I, Kenneth, am going to get to the root of the problem today.

Page 73

......

Mordred plopped down on Merlin, who was also bound like a dumpling, and looked like he'd seen a ghost. His nose twitched, and the double dose of scum made it even harder for Mordred to control the greatsword in his hand.

"Lily, Lily, please save me! Merlin is innocent! You have to believe Merlin! Merlin would never do such a thing..."

The two scoundrels were arguing so much that Ahoge's head was spinning. Artoria, who was too lazy to tell who was who, pulled out her curry stick and started hitting the two scoundrels. They were both Merlin, so she might as well fight them. With Morgan joining in, the fun-loving Merlin finally paid the price for his fun.

Chapter 187 Two Rituals

Kenneth was completely unaware of the chaos in the Starry Sea; instead, he faced Ryougi Shiki, whose eyes were filled with questions. The bandage on her shoulder hinted at no news of a murder, and Ryougi Shiki desperately wanted to know what had happened the previous night.

Did you stop him?

Stopping her endless staring, Ryougi Shiki asked Kenneth, who was gazing up, down, left, right, left, right, BABA, in a confident tone.

"I suppose so. He has already decided on the price, and as a man of my word, I certainly won't refuse his challenge."

"The price? What's the price?"

With her usual keen senses, Ryougi Shiki sensed the scent of a deal.

"This is an agreement between him and me. You will find out eventually, but not now."

"Tell me, what was your deal with him?"

The unsheathed dagger landed on Kenneth's shoulder, and Ryougi Shiki, deciding to use the most direct method, stared coldly at Kenneth. At Ryougi Shiki's raised voice, Kenneth continued playing his game. Orange, busy shopping, glanced at him before continuing to haggle. Kyoko, standing behind Kenneth, looked on with concern, while Asagami Fujino, peeking out from the kitchen, had a glint in her eye.

"Teng Nai, make me a cup of tea, with a little less sugar."

"Yes, Mr. Kenneth."

After performing a lightning-fast face-swapping act, Asagami Fujino immediately retreated to the kitchen to boil water. The development of events far exceeded Ryougi Shiki's expectations, and Ryougi Shiki, who was prepared to go all out, only felt a little embarrassed by her actions.

"answer my question!"

Revealing a tough stance, Ryougi Shiki advanced the short sword resting on Kenneth's shoulder a few steps until it reached his collar. By then, Kenneth had already started fighting the third boss.

"The price is too high, and the vase is barely in good condition..."

Orange's bargaining made Ryougi Shiki, who was already feeling awkward, blush. She realized that her threat was not as important as the game in the other party's hand. Now Ryougi Shiki felt that she could neither advance nor retreat.

"Sir Kenneth, your tea."

"Okay, let's put it on the table first."

Kenneth's indifference became the last straw that broke the camel's back. The more assertive she had been before, the more embarrassed Ryougi Shiki was now. Retracting the short sword from Kenneth's shoulder, Ryougi Shiki's toes unconsciously began to twitch against her wooden clogs.

"You've become obedient? I thought you could hold out a little longer."

Kenneth put down the handle, picked up the perfectly heated teacup, and looked at Ryougi Shiki, who was lost in self-doubt.

"Why aren't you reacting? My knife is already at your neck."

"Reaction: Would you react to a baby baring its teeth at you?"

It must be said that the tea brewed by Asagami Fujino was very much to Kenneth's liking. Seeing that Ryougi Shiki was about to object, Kenneth then attacked Ryougi Shiki's fragile heart.

"You only have one chance to kill someone, and your insistence doesn't allow you to do it. Since you're already denying yourself, why should I react to your actions?"

The short sword fell to the ground, and Kenneth uncovered what Ryougi Shiki had hidden. Seeing that Ryougi Shiki had finally quieted down, Kenneth picked up the handle again.

What happened last night?

“Sit down, beat me, and I’ll tell you what happened last night.”

Watching the characters jumping on the screen, Ryougi Shiki, whose thorns had been pulled out by Kenneth, obediently picked up the controller. Then, under Kenneth's skillful beating, Ryougi Shiki, who had never played video games before, became utterly exhausted.

The controller clicked loudly as she gripped it, and the character she was controlling was defeated once again. Realizing she was no match for Kenneth, Ryougi Shiki glared at Kenneth.

Are you kidding me?

"You want to know what happened last night, and I gave you the chance to tease me. I didn't mean to tease you; it was just you finding a reason to deny yourself in a convenient way."

The existence of Ryougi Shiki is quite contradictory. Ryougi Shiki, which represents negation, affirms everything, while Ryougi Shiki, which represents affirmation, constantly negates everything. The entangled spiral creates the abnormality of Ryougi Shiki.

