Volume 4, Chapter 23 – Reversal

Using [Advanced Teleportation] and the [Omniscient Map], Yisi quickly returned to Elden City through a series of consecutive teleports. Unlike when she left, the once sunny Elden City was now covered in dark clouds. The rolling, dense clouds, combined with the howling wind, created an oppressive feeling of an impending storm. If the Magic Fairy were any lighter, it might have been blown away by the strong winds.

“Is it going to rain?”

Clicking her tongue, Yisi locked onto Edith’s position and teleported nearby.

In the vast courtyard, soldiers were arranged in neat rows. Edith, Refina, the fallen angel Hetty, and the fallen angel Samael were surrounded by them, while Count Pescia stood at the main entrance of the mansion.

After checking Edith’s status bar and seeing no abnormal conditions like mind control, Yisi felt relieved. Taking advantage of her small size, she quietly hid in the flower bushes in the courtyard, slowly approaching the count’s eldest daughter to catch their conversation.

“That’s enough.”

Sternly stopping the fighting group, Count Pescia walked with a solemn expression to the center of the soldiers, next to Edith and Hetty.

So the main character has arrived… ¹ popcorn ready!!! ikz

Although Count Pescia was Edith’s father by seniority, in appearance, he looked like a human male in his early thirties. His short white hair and armor gave him a rather sharp look. Combined with his sharp eyes and azure pupils, he gave off the impression that his will was unshakable.

Quietly observing the situation, Yisi sneaked to a position where she could support Edith at any time. According to Edith, as long as she stood before Count Pescia, everything would be resolved. Therefore, all Yisi needed to do was prevent her from being ambushed by a sudden attack from Samael.

Seeing Count Pescia, Edith clutched her limp left hand and lowered her head. Her blue eyes held neither hope nor excitement, but the same respect as always.

“Father.”

Count Pescia’s gaze lingered on Edith for a moment, a look of confusion in his green eyes.

“…Viel?”

And right behind Count Pescia, Hetty also called out to him.

“Father.”

Count Pescia’s gaze quickly shifted to Hetty and remained there for a full five seconds. From Yisi’s perspective, she could clearly see a momentary haze in his eyes—Hetty must have done something to him during this time.

The haze quickly disappeared, and Count Pescia’s expression returned to its usual majesty.

Rеαd оn КαtReаdіոgСаfе

“Viel, what happened?”

“The impostor I mentioned before broke in. I tried to stop her, but she fought back.”

Also clutching her left shoulder, which had been wounded by Gungnir, Hetty pointed at Edith with a grim expression. Upon seeing the wound on Hetty’s shoulder, Count Pescia’s majestic face instantly became terrifying.

His gaze finally locked onto Edith.

“So you are the impostor. Seize her!”

The second half of the sentence was directed at the surrounding soldiers, but the soldiers in the courtyard didn’t move. They hesitated, as if caught in a dilemma, inching forward timidly.

Count Pescia, of course, noticed this, and his brows furrowed deeply.

“What’s wrong? Are you afraid of a mere impostor? Even if she is a pureblood, she has no right to harm my daughter!”

“I’d like to see who dares to touch me today!”

Right after Count Pescia, Edith sharply rebuked the soldiers. The surrounding soldiers collectively took a step back and could no longer advance.

Edith took this opportunity to place a hand on her chest, a look of anxiety appearing in her blue eyes for the first time.

“Father! Don’t you recognize me? The one beside you is the impostor. She has manipulated you with mind magic, intending to harm the entire Pescia terri—”

“Silence. I’m not so old that I can’t recognize my own daughter.” Without letting Edith finish, Count Pescia interrupted her and drew the longsword from his waist. “What are you waiting for? Those who disobey a military order will be dealt with by military law!”

But even with his warning, the soldiers still didn’t dare to take a step. One of them couldn’t help but shout, “But Count, this one is your daughter…”

“That is the devil’s bewitchment. You have been deceived by her mind magic. Only a father who is immune to mind control is unaffected.” Enduring the pain from her shoulder, Hetty walked step by step to Count Pescia’s side. “Father, I implore you to eliminate her.”

“I know… Viel, go rest in the back. Leave the rest to me.”

“Please be careful.”

Reаԁ оո КаtRеаdiոɡCαfe

Retreating behind Count Pescia, Hetty curved her lips into a slight smile, visible only to Edith. After learning that Edith was on her way, to prevent her lie from being exposed, she had temporarily thought of a way to make Count Pescia unable to recognize Edith even upon seeing her, without directly controlling him.

Just as she could alter her own appearance in the Count’s eyes, she only needed to modify his perception of Edith’s appearance into that of someone else to achieve her goal.

There was a prerequisite for this kind of mental interference magic: both Hetty and the subject of the spell had to first see the person in question—it couldn’t be a read memory—before the spell could be cast. This was why the Count could recognize Edith at first but not later.

Of course, such magic was not without its flaws. If Edith left the Count’s line of sight, the interference magic would gradually lose its effect over time. The next time the Count saw Edith, Hetty would have to use the mental interference again. Therefore, when a peaceful resolution failed, Hetty chose to eliminate Edith directly.

