Chapter 142
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[Puppeteer Joseph]
An angry shout echoed in Saintess Cordelia’s hospital room.
“Huh!? What’s going on!?”
It came from a female knight in light equipment, a victim of Joseph that had been turned into a puppet.
Iris and Cordelia directed him a look of puzzlement upon hearing his outburst, but the confused Joseph paid them no heed, his mind racing.
His connections with Ayako, who had gone to the cathedral, and the little bird that acted as his intermediary had broken all of a sudden, and he had no idea as to what the cause.
(My connections with Ayako and the intermediary are cut off at exactly the same time. Even if that boy Sakurai suddenly attacks, can he break the connections at exactly the same timing? Besides, if there’s any sign of an attack, Ayako should be able to respond to it. Does that boy capable of an attack that can’t be dealt with by Ayako, who can even respond to the attack of the Sword Saint? No, that’s unlikely.)
Chances were some kind of trouble that no one had expected occurred.
However, he didn’t have enough information to identify the trouble.
Even if he thought it over and over again, he wouldn’t reach the answer as long as that hole wasn’t filled.
“――――.”
Sadness arose.
As a father who dearly loved his daughter, and as a ‘puppeteer’ who created the puppet named Ayako, he believed that he had the responsibility to keep watch over Ayako.
Therefore, although he didn’t share her five senses and gave her a certain amount of free will and the right to act, Joseph kept the puppet-puppeteer magical connection with Ayako.
The connection, derived from the ‘Puppetry’ skill, was proof that Ayako was under his control as one of his creations. At the same time, it also acted as a bond (rein), a ‘parent-child bond’ that he’d believed could never be broken.
Yet now that bond broke…
Joseph loved Ayako with every fiber of his being. With his most fundamental connection with her broken, he felt an irrepressible sense of loss.
“……Kuku, fuhahaha.”
So, Joseph laughed.
The loss of Asanaga Ayako indicated her imperfections, and that there was room for her to grow and improve.
Ayako, whom he believed to have reached perfection, still had more potential to be unearthed.
That fact strongly stimulated Joseph as a ‘Puppeteer (father)’.
“Excuse me! Are you listening!?”
“Huh? Ah, my apologies. It appears that a problem occurred and I lost contact with them. I’m going to head over there to investigate. I’ll be leaving this puppet, so do let me know if something happens. If the need arises, it’ll respond.”
“Eh, ah, wait!”
Joseph swiftly said his piece, and his consciousness receded from the puppet.
He could still Iris’s voice calling out to him, but now it sounded as if there was a wall separating them.
Now back to his main body, which was hidden in another location, he lowered the resources devoted to monitoring Cordelia to the minimum, and then he moved his consciousness to the puppets that he had planted among the knights who were surrounding the cathedral from outside the barrier for information manipulation.
The knights were holding a meeting again today.
At the regular meeting where all sorts of reports and countermeasures were discussed, Joseph had slipped in two high-ranking puppets, whom he usually used to manipulate the meeting and wasted precious time. But this time he was going to use them for a different purpose.
“Next, regarding the condition of the soldiers. It appears that they have started to lose tension, likely because they have been on the watch for the past week. However, a certain amount of tension is necessary to—”
“Pardon me, but there has been a change in the situation. Now please die.”
“Huh? Gah!?”
“Jeremy!! What are you doing!?” The knight pulled out his sword upon seeing the puppet named Jeremy stab the reporter out of the blue, but then another knight who had been standing next to him slashed him from behind, ending his life.
Then by Joseph’s power, the knight was revived as a new puppet under his control.
“Geez, how long do we have to keep a watch? I’m getting sick of—ah, I was getting to the good part. Good sir, please die for me.”
“Huh? Geho!?”
“Yo, Kevin. If you’re free, wanna have a drink?”
“That looks fancy. Just where did you grab it from, you thieving bastard.”
“What? You don’t want it?”
“Oh, don’t say that. Let’s see, we can’t have a drink without some side dishes, so please die.”
