The mole’s eyes had regressed over time.Having spent its entire existence in the darkness of the underground, its blurry vision could only distinguish light from darkness.
Even if a mole were to stumble upon a rainbow by some twist of fate, it would feel neither beauty nor any sense of wonder. The brilliant arch of colors in the sky would evoke no emotion in the mole.
But what if some madman, or perhaps someone pitying the mole, gave it perfectly functioning, sensitive eyes?
The mole would then be able to see much more than it ever needed—or maybe even wanted.
It would see a world of vibrant colors and feel the beauty of it, but it would also see the bleak details of the dark tunnels.
The coarse texture of the soil, the suffocating confines where oxygen felt scarce, the dull gray of endlessly scattered pebbles, and the pitiful writhing of earthworms it ate.
These were things the mole had never cared about when it could not see.
Now, the mole was faced with a decision: endure the misery of life underground as it was made to, or ascend to the surface in search of the rainbow.
That, however, is a story for another time.
Whether the gift of these new eyes was a blessing or a curse would only be determined when the moment of choice arrived.===============================================================
Evil God-chan had considered approximately 81 potential workarounds. Could she, under this murderously oppressive constraint of the『Golden Headband』, manage to ‘accidentally’ or ‘unintentionally’ cause the boy’s death? Perhaps she could hypnotize herself or create a 2nd personality to⋯⋯.
It was impossible.
After two instances of leakage and three seizures, Evil God-chan finally understood just how meticulously the Crazy Wizard had sealed every possible loophole. It was a near-perfect lockdown system against killing.
He was the sort of monster who could break free from a Hypnosis App in mere seconds.
As long as the『Golden Headband』 remained in place, there was no way to return to her original form. Unlocking it wasn’t an easy option either. Maybe if the fragment of her true self buried within the Crazy Wizard’s mind could be freed—but that was beyond reach for now.
Thus, she had no choice but to submit once again. She had to obediently begin her journey back to the Empire’s Academy.
Frustration seethed within her. Anger surged uncontrollably, and Evil God-chan found herself furiously kicking her blanket, rolling around on the bed in irritation.
“It’s those bastards who left me behind! So, why do I have to crawl back to them like this!! ACK──!!”
After venting her frustration for a while, the door creaked open, and the boy peeked inside.
The poor girl, who he thought was being tormented by a succubus, seemed to suffer several seizures a day. He’d already changed her bedsheets twice today alone.
“Did you um⋯⋯ wet yourself again?”
“I didn’t!”
“That’s a relief. We were out of clean sheets now⋯⋯.”
“It’s fine, so don’t⋯⋯ wait, hold on! Why are you talking to me so casually?””
Evil God-chan glared daggers at the insolent human boy who dared to treat her as his equal—a mere mortal.
To that, she wanted to mix in killing intent with enough malice to send chills down his spine or make her eyes glow with power sufficient to shatter his mind outright. But she knew the 『Golden Headband』 would react instantly.
Even an experienced mercenary, hardened by the horrors of war, could cause a child to faint with sheer intimidation and killing intent.
Yet even indirect harm like that was categorized as malice under the rules of the 『Golden Headband』.
So⋯⋯ Evil God-chan suppressed her anger and relaxed her expression as much as possible. To the boy, it likely appeared as though she was pouting like an embarrassed girl pretending to be angry.
The boy chuckled at her half-hearted display of anger.
“You are a commoner. Aren’t you?”
“?”
“At first, I thought you were a noble. But I’ve heard that nobles are usually calm and fairy-like. They carry themselves with dignity. But you⋯⋯.”
Your face might look like a fairy’s, but you’re loud, rude, and far too aggressive.
Evil God-chan’s sharp intellect immediately deciphered the unspoken part of his sentence with perfect clarity.
Without hesitation, she hurled a pillow at him. It sailed through the air and struck the boy squarely in the face.
“Ack!”
“I’m far greater than those lowly nobles!”
“You, you’ll disappear without a trace if you say stuff like that⋯⋯. Don’t you know how scary nobles can be? You need to be careful.”
Evil God-chan wanted to argue that such human-imposed hierarchies were fragile constructs, and that she could dismantle them with just a flick of her wrist.
But in her current state, unable to harm humans, there was no way to prove it.
Besides, it wouldn’t mean much even if the boy were to look at her with admiration afterward. Deciding there was no merit in snapping at him, she forced herself to let the anger subside.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, her chin propped on her hand, she asked awkwardly.
“Let’s just⋯⋯ drop it. So, why did you save me?”
“Well, someone fell victim to a succubus in my home⋯⋯. The priest said helping others would please the Goddess.”
“Ah, so it’s kindness? No, probably not. You must want something from me.”