In short, all Hetty could do to Count Pescia now was to change how others looked in his eyes, and if the target left his presence for a while, the effect of this interference would disappear on its own.

This flaw also applied to Hetty herself. If she left the Count’s side for too long, he would no longer see her as Loiswell, which was why she never strayed far from him.

“Since you have been bewitched by a demon, I will deal with you myself.”

Gripping his longsword with both hands in a standard defensive stance, Count Pescia stared at Edith, whose left arm had been broken by Samael’s attack.

“Count, this is the real Master!”

“So even Refina has been bewitched.”

“Have you forgotten Master—”

“Refina, be quiet.” Rebuking Refina, Edith raised Gungnir with one hand, her blue eyes suppressing a sense of urgency. “Father, have you forgotten this weapon that Mother left for me? A weapon unique in all the world.”

“Viel has already told me that Gungnir was stolen by a thief while she was away.”

“How could such a precious weapon be so easily stolen by a thief! Have you completely forgotten what Mother told you on her deathbed!”

“Told me?”

Count Pescia hesitated for a moment.

Edith’s mother had indeed instructed him on her deathbed to take good care of Edith and, if possible, to find a gentle partner who would be considerate of him and understand Edith.

Because this instruction was too heavy, Edith had never mentioned it in front of him after her mother’s death, and Count Pescia had only fulfilled the first half of the promise, never considering remarrying.

Reaԁ οո ΚαtRеаdiոɡCafе

Seeing her father hesitate, Edith immediately recited the complete instruction, which played right into Hetty’s hands.

People only pay attention to what they want to pay attention to. Unpleasant things will slowly fade with time and eventually disappear. For Count Pescia, he had never taken remarriage to heart, only seeing it as a final kind gesture from his partner. Thus, after decades, his wife’s dying words had already taken on another form in his memory.

This was Hetty’s greatest trump card, the reason she wasn’t afraid of Edith’s return. Having read the Count’s memories, she could always say what best matched them.

“Mother only said to take care of me and to understand everything I do in the future. She never said for you to remarry, Father. Don’t drag this out any longer.”

“Ah, don’t worry, Viel.”

Without giving Edith any more time to speak, Count Pescia spread his vampire wings, his entire body glowing with a red light.

Although Count Pescia was an excellent administrator of his territory, his own combat ability was not to be underestimated. His level had reached 25. If Edith were at her peak, she might have been able to fight him, but with her left arm unusable, her chances of winning were infinitely close to zero.

[Dancing Blade Flurry]

A high-level sword skill that could deliver seven consecutive slashes in a short time, instantly overwhelming an opponent. Count Pescia’s intention had shifted from capturing Edith to killing her. Even though the killing of purebloods was forbidden among the blood clan, with his daughter having been attacked, the Count had already disregarded such rules.

Edith took a step back to create space to block the attack. Normally, she could counter [Dancing Blade Flurry] with a similar spear technique. In an open field, a long spear had a far greater advantage than a sword, but now she could only try to avoid vital points and counterattack without taking heavy damage.

The first slash came down toward her left shoulder.

Catching sight of the attack, Edith blocked the powerful blow. The numbness in her arm made her hesitate for a moment.

Immediately following was a blade of light slashing toward her right shoulder.

Her arm was already numb; she couldn’t possibly bring it back in time.

She could only try to avoid having her right hand severed.

Edith leaned her body slightly, trying to dodge the downward slash, but the sword, almost too fast to see, was already at her right elbow.

This is bad.

If I get hit head-on, my entire arm will be lopped off.

Reaԁ οո KαtRеaԁіnɡCаfе

Abandoning her balance, Edith fell backward. The longsword tore through her clothes, leaving a deep, gaping wound on her right arm.

“Ugh.”

With the dull thud of her back hitting the ground, an uncontrollable grunt escaped Edith’s throat. Then, a figure rushed from Count Pescia’s side. A metal gauntlet with spikes, taking advantage of the moment he was still attacking, slammed heavily into his waist.

The third sword strike, which was meant to finish Edith, was interrupted by the surprise attack. Count Pescia stumbled back several steps.

“Samael, what are you still looking at!”

“Tch, Refina, have the assassins—”

“If you let out the ‘you’ from before, I might have been able to help you, but unfortunately…”

A faint voice appeared by her ear. The hair on Edith’s entire body stood on end, her alertness instantly raised to its peak.

The almost inaudible sound of wind came from her side.

I can’t dodge it.

Even with every cell in her body screaming, it was an unavoidable killing blow.

It was time to use ‘that’—even though it might lead to irreversible consequences.

Edith invoked the final magic in her heart.

[Env—]

‘Still trying to act tough at a time like this.’

First, she had the Magic Fairy teleport into the count’s eldest daughter’s clothes, then forcibly interrupted Edith’s control over the body. Just as the short blade was about to slit her neck, Yisi took complete control.

[Third Form Awakening] ² ugh.. overkill…