Ouroboros Record ~Circus of Oubeniel~

“Good afternoon. I am Tullius Shernan Oubeniel.”

In a certain office that was the interview venue. The impression of the person— Tullius Shernan Oubeniel— who was expecting Jean there was more mediocre than Jean initially thought.

He was several years younger than Laubert. Probably he was not twenty yet. All his facial features were in order, but, perhaps it would be easier to understand if one were to say that there were no ugly aspects there instead of the other way? Like a bland bisque doll, such was the only impression his cold face left on him.

If there were indeed a beautiful aspect in his look, then the maid who was attending beside him would be far more superior in that matter. Her face looked like that of a doll’s as well, but it was more like a sculpture carved by a chisel which a master artisan put all his soul into, her mould had that feeling of exquisiteness. This maid was also fitted with a silver collar, the proof of slavery.

But the most curious presence there was the person standing on the other side of the maid and the viscount. The person was dressed in a thick robe, their face hidden by its hood. From the protrusions on the person’s chest, Laubert thought that the person might be a woman, though for what purpose did this person who wasn’t showing their face to be there waiting besides the noble as well?

While burying such question, for the time being Laubert lowered his head.

“It’s an honour to be in your presence, Lord Viscount. I am examinee number twenty, Jean-Jacques—-“

“Ah, wait, wait! You don’t have to introduce yourself. I can see the number in your name tag and with that I can look your name up in the document I have here. At any rate, since we have a lot of people at this time, I have to save time here.”

And so, he was interrupted by the viscount.

How outrageous. To a nobleman, their name is like a face, or like their tools of trade. It must be treated with due respect. He regarded it not in the slightest, and in addition he spewed that it was because he didn’t have the time for it!

As he thought, as a nobleman his lacking points were conspicuous. Taking up on the young man’s offer was the correct choice. So Laubert thought as he glanced at the young man who was summoned to the room as well. He also had this somehow astounded face.

There were six candidates, including himself, currently in the room. They were all sitting on chairs that were lined up in a row. There was a considerable gap between their position and the viscount’s desk, about three metres. It was indeed wide, but that was a reasonable distance in a landed noble’s office.

“Well, shall we get over with this quickly? Stand up.”

““Yes.””

“Three steps forward.”

““… Yes?””

“You didn’t hear that? Take three steps forward.”

It was a strange instruction. ‘What is his intention?’ Laubert thought as he couldn’t surmise anything from it. Did he want to see the way they walk? Or perhaps their conduct? If that was the case, then it was Laubert himself who was wondering whether this viscount could understand proper conduct or not.

Nonetheless, the highest-ranked person in the room was the young viscount. Thus confused as they were, all of the candidates took three steps.

Viscount Oubeniel let out a smile filled with satisfaction.

“Right, thank you. Well then, don’t move…. Do it, Uni.”

“Yes—- ‘Earthbound’”

Heavy pressure.

With that all six of them were floored at once.

“Wh–!?

“Th, this is!”

“What is the meaning of this!?”

It felt like being held down by a giant palm of hand from above.

… Heavy. His whole body was heavy, and he couldn’t stand.

Something was crushing his body down, for someone powerless like Laubert it was something unbearable, not even for a short while. He couldn’t move a muscle, and he couldn’t understand what was happening as he fell into a state of confusion.

“Im, impossible… this can’t be!”

He heard the young man painfully cried.

At that, the viscount went, ‘good grief’ as he shook his head.

“If you’re like that, as I thought, did you bring a protective amulet with you, I wonder? Because if you have one, it’ll be difficult for the brainwashing magic to take into effect. I struck ahead and I have prevented you from stirring about, so I’ll be taking that away.”

“What… did you say…?”

While still being nailed to the floor, he could somehow still say that much.

‘Does that mean he had expected that someone among the candidates were trying to set him up from the very beginning?’

All the more bewildered as he was, the young man said,

“Th, then… just what is, this magic…? To think… the amulet… didn’t, react…!”

“Yes, about that, you’re probably wondering. You’re the second person who asked me that. The other one asked me a while ago too.”

Viscount Oubeniel let out a stifled chuckle.

