in his mind. It barely severs his connection to the Church of Communion. Right now, Owen is like someone who has lost the instinct of a living being. He doesn’t even recognize me. When the barrier fades and his memories and consciousness flow back, he may attack me. That’s why I put the magic-sealing chains on him.”

A pair of tragic lovers.

Rosvisser sighed inwardly. No wonder, when she had heard Leon speaking with such certainty earlier, a trace of sorrowful envy had flickered in Fanny’s eyes.

When one’s own love had been shattered beyond repair, how could one not envy others?

“So to recover your husband’s consciousness—or his soul—you came here to steal the bracelet?” Rosvisser pressed.

“Yes.”

Fanny admitted it quietly.

“There’s a legend passed down among us—that a sacred relic lies within the Cold Mist Forest, one capable of calling back lost souls. But for hundreds of years, no one has ever left this place alive.”

She let out a heavy sigh.

“But if Owen is gone, what meaning does my life have left? I could only bring him here and try to find that relic—to call his soul back.”

Rosvisser lowered her eyes to the Mevis Bracelet in her hand. After a moment of silence, she asked softly:

“But judging from the outcome… you failed. The bracelet couldn’t restore Owen’s soul?”

“Yes.”

Fanny wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes and whispered:

“Because inside that bracelet… there was no power at all.”