"You still have so many fallacies."

After stubbornly uttering a retort, Ryougi Shiki, provoked by Kenneth, picked up the controller again. Looking at Ryougi Shiki, who was being manipulated by Kenneth, Aozaki Touko, who had finished bargaining, showed a pitying look. The last guy who dared to argue with Kenneth was beyond saving. Aozaki Touko was curious how long Ryougi Shiki could keep up her stubbornness.

Ten seconds later, Ryougi Shiki reselected her character; twenty seconds later, Ryougi Shiki typed "GG"; a dozen seconds later, the character controlled by Ryougi Shiki, who had been thoroughly defeated, was lying flat again; several hours later, Ryougi Shiki, who had been thoroughly defeated, put down the controller.

I'll be back tomorrow!

Leaving behind a seemingly harsh but actually harsh remark, Ryougi Shiki left the Garan no Dormitory and walked back to the street. Looking at the game consoles displayed in the shops, she thought for a moment and, not lacking in funds, went straight inside.

In Ryougi Shiki's mind, Kenneth would stop Ori, and if she could defeat Kenneth in the game, she would know everything that had happened. Furthermore, because of Fujino, the real culprit, Shirasumi Rio, was temporarily unable to continue committing the crime. With these coincidences linked together, Ryougi Shiki remained completely unaware of the truth. Driven by her desire to uncover the truth, Ryougi Shiki returned to the Ryougi family home with the game console, connected the equipment, and started playing King of Fighters!

Returning to the Hall of Garan, Orange, having emptied her shopping cart, sat cross-legged next to Kenneth. Picking up Kenneth's teacup, Aozaki Orange looked at Kenneth very seriously.

"It must be her, the body and personality intertwined with yin and yang, and that ethereal... uh, the masterpiece of the Ryougi family."

Maintaining her reverence for that great man, Touko struggled for a long time before finally finding a suitable term to describe Root. As for Kenneth, Touko could only say that this man was as audacious as ever, repeatedly flinching before Root. Wasn't he afraid that the personality connected to Root would appear?

"Stop yelling at me to erase your memory."

"What's the point of erasing it? The things you reveal every now and then are enough to make me think about them a dozen times over. Even if the sky falls, you'll be there to hold it up. What do I have to worry about?"

Adhering to the philosophy of "if you can't resist, then enjoy it," Aozaki Touko lay down. "So what if they're connected to the root? If they push me too far, Aozaki Touko will just die for them."

“Her perspective is different from ours. She observes the world through Ryougi Shiki’s perspective. The world has no secrets for her, and she probably even knows why I came here.”

"What brings you here?"

Aozaki Touko found it hard to imagine what Kenneth, a magician, couldn't solve. Driven by her insatiable curiosity, Touko, who felt she had nothing to fear anymore, thought she was invincible again.

"You want to know?"

Uh-huh!

Nodding vigorously, practically screaming "I'm so curious!" Aozaki Touko, teetering on the edge of self-destruction, patted her chest with a "bring it on" expression.

"I really want to know, but that's not something you can just look at directly."

"Who do you look down on? What's there that you can't even look at? Hurry up, what kind of man are you, dragging your feet like this!"

The next second, Aozaki Touko regretted it. The moment she met Kenneth's gaze, Touko's body collapsed. Carrying the regret of the second time around, Touko in the third time opened the coffin lid, looked at the chandelier on the ceiling, and Aozaki Touko fell into depression.

"What it is."

“I locked up a guy who wanted to eat me. She had something I wanted on her.”

Kenneth desires both the evil of the beast and the abilities of Ayaka Sajou. However, Ryougi Shiki, who can suppress Ayaka Sajou, has yet to appear. Unable to deal with that laid-back lady, Kenneth can only wait for the progress to be unlocked.

In the hospital morgue, Araya Sōren, using his identity as a doctor, brought the dying Shirasumi Rio there. The restraints rattled as the beast struggled. Fujino interrupted Araya Sōren's plan, and the ceremonial attire made this naturally cautious man uneasy about his next move.

"El-Melloi, the Law's Attire, has that man achieved the Law?"

Looking at the crippled chess piece, Araya Souren fell into thought. Attracting the mage's attention with the worst-case scenario was not what Araya Souren wanted. Before proceeding, he needed to determine how much of his plan had been exposed. As long as the body he had chosen remained undiscovered, any unforeseen circumstances were acceptable.

With a low hiss, Araya Souren walked toward Shirojun Rio, who was being controlled by Origin. The carefully nurtured pawn still had value, and Araya Souren needed her to live until things became clear.