“Huh? Gahe!?”
“Dad! Dad!”
“Antony! You okay!?”
“What the hell is going on here, Dad!? Everything was fine until just a while ago, but then people suddenly started killing each othe—gaho!? D… ad…!?”
“Ayako is the only one who can call me father. Also, I don’t want any ruckus for the time being, so let me make you quiet, alright?”
Out of nowhere, the knights were attacked by those who had until just a while ago been their colleagues, friends, or families.
Then, those that died in the attack stood back up again and began to hunt for another target.
The violence that occurred amid the knights was similar to a scene from a b-rated zombie movie.
The terrifying thing was that Joseph’s choice of target and timing and also his systematic way of execution made it so that no one other than the victims knew about what was going on.
And thus, the knights fell one after another without causing a commotion, and within 20 minutes, a 127-strong elite force was completed.
In order to operate this army, Joseph needed to move his main body near them and operate them from as close a distance as possible, but it wouldn’t be a problem as he intended to step into the barrier to find the cause of the trouble that occurred to Ayako, in the first place.
(Oh no. I’m getting so excited. How unbecoming for one of my age.)
It had been a quarter of a century, two months, and 17 days since he had created the current Ayako.
During that period, all that Joseph did was dote on Ayako while working with the ‘Black Sword’ on the side.
Hence his curiosity was strongly stimulated.
What was it that broke their connection, and how would it be of use to create a new Ayako?
Those thoughts excited him. Filled with overflowing enthusiasm, Joseph and the puppets (knights) under his control pushed through the opposition of the surroundings and forced their way into the barrier as one unit and stepped into the barrier.
Incidentally, those who were in charge of the operation of the barrier had been among the first people he’d turned into puppets.
With them under his command, it wasn’t difficult for Joseph to crack the security system of the barrier and make a hole in the barrier for his army to pass through.
Using them, he released a part of the barrier surrounding the cathedral and restored it after they were in.
In the process, he made modifications to the barrier so that it couldn’t be easily released by the knights barred outside. He didn’t want to have any interference while he was investigating the cause of the trouble.
“Wait! What are you guys doing! Get back!!”
“Hum, huhum, huhu~m♪”
An angry shout was audible from behind. It belonged to the leader of the knights, calling for Joseph and the puppets to stop.
However, he ignored it and made his way to the great library while humming happily.
As he didn’t intend to listen, the puppets followed suit as well.
The road had been cleared of monsters by Sakurai and the others, who had gone into the forbidden book section, and only the Planarian Slime split bodies could be spotted here and there.
There was nothing to stop Joseph in his way.
Because he knew that, he proceeded calmly while his mind was filled with inquisitiveness.
Therefore.
He didn’t notice the Magic Eyes that had locked onto his overflowing ‘heat’ and his destination from the outside of the barrier.
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[Puppeteer Joseph]
An angry shout echoed in Saintess Cordelia’s hospital room.
“Huh!? What’s going on!?”
It came from a female knight in light equipment, a victim of Joseph that had been turned into a puppet.
Iris and Cordelia directed him a look of puzzlement upon hearing his outburst, but the confused Joseph paid them no heed, his mind racing.
His connections with Ayako, who had gone to the cathedral, and the little bird that acted as his intermediary had broken all of a sudden, and he had no idea as to what the cause.
(My connections with Ayako and the intermediary are cut off at exactly the same time. Even if that boy Sakurai suddenly attacks, can he break the connections at exactly the same timing? Besides, if there’s any sign of an attack, Ayako should be able to respond to it. Does that boy capable of an attack that can’t be dealt with by Ayako, who can even respond to the attack of the Sword Saint? No, that’s unlikely.)
Chances were some kind of trouble that no one had expected occurred.
However, he didn’t have enough information to identify the trouble.
Even if he thought it over and over again, he wouldn’t reach the answer as long as that hole wasn’t filled.
“――――.”
Sadness arose.
