Diary of a Dead Wizard-Chapter 270: Crying Face, Smiling Face

“Was I standing in blood the whole time…?”

Saul turned back and saw that Billy had already approached the massive, swaying bell.

Angela glanced around, hesitated for a moment, then stood at Saul’s side.

Whether she feared some hidden danger—or Billy himself—was unclear.

“Tsk.” Billy suddenly clicked his tongue, then turned around. Amid the loud tolling, he shouted to Saul, “Did you say earlier you came in here with Mochi Mochi?”

The moment Saul heard this, he immediately reacted. Eyebrows raised in disbelief, he quickly walked to Billy’s side and bent down to look inside the bronze bell.

“Hss…” He gasped in shock.

The bronze bell was only half a person tall and as thick as a man’s arms around, yet someone was crammed tightly inside.

It was none other than Mochi Mochi, who had separated from Saul shortly after entering the town!

After they parted, Mochi Mochi had never contacted Saul again, and Saul, facing constant danger, hadn’t used that ancient coin either.

Who would have thought their reunion would be like this?

Mochi Mochi’s long, thin body had been twisted cruelly like a pretzel and shoved into the bronze bell.

His tilted head, hands, and feet were all squashed against the outer edge, while the rest of his body was crammed inside.

“He’s dead?” Saul muttered in disbelief.

Mochi Mochi was a Third Rank apprentice who had guarded a Wizard Tower outpost for ages—how could he die so easily?

But with his body twisted like this, could he possibly still be alive?

“Almost, but not yet,” Billy replied, arms crossed, eyes fixed on Mochi Mochi. Who knew what he was thinking?

At that moment, Mochi Mochi’s stiff eyeballs suddenly twitched and, with difficulty, turned toward Saul.

His lips parted slightly, and a ancient coin fell from his mouth.

Clink!

Metal clattered against stone, ringing out clearly.

As the coin bounced on the ground, Saul noticed it looked just like the one Mochi Mochi had given him before—except the faces on both sides were crying instead of smiling.

“Senior…?” Saul frowned at the coin.

Just then, from the corner of his eye, he saw Billy move.

A second later, a powerful magical surge came from behind.

But the magic wasn’t aimed at Mochi Mochi—it was aimed at him!

Already on edge, Saul’s Soul Armor spell activated instantly, blocking the oncoming Mage Hand at the last possible moment.

The next moment, the Mage Hand shifted from a grab to a palm strike, slamming against the translucent barrier of Soul Armor.

Mage Hand and Soul Armor—both basic magic applications—collided with full force, releasing a burst of pressure.

Saul staggered back two steps, nearly colliding with the bell that held Mochi Mochi.

Just then, the swaying bell abruptly stilled. The tolling stopped, but the sound of the tide outside grew louder.

Anyone peeking out the window would see that in mere moments, the red tide had flooded over most of the low buildings.

Like a true world-ending deluge, it was about to engulf everything.

But Saul had no time to worry about that.

Though Billy had suddenly attacked, Saul hadn’t been completely unprepared.

Billy had used only a Zero Tier spell—Mage Hand—which couldn’t inflict much damage. All it did was push Saul closer to the bell.

Suddenly, something fell from Saul’s body too.

Clink—his own ancient coin hit the ground and collided with the one dropped by Mochi Mochi.

The two coins seemed to attract each other, and the moment they met, their edges stuck together.

At that instant, Saul, Billy, and even the distant Angela all fixed their eyes on the coins.

Before their very eyes, the two coins suddenly flipped—smiling faces became crying, crying became smiling.

And then—

Mochi Mochi, who’d been crammed inside the bell, suddenly dropped out!

At the same time, Saul felt a powerful force trying to pull him into the bell.

Angela’s beautiful eyes darted back and forth between Saul and Mochi Mochi, stunned.

She didn’t know the exact function of the coins, but from their transformation and interaction, she could tell things weren’t looking good for Saul.

Her left hand twitched slightly, as if something, or someone was trying to persuade her.

But her gaze wavered, and in the end, she chose to merely watch, cold-eyed, not interfering in the clash.

Saul’s face contorted.

The bell’s pull—especially on his head—was growing stronger.

He braced his legs against the floor, and Little Algae sprang into action, anchoring itself to the bell tower window frame.

Saul resisted the pull with all his might while keeping an eye on the others.

Billy simply leaned against the wall, arms crossed.

Angela remained uncertain, avoiding Saul’s gaze.

Meanwhile, the collapsed Mochi Mochi was slowly recovering.

He lifted his head with difficulty and looked at Saul, “Sorry… to open the gate here… we needed a sacrifice.”

He didn’t even glance at Saul’s expression—he knew no words would improve the situation. Instead, he turned to Billy.

“What are you waiting for?”

But Billy still leaned against the wall, “I’m not going through, only to get double-crossed and become the next sacrifice.”

Still resisting the pull, Saul gritted his teeth, “You two… knew the curse’s nature from the start?”

Mochi Mochi was surprised Saul could still talk calmly.

Scratching his head, he replied honestly, “Actually, I only figured out the rules after reaching the bell tower. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have ended up trapped inside.”

Billy looked at the struggling Saul with a flicker of surprise and said, “I realized when I saw Mochi Mochi. But… maybe I made my judgment too early.”

Another ambiguous line.

But the still-weakened Mochi Mochi suddenly sensed something.

He turned toward Saul just in time to see him relax.

Hands in his pockets, Saul stood up casually and tilted his head at him, eyes gleaming with icy detachment.

“Forgot to mention—I’m not just good with souls. I’m especially skilled at analyzing runes.”

In an instant, Mochi Mochi felt a massive force pulling down from above.

Still weak and mentally drained, he could only stare blankly upward—

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And saw the massive bell rushing toward him.

His final thought, just before being sucked back into the bell—

Was a glimpse of the two ancient coins on the ground.

The coin that belonged to him had somehow turned back into a crying face.

(End of Chapter)