“Well then, I’ll explain it with a simple lecture. Take the fire magic as an example. “Fireball”, a spell used by those with low magical power. If you try to stop the spell from hitting you using that amulet, what would happen? Of course, before it hits you, the amulet will trigger a barrier and the spell will be rebuffed. However—-“

The viscount snapped his finger as he said so. Immediately after that, the chair where the young man just sat a while ago burned—- no, it exploded. That was a chantless fire magic. All of a sudden the heat wave generated from his back started to attack the young man. Of course, its force was averted by the amulet.

“Ugh!”

A piece of the chair debris that was broken by the spell hit his forehead.

“—- In this case, the amulet could not defend you from things that were moved by magic….. Ah, I’m sorry. Did it hurt? I’ll patch you up now so you’ll forgive me for that.”

He snapped his fingers again, and the wounds on the young man’s forehead quickly faded away. But the pressure that restrained him was still there.

“So offensive magic can’t pass through the barrier, but recovery magic can, how odd….. Anyway, let us return to the original topic. So, the “earthbound” spell isn’t like those spheres of fires that were conjured by “fireball” spell, as it wasn’t meant to restrain you directly. It only used the gravitational force— which is keeping you on the ground—- that was there in the first place, and doubled it. Thus, you won’t be able to avert it by using a simple magical tool, because the force exists already, and it already affects you, and we’re just strengthening that force with magic….. you understand now?”

‘… Of course the answer would be no. Grevitesienal force? What is that, some sort of terminology in alchemy? Just who would understand that load of nonsense?’ Others looked similar as well. There were either the colour of confusion or hatred in their eyes, but none had the light of comprehension in them.

But one thing could be understood. This mad alchemist certainly had a malicious agenda.

“Now, Uni. Disarm these men.”

“As you ordered, Master…. Excuse me.”

After she received her master’s order, the slave-maid who casted the spell approached the men. She patted them down and confiscated their magical armaments.

“Then!…. Gah!?

The young man, who was trying to do something, was overpowered by the maid at a speed unperceivable to the eyes.

“… It seems he was going to make the amulet self-destruct.”

“I see. So if he were to return alive but with his amulet destroyed, it’d mean to his superior that he received some sort of ‘treatment’ here. Did he manage to do so?”

“No. It’s safe.”

As she said so, she retrieved an amulet that was fashioned as a rosario from his chest.

“Well, even if he managed to do that, I’ll just simply repair it. But since you saved me the labour and resource for doing so, this is better. Well done, Uni.”

“It’s an honour to receive your praise.”

Then, the maid bowed reverently.

It was unbelievable. From what Jean saw, this unknown pressure was occurring in a scope that enveloped all six of them. Its effect should’ve been indiscriminate, as there was clear indentation on the surrounding carpet. But still, the maid moved around without difficulty, and quickly confiscated their magical equipment.

“Oh, there’s a communication device here.”

“Hah! How foolish… did you think… I wasn’t… that prepared…!?”

One of the candidates who wasn’t well-acquainted with Jean proudly said so while still gasping from the pressure.

“I’ve heard of… your crooked dealings… from the count…! The conversation in this room… is already…”

“Ah, it’s already been interfered with.”

Oubeniel casually declared so.

“……………… Huh?”

“Where do you think you are? You’re in my stronghold, you know? Soundproof to jam communications, impact disabler, teleportation magic barricade, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Of course we are prepared at least to that degree.”

While saying so, he toyed around with the communication device in his hands,

“…. Hmm. This size, the minimal amount of material, I suppose this device’s effective communication distance is limited only within the mansion’s premises. I suppose you have a friend among the other candidates too? Surely they began to move as soon as the communication was cut off, but I’ve stationed Due there. There are not many people who can get away from him, not even top-notch adventurers. Too bad, huh. Though, you do have a good perception.”

—- If they were to reach the capital— or even if they didn’t, assuming there were other collaborators in their vicinity— it would’ve been dangerous.

He concluded his evaluation as so. Although, he thought that such a scheme couldn’t be done in the first place. Laubert didn’t know much about the variety of magical tools, but at least he knew that one would need a large-sized device had they wanted to communicate long-distance. It was impossible to bring such a thing without being seen.

Even so, the examinee changed completely as colour was drained from his face.

