Even with revenge as a reason, Jared did not want his friend to get his hands dirty.
If he continued as a magician, he would likely kill someone someday. However, now was not the time.
Even if he succeeded in killing Barnabas, driven by vengeance and emotion, Laurentz would not be saved.
Jared stood directly in front of Barnabas, meeting his gaze as his face flushed with anger.
“If I say I haven’t cheated, will you believe me?”
“If you speak from the heart, the truth will come through. I believe in that!”
*Lie,* he thought with a silent smile. If he could do that, he would have been able to understand Adelina’s regret.
“I see. Then, instead of answering honestly, answer my question first. It’s a trade-off.”
“Alright! Hurry up!”
“Then, without hesitation—why did you become a magician capable of killing a Minotaur alone, yet you bothered to kill a Court Mage Candidate with a knife and attack Tres Brauer? It must have been troublesome, right?”
This had been a question for a long time.
If the goal was to leave no trace, then it made sense, but it was known that Barnabas had used magic when he killed the household staff at Tres Brauer’s mansion. Yet, with Tres, he only used a knife. The same went for the Court Mage Candidate.
If the objective was to hide traces, there was a contradiction.
“I would never use my magic on fallen magicians like those who cheat. My magic would be tainted.”
“Is that the only reason?”
He was disappointed that the reason was so trivial. He had hoped for something more, like the knife having a secret, or that he simply didn’t need to use magic.
“There are other reasons. If it becomes known that those who are evaluated as superior were killed with just a knife, unable to even lift a finger, then the world will know that those who cheat are only capable of that level of skill!”
“So that’s how it is. Then, is that the knife you have on your waist the one used for the crime?”
He pointed to the knife tucked into his belt and asked.
He couldn’t see any other knives hidden. More importantly, an alien magical energy emanated from the knife, giving him a chill.
“A masterwork, or perhaps a cursed item?”
“Oh? You seem to have some understanding of the value of things. This knife is a masterwork I found in the Minotaur’s lair. It seems quite old, and it stores magnificent magic power, even lending me strength!”
When he thought Barnabas was insane, the conversation made sense. Now, Barnabas was boasting about his spoils of war. As expected, he was mentally unstable. It was unclear if he could use magic in this state. It was even possible that his unstable mind prevented him from using magic to its full extent, which was why he used the knife.
“Understood. That is all I wanted to ask. Thank you for indulging my conversation.”
While prolonging the conversation to prevent any hostility from being directed at Laurentz and the others, Jared continued to observe Barnabas. Although the information gained was scarce, it was not zero, and it could be useful in the upcoming battle.
After all, if Barnabas had possessed sound judgment, he would not have conversed with Jared and would have killed him immediately. He should have fulfilled his revenge. However, Barnabas did not.
While his desire to know if Jared had cheated was likely genuine, his actions seemed inconsistent.
This pathetic magician, who had lived for years harboring anger and hatred, only seeking to become stronger, was undoubtedly mentally ill.
If so, a glimmer of hope emerged.
“Then, let me ask again. Jared Murphy, did you become a Court Mage Candidate through cheating?”
“Yes. I cheated like hell. I used money and connections. Olivier is pathetic too, isn’t she? She believes me. I deceived other girls for money, used my power, and did all sorts of things, but she’s still a sheltered rich girl, huh?”
He told an obviously fake lie, so much so that he found it ridiculous.
With the brightest smile he could muster, he said something absurd.
The stares of Laurentz and Adelina, who were stunned, were painful. He prayed they wouldn’t take him seriously.
And Barnabas—believe me and rage!
“Hahaha, is that so, it’s as I thought! You are the foolish, irredeemable, disgraceful magician I suspected, who obtained the position of Court Mage Candidate by cheating! As an appetizer before I get revenge on Adelina, I will punish you with death! Accept it with gratitude!”
Barnabas drew his knife and kicked off the ground, his actions completely as expected.
“…In the end, you already assumed I had cheated from the start, didn’t you?”
Watching Barnabas, who was spitting and screaming something inarticulate while swinging his knife, Jared confirmed he was truly insane.
The reason he attacked immediately, despite Jared telling an obvious lie, was, needless to say, because he had already concluded that Jared had cheated.
Barnabas no longer possessed any rational thought. The fact that they had even been able to converse seemed like a miracle.
His skill might have improved significantly over seven years, perhaps even surpassing expectations. However, the price was too high, paid in the form of his sanity.
All that remained of Barnabas were his vengeance and his inability to forgive cheating, both now festering and magnified.
“He truly is a pathetic man, Barnabas Kaif.”
Grabbing the hand holding the knife was far too easy. Because the distance was so close, it was easy to predict where the knife would be swung.
Being cut by a knife imbued with abnormal magic was unpredictable in its effects. For now, he had to get rid of this troublesome item.
In terms of raw strength, Jared was superior. His master Almeida and Vaalthei’s Pfeil were more skilled in hand-to-hand combat.
He did not mean to imply Barnabas was weak, but compared to those two, he was inferior, so Jared was able to react sufficiently.
“Let go!”
“Do you think I’d let go just because you say so?”
In response, he swung his fist, and to his surprise, it easily landed on Barnabas’s face.
Since he was holding Barnabas’s hand, the distance didn’t increase, but as Barnabas covered his bleeding nose with his free hand, he turned bloodshot eyes towards Jared.
Barnabas roared in pain and anger, attempting to stab at Jared with the knife, but he seemed unaware that he couldn’t win in a simple contest of strength.
He gripped the knife with both hands and pushed with all his might, but Jared, using only one arm, did not budge.
Jared threw another punch and followed with a kick to the back of Barnabas’s knee.
Again, the attack easily subdued Barnabas, leaving him taken aback.
Barnabas was trained and possessed strength. He was likely trained as a combatant, not just a magician. He was certainly not weak. However, he lacked exceptional power.
—Did a Court Mage Candidate and a Court Mage lose to this level of skill?
Jared could not believe that Barnabas Kaif had managed to defeat a Minotaur alone.
He released Barnabas’s hand and unleashed a kick with all his might. It struck true, sending Barnabas rolling backward.
As he let out a pained cry and struggled to stand, he still didn’t look like the culprit.
“…I underestimated you.”
“What?”
“I underestimated you, Jared Murphy.”
As Barnabas spat blood and rose to his feet, Jared immediately took a defensive stance.
His eyes held no anger or madness. He had regained his rationality as a magician.
Jared wondered why the change had occurred so suddenly, but more importantly, he realized the situation had become dire.
“When it comes to hand-to-hand combat, you are superior. I am not good at moving my body that much. Therefore, I will give up on punishing you with a knife—and make you regret it. Making me use magic!”
A densely concentrated magical power emanated from Barnabas, visible to Jared.
Their magic power levels were equal, but the quality was on Jared’s side. The difference in spells, despite having the same amount of magic power, was due to the time spent continuously using magic as a magician.
This was where experience truly mattered.
If he was at a disadvantage in quality, he wanted to crush Barnabas with sheer volume of magic power, but with equal total magic power, that was impossible.
“Receive my raging wind, which even felled a Minotaur!”
