Chapter 52: Eliza Brandon

Leo wanted to act immediately, but his experience from the past year held him back. One mistake could cost both the hostage's life and his own.

His mind raced, processing the situation. It was nighttime—these kidnappers knew exactly what they were doing. There were no patrols nearby and even though the main gate typically had two to four guards stationed there, not a single one was in sight. Either their boss was someone wealthy enough to tip off the authorities, or these men themselves were high-ranking individuals.

Another detail gnawed at him: there were no screams. Despite an ongoing kidnapping, everything was eerily silent.

All of this points to danger.

Leo activated his Telepathy ring, reaching out to the closest reliable contact—Mr. Rorin. Amid his tension and faint hope, a voice echoed in his mind.

"Leo, what is it?"

"Mr. Rorin, there's no time. A kidnapping is happening in the slums, near the gates. I'm taking action, but they might be dangerous."

"Don't let them escape. I'm on my way. Just buy time and be careful."

The connection cut off, leaving Leo with a renewed focus. The kidnappers were almost inside the carriage.

Leo activated the Enhanced Eye spell on his hand, zooming in on the scene. The hostage—a child—hung limply over the muscular man's shoulder.

The carriage door shut and it began to move. Without hesitation, Leo started running. Mid-stride, he hurled his cane sword forward. Guided by Telekinesis, the cane arced through the air and slammed into the front-left wheel of the carriage. The wheel splintered and the entire vehicle lurched to the side before collapsing onto the cobblestone street.

Leo didn't stop running.

The carriage door burst open with a violent slam and the muscular man stepped out. His sharp eyes locked onto Leo and without a word, he charged.

Leo had been preparing for this. His Shield and Calm Gem were already active. He halted in place, planting his feet firmly. His goal wasn't to win—it was to buy time.

The man closed the distance rapidly, his fist raised for a crushing punch. But before he could strike, something slammed into the back of his head—the cane sword, guided once more by Leo's Telekinesis.

The blow staggered the man but it only made him angrier. With a furious roar, he lunged forward, throwing a devastating punch.

Leo sidestepped to the right, narrowly avoiding the strike and used the head of his cane to hook the man's arm and drive it downward. Off-balance, the man dropped to one knee.

Seizing the moment, Leo surged forward, driving his knee upward into the man's chin. The impact sent the hulking figure reeling backward.

Leo's lips curled into a confident smile—it was time to test his theory.

In his left palm, hidden beneath his grip on the cane, was a paper inscribed with Fear Magic. With practiced focus, Leo activated the spell, channeling the mana current through his body and into his right hand. He considered directing the energy into his knee, but controlling his mana through his hands was easier.

As the man stumbled back, Leo stepped forward and delivered a sharp punch to his face. The spell surged through the contact point and the man hit the ground hard, landing flat on his back.

Leo paused, observing closely. His guess was correct—the man lay there trembling, his body paralyzed by fear.

It worked.

For now, the situation was under control. But Leo knew better than to let his guard down—the fight wasn't over yet.

All of this happened in mere minutes, but it was enough time for the other man to climb out of the carriage. In his trembling hand, he held a piece of paper etched with symbols all too familiar to Leo—an Illusion Spell.

The man's hand shook as he prepared to cast the spell, but Leo acted faster. He raised his sword and activated Light Enchantment. A burst of light erupted, blinding the illusionist. While the man stumbled back, rubbing his eyes, Leo lunged forward and delivered a powerful kick to his chest. The man was thrown backward, landing on the ground in pain.

Out of the corner of his eye, Leo spotted another figure—a fat man sprinting awkwardly down the street. Without hesitation, Leo picked up a piece of wood from the shattered carriage and hurled it. He didn't even need Telekinesis—the man was such an easy target that the wood struck him square in the back, sending him sprawling onto the cobblestones.

Ignoring the fallen man, Leo focused on the carriage. He wrenched the door open, reached inside and carefully pulled the hostage out. Taking a few steps back, he removed the bag from her head—and froze.

It was Eliza, Rosie's friend.

"What…?"

Her face was bruised and smeared with blood.

Those bastards… They hit a kid?

Leo clenched his jaw and pulled out his Light Sword, preparing to heal her injuries.

But before he could start, two police officers approached.

"Sir, what's going on here?" one of them asked.

"Where the hell were you two? There's a kidnapping happening right here! Take those three into custody!" Leo barked, his frustration clear.

The officers flinched at his tone and moved swiftly. One of them stepped closer. "We'll take her to the station as well, sir."

"Fine."

The officer reached for Eliza, but something felt off.

Wait… where did these two come from? They must've been nearby to arrive this quickly. Why didn't they intervene earlier? Were they afraid?

Leo's instincts screamed at him. Without hesitation, he grabbed Eliza and leaped backward.

"Sir, what's wrong?"

Before Leo could respond, a sharp pain erupted in his right shoulder. He turned, eyes wide, and saw Eliza—her face twisted into a cruel smile.

An illusion!

With his injured arm, Leo gritted his teeth and grabbed Eliza's wrist, stopping her from moving. His left hand summoned the Light Sword, its glow enveloped him.

As the healing energy spread, something in Eliza's eyes flickered—and the cruel smile faded. Her face returned to normal, though she still trembled, her body trying to follow the illusionist's orders.

Mind Control.

Leo directed the healing magic into her and her body finally went limp in his arms.

