At the moment Tris witnessed the blood giant, he could not help but admire Rose's power. At the same time, he became even more aware of the vast gap between his own strength and hers.
The technique Rose used was very similar to the stone giant Tris had once summoned when fighting Zyron.
Yet the speed with which she cast and completed her magic far surpassed him. Moreover, this blood giant was not only stronger but terrifyingly capable of regenerating whenever injured.
The current plight of Bishop Draven was undeniable proof of its might.
'Stop! Stop! He's already dead!'
Watching the brutal scene unfold, Tris could not help but recall this line.
Dozens of seconds had passed since the golden light had completely vanished. Since then, how many blows had been delivered?
The ground beneath the giant's fists had long been shattered, and Bishop Draven's figure was no longer visible, swallowed by the deep crater carved out by the destruction.
And with every additional strike, despair weighed more heavily upon the surviving members of the Church of Light.
Many of them collapsed to their knees before the savage spectacle. Their eyes were swollen red, fists clenched tight, lips murmuring as though praying for a miracle.
But no miracle came. Their leader, Bishop Draven, did not suddenly rise from the pit to turn the tide. Their god did not appear to punish the monster before them.
The only thing they saw was more merciless fists continuing to fall.
'She's toying with them, trampling on their spirit and minds.'
Tris easily understood what Rose was doing now. It was, in a way, a continuation of the provocations she had thrown out before the battle.
If her only goal was to prevent them from fleeing, Rose could have easily done so physically with her Domain.
Yet she chose not to use it, instead blocking the retreat of the Church of Light's people purely on the level of spirit and thought, through her earlier subtle taunts.
Like a demon playing with human hearts, she deliberately left behind a path, a faint hope of escape.
Tris suspected that Rose wanted to see how many would betray the vows of determination they had declared earlier.
'Is this her way of measuring the depth of their faith and resolve, or simply a twisted form of entertainment for her?'
Analyzing Rose's personality and actions, Tris judged it could very well be both.
And soon enough, the first to turn and flee appeared. Faced with such an absurd existence, the lofty words of fighting to the end no longer carried weight. In the end, they were subdued by reality.
Once one person ran, it spread like wildfire. The second, the third… more followed in succession.
As they fled, many tried to console themselves with excuses like "The Church must be warned of this monster," or "Someone must survive to avenge Bishop Draven."
Very quickly, from a crowd of more than a dozen, only two remained. One was a holy knight gripping his sword firmly, the other an elderly priest.
The giant halted its blows, lowering itself to stare directly at the two below. From deep within its chest, Rose's voice echoed outward:
"Surprising that some remain. Why don't you run as well?"
"I will not betray my word."
The holy knight declared with unwavering resolve.
Beside him, the elderly priest only sighed and said:
"I'm too old to run. Besides, from the start, you never intended to let any of us go, did you? If that's the case, why should I disgrace myself by trying?"
Rose: "Indeed, within any group there are always both fools and the wises."
As she spoke, from the direction where the others had fled came countless screams of anguish. Not long after, the scene fell silent once more.
The two white-haired girls, who had quietly vanished when Rose began fighting, returned. They stood silently, saying nothing.
Rose: "Then, as a gesture of respect, I shall quickly send the two of you on your way."
With those words, she commanded the blood giant to slam both hands down, finishing off the two who remained beneath it.
When its hands lifted, contrary to Tris's expectations, the mangled corpses of the two were nowhere to be seen.
Unwilling to believe they had escaped or achieved a miracle that even Bishop Draven could not, Tris suspected the giant inflicted more than mere physical damage—it was something deeper, hidden behind its outward appearance.
'The more I see, the more I realize how absurdly powerful she is.'
Tris sighed inwardly, knowing he would need immense effort if he ever hoped to live peacefully without fear of danger.
The giant slowly dissolved, and from within it, Rose leapt free.
Landing lightly, she walked toward Tris and said:
"I can't help but feel you were just thinking something rather unrealistic."
'(ㆆ_ㆆ) She can sense that too? Is it really true she can't read minds?
