He suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from behind the bushes.
'Rustle,'
"...!"
The sound of footsteps was approaching, breaking the silence. Alain carefully stood up.
'Rustle, rustle.'
As someone's presence drew closer, pushing through the bushes, the shape of a person flickered in the moonlight.
What appeared was a girl with red hair, cautiously glancing around.
She appeared somewhat frightened, glancing around like a nervous kitten, which made Alain smile unconsciously.
Alain dusted off his back and approached Seria.
Startled, Seria turned her head toward the sound of the footsteps of someone approaching. Upon confirming the identity, she exclaimed,
"Oh, Alain!"
She beamed with a wide smile.
"..."
It was a smile so bright that it felt like clouds parting and sunshine pouring down.
Even Alain found it hard to face such a smile.
"Sorry, I'm late! It was harder to slip away than I expected."
"Well, it's alright. I was the one who made an unreasonable request."
"Right! Just like you said! Hehe, don't tell me that after making me go through all this trouble, you're going to say it was 'nothing at all,' right?"
With those words, Seria looked at Alain with an eager expression.
In response, Alain smiled lightly and said,
"Of course not. Anyway, just close your eyes for a second."
"Huh?"
"I'm about to bring out something I prepared. After all, surprises are key for moments like this."
"Um... even without that, my heart is already racing..."
Grumbling a bit, Seria obelised.
With no hint of doubt in her face, Alain felt a pang of regret.
He disliked the idea of having to use a girl like her.
But thoughts were just thoughts. He couldn't afford to let this opportunity slip away.
Alain confirmed that Seria had closed her eyes.
Gathering magical power in his hand, he quickly raised them and chanted,
[I cry out! Heed my call, Let all within this hand be bound! Restrain it now, shaped by the rippling polyhedron!]
Seria, startled by the ominous energy in Alain's shout, widened her eyes in shock. Yet at that very moment,
"...!"
In Seria's line of sight, something dark shot towards her, like the tongue of an abyss, unfurling from Alain's hand and rapidly closing the distance between them.
"Ugh!"
In an instant, that ominous energy wrapped around her, and Seria couldn't even resist before collapsing to the ground. Thankfully, the surrounding area was filled with bushes.
Thus, Seria wasn't seriously hurt. But her eyes were filled with disbelief and astonishment.
She looked up at Alain, wearing an expression of utter disbelief.
"Wait a second! What is this? Alain, what on earth is going on?!"
"..."
But Alain kept a blank expression, offering no response.
Instead, perhaps due to the influence of using magic, his crimson eyes were glowing brightly in the darkness.
"...!"
As Seria saw Alain approaching her, she shrank back and struggled to escape.
She was trying to break free from the binding by any means.
But it was a futile effort.
The 'Binding Spell' was known for its durability despite requiring minimal magical power. No matter how much she struggled, breaking free from it would not be an easy task.
However, that was merely a temporary measure.
Since the amount of magical power used was small, the binding would easily become lost. Especially since she possessed strength beyond that of an ordinary adult.
Thinking this, Alain quickly approached her and began to chant another spell.
[Gather, scatter, and gather once more. What I hold in my hand is my will. The jagged fragments shall shine, and align to their true form, guided by the stars—]
"Wait, Alain? What on earth are you doing..."
[The scattered fragments break their bonds and reform. From past to future, future to past, I shall carve the crimson pattern into the divide—]
"Stop! This is where the jokes end! Stop, Alain!"
[... IRA, KAHA, TAHA, NAHA, I shall count the seals of binding by their true meaning!]
"I don't want to—!"
In that instant, a burst of light exploded from Alain's grasp, that light quickly transformed into something black, surging toward Seria.
As that energy seeped into her body, Seria let out a long, piercing scream.
Shortly after.
The burst of light vanished without a trace.
And soon, the clearing fell silent.
"...Huff, huff."
With bloodshot eyes, Alain panted heavily, blood seeping from his eyes and nose. The strain of expelling such a large amount of magical power at once had pushed him into a state of magical depletion.
"Ugh..."
Dizzy, Alain stared at the unconscious Seria.
"... Did it succeed?"
He couldn't be sure.
But the possibility of success was high.
The spell he had just used was a spell for altering perception.
A magic he referred to as the 'Slave's Mark.'
Among mental manipulation spells, this one required a relatively small amount of magical power.
However, as Alain's condition suggested, the amount of power consumed was still significant despite being less than that of other spells which required large amounts of magical energy.
In any case, this spell was the most stable one he could use in his current condition.
It was a spell that altered the opponent's perception and made them mentally subservient to the caster, it was akin to a slave's mark.
"Whoo..."
Exhaling lightly, Alain wiped away the dripping blood.
To be honest, he must look quite dreadful to anyone who saw him now.
The only hopeful aspect was the expectation that his condition would gradually improve as time passed.
With that thought, Alain wiped away the blood that had dripped down.
And after some time had passed,
"...Ugh..."
Seria was trying to get up.
Alain steadied himself and moved closer to her.
The perception-altering spell was crafted to bind its target upon initial casting, particularly for someone who had not been previously encountered.
Therefore, that first meeting was vital.
Thinking this, Alain gazed at Seria.
Seria, with a dazed expression, rose and looked around.
Then her gaze met Alain's.
"..."
"..."
An uncomfortable silence lingered between them.
Seeing her somewhat vacant expression, Alain frowned slightly.
Could it be that the magic had malfunctioned?
Given that he had squeezed out insufficient magical power, there might be some flaw in the spell. There was no choice but to fix that part directly.
With that in mind, Alain approached Seria. However, at that moment.
"...!"
Alain instinctively recoiled, sensing an ominous energy, and dodged. At the same time, Seria's face twisted with rage.
"ALAINNN!"
Like a wild beast, Seria charged at Alain, her voice filled with fury. Alain's expression hardened in response.