Chapter 188 Torture

In the Starry Sea, after confiscating the spying records of the two scoundrels and hanging Merlin from the top of the tower, Morgan, feeling completely relaxed, dragged the exhausted Meryl away from the Tower of the End.

Pooh!

Spitting, Mordred didn't forget to give Merlin, who was hanging on the wall, a shot of electricity before leaving. He quietly returned to the village, making sure no one was disturbed. Without alerting anyone, Morgan brought the darting Lady Avalon back to El-Melloi. Sitting back on the throne, Morgan crossed his legs and looked down at Merlin wriggling in front of him.

"Tell me, why are you spying on us, Merlin from another world?"

"Merlin, who is Merlin? I don't know him, I don't know him at all. Look at me, and then look at that Merlin. How could someone as cute as me be the Merlin that everyone hates?"

With her purplish-red eyes sparkling, Meryl, who showed no signs of being a captive, crawled up to Morgan. As if to prove her difference from Merlin, Lady Avalon put on a docile expression.

As someone who far surpasses Merlin in terms of scum, Meryl's high emotional intelligence stems from her personal interests, while low emotional intelligence means indulging in desires and prioritizing fun. As a scumbag who insists that "the big picture is important, but having fun is even more important," Meryl is a chaotic person who can abandon her mission for the sake of her interests.

"Did you come here for that man, and for King Arthur from another world? Tell me everything you know!"

With the crawling Mary under his feet, Morgan tried to verbally pressure the scumbag in front of him.

"Hmm~ Are you going to say something like, 'Those who laugh are heroes,' and then try to get me to talk? Hehe~ But I really don't know that~"

Watching Mary, who was determined to continue her charade, Morgan felt his blood pressure soaring uncontrollably. Just as Morgan was considering how to torture this scumbag, Mary, who was practically begging to be punched, started again.

"King Arthur? Who's King Arthur? I don't know him, I don't know him at all. I'm just a fairy who's only been born a few years ago. I don't know any of those strange people. Wow, little Morgan, your style is surprisingly conservative. Usually, people who wear this color are secretly sexy. Could it be that you, little Morgan... eh~~"

With her head jutting forward, Mary demonstrated what it meant to be more perverted than you. Veins bulged on her forehead, Morgan's chest heaved uncontrollably, and iron spikes appeared out of thin air, instantly turning the woman who wanted to give a score into a pincushion.

"Little Morgan, can't you be a little gentler? It hurts! I'm telling you, that style doesn't suit you. Boys like that subtle, alluring look. I recommend... Little Morgan, you! Ugh... Ugh!"

Morgan summoned a rag and stuffed it into the scoundrel's mouth. Not wanting to waste any more time, Morgan decided to get serious. Torture, she had to torture him severely. She was determined to make this scoundrel regret it today. Then, Morgan realized she had underestimated the scoundrel's abilities.

"Little Morgan, could you push a little harder? This thing is so interesting."

"A few more bottles, please. This potion tastes good, I can still drink more..."

In terms of perversion, Morgan would call Meryl the strongest. This woman, whose mind was full of chaos, could always find the crux of Morgan's torture and then enjoy it. Morgan felt as if he was hitting cotton.

"Little Morgan, why did you stop? Do you have anything else interesting to try? I'd like to try more..."

She was getting increasingly difficult, even more so than Merlin. Rubbing his throbbing head, Morgan's gaze followed the crawling Merlin across the floor. This scoundrel was far too much for Morgan to handle.

Morgan kept taking and putting away the dress she was supposed to wear to Kenneth, but feeling that she couldn't save face, she finally gave up the idea of ​​learning from Kenneth. Recalling the key points of Meryl's spying during this period, Morgan found the crux of the matter.

Pinching Mary's nose, Morgan poured several bottles of what looked like shady potions into the scoundrel's mouth. Holding Mary by the arm, Morgan decided to show the scoundrel what kind of dark hand he was.

Is it strawberry flavored this time?

Smacking her lips and savoring the taste, Mary was completely oblivious to the potion's effects. After all, she was a Nightmare (succubus), a creature that fed on emotions, and she would consume as much external desire as she could.

Morgan hung the bewildered Mary in the basement, and while Mary feigned shyness, he began to perform magic on the scumbag's skin. After confirming that Mary couldn't escape, Morgan took out Mary's treasured possessions.

"What do you want, Morgan?"

"You're a nightmare just like that guy, aren't you? If you can feed on other people's emotions, then you should be able to feed on your own emotions too, right? Mary, I'm treating you to a feast, your own feast!"

