Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 9: The Mind Sorcerer
Clap, clap—
The elf mage interrupted Marlon’s private musings with the sound of applause.
“Interesting thought.”
The elf mage said this, his gaze directed at Marlon carrying a depth of meaning that was hard to read.
Then, without giving Marlon a chance to speak, the elf mage’s figure rippled in the air like water—and vanished.
Inside the treehouse, only Marlon and the minotaur boy, Ester, remained, staring at each other wide-eyed.
Half a minute passed.
A minute passed…
At least three minutes went by, yet the elf mage, who had disappeared into thin air, had still not returned.
Finally, the minotaur boy Ester, who hadn’t spoken a single word since entering the treehouse, could no longer hold it in. He leaned toward Marlon’s ear and whispered in a low voice, “Brother, we need to run! The sorcerer… he’s—he’s absolutely a mind-twisting, evil mind sorcerer! You don’t understand—when I kicked the door open, he glanced at me casually, and I collapsed on the floor, unable to speak a word! It’s over, it’s over… I should have just run straight down!”
Ester’s frantic shouting and terrified eyes left no doubt about his fear.
A mind sorcerer?
Ah, now it made sense.
Marlon paused for a moment, then finally retrieved from the inherited memories of Marlon Lister the only fragment about mind sorcerers: “The origin of fear and pain, the master of others’ minds and thoughts.”
Whether in the past Dark Ages or in this so-called civilization built on steam, mind sorcerers were universally seen as evil.
Perhaps this was the instinctive reaction of any intelligent being—to fear that their mind could be controlled at any time by someone else.
Marlon pondered this, finally understanding why he had previously almost defenselessly revealed things he shouldn’t have.
Even minor mental influence, like the one just now, could stir discomfort and suspicion!
At least, Marlon, used to Earth where people at least superficially respected each other’s privacy, thought so.
Just then, the rippling of air appeared again across from him, and the mysterious elf, who had vanished moments ago, reappeared.
Marlon noticed the elf’s face carried a faint trace of fatigue.
“All those you called the innocents are safe now.”
The slightly weary elf looked at Marlon and spoke.
“Thank you for your help!”
Marlon, already anticipating such a possibility before the elf spoke, quickly expressed his gratitude.
After a brief pause, he rose and continued, “If it’s already safe outside, it would be rude for us to disturb your peace any longer. Please excuse us as we take our leave…”
Though he had been transported to this world, Marlon, both before and after, had no “invincible hero” abilities; he couldn’t even reliably protect himself.
A wise man does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. Who knew what lay beneath the calm, polite exterior of this clearly magical mind sorcerer elf? Madness and bloodthirst, perhaps?
Marlon certainly didn’t want to reveal secrets under the elf’s mind-controlling influence.
Thus, as expected, the safest strategy was simply to flee.
“Very well.”
The mysterious elf, unexpectedly, said nothing further, simply nodding with a calm expression.
Before Marlon could offer further politeness, the already terrified Ester had dragged him out of the treehouse in a near-panicked rush.
Marlon glanced back to see the treehouse door slowly close like a ghost, and the enigmatic elf, holding a white enamel teacup with high porcelain edges, gradually disappeared into the shadows.
For some reason, Marlon couldn’t shake the odd thought—this mysterious elf would inevitably appear before him again.
“Stop daydreaming, brother! Let’s go!”
Ester patted Marlon’s shoulder and whispered again, though even his low voice carried clearly within three meters.
Marlon nodded and strode downward.
“Marlon Lister … interesting…”
Unbeknownst to him, just as he descended the spiral ladder beneath The Light of Eshilia restaurant, the elf in the treehouse had finished drinking the remaining milk tea in one slow sip, and a faint smile curved his lips.
“We will meet again.”
…
When they reached the bottom floor where they had previously fled, Marlon saw seven bodies—rigid and lifeless—six men and one woman, eyes open in death.
A tense-looking armed officer blocked Marlon and Ester, shouting for them to continue down and forbidding entry into the treehouse restaurant.
Marlon had no intention of joining any trouble and silently moved on, while Ester, somewhat defiant, glared at the officer before following him.
Ester’s luck had been good. His saber-toothed steam car remained intact, whereas the rugged six-wheeled open-top steam car next to it, with massive steam exhaust pipes on each side of the hood, was riddled with seven or eight holes.
“Ha, the Ahura sports car, worth over three thousand Duran, probably driven by some spoiled brat showing off. Now he’s going to cry!”
Ester’s mischief was typical of his youthful nature.
“Let’s go, let’s go. Find somewhere else, get something to eat first.”
Marlon urged.
“Move it! You two kids, what are you doing here? Don’t you realize there’s an unexploded military delayed-fire grenade in your car? Idiots… inviting death!”
A heavily armored officer, his head encased in a large metal bucket-shaped helmet, with strange gear hanging all over, ran toward them while shouting.
A delayed-fire grenade?!
You’ve got to be joking…
Ester, originally curious to get closer, froze in terror and nearly collapsed.
Marlon reacted similarly. Inherited memories from Marlon-Ester reminded him clearly—because it contained a fireball spell, if the delayed grenade detonated, it would unleash an area-wide explosion comparable to Earth’s napalm!
He didn’t even notice the officer’s earlier phrase, “you two kids again,” meant the same threat.