Chapter 56 – Ruler III

Chapter 56 – Ruler III

[Translator – Jjsecus]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 56 – Ruler III

4

So, if you were to ask Tang Seorin, the Grand Witch, who had painstakingly crafted such a long and powerful spell, what she did with it, she would say―― nothing in particular.

“Doctor Jang, are you resilient to pain?”

“I’d say I’m on the stronger side. Why do you ask?”

“Even if I were to inflict harm upon you, do you have the capacity to forgive and move on?”

“....”

Things suddenly felt tense.

“What’s your intention?”

“First, answer me this. Do you exist, or not?”

“I can’t exactly say that I don’t exist.”

“Good. Doctor Jang. I’m going to show you something amazing.”

Immediately after saying this, Tang Seorin took out a fountain pen and pricked my right hand with it.

I screamed like Tom from Tom and Jerry, writhing in pain. Wait, is this madness?

“Wait! Stop! Hold on! I’ll do it too!”

“What?”

With determination, she pricked the palm of her left hand with the pen. Blood trickled from the sharp tip of the pen. Is this really happening?

As I looked on in bewilderment, Tang Seorin performed an even crazier stunt. While both of us were bleeding, she suddenly began to sing.

And something incredible happened.

“Ah-♪”

Swish.

A bluish ‘Libra’ appeared in the air as if it were a hologram.

And at the same time, the wound on my right hand healed instantly. Truly instantaneous. But in exchange, wouldn’t a new wound appear on my left hand?

The exact opposite happened to Tang Seorin. That is, the wound on her left hand transferred to her right hand.

Soon after, droplets of blood appeared on either side of the Libra. And then, the Libra vanished into thin air.

I was dumbfounded.

“What is this...?”

“Ah, this is what you call an exchange spell.”

Tang Seorin grinned with an otaku smile.

It was quite unlucky.

“Your pain and my pain. We exchanged our suffering.”

“Amazing!”T/his chapter is updated by nov(ê(l)biin.co/m

I genuinely admired it.

Although our wounds had simply switched places and were still bleeding profusely, it was undoubtedly a remarkable magic.

“What’s the principle behind it?”

“I told you. It’s an exchange spell. I conducted an exchange through magic that I deemed fair.”

“Wow. So, could I potentially transfer a bunch of wounds to an enemy after I’ve incurred them?”

If so, this could be a revolutionary turning point in dealing with foes.

However, Tang Seorin shook her finger from side to side with a characteristic annoyed expression.

“Tsk tsk. Unfortunately, such usage is nearly impossible. For this magic to work, the consent of the other party is absolutely necessary.”

“Ah...”

I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. So, that’s why she was asking me those strange questions earlier.

“...Wait, then where can you actually use this? Exchanging pain for pain or pleasure for pleasure, the total amount stays the same anyway. Could it perhaps be used to convert energy into energy?”

If the measure of an artist is how many people they can stir, then the measure of a ruler is how many they can silence. This scene showed the status Tang Seorin held as the guild master in Busan.

“This individual is a deserter.”

Tang Seorin’s voice rang out through amplification magic, her beautiful voice making the hair on my neck stand up.

Soft and seemingly slow, but the words flowed quickly, hammering complex terms and sentences into the listener’s ears with precision.

It was more like breathing than speaking, a voice that filled the plaza.

The guild members of the Three Thousand Worlds looked at Tang Seorin with a certain dazed reverence.

It was a bit cringeworthy, but as someone who had once been her right hand, I could understand. Her voice was indeed somewhat magical.

“Deserters are typically dealt with by immediate execution. But in this case, there were no fatalities, and the deserter turned herself in the very next day.”

“.......”

“Deserter, your actions nearly cost your comrades their lives. Do you regret your actions?”

“Yes, yes. I’m sorry....”

“Can you promise me you will never make such a mistake again?”

“Of course, Grand Witch. Absolutely....”

At that moment, a blue ‘Libra’ appeared above Tang Seorin’s head.

It wasn’t a garish neon blue but a soft, twilight blue, like the glow of distant stars outlining the scales.

“Then, you can be forgiven. I, the witches of the Three Thousand Worlds, and the comrades whose ranks you broke last week will never hold [your desertion last week against you].”

Swoosh.

Black smoke, thin as thread and slithering like a snake, came from Tang Seorin and the guild members’ chests and from the direction of the Three Thousand Worlds headquarters.

These black threads gathered on the left side of the scales. The balance tilted sharply.

“In return.”

Tang Seorin waved her finger.

“You will [never retreat first in any battle, and if you must retreat, it will only be after all your comrades have safely withdrawn].”

“Ah....”

“Not just your comrades. This includes civilians on the battlefield. You will never retreat until their safety is secured. In other words, [you will always be the last to withdraw].”

“.......”

“Do you agree?”

The defendant’s face was pale.

Fighting monsters was never safe. Statistically, jumping off a cliff with a wingsuit had a higher survival rate.

But for some reason, alongside the paleness, there was a hint of relief on the defendant’s face, as if they were finally at ease.

“...Yes. Grand Witch. I agree.”

“Good.”

Swish—

A white, snake-like thread emerged from the defendant’s body. It looked like a breath in the winter air, exhaled not just from the mouth but the entire body.

The defendant gazed blankly at the white serpent leaving their body. The serpent coiled up to the right side of the scales in the sky.

With a clink, the scales balanced perfectly.

“Balance has been restored.”

“Thank you... Thank you....”

“Yes. From now on, fight at the forefront for your comrades, and above all, for the citizens.”

A few spectators let out a cheer. In response, hundreds of citizens burst into applause.

“.......”

The scene shocked me. The great magic of equivalent exchange, which I had thought useless, was now functioning as the judicial system in Busan.

This was why, even in distant future iterations, Busan uniquely resisted AI judges.

It was Tang Seorin’s ‘Witch Trials.’

[PR/N: A new spin off witch trials, I like these ones tbh.]

[Translator – Jjsecus]

[Proofreader – Gun]