Under Merlin's incredulous gaze, Morgan projected her collection, and the female protagonist in the image was transformed into herself by Morgan's superb Photoshop skills. The magic left on the skin resonated, and Miss Merlin became herself, which became a source of amusement.

"Enjoy this, Mary, and see you tomorrow!"

Seeing the panic in Meryl's eyes, Morgan felt incredibly relieved. She closed the basement door, covered it with numerous protective barriers, and, inexplicably pleased, continued her experiments.

Morgan was conducting experiments, Merry was experiencing ecstasy, while Sakura, in Fuyuki City, was conflicted. She was living in her old bedroom, and everything around her was exactly as it had been before she left. Feeling the guilty care from Zenjou Aoi, Sakura nervously called out the name she used to use. After a long talk with her mother that lasted all night, much of the resentment in Sakura's heart dissipated.

After a few days, Sakura had rediscovered some of her old feelings. Under Sakura's intentional or unintentional guidance, Lydel, who had taken Rin Tohsaka under her wing, was also preparing to launch a surprise attack on Kanbuko City. Sakura was torn between leaving together or staying a few more days.

Unlike Sakura, who was struggling with her own dilemma, Lydel, who was teaching Rin Tohsaka at the Tohsaka family workshop, was having a hard time. As a blonde who was single-mindedly focused on becoming an idol and treating magic as a side job, Lydel's teaching progress was slow, and she was once again stumped by Rin's question. Seeing Lydel scratching her head, Rin felt like she had been tricked.

"Teacher, how about we skip this question for now?"

Speaks weakly, Rin Tohsaka, feeling her future is bleak, just wants to end this torment as soon as possible.

Feeling her dignity as a teacher challenged, Lydia, whose teaching ability was almost zero, racked her brains to analyze the spell in front of her for Rin Tohsaka.

"Ah, that's basically it! First do this, then do this, and finally do this again, and the circuit will be connected, understand?"

Seeing Lydelle in a state of complete agitation, Rin Tohsaka nodded sincerely, silently noting down the question. Having already given up all expectations of Lydelle, Rin decided to ask Sakura about it later.

"Good, that's understandable. Okay, next one!"

With a mind that was relentlessly destructive, and showing no remorse for being a mediocre teacher, Lydel continued to hypnotize Rin Tohsaka.

Chapter 189 The Transformation of Yin and Yang

During the day, Kenneth tormented Ryougi Shiki mentally, and at night, he tormented Ryougi Shiki physically; Kenneth's business had been incredibly busy lately. Meanwhile, within Kenneth's body, perhaps sensing his intentions, Ayaka Sajō's actions had become increasingly frequent.

Sajo Aika is analyzing and eroding; while Kenneth is constantly optimizing and reinforcing. Under Sajo Aika's pressure, Kenneth's understanding of the Third Law can be said to be increasing day by day.

Within the cage forged from souls, the surging blood subsided. In the new round of confrontation, Kenneth had won, for now. Watching Sajou Ayaka's figure bound by the shimmering white magic, Kenneth, finally able to catch his breath, stood before her.

"Are you scared, Ayaka Sajou? This isn't like you."

Kenneth sat down cross-legged, a thin membrane of light separating the two worlds. Below, Sajou Aika remained silent, while above, Kenneth chattered on and on in a neighborly tone.

Seemingly annoyed by Kenneth, Sajou Aika sank beneath the ripples in the light membrane, her corrosive aura receding. Had it not been for the lingering beastly presence, Kenneth would have truly believed Sajou Aika had vanished. Gazing at the stagnant pool below, Kenneth had a premonition that Sajou Aika was brewing something big, but he sensed nothing amiss.

Gazing at the strands of hair below, Kenneth left. Shortly after Kenneth left, a blurry figure appeared in this luminous white space. It seemed to be separated by a great distance, or perhaps the presence of the figure was blocked. The figure flickered like a distorted image.

"You're awake. I've been waiting for you for a long time."

With her usual stern tone and expression, Ryougi Shiki glanced at Kenneth before choosing her role. Just moments ago, Ryougi Shiki had sensed a crisis beyond death emanating from Kenneth, fleeting in an instant. If it weren't for the hairs on her arms still clinging to her skin, Ryougi Shiki would have truly believed it was her imagination.

"This aura... is this guy a monster...?"

"It's impolite to call someone a monster behind their back. I must say, your nose is really sharp."

The person involved overheard her muttering, and Ryougi Shiki turned her head away somewhat awkwardly. After adjusting her emotions, Ryougi Shiki glared at Kenneth with a stern face, the urging in her eyes self-evident.