“No way…”
“Also, the Mage Association is still taking time, but the Knights have arrived at the Academy. However, they absolutely detest magicians, so they will definitely get in your way. But, I am a magician too. It’s not interesting for a student’s future to be decided because of the muscle-brained idiots of the Knights, so I rushed to bring the medicine, but you’ve surprised me with this unexpected turn of events.”
As Kirsi said, the Knights detested magicians.
The private knights of the Alway Ducal Family were friendly, but here in the Capital City, the Knights’ dislike for magicians was well-known.
They had a particularly bad relationship with the Mage Association. They disliked the fact that the Mage Association was a semi-independent organization.
Thinking of Drew, Jared wanted support from either the Knights or the Mage Association, but he would be in trouble if he was shut out. Moreover, he was unsure how the Knights would treat Drew, a magician even if he was a student at the Academy.
If Kirsi hadn’t mentioned it, Jared would have asked for their cooperation without remembering the Knights’ dislike for magicians.
“What is the Mage Association doing?”
“Who knows? But the Association doesn’t have many personnel they can deploy quickly. That’s probably why they’re using talented individuals like you, Jared.”
After carrying Kirsi to the spectator seats, Jared took the syringe from her and put it in his pocket.
“Larentz, please take care of the teacher. And don’t leave this place.”
“Wait a minute, Jared! It’s all so confusing, and I have a lot of questions, but just answer one for now – are you still going to fight?”
To Larentz’s question, Jared nodded with a puzzled expression, as if to say, “What are you asking now?”
“Don’t ask the obvious. I don’t know how Drew Zimmer ended up like that, but I can’t take him out of the training hall in that state. Even if I thought I killed him, he regenerated. So, I have no choice but to fight until he dies.”
“Then I’ll help too.”
“No, I’ll accept your kindness.”
“Why! Am I useless? I admit I couldn’t handle Drew and left him to you, but shouldn’t we have more combat power right now!”
“No, it’s not that. I’m running out of magic power and stamina, so I’d be holding you back. Still, I’m more accustomed to fighting, so I should be the one to fight.”
Jared understood Larentz’s unconvincing expression, but he didn’t have time to explain.
“I’ll fight. But if something happens to me, I’m counting on you then.”
“—! Don’t say such foolish things!”
“It’s a ‘just in case.’ So, please!”
Without waiting for a reply, Jared leaped from the spectator seats and landed in front of Drew, standing guard.
“I don’t know how you came back to life after supposedly dying once. But I can’t let you out of here.”
Drew no longer showed the hostility towards Jared that he had before. Instead, he kept walking towards the exit of the training ground, trying to get out.
Towards Drew, who wouldn’t stop his advance, Jared took out a syringe and held it up so Drew could see it.
“This is an antidote. It will eliminate the side effects of the Magic Amplification Potion you used. It might even cure your current state. Do you understand?”
There was no response.
Without growling or even roaring, Drew only tried to move towards the exit.
However, Jared noticed that Drew’s gaze had definitely shifted when he showed the syringe and called it an antidote.
“I’ll cure you now. Alright?”
To prove he wasn’t hostile, Jared spread his arms wide and approached Drew.
As Jared moved closer, Drew stopped. Feeling only Drew’s gaze fixed on him, Jared cautiously drew near.
“Are you okay with needles? I don’t really like them. But this is all I have right now, so please bear with it. Come on, let me see your arm.”
As if responding to Jared, Drew quietly extended his right arm, which had become his only arm.
As Jared was relieved that Drew was cooperating, he tried to insert the needle into his arm—at that instant—
“Gaaaaaaarararararararararargh!”
With a roar, Drew’s right arm attacked Jared.
“—!”
Because he shielded the syringe, his evasion was delayed, and while he avoided a direct hit, Drew’s swipe with his claws wounded Jared.
His uniform was torn, and his chest was slashed horizontally, blood flowing.
“I thought you were surprisingly obedient, but were you planning to resist after all?”
There was still no reply.
Jared had braced himself for resistance. He was wounded, but it wasn’t a fatal injury. More importantly, the syringe was safe.
“Then I’ll force you.”
His goal wasn’t to defeat Drew, but simply to inject him with the syringe. Jared felt lighter with this thought.
Although not hostile, Drew snorted as if to say he wouldn’t be pushed around. Jared dashed towards him.
Keeping his posture low, he sprinted like a snake slithering on the ground.
Dodging a wide-ranging attack, he dove between Drew’s legs and took him from behind.
“You resisted, so this is a punishment.”
Interfering with a spirit, Jared created a blade of water and wrapped it around his left arm, which wasn’t holding the syringe. He slashed vertically.
Anticipating that the syringe needle would be repelled by Drew’s thick fur, this attack was meant to create a wound and directly pierce the needle.
The water blade sliced through Drew’s back, fur and all. The sensation was shallow. But as long as a wound was made, that was enough.
Seeing the blood, Jared immediately plunged the syringe into Drew before he could turn around, injecting the medicine.
At the same time, Drew turned around and swung his arm, delivering an impact through Jared’s defense, and sending him flying. He bounced off the ground several times before thrusting his knife into the ground to kill his momentum.
“He really hit me hard… But I gave you the shot, damn it!”
However, there was no visible change. Jared didn’t expect anything to happen immediately, but he didn’t even know how long it would take for the effects to appear.
“Kirsi-sensei! How long will it take for the medicine to work?”
“Unknown. His condition is unexpected, so the possibility of it not working is greater.”
“Then what should I do?”
Jared’s head was about to hurt from thinking about how to buy time when he didn’t even know if the medicine would work, let alone defeat Drew.
“Leave it to us, Jared Murphy-dono.”
Someone’s voice called out to him.
“Who is it?”
“It’s a shame you don’t know. We are the Third Unit of the Kingdom Knights. I am Edmund, the unit captain. We received a request from the Academy and have arrived.”