Gently, he set Eliza down and turned around. The small illusionist was no longer where he had been. Leo's sharp eyes scanned the area and found the man perched on the back of his trembling, fear-stricken companion.

"You managed to break free from my illusion? Well done, boy," the man said, his voice dripping with condescension.

"When did you cast the illusion on me?" Leo demanded.

The illusionist smirked. "You really don't know? You made your mistake the moment you activated Enhanced Eyes."

Leo's heart sank. The realization hit him hard—he'd been at a disadvantage from the start.

"But to break her free from my Mind Control? That sword must be at least a C-rank magic item, and you… a D+?"

Sweat trickled down Leo's temple as the oppressive presence of the man loomed over him. This wasn't just someone powerful—he was calculating, dangerous, and clearly used to getting his way.

"I'll give you one chance, boy," the man said, his voice calm but laced with authority. "Hand over the girl, and I'll leave you unharmed."

Leo's grip on his sword tightened, his knuckles whitening. "You really think I'll believe that?"

The man smirked, unfazed. "I could kill you anytime I want, but that'd be such a waste. You're an illusionist, like me. Give me the child and I'll even erase this little memory from your mind. You won't even remember meeting me."

Leo's heart raced. The man wasn't bluffing—every instinct screamed at him to run, to retreat. But retreat wasn't an option. Not now.

Taking a deep breath, Leo funneled his mana into the Light Sword, willing it to blaze to life. The blade responded, glowing brilliantly in his grasp, its energy pulsating with raw, focused power.

"So that's your answer?" the man said with a sigh, his disappointment almost genuine. "What a shame."

Before Leo could react, the man raised his hand. A ripple of dark energy burst from his palm, sweeping across the battlefield like an invisible wave.

The sword's brilliant light faltered. Then, with a pitiful flicker, it went out entirely.

Leo froze, his breath catching in his throat. His wide eyes locked onto the now-dull blade. He couldn't believe it.

False Power?

The higher the rank of the magic item, the stronger the opponent must be to cancel it using False Power. The Sword of Light was a Rank C spell—just how powerful was this man?

The two police officers, still under the illusionist's control, began sprinting toward Leo. He reached for a spell paper in his bag, but nothing happened. His bag and his gems, were completely unresponsive.

'Damn it. Of course my bag stopped working too—it's an enchanted item. False Power can disable it.'

He was now standing face-to-face with an opponent whose rank he couldn't even guess, stripped of his magical tools and defensive spells. 

The two officers closed in, their movements precise but unnaturally stiff—puppets under the illusionist's control. Leo gritted his teeth, forced into a physical confrontation as he parried one strike, sidestepped another, and deflected a blow aimed at his ribs with a ringing clash of his sword.

He fought defensively, careful not to harm them. These weren't his enemies; they were victims. But each exchange drained his stamina, every block and dodge costing him precious energy.

In the background, the illusionist stood motionless, observing with an eerie calm. His eyes seemed to glimmer with amusement, as if testing Leo's limits.

Leo's mind raced as he tried to strategize. He needed to retreat—step by step, he edged backward, trying to escape the illusionist's Range of False Power, but before he could do so the Illusionist raised his hand. "Let's end this."

He whispered an incantation and a glowing mark ignited on one of the officers' foreheads. Leo recognized it instantly—Fear.

'I have to look away!'

But he didn't have enough time. The rune flared, and icy terror crashed over him. His muscles locked up and he collapsed to his knees. Immobilized by fear, Leo could do nothing as the officers lunged at him.

Just as he thought it was over, a wave of brilliant light engulfed the area. The two officers froze mid-motion before collapsing unconscious. The suffocating fear gripping Leo's chest vanished.

It was Rorin. His colossal hammer crashed into the ground near the illusionist's perch, hurling the muscular man several meters away from the sheer force of the impact, but the illusionist had already relocated. 

Leo followed his sharp gaze and spotted the man standing near the unconscious fat man.

"You called reinforcements?" the illusionist said, smirking at Leo. "Smart kid. I like you."

Without effort, he lifted the fat man as if he weighed nothing.

Rorin charged forward, his speed nearly rivaling Edmond's. His hammer gleamed in the faint light as he closed the distance.

The illusionist grinned. "We'll meet again soon, kid."

With a swift flicker of movement, he disappeared, taking the fat man clutched in his grasp and the muscular man a few meters away with him, vanishing just moments before Rorin's hammer came crashing down. 

The heavy silence that followed was broken only by the steady thud of Rorin's approaching footsteps.

"Leo, you alright?"

Leo exhaled shakily, his legs still trembling beneath him. "Your timing is impeccable, Mr. Rorin. A few more seconds and I'd be dead."

Rorin extended a hand and pulled Leo to his feet with ease.

"I would've been here sooner, but that Illusionist had some kind of spell masking this area. Took me a couple of minutes to figure it out and dispel it," Rorin explained.

"Then how was I able to see through it!?" Leo asked, his voice tinged with both confusion and urgency.

"That's what I'd like to know. Spells like that don't usually work this way," Rorin replied, his brow furrowing.

"You're saying he wanted me to see this?"

"I'm saying I don't know," Rorin said firmly. "But we've talked enough—we need to help that little girl."

Leo's gaze shifted to Eliza, lying nearby and then to the injured police officers scattered around the scene.

"And them, too," he added, determination hardening his voice.