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A somewhat old streetlamp cast a dim, orange glow, providing faint illumination for the alley.
Touko Aozaki removed her black-framed glasses, her expression cold as she faced the three figures in hooded cloaks at the alley entrance ahead.
Without turning, Touko knew the rear entrance was also surrounded by mages; a 'Bystander Dispersion' barrier had already been cast over the alley.
"Quite the production. Only thirty Sealing Designation Enforcers, and you send three of them after a mere puppet master like me, who isn't even skilled in combat?"
Touko's lips curved upwards, her voice icy.
"Correction, two. I am not an Enforcer," the man at the head of the trio said, pulling down his hood to reveal his face, his tone flat.
"You're that Magus from this evening?" Touko frowned, her expression darkening slightly.
"The inheritor of 'Orange,' or perhaps, Touko Aozaki, the Scarred Red. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Kellar Barthomeloi Verlaine." Kellar gave Touko a gentlemanly bow, his expression gentle, his voice calm.
"Scarred Red? Indeed. Orange, so close to the primary color 'Red,' yet not quite red. A flawed, painful red indeed." Touko looked at Kellar, a humorless smile on her face, her previously cold gaze now fiercely sharp.
Though she desperately wanted to slaughter Kellar, Touko was keenly aware that she wasn't a combat-oriented Magus. Dealing with even one Enforcer would be a struggle, let alone three. Her only option now was to play along, bide her time, and look for an opportunity to escape.
"Well then, Miss Touko Aozaki, would you consider marrying into my Verlaine family? In return, we will do everything in our power to help you remove the Sealing Designation," Kellar said, straightening up, a cold glint in his eyes, his tone flat.
"Marrying into Verlaine, a branch family of Barthomeloi, will remove the Sealing Designation? What an irresistible offer—" Touko's tense face relaxed, yet the ferocity in her orange eyes intensified.
Touko didn't doubt their ability to remove her Sealing Designation.
Although the Bureau of Esoteric Decrees, the bureau that issued Sealing Designations, was an independent organization, it ultimately answered to the Faculty of Law—
—And as the Lord family of the Faculty of Law, the Barthomeloi family naturally held considerable power within the Bureau. While Verlaine was merely a branch family, they were still capable of removing a single Sealing Designation.
Of course, the prerequisite was Touko marrying into the Verlaine family and becoming a breeding tool for the family.
Yes, for the family—
Kellar had been very clear: Marry into the Verlaine family.
"So, Miss Aozaki, do you accept this condition?"
Kellar asked, his voice gentle. Ever since hearing from Haru that Touko Aozaki's puppetry skills had reached the level of True Magic—his Magus mind had been buzzing with possibilities.
After consulting with the old head of the Verlaine family and receiving his approval, Kellar had, under some pretext, led members of the Faculty of Law to raid Touko Aozaki's magical workshop in the Clock Tower, ignoring Inopportune's protests, and obtained her research materials.
After all, the aristocratic Barthomeloi and the democratic Valualeta were rival factions. And puppet technology comparable to True Magic wasn't something one could acquire through mere negotiation.
The benefits of a True Magic-level technique were significant enough for Verlaine to risk challenging Valualeta.
Even their main Barthomeloi family would approve.
No Magus would turn down True Magic; who would pass up such an opportunity??
However, who knew that this damn technology was a Sealing Designation, usable only by one person? They had risked challenging Valualeta and gained absolutely nothing.
To compensate for this huge loss, the old head of the Verlaine family had given him a direct order: Touko Aozaki must be obtained, no matter the cost.
"Setting… activate!" Touko muttered, steeling herself.
The familiar, searing pain shot through her mind as her magic circuits flared to life.
The next moment, Blue light coalesced in Touko's hand.
A distorted 'R' rune, Raidho, representing travel and movement, shimmered within the blue light.
"Rune Magic right off the bat? Well, you did reconstruct this largely lost Norse magecraft, after all. But Raidho's movement ability won't be enough to escape the barrier's range."
Seeing the flashing rune, Kellar's gaze sharpened, but his expression remained calm.
If his opponent was Touko Aozaki, he would have researched her preferred forms of magecraft. Rune Magic and puppet technology were Touko Aozaki's specialties.
However, with her workshop raided and her puppets and tools confiscated, her only remaining offensive option was Rune Magic.
Before Kellar finished speaking, the two Sealing Designation Enforcers beside him sprang into action.
Hum—!
"Reinforce barrier!" One of them clapped his hands together, and the invisible barrier covering the alley shimmered into view, glowing with a faint blue light.
The other dropped into a crouch, pressing his hands to the ground.
He silently merged with the pavement.
The stone beneath Touko Aozaki suddenly softened, and two ten-meter-tall stone hands reached up to grab her.
One to interfere with Raidho's movement, preventing Touko from escaping the barrier; the other to directly capture her using high-level matter-manipulation magecraft.
Touko's figure abruptly vanished, reappearing the next instant in front of Kellar.
The Kenaz rune, symbolizing fire, appeared in her palm, and a jet of Blue flame, reaching temperatures of over a thousand degrees Celsius—shot towards Kellar.
"Useless!"
Kellar's expression remained flat, his eyes filled with disdain for Touko's 'kill the leader first' tactic. But his fingers moved swiftly, and the magic rings on both his middle fingers instantly activated.
Black tendrils snaked out from the rings, covering Kellar's entire body in an instant, like a second skin of black.
The Blue flames engulfed Kellar's body. Simultaneously, the stone hands closed around Touko's figure, slamming together, forming an incredibly sturdy prison, sealing Touko within.
Dense sealing formulas immediately covered the prison's surface.
"Target captured," the Enforcer crouched on the ground stated, his expression cold.
"Hmm? Mister Kellar is dead?" The Enforcer responsible for the barrier frowned. Sensing Kellar's life force vanish through the barrier, he realized Kellar had been killed.
"—The price of blindly trusting one's tools. The opponent is a newly crowned Grand who recreated Age of Gods Runes. Report his death," the Enforcer said, his face impassive.
"Hmm? Touko Aozaki's life force has vanished!!" Sensing the information from the barrier, the Enforcer's expression changed drastically.
This time, even the Enforcer responsible for the capture couldn't maintain his cold composure. Kellar's death was inconsequential, as long as Touko Aozaki was captured.
Their mission, after all, was to apprehend Sealing Designations.
As long as they completed their task, Barthomeloi was quite lenient.
But now, not only had they failed to capture Touko Aozaki, but Kellar of the Verlaine family was dead. The thought of facing the Verlaine family's wrath—The two Enforcers exchanged glances, their faces ashen.
In a secret hideout on the outskirts of London, a basement beneath a tobacco shop, in a room deep within, Touko Aozaki's eyes snapped open inside a container filled with nutrient fluid.
"Scarred Red? You give me a title like that, and you think I won't retaliate? You really think I'm a pushover? I've decided. From now on, anyone who dares mention that name gets killed."
As her cold voice spoke, bubbles escaped Touko's lips, drifting through the nutrient fluid.
"Scarred Red? So you just got that nickname, huh?" A surprised male voice suddenly sounded beside Touko's ear.
Touko stared, completely dumbfounded.
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