“You, you’re bluffing… there’s… just no way…”

“It’s not like I’m asking you to believe me. There’s no inconvenience for me even if you don’t…. Well then, Drei. I’ve kept you waiting, huh. Time to do your job.”

“Yes, master.”

With a short reply, the woman who was standing beside the viscount took off her robe.

From what was exposed, there were long silver hair, brown skin, unworldly beautiful face—— and a pointed long ear.

Within Jean’s knowledge, there was only one kind that met all such characteristics.

“Da, dark elf…..!?”

Someone among the examinees raised their voice in surprise.

Dark elves, known with their other name, dark fairies. For its ties with demons, They were officially recognised as an enemy of mankind by the church, all citizens had been notified to neutralise them, dead or alive, if they were to run into one. Barely a single one of them were living in the areas inhabited by humans, as all of them had fallen into slavery, a damned race they were.

However, it was said that their magical latency and the prowess of their arts were not inferior to the forest elves.

“You have this… kind of thing… too….?!”

In addition to the maid who casted the restraining magic without a chant, a literally inhuman magus— a dark elf, appeared as well.

As Jean and his fellows were squirming in despair, the woman named Drei let out a dark laugh.

“Kuhuhuhu…. I find it troubling if you were to mistake this body with the lot of my former brethren…”

As she said so, she put her hand on the eyepatch covering the upper left portion of her face.

Eyepatch. Yes, she was hiding her left eye.

Why did she hide it? And why was she going to reveal it now?

And as he saw her unblemished face after the black eyepatch was removed, he knew the answer to those questions right away.

Clearly, the violet-coloured iris on her left eye differed in colour from her right eye. There was a dangerous magical power swirling in there, it was enough for Jean who wasn’t even a magus to perceive so.

“De, demon eye……….!?”

It was mentioned in an illustrated book he had read once in the library to kill time. Gorgon, Catoblepas​, Basilisk, Gazer…. It was said that the devilish eye, which a lot of dangerous monsters inherently possess, could inflict a spell to others just with an eye contact.

TL Note: If you’re not familiar with the name “gazer”, it’s the Japanese equivalent to the D&D monster, “beholder”. Credit to sancturillore for bringing it up.

The woman named Drei snorted.

“Hmm. Even among the lowly apes, it seems that there’s someone who knows a bit too, huh? Indeed, this eye is a demon eye bestowed to me by our master. The extent of its effect— I shall let your body experience it for yourself.”

‘I can’t’, but there was no time to think so.

Even when Jean knew that it was indeed a demon eye, its effect was getting into him just by seeing it.

For Jean, who only had the magical capacity of an ordinary person, there was no avenue for him to resist.

“Ah… gah!?”

His consciousness was dyed in the violet colour.

His thoughts were diluted and his reason was melting, as if he were getting drunk from a bad alcohol.

Meanwhile, Tullius Oubeniel smiled in satisfaction.

“In the past, Uni picked up the body of a young Gazer in the dungeon. I preserved it and later, I transplanted its eye to her. There’s a lot of subspecies of the demon called Gazer, and the effect of their demon eyes is also vastly different.”

“Ah….. u……..”

“Igh…. geh…”

‘My head is fuzzy’.

‘Every voice is distant’.

‘What is this place?’

‘Who am I?’

“So, what I transplanted in Drei was a kind that’s specialised in brainwashing. Apparently they get their food by manipulating the other party to hunt it for them. There are sure some strange creatures in this world, right?”

“No matter how many times I see it, I still find its immediate effect to be wonderful. As long as she’s here, we won’t need the brainwashing incense anymore.”

“No, it’s hasty to conclude so, Uni. While rare, warriors who can fight off the eye’s effect do exist, and in the other hand, no men can keep themselves from breathing. Besides, the effect of the demon eye is limited to things within Drei’s line of sight. The incense would be better if we wanted to brainwash even more people at once.”

‘I can hear a voice eloquently explaining something’

‘So?’

‘So what should I do?’

“Please, someone, quickly, quickly tell me’

‘Otherwise, my thoughts will go insane.’

“In addition to that, in exchange of its high power and immediate effect, it eats away her magical power to a ridiculous extent, hence the eyepatch acts as a seal. When its power gets too strong, cases like the self-destructing amulet that almost occurred earlier may happen as well. My point here is, put the right person in the right place.”