“⋯⋯No, I don’t…”
Evil God-chan’s eyes gleamed with certainty. Her gaze carried no doubt; it wasn’t mere suspicion. The statement ‘the boy had acted out of personal gain rather than pure goodwill’ was indisputably accurate.
When he had earlier asked, Aren’t you a commoner? , his eyes held a glimmer of desperate hope. The moment he realized Evil God-chan was a commoner, that glimmer vanished, replaced by disappointment and despair.
The boy had fervently wished for her to be a noble.
He had imagined a scenario where a noble would be impressed by his actions, would reward his kindness and extend a gracious helping hand⋯⋯ a naive dream, crushed by harsh reality.
He could smell the tragedy.
The boy understood the terror of nobles. He knew how easily a commoner could be executed simply for touching a noble’s body.
If he had witnessed Evil God-chan’s earlier accident, his chances of survival would have plummeted further. Many noblewomen would have preferred silencing a commoner—permanently—rather than letting rumors spread about a noble wetting themselves.
Had he calmly considered his situation, he should have walked away instead of offering her help. But he gambled on the slim possibility that Evil God-chan might be a kind-hearted noble. That hope exposed the truth of his desires.
Evil God-chan lips curled into a smirk.
“Speak. What is it you want?”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“I may not be a noble, but⋯⋯ well, I am a wizard of the Purple Magic Tower. Specifically, the disciple of the Purple Magic Tower Master’s best student. Do you have any idea what kind of social status that is?”
“You’re a wizard? You don’t look much older than me.”
Should she prove it with Illusion Magic? No, the 『Golden Headband』 might react unpredictably, and exposing him to magic firsthand could be dangerous.
That meant persuasion alone would have to suffice. Evil God-chan quickly considered several possibilities and began to speak.
“The Purple Magic Tower Master’s best student—he has pitch-black hair and red eyes. He’s a pervert who constantly has two women clinging to him.”
“⋯⋯Pervert.”
“As for me, although I’m called his disciple⋯⋯ I’m more like his plaything. I’ve been subjected to countless Illusion Magic experiments, my body toyed with in every corner.”
The boy’s face grew noticeably pale. He seemed to imagine a tragic story of a young girl enduring unspeakable abuse as the servant of a wicked wizard.
“But that’s not what’s important. What matters is that⋯⋯ I’m favored by him. Once I return to the Purple Magic Tower, I’ll have the power to completely transform the life of a commoner like you.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
The boy seemed convinced. Whether wizards, knights, or merchants, those with power and status always surrounded themselves with beautiful women.
Evil God-chan’s striking beauty was captivating enough to make the idea of her being chosen entirely believable. The boy hesitated for a long time, unsure whether to offer words of comfort or finally share what he’d wanted to say.
“I, have a sister and⋯⋯.”
Knowing there was no way to save a girl under the control of someone as influential as the apprentice of the Magic Tower Master. So, he chose to ignore her immediate misfortune and…
Instead of dwelling on the misfortune of a girl condemned to misery, he chose to share his circumstances with a wizard from the Purple Magic Tower.
===============================================================
Swing swing. Evil God-chan’s legs swung rhythmically as she sat on the edge of the bed.
“Heueung⋯⋯.”
There was once a pair of siblings who roamed the streets, surviving by begging. After enduring endless hardship, one day, the sister manifested Divine Power.
The sister joined the Church of the Goddess and pleaded for her brother to be allowed to stay with her. Her plea was granted, and the boy became a servant in the Church of the Goddess.
However, over time, the sister grew weaker and eventually collapsed, losing consciousness. She wasn’t the only one—it was the same with other priests.
Despite this, the Archpriest of the Elmest branch of the Church insisted that everything was fine. That there was no problem, and that it was merely a trial sent by Goddess.
Once the fever passed, he claimed they would be reborn as devout servants of the Goddess.
The boy had no choice but to believe him. Yet, the strange events continued. Strange individuals stormed into the church and vandalized the statue of the Goddess, and knights from the local estate began visiting the temple frequently⋯⋯.
Then, without warning, the Archpriest vanished.
So, in this shattered and abandoned church, only the boy and his sister remained, living one uncertain day at a time.
“I understand the gist of what’s happened.”
The Archpriest had likely fallen under the influence of succubi, gradually brainwashing the church staff. The boy’s sister had probably been drained to the brink by a Dream Demon.
Evil God-chan smiled brightly as she spoke.
“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. The Purple Tower excels at dealing with matters of the mind. If I go and ask for help⋯⋯ your sister’s illness can be cured.”
“⋯⋯Really?”
“Of course, really. But here’s the thing—I’m currently broke. To get all the way to the Purple Tower, I’ll need some travel funds. So—”
How much can you pay for your sister?