As a father who dearly loved his daughter, and as a ‘puppeteer’ who created the puppet named Ayako, he believed that he had the responsibility to keep watch over Ayako.
Therefore, although he didn’t share her five senses and gave her a certain amount of free will and the right to act, Joseph kept the puppet-puppeteer magical connection with Ayako.
The connection, derived from the ‘Puppetry’ skill, was proof that Ayako was under his control as one of his creations. At the same time, it also acted as a bond (rein), a ‘parent-child bond’ that he’d believed could never be broken.
Yet now that bond broke…
Joseph loved Ayako with every fiber of his being. With his most fundamental connection with her broken, he felt an irrepressible sense of loss.
“……Kuku, fuhahaha.”
So, Joseph laughed.
The loss of Asanaga Ayako indicated her imperfections, and that there was room for her to grow and improve.
Ayako, whom he believed to have reached perfection, still had more potential to be unearthed.
That fact strongly stimulated Joseph as a ‘Puppeteer (father)’.
“Excuse me! Are you listening!?”
“Huh? Ah, my apologies. It appears that a problem occurred and I lost contact with them. I’m going to head over there to investigate. I’ll be leaving this puppet, so do let me know if something happens. If the need arises, it’ll respond.”
“Eh, ah, wait!”
Joseph swiftly said his piece, and his consciousness receded from the puppet.
He could still Iris’s voice calling out to him, but now it sounded as if there was a wall separating them.
Now back to his main body, which was hidden in another location, he lowered the resources devoted to monitoring Cordelia to the minimum, and then he moved his consciousness to the puppets that he had planted among the knights who were surrounding the cathedral from outside the barrier for information manipulation.
The knights were holding a meeting again today.
At the regular meeting where all sorts of reports and countermeasures were discussed, Joseph had slipped in two high-ranking puppets, whom he usually used to manipulate the meeting and wasted precious time. But this time he was going to use them for a different purpose.
“Next, regarding the condition of the soldiers. It appears that they have started to lose tension, likely because they have been on the watch for the past week. However, a certain amount of tension is necessary to—”
“Pardon me, but there has been a change in the situation. Now please die.”
“Huh? Gah!?”
“Jeremy!! What are you doing!?” The knight pulled out his sword upon seeing the puppet named Jeremy stab the reporter out of the blue, but then another knight who had been standing next to him slashed him from behind, ending his life.
Then by Joseph’s power, the knight was revived as a new puppet under his control.
“Geez, how long do we have to keep a watch? I’m getting sick of—ah, I was getting to the good part. Good sir, please die for me.”
“Huh? Geho!?”
“Yo, Kevin. If you’re free, wanna have a drink?”
“That looks fancy. Just where did you grab it from, you thieving bastard.”
“What? You don’t want it?”
“Oh, don’t say that. Let’s see, we can’t have a drink without some side dishes, so please die.”
“Huh? Gahe!?”
“Dad! Dad!”
“Antony! You okay!?”
“What the hell is going on here, Dad!? Everything was fine until just a while ago, but then people suddenly started killing each othe—gaho!? D… ad…!?”
“Ayako is the only one who can call me father. Also, I don’t want any ruckus for the time being, so let me make you quiet, alright?”
Out of nowhere, the knights were attacked by those who had until just a while ago been their colleagues, friends, or families.
Then, those that died in the attack stood back up again and began to hunt for another target.
The violence that occurred amid the knights was similar to a scene from a b-rated zombie movie.
The terrifying thing was that Joseph’s choice of target and timing and also his systematic way of execution made it so that no one other than the victims knew about what was going on.
And thus, the knights fell one after another without causing a commotion, and within 20 minutes, a 127-strong elite force was completed.
In order to operate this army, Joseph needed to move his main body near them and operate them from as close a distance as possible, but it wouldn’t be a problem as he intended to step into the barrier to find the cause of the trouble that occurred to Ayako, in the first place.
(Oh no. I’m getting so excited. How unbecoming for one of my age.)