“Indeed, I feel a little fatigued. But it’ll be enough to deal with everyone.”

“Right. There’s the factor of Drei’s body too. Let’s do this quickly then. Uni, you may release their restraint.”

“Yes, immediately.”

As he said so, Viscount Oubeniel stooped low in front of Jean and the other men. The pressure that nailed them on the ground had already disappeared.

‘—- Instruction, please give me instruction, quickly.’

Jean’s thoughts were stained in one colour only. Something like escaping didn’t even cross his mind.

“Alright then, first of all…. Among you, who cheated during the exam? —– this includes, stealing other people’s answers, and bringing unauthorised note into the exam venue.”

““………””

Everyone shook their head. Of course, Jean too denied it without delay.

His mood was superb. To have everything to be dominated by others, what a wonderfully comfortable feeling.

“Next, is there anyone among you who dishonestly filled out the papers even after the test was declared to be over?”

“…………………..”

“……………”

“…….. Me.”

One person raised his hands as he said so with a small voice.

“Examinee number twenty five, disqualified.”

Viscount Oubeniel crossed out one of the documents with a feather pen.

“Well then, let’s move on to individual questions. Examinee number twenty three.”

“Yes…”

The man answered back as his number was called.

“Who are you?”

“…. Victor Delacroix Lavallée. Youngest son of the Marquis Lavallée’s house.”

‘That’s strange’, Jean’s consciousness declared so in suspicion.

He, he himself, should’ve identified himself as being the youngest son of a Count house.

“In my document here, you’re from a Count house, and your family name is different, though?”

“It was a lie…. to keep my cover intact…”

“Who is this Marquis Lavallée to you?”

“My father…..”

“Riiight…. I haven’t met with Marquis Lavallée in person, but isn’t he supposedly quite aged?”

“From what I heard from my mother, my father sired me when he was fifty two…”

“Ah, I see. By now I probably can figure it out.”

As he said so, Viscount Oubeniel scratched his cheeks.

“Were you possibly put out for adoption? And the house that adopted you is the Count house written here, correct?”

“….. No…. I am….. one of the proud Marquis house’s…..”

“Was your mother a concubine?”

“No…. my mother was betrayed…. my father went over to his second wife…”

“And still she was passed to the Count house while she was still harbouring you. Though on her way there, you were born.”

“……………………. Yes.”

“Does Marquis Lavallée acknowledge you as his own son?”

“… He does not…. even though…. I have the same birthmark… as him… on my back….”

“Why do you insist that you’re one of the Marquis’ house? They betrayed your mother and cast her away, right?”

“My talents…. will stagnate… in a pathetic Count’s house… like passing a woman over…. in addition… my mother’s honour…. my mother…. didn’t have a place…. even in the Count’s house…”

“That was why you participated in the plot to set me up. If you were to succeed, you’ll be appointed to an appropriate position for you, and your mother’s honour will be restored too. Did the Marquis say so?”

“…. Yes.”

‘I see’, Oubeniel said so as he shrugged.

As his thoughts were still paralysed, Laubert couldn’t figure out the meaning of that question and answer session.

“That Marquis Lavallée person played quite the vulgar hand here. If Victor were to grab a hold of my weakness, then all’s good. If the covert operation were deemed to be exposed, he could accuse me of killing his estranged son. So no matter what the outcome was, I would still be driven into a corner, right? Crap, I just got a troublesome opponent to keep tabs on me. To drag the marquis into this is a blunder, huh……”

TL Note: Remember that it was Tullius that notified the marquis (though indirectly) about the vassal recruitment first.

“But we still learned something good, Master. It was a blunder, but there’s enough room to recover.”

“Oh well. This time it was due to my blind adherence to the theory that stated that the enemy of an enemy is an ally. I’ll be sure to make the best out of this contemplation from now on.”

“Besides, the marquis also made some mistakes. First that he underestimated master’s skill. And while this one was disposable to him, he just relinquished his son from right under his nose.”

“Let’s work on that later. For now, I have to go through this quick interrogation and administer provisional treatment on them.”

Laubert still couldn’t think of anything. While remaining under the influence of the demon eye, he kept his silence as he waited for an instruction.