(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ And besides, is living safely in this world really so difficult that even hoping for it is unrealistic?'
Stretching wearily, Rose said:
"(￣▽￣) Well then, Tris, could you handle cleaning up and repairing the ground in this area?"
Tris: "Why me?"
'(＃°Д°) Isn't it only fair that whoever makes the mess should be the one to clean it up?'
Rose: "Look at this statue—you're clearly skilled with Earth magic, aren't you? So, could you help me out?"
After explaining her reasoning, Rose smiled again and asked once more.
Seeing that smile, Tris feared that saying no might not end well.
Sighing again, he began using his magic to restore the devastated ground.
Not long after, the work was complete. Of course, it couldn't return everything to its original state, but it concealed well enough what had happened here.
Rose: "Well done. Here's your reward."
She tossed a crumpled sheet of paper to Tris as she spoke.
Catching the crumpled sheet of paper tossed toward him, Tris wondered what kind of reward this thing, looking as though it belonged in the trash, could be.
Unfolding it to take a look, the moment he began to read, Tris was instantly filled with astonishment at the contents recorded there.
The text was not very long, so he quickly finished reading it all.
As soon as he finished reading the final line, which said 'Destroy after reading,' a magic activated, causing the paper in his hands to ignite and burn away on its own.
Rose: "（￣︶￣）So, what do you think? Generous of me, isn't it?"
Tris: "Thank you. But why would you agree to teach me such precious knowledge?"
He knew well that no gift simply falls from the sky.
Rose: "Because, whether you like it or not, you can't separate yourself from us. And we've never been stingy with our comrades."
She spoke these unsettling words as, for the first time, she opened her eyes fully, allowing Tris to see them clearly.
Her eyes had no whites, only a deep black void, with a blazing red pupil shining against the darkness.
Looking into those eyes, Tris wondered whether Rose was truly human, or if they were some kind of special mystic eyes.
Rose: "Well then, it's time to say goodbye. It will be many years before I can meet you again."
Tris: "Many years later?"
Rose: "Yes. I'm leaving now."
She waved her hand, then turned her back and departed with the two white-haired girls, leaving decisively without looking back or offering further explanation.
*************
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A Few Words to Share:
And so, Volume 3 of Puppet Master comes to a close.
First of all, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the readers who chose to support me directly on Patreon.
Even though the amount I receive is small, just like an extra cup of coffee each month, that cup of coffee carries an immeasurable spiritual value.
(´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)
Speaking of Volume 3, the main purpose of this book was to achieve two important goals.
First, to delve deeper into character development and expand the world of the story.
Second, to lay the groundwork for certain plotlines that will drive the narrative in future volumes.
Although there were some minor changes at the end compared to the original plan, overall, everything followed the intended direction and wrapped up smoothly.
(*^▽^*)
As for the next volume, I plan to once again put a strong focus on action. From the beginning, I envisioned the story's progression like this:
Vol 1: Heavy emphasis on action.
Vol 2 & Vol 3: More slice-of-life elements, giving the story a breather to avoid monotony, while allowing readers to bond with the characters and better understand the world.
And honestly, I also wanted to experiment with weaving in different genres and elements.
(～￣▽￣)～
Vol 4: Returning once more to intense action.
Of course, since Volume 4 is still being written, unexpected changes may occur. But I'm fairly certain it will feature far more action than the previous two volumes.
Regarding the release schedule for Volume 4, it won't be updated daily like the past three volumes. (Most likely dropping from 7 chapters per week down to 3 or 4.) The reason is that I plan to dedicate more time to developing my Patreon and the exclusive content there.
(ノへ￣,)
Also, please note that a special exclusive chapter will be updated on Patreon tomorrow, and at the same time, the first chapter of Volume 4 will be released publicly on the website.
https://www.patreon.com/PeName
╰(°▽°)╯
And finally, to close this reflection: if you have any questions about the story, feel free to leave them directly under this post. If enough questions are gathered, I'll compile them and create a special Q&A chapter to answer them.
( •̀ ω •́ )✧