Chapter 122

(122)

Valenciaunos looked at the traces of devastation.

He was an outstanding fire magician, yet he couldn’t determine exactly what spell had been used to demolish the structure, as it had never been a completed building in the first place.

“Lady, isn’t it possible that the fire was just an accident?”

Konel’s face turned pale.

Sererassie answered as if questioning why he would ask such a thing.

“How likely is it for a brick building to simply catch fire and blaze up? Plus, look here. When the flames surged from the front, the wall collapsed in an explosion and soared through to the back wall. This sort of thing can only be done with powerful fire magic. It must be a Wave of Flames or a Fireball.”

She directed her words at Konel.

“It’s not your fault. If a magician capable of this level of magic decided to come, you wouldn’t have been able to stop them. Don’t worry, I’ll allocate additional budget for the demolition.”

“Thank you.”

Color returned to Konel’s face.

Letting out a sigh of relief, she bowed down in front of Sererassie.

Sererassie lifted Konel with a gesture and said, “Little brother, it seems like he will come again.”

Among the slime farm, the slime processing workshop, the primary scroll processing workshop, and the primary magic tool processing workshop, only the primary magic tool processing workshop had collapsed.

“Right. Lady, we need to capture him, right?”

“Of course. We should demand compensation. I’m not someone who concerns myself with threats or warnings. We have to let them know who dared to trifle with us.”

“I knew you would say that.”

Valenciaunos and Sererassie walked cruelly into the burning ruins with a grim smile.

“O light and wind, eliminate my shadow.”

Sererassie concealed their bodies with stealth magic.

As time passed, the moon rose, and night fell.

Even the madness-stricken Amon god’s troops walked the night streets with the night watchmen, searching for the suspicious magician.

Valenciaunos and Sererassie didn’t think they would succeed.

“Right. They got through just fine.”

Sererassie laughed sadistically.

Valenciaunos, whose pupils changed vertically, and Sererassie, who cast a night vision spell, appeared as if they were visible even in the deep darkness.

In front of her workshop, the space rippled, revealing six silhouettes.

“They’ve taken Transparency potions. It must be expensive; they probably received a hefty advance. Are they planning to attack now?”

“Of course. When mana is drawn up, the Transparency will distort, you know.”

“Shall we?”

“Wait. They will realize we’re gathering mana, too. Especially since your flames are anything but ordinary.”

“Then, shall we destroy another workshop?”

Sererassie shook her head.

“When the flames explode, block it with ‘Flames Following the Flame.’ If the magic unfolds in time, it will catch them off guard. Running out of mana like that, I can take them down with Chain Lightning.”

Valenciaunos nodded.

Two of the six magicians stepped forward.

Whiiiiing—.

The surrounding wind was sucked into their hands.

Valenciaunos marveled at the tiny flame, smaller than the light of a candle.

Judging by the amount of mana and wind gathering now, it had the strength to easily blow away a building.

If such a powerful magic could be compressed to this degree, the caster was definitely beyond the fourth circle.

The two nodded, and flames erupted.

A single ‘Fireball’ and a narrow, elliptical ‘Wave of Flames’.

Whoosh!

The red flame cut through the darkness of the night and surged toward the workshop building.

Valenciaunos broke the stealth and recited a spell.

“Flames Following the Flame.”

Mana control is the power that resides in one’s soul.

With forty years of combat experience and further training, his mana control had reached a level that was among the best in the continent.

Hooow!

The surging wave of fire and the fireball suddenly veered off course, soaring high into the sky.

Boom!

The fireball, which exploded fifty meters above ground, illuminated the darkened former slums.

The ‘Wave of Flames’ gathered back into a single point, transforming into a ‘Spear of Fire.’

“Over there!”

“They’re back!”

All around, the maddened Amon god’s followers howled like wolves as they charged in.

* * *

The six magicians immediately turned their bodies.

“… We’re in trouble.”

“Run!”

One magician urgently began casting a spell.

“Wind, reside in our bodies….”

Sererassie, hearing the spell, sent a glance of admiration.

Casting physical enhancement spells on many at once is no simple task.

Casting ten spells on one person is easier than casting on two at once.

‘They are impressive. Though not as much as I am.’

Sererassie smiled coyly, her mismatched eyes gleaming.

Flash!

Without breaking the stealth spell.

Shadowed Lightning rained down on six of them simultaneously.

Clang!

The sounds of shattering glass echoed loudly as their Barrier was obliterated.

‘Stealth and a Barrier too?’

Even amidst it all, the magician casting the physical enhancement spell continued and, in the end, a faint ethereal green light enveloped all six of their bodies.

“Jump!”

“Stealth! Quickly!”

They attempted to blend into the night with movements akin to elves.

“Not happening.”

Valenciaunos hurled the ‘Spear of Fire,’ and Sererassie again unleashed lightning.

One of the six suddenly turned around and shouted a trigger word.

“Spiked Shield!”

Dozens of translucent blue hexagonal shields rose and blocked the lightning and flames.

Valenciaunos, rushing forward, and Sererassie, preparing her next spell, were in awe once more.

They had to capture him alive, so they suppressed their power to the extreme, yet managing to wield destruction magic—a notoriously difficult school of magic— to that extent was indeed a remarkable talent.

“But why are you causing fire in a place like this?”

Valenciaunos advanced toward him, saying.

“When!?”

He twisted his body in shock.

“Did you think I was as weak and slow as you?”

The magician flared white flames from his hands this time.

It was one of the destruction spells known as ‘Repulsive Hand.’