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
That single question was enough.
Trusting Evil God-chan’s promise to return in a week, the boy left himself just enough money to barely survive for a week and handed over the rest of his meager belongings to Evil God-chan.
“Then, I’ll see you soon. I’ll bring back the good news.”
“I will be waiting, and waiting. I’ll pray every night for you.”
“Your prayers won’t go unheard. The Goddess listens to all prayers in this world.”
The problem is, she only listens.
Evil God-chan chuckled as she slipped the hefty pouch of coins into her pocket and left the crumbling church. On her way out, she opened the pouch to take a look.
It was a pittance.
It wouldn’t even cover teleportation fees or a private carriage. The best she could afford was a shared public carriage.
It seemed like she needed a bit more money. Surely there was a way to scrape together the wealth she needed. If she thought hard enough, surely she would be able to come up with something⋯⋯.
As Evil God-chan thought about her next move, 『Golden Headband』 vibrated.
“Eueung⋯⋯? Ah, I see. You’re saying I could have just helped the boy myself, right?”
She tapped the choker around her neck and muttered to herself. Yes, Evil God-chan had the ability to repair the minds of humans deeply afflicted by succubi.
So she could have easily restored the consciousness of the boy’s sister.
“But, why would I?”
Evil God-chan shrugged. Was it so wrong to pass by someone dying in the street? Surely not.
Besides, if she got tangled up in a grudge, it would only cause her unnecessary trouble.
“I never directly harmed him. I was just… passive. I’ll keep my promise. I got paid, so once I return to the Academy, I’ll tell Crazy Wizard about his situation.”
But the journey back to the Academy was a long one. If she ran into bandits on the way, her schedule could be dragged out.
In the meantime, the boy’s financial situation would worsen. He might even start to resent his sister. Even if he managed to find money, it wouldn’t solve anything. And as he waited… and waited… and waited…
Clutching his empty stomach, even in his final moments, he would still be waiting for the girl he saved⋯⋯ even as he died in despair and hopelessness.
“What I did was an act of kindness. Eung?”
The『Golden Headband』 was silent.
Well, the Crazy Wizard was always fair⋯⋯ in his own way. He always followed the “rules of the game.” If he had truly bound Evil God-chan to act with unconditional goodwill…
Then even if it meant becoming someone’s slave for thirty years, she wouldn’t have been able to resist.
Besides⋯⋯ the boy hadn’t exactly shown extraordinary kindness either. After all, he had ignored Evil God-chan’s own suffering at the hands of the Crazy Wizard. Weakness did not automatically equate to virtue.
This ambiguous gray area.
In this dizzying and uncertain gray zone, she could dance however she wanted! Evil God-chan giggled. Wait for salvation until the moment you die.
Throb.
“⋯⋯⋯⋯?”
At that moment, inside of her… something… there was a weird⋯⋯ very weird feeling that passed by. But she dismissed it as nothing and quickly shook it off.
===============================================================
She needed travel funds.
And Evil God-chan came up with an idea to extract more money—from the boy indirectly. Information. In this world, there were always those willing to buy and sell information⋯⋯.
And wouldn’t information about Crazy Wizard be particularly enticing?
A rising dark horse as part of the Second Prince’s entourage, yet shrouded in mystery due to his long time locked up in the Purple Tower.
Rumored to have frequently induced metamorphoses in his students, though such claims remained unverified.
Known only to the highest echelons of power, his existence was a secret to many.
I’ll disguise myself as a wizard of the Purple Tower, then pretend to leak classified information and sell it.
It was easy to find an information dealer. After just half a day wandering the Elmest territory, she was able to find all 4 organizations dealing information.
She eliminated the ones that seemed like a trap set by the Defense Bureau, as well as the two that were too small to be worthwhile, and she decided on her dealer.
⋯⋯Would『Golden Headband』 trigger if she revealed classified information?
It would. Which was why she wouldn’t share anything critical—like Crazy Wizard’s true name or his weaknesses.
But making up false information and selling them, wouldn’t it be the same as deceiving people? So wouldn’t that trigger 『Golden Headband』?
It would. So she would only share plain facts. She would sell the information that would still sound juicy and dramatic.
It was just gossip.
“This 『Crazy Wizard』⋯⋯ has a sadistic hobby of casting sensitivity-enhancing magic on young girls, enjoying their desperate struggles.”
“⋯⋯ Second Prince has that kind of crazy wizard as his close aide?”
“His skills are just that exceptional. Maybe the Prince overlooked his flaws because of that, but I don’t know about that part.”
Take that, Crazy Wizard.
With all the resentment, grief, regret, and fury from being abandoned… I’ll have my revenge by tarnishing your reputation from the shadows!