It had been a quarter of a century, two months, and 17 days since he had created the current Ayako.
During that period, all that Joseph did was dote on Ayako while working with the ‘Black Sword’ on the side.
Hence his curiosity was strongly stimulated.
What was it that broke their connection, and how would it be of use to create a new Ayako?
Those thoughts excited him. Filled with overflowing enthusiasm, Joseph and the puppets (knights) under his control pushed through the opposition of the surroundings and forced their way into the barrier as one unit and stepped into the barrier.
Incidentally, those who were in charge of the operation of the barrier had been among the first people he’d turned into puppets.
With them under his command, it wasn’t difficult for Joseph to crack the security system of the barrier and make a hole in the barrier for his army to pass through.
Using them, he released a part of the barrier surrounding the cathedral and restored it after they were in.
In the process, he made modifications to the barrier so that it couldn’t be easily released by the knights barred outside. He didn’t want to have any interference while he was investigating the cause of the trouble.
“Wait! What are you guys doing! Get back!!”
“Hum, huhum, huhu~m♪”
An angry shout was audible from behind. It belonged to the leader of the knights, calling for Joseph and the puppets to stop.
However, he ignored it and made his way to the great library while humming happily.
As he didn’t intend to listen, the puppets followed suit as well.
The road had been cleared of monsters by Sakurai and the others, who had gone into the forbidden book section, and only the Planarian Slime split bodies could be spotted here and there.
There was nothing to stop Joseph in his way.
Because he knew that, he proceeded calmly while his mind was filled with inquisitiveness.
Therefore.
He didn’t notice the Magic Eyes that had locked onto his overflowing ‘heat’ and his destination from the outside of the barrier.
Puppeteer JosephAn angry shout echoed in Saintess Cordelia's hospital room.Huh!? What's going on!?It came from a female knight in light equipment, a victim of Joseph that had been turned into a puppet.Iris and Cordelia directed him a look of puzzlement upon hearing his outburst, but the confused Joseph paid them no heed, his mind racing.His connections with Ayako, who had gone to the cathedral, and the little bird that acted as his intermediary had broken all of a sudden, and he had no idea as to what the cause.My connections with Ayako and the intermediary are cut off at exactly the same time. Even if that boy Sakurai suddenly attacks, can he break the connections at exactly the same timing? Besides, if there's any sign of an attack, Ayako should be able to respond to it. Does that boy capable of an attack that can't be dealt with by Ayako, who can even respond to the attack of the Sword Saint? No, that's unlikely.Chances were some kind of trouble that no one had expected occurred.However, he didn't have enough information to identify the trouble.Even if he thought it over and over again, he wouldn't reach the answer as long as that hole wasn't filled..Sadness arose.As a father who dearly loved his daughter, and as a puppeteer' who created the puppet named Ayako, he believed that he had the responsibility to keep watch over Ayako.Therefore, although he didn't share her five senses and gave her a certain amount of free will and the right to act, Joseph kept the puppet-puppeteer magical connection with Ayako.The connection, derived from the Puppetry' skill, was proof that Ayako was under his control as one of his creations. At the same time, it also acted as a bond rein, a parent-child bond' that he'd believed could never be broken.Yet now that bond brokeJoseph loved Ayako with every fiber of his being. With his most fundamental connection with her broken, he felt an irrepressible sense of loss.Kuku, fuhahaha.So, Joseph laughed.The loss of Asanaga Ayako indicated her imperfections, and that there was room for her to grow and improve.Ayako, whom he believed to have reached perfection, still had more potential to be unearthed.That fact strongly stimulated Joseph as a Puppeteer father'.Excuse me! Are you listening!?Huh? Ah, my apologies. It appears that a problem occurred and I lost contact with them. I'm going to head over there to investigate. I'll be leaving this puppet, so do let me know if something happens. If the need arises, it'll respond.Eh, ah, wait!Joseph swiftly said his piece, and his consciousness receded from the puppet.He could still Iris's voice calling out to him, but now it sounded as if there was a wall separating them.Now back to his main body, which was hidden in another location, he lowered the resources