Valenciaunos, smiling, seized his wrist and pulled hard.

Simple spells could hardly affect him.

“What!”

The magician was astonished, and Valenciaunos kneeled him in the stomach.

Crack, a horrifying sound echoed, and the magician’s body crumpled, half folding toward the ground.

“Lady! I got one!”

“Well done, little brother. I’ll use the confession spell, so hold on tight.”

Sererassie rushed out from the ruins, speaking.

“Lady, you can use mental magic as well?”

She smiled coyly at his question, sending blue lightning from her index and middle fingers.

“This is the confession spell. Remove the hood and mask. I want to see their face contort.”

“If they get hit by your magic, they’ll die no matter what.”

“Don’t you trust my control that much?”

“You don’t know how weak those magicians are.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

Valenciaunos removed the hood and checked the face only to frown.

Younger than expected.

At this rate, one could believe he was still a student at the academy.

“Lady, just a moment. I think we might not have to kill him.”

That meant there was somewhere worth mentioning.

* * *

Inside Bastatin’s potion shop’s back room.

“I truly appreciate what you did last time.”

A cheerful-looking man with tangled green hair and yellow eyes, Bastatin, bowed deeply.

“After all the black iron knights and constables gathered and turned the streets upside down, we would have been in big trouble if we hadn’t prepared in advance. All thanks to you, Your Excellency!”

“Prepared?”

“I changed the pharmacy to a membership system, hid the potions, and concealed the funds.”

I no longer needed his potions.

Looking at that frivolous smile, I felt a sadistic impulse to crush him entirely, but I suppressed it with rational thought that I needed to cultivate my informant well.

“Right. Let’s end that conversation here. Jin.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

He had gray hair, blue eyes, a tall stature, and handsome features.

A mature and diligent academy student who was my planted collaborator in the court’s civil service.

His main tasks were to manage the royal illegitimate children and control knowledge related to the old structures around the Street of Learning.

“I heard you became the president. Congratulations.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Your Excellency.”

I liked compliments and flattery, so I gladly handed him a generous fee for activities.

Sererassie gave me a look that suggested, ‘You do this?’ but I ignored it.

“I have a favor to ask. Do you know this guy or the organization he’s affiliated with?”

I presented him with the one we captured yesterday.

Jin flinched as he looked at the face.

“…… I can’t recognize him in this condition.”

He had undergone Sererassie’s electrical torture and Konel’s stick treatment yesterday, leaving his face swollen.

He was quite a decent-looking fellow; I could only wish for his quick recovery.

I shot a resentful glance at Sererassie, who replied with a tone that suggested I had it coming.

“Little brother, don’t you think you should have talked him down better?”

“Lady, don’t you feel embarrassed to say that while being honest?”

“I’m innocent! Aren’t you too?”

As we exchanged such dialogue, Jin squinted as if dissecting a dead fish.

He was concentrating on checking for piercings, tattoos, necklaces, bracelets, rings, and any remaining reagents.

Soon, Jin let out a deep sigh.

“Understood. They were individuals I was keeping an eye on as well.”

“Really? Who are they and where?”

“There is an organization composed of long-term leave students on the outskirts of the Street of Learning. Their name is ‘Old Skolla.’”

“Old students, huh? That’s a strange name.”

“Their main source of income is extortion and mercenary work. They possess the skills to become mercenary magicians or adventurers when they go to provincial areas or other countries, but here in the capital, they take on the dirty jobs of the high-ranking people.”

I got a rough idea of what kind of fellows they were.

The Magic Street itself had originally gathered the younger sons and daughters of noble families who didn’t want to leave the capital after graduation.

To survive, they had to say some words and, living by their major, was the dream of all students.

These guys seemed to make a living by actively taking on dirty and dishonest jobs.

Sererassie nodded, seemingly in agreement.

“They had decent skills but weren’t good enough to enter the imperial palace. Even court nobles all hire one or two skilled magicians, yet entering under the commoners is against their pride.”

The one who had kept his mouth shut even after being beaten like that now widened his eyes.

“Isn’t it scary to risk your life to catch a monster or go to war for territory? You want to stay in the capital, and in the end, it becomes your lot to do the dirty work for lawyers or court nobles? You are a disgrace to magicians.”

Crackle!

Sererassie laughed sadistically, poking him again under the chin with two fingers.

I pretended not to notice and asked Jin, “Do you know the exact location?”

“Yes. They had actually planned to capture me as well. Their hideout is fortified, and it would be hard for us alone to break through. If you two could help, I would be grateful.”

Just then, he trembled and said, “Even if you caught us, no one would speak.”

That seemed likely.

Honestly, I was surprised.

These kinds of thugs usually spill everything after a bit of constructive conversation, but this fellow remained silent even after being subjected to that.

He had some grit.

And I was the best at breaking that kind of grit or belief.

“I was thinking that the first one to confess after capturing them would become the newest apprentice in Sererassie’s workshop, but will this information keep your mouth shut?”

“!”

His face convulsed.

“If you had said that from the start, I might have…!”

“Not a chance. I found it insufferable that you didn’t say a word since yesterday, especially since you’re someone who has to be dealt with sooner or later.”

Sererassie sparked him once more, knocking him unconscious.

“Shall we go?”

“Right. Little brother.”

Knowing they were competent individuals, there was no need to show the leniency I did yesterday.

I gripped the newly acquired sword, ‘Black Tear.’

It was time for a siege after a long while.

* * *

“I don’t think it’ll be easily penetrated unless we bring the whole building down. Do you have a good idea?”

“Let’s set it on fire too.”