“Then, you’re next. What is your name?”

“……… Jean-Jacques Laubert”

“———Oi, Laubert! Jean-Jacques Laubert!”

“Yes!?”

As his acquaintance struck his shoulder, he came back to his senses.

He looked around his surroundings, then he realised he was in a hallway of the lord’s manor.

It seemed that the audience was over before he realised it.

“Why did you space out? …. Hahaa, were you that tense?”

That laughing face of his acquaintance, he sure was carefree. Laubert sighed.

“It’s an interview that will determine my life from now on, alright? There’s just something wrong with people who aren’t nervous when it comes to this.”

“Don’t say that, it’s not like I’m relaxed… I didn’t score that well in the military officer exam… So it’ll all depend on the next interview.”

“Ah, is that so…”

Finally, he realised that his acquaintance was sweating a lot. In other words, if he didn’t tease Laubert here, it’d mean that he was driven into an unprecedented extent of mental strain.

“Yes, that is so. And for that reason, I’d like to take a peek into some of your responses, because you finished the interview earlier than me.”

“Even if you say so….”

To tell the truth, what he said in the interview was all vague.

It was a hazy memory, and no matter what he did he couldn’t grasp it for certain.

At that hesitation, his acquaintance thought,

“Ah, is that so…. So you didn’t respond well too, huh?”

That kind of oddly grave thought.

Now that he said that, Laubert felt that perhaps he didn’t do well at all.

“Might be so…. For some reason my mind went blank, and I can’t recall what I said…”

“Hey, Laubert, don’t put that face like you’re going to vanish somewhere now… Ah, that’s right! Let’s sneak out from the inn tonight, and have some drink in the town’s bar! Yes, it’s a gloomy countryside, but there should be a place where we can get a drink.”

Perhaps because his face was so grievous, his acquaintance did so to encourage him.

“I also called that Victor guy out, but he said he was feeling ill so he passed on that.”

“Victor…”

It was the young man whom he got acquainted with in the carriage.

He felt like he made an important promise with him…. but he couldn’t remember that too.

“Well, let’s just go to our customary self-pity party, just you and me. There were so many applicants, and the viscount paid for traveling and lodging expenses. There sure were a substantial amount of applications. It’s impossible for people who have been unemployed for ten thousand years like us to be accepted. Yes.”

He wondered what the acquaintance picked up from his remarks, so that he was now saying all these sorts of encouragement in particular.

Laubert did have a problem with his acquaintance’s pessimistic response, but going out for a drink might be a good idea. Regardless of the results, he felt like he couldn’t help but to drink.

(“Tonight, be sure—-”)

‘But isn’t something already scheduled for tonight…..?’

(“— to come to my place to receive your surgery”)

……..

That’s right. In any case, he couldn’t go for a drink tonight.

“…. Sorry, to make merry before the result comes out is a bit…”

“Tch, what is that? How cold.”

“Hahaha. Don’t sulk like that. As I said, I’m not confident whether I did well in the interview, so if I was right on the line between being accepted and rejected, my behaviour tonight might be the determining factor. At least that’s what I think.”

‘That’s right’

‘So I can’t see anyone tonight.’

‘And when the time comes—- what to do?’

“Well, there’s that way of thinking too, huh. I guess I should keep my behaviour in check too.”

“Yeah, do that. Surely, you’ll do well that way.”

He cut off the thoughts that he couldn’t put into words, and then he spouted an unfounded encouragement.

Laubert’s self-awareness was there, but he couldn’t find anything else to say but that.

At that time, the doors of the office used for the interviews were opened. From it, examinees were coming out, their faces were pale.

“………. Next batch, please come in.”

The collared maid invited the next round of people to enter.

“Errrr, next batch’s examinee numbers will be—- that’s our number. Still, why do you look so scared? Is it because of that rumoured viscount? Those guys who just went out now, you guys too, all of you had the face of a dead man.”

“Yeah, that’s right….”

Laubert nodded.

…. Viscount Oubeniel was dreadful. All his memories about the interview were hazy, but at least he felt that such was certain.

Even as he held on to his vague fear, for some reason he legs wasn’t moving to take him to his escape. And so, Jean-Jacques Laubert silently watched his acquaintance as the door swallowed him in.