devoted to monitoring Cordelia to the minimum, and then he moved his consciousness to the puppets that he had planted among the knights who were surrounding the cathedral from outside the barrier for information manipulation.The knights were holding a meeting again today.At the regular meeting where all sorts of reports and countermeasures were discussed, Joseph had slipped in two high-ranking puppets, whom he usually used to manipulate the meeting and wasted precious time. But this time he was going to use them for a different purpose.Next, regarding the condition of the soldiers. It appears that they have started to lose tension, likely because they have been on the watch for the past week. However, a certain amount of tension is necessary toPardon me, but there has been a change in the situation. Now please die.Huh? Gah!?Jeremy!! What are you doing!? The knight pulled out his sword upon seeing the puppet named Jeremy stab the reporter out of the blue, but then another knight who had been standing next to him slashed him from behind, ending his life.Then by Joseph's power, the knight was revived as a new puppet under his control.Geez, how long do we have to keep a watch? I'm getting sick ofah, I was getting to the good part. Good sir, please die for me.Huh?Geho!?Yo, Kevin. If you're free, wanna have a drink?That looks fancy. Just where did you grab it from, you thieving bastard.What? You don't want it?Oh, don't say that. Let's see, we can't have a drink without some side dishes, so please die.Huh?Gahe!?Dad! Dad!Antony! You okay!?What the hell is going on here, Dad!? Everything was fine until just a while ago, but then people suddenly started killing each othegaho!? D ad!?Ayako is the only one who can call me father. Also, I don't want any ruckus for the time being, so let me make you quiet, alright?Out of nowhere, the knights were attacked by those who had until just a while ago been their colleagues, friends, or families.Then, those that died in the attack stood back up again and began to hunt for another target.The violence that occurred amid the knights was similar to a scene from a b-rated zombie movie.The terrifying thing was that Joseph's choice of target and timing and also his systematic way of execution made it so that no one other than the victims knew about what was going on.And thus, the knights fell one after another without causing a commotion, and within 20 minutes, a 127-strong elite force was completed.In order to operate this army, Joseph needed to move his main body near them and operate them from as close a distance as possible, but it wouldn't be a problem as he intended to step into the barrier to find the cause of the trouble that occurred to Ayako, in the first place.Oh no. I'm getting so excited. How unbecoming for one of my age.It had been a quarter of a century, two months, and 17 days since he had created the current Ayako.During that period, all that Joseph did was dote on Ayako while working with the Black Sword' on the side.Hence his curiosity was strongly stimulated.What was it that broke their connection, and how would it be of use to create a new Ayako?Those thoughts excited him. Filled with overflowing enthusiasm, Joseph and the puppets knights under his control pushed through the opposition of the surroundings and forced their way into the barrier as one unit and stepped into the barrier.Incidentally, those who were in charge of the operation of the barrier had been among the first people he'd turned into puppets.With them under his command, it wasn't difficult for Joseph to crack the security system of the barrier and make a hole in the barrier for his army to pass through.Using them, he released a part of the barrier surrounding the cathedral and restored it after they were in.In the process, he made modifications to the barrier so that it couldn't be easily released by the knights barred outside. He didn't want to have any interference while he was investigating the cause of the trouble.Wait! What are you guys doing! Get back!!Hum, huhum, huhu~mAn angry shout was audible from behind. It belonged to the leader of the knights, calling for Joseph and the puppets to stop.However, he ignored it and made his way to the great library while humming happily.As he didn't intend to listen, the puppets followed suit as well.The road had been cleared of monsters by Sakurai and the others, who had gone into the forbidden book section, and only the Planarian Slime split bodies could be spotted here and there.There was nothing to stop Joseph in his way.Because he knew that, he proceeded calmly while his mind was filled with inquisitiveness.Therefore.He didn't notice the Magic Eyes that had locked onto his overflowing heat' and his destination from the outside of the barrier.
