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Chapter 60 - Preparations
"Imagine Leor's ability as 010101 in different patterns, what you need to do is just replace the Zeros with 2, or 1, or anything other than zero, it's simple!" Johan yelled, his mouth right next to Kirin's ears, making Kirin flinch with the roughness of voice.
But she didn't dare retaliate, just sighing, and trying to channel her mana again. She thought she could just do basic training while bullying Johan—her favourite pastime, but now she was the one getting bullied.
Thwack!
Johan instantly slapped Kirin's hand, she was overextending mana again. 'Oh my god, why can't she be more like Sebastian? He mastered it literally in a single day.' Johan took a deep breath, hitting her on her back this time.
"Johan." Sebastian walked closer to Johan, his voice respectful as he was able to call Johan instead of master naturally now, but it still sounded very awkward, and forced.
Johan smiled softly, tightening his grip around Kirin's hair as she gave a half-crying, half-begging-for-mercy look to Sebastian. "What is it?" he asked.
"I called Orihime as you asked, she said she will be here in an hour. Needs some spells, a wand, and the seals you asked Velmire for, while she is also reworking her armour. What should be done for now? You still haven't told us the plan..." Sebastian groaned, his voice tired from all the spell training he had done, and from teaching Johan most of his spells.
Melodis suddenly intervened, his voice sharp, "Kirin! We can't leave until you fully master 'Defuse'. Acier, Juline, Theo, and everybody else will have to wait longer just because of you... do you wish for that?" Melodis believed that Kirin was getting too distracted by her thoughts to be able to master the spell.
For mages at Kirin's level, they only needed a single explanation and the codes to make it work. Even though Defuse was more complicated than an average Stage 0 spell, Johan had provided a very detailed explanation about it. Melodis had only needed one look to master it, and even Sebastian just a day. Kirin had been failing for the last three days.
Everyone went silent. Johan let go of Kirin's hair, sighing, "Alright, I need to go over a few things before Orihime comes. Even if we couldn't go today, I will have to be prepared." He played along with Melodis.
Then Johan nodded toward Sebastian, walking away with a smile.
There was no way Kirin could go without Defuse—she would instantly be killed if she went. Not going at all was a bluff. They couldn't extend saving them any longer.
And as Melodis and Johan expected, Kirin's voice, filled with pure desperation, rang, "...I-I will master it in an hour!" She didn't know if she could, but now she definitely knew that she would. It wasn't about if she had the skills for it or not. She just had to do it.
Few moments later~
"I did it! I did it!" Kirin's high-pitched voice, filled with excitement, rang through the entire 20 kilometers, startling animals.
She entered the small makeshift tent where Johan was leaning over a wooden log, a piece of paper with thousands of markings and a giant map of the Aurelian Empire placed messily all around.
Johan looked up curiously, only to be greeted with humongous breasts falling toward him.
All the papers fell onto the muddy ground. Johan also couldn't sustain Kirin lunging at him with her full strength, falling on his back as Kirin tried to crush his bones with how tightly she was hugging him.
"We will go now, right? We can go, right?" she asked the same question twice, her voice excited.
Johan, enduring the pain, gave a forced smile, ruffling her red hair gently, while wrapping the other arm around her neck. "Y-yeah, we will." he barely spoke before passing out.
"Noo Johann!!" Kirin shouted, shaking his body like he would wake up like that, only causing a concussion.
"Johan, Orihime is here." Sebastian entered calmly, his face smiling warmly. Johan slowly opened his eyes, still tightly held by Kirin.
"Alright, alright. Kirin, could you make some coffee for everyone?" Johan said politely, before escaping from her grip to pick up the paper sheets.
Kirin nodded, all smiles. Everyone acted like nothing had happened.
"Are you saying we will attack straight into this dungeon after knowing it's a trap?" Kirin asked in pure shock.
Johan had explained the probability of Leor knowing they were alive, and that the detailed video of the dungeon was probably a bait put up by Leor to confirm his suspicion.
"Uhh, yeah, but it's different. If everything goes right, it should be pretty peaceful actually. I don't even wanna interact with them!" Johan sighed, staring toward Orihime's doll-like face and eyes, no emotion flowing through them.
"Please explain it properly, Johan!" Sebastian said seriously. He was pretty shaken by everything being a trap, and now it made more sense why Johan had delayed, but still... it was extremely risky.
Johan grinned, "Kirin and Orihime's paper clone will be disguised by me to look different. You two will randomly attack in Visteria, cause as much destruction as possible—preferably without harming civilians—and do something that can attract Leor, or Radhaan's attention. Preferably both."
Kirin nodded with an evil grin, while Orihime wanted to refute. Even sending a paper clone could give away her identity to someone sensitive who could recognize her Aether signature—Radhaan.
And the most jarring problem was—was this a suicide mission!? No one could survive those two monsters Johan said they should try to attract.
Johan didn't give any time, continuing seriously, "I will use my ability to check everything, and gather information. Then I will send the paper made by Paper Crane inside through any means. Then you, Orihime, will teleport us to the location of that paper. We will deal with all the guards, get them, and escape!" Johan smiled like it had already happened.
"But... Johan, what about Radhaan and Leor? They can kill both the 'distractions' and teleport back in seconds..." Sebastian said through gritted teeth, his voice low.
Sebastian didn't want to doubt Johan, but there was no way this could work just like this.
Johan gave a look to Orihime, who got the message, pulled out a yellowish-tinted big chart, folded up neatly, and passed it to Johan.
Johan's grin grew wider, "We will seal them of course!"
Melodis's eyes widened, understanding the real plan immediately.
