In a certain town in the Wethered Kingdom, the executives of the Orthodox Magician Army had gathered.
They were a radical group who espoused the ideology that magicians were supreme and plotted to eliminate non-magicians who possessed no magical power.
While the supremacy of magicians existed to a degree, there were few individuals with such extreme ideals as them.
In reality, while this was true for the executives of the Orthodox Magician Army, the fervor for magic differed among their lower-ranking members.
“Leader, preparations are complete.”
“You have my thanks, Leonard. Losing your brother—Jiril—was a heavy blow to us all, but the fact that we cornered Jared Murphy to the brink of death, even if we couldn’t kill him, remains unchanged. Therefore, for you, killing him should be easy, correct?”
To the voice of the Leader, who wore a white robe covering him from head to toe, Leonard Gallagher, the Commander of the Royal Mage Corps, bowed his head respectfully.
“Your brother’s misdeeds, as his older brother, I will surely settle them.”
“I am counting on you. I believe that with your power, equal to that of a Court Mage, you will be able to take the head of that detestable boy.”
“Leader, there’s no need to worry. I’ve heard that Leonard possesses the strength to surpass not only his brother Jiril, but also the Court Mages.”
As one of the executives spoke, bowing low as if to flatter, the Leader nodded with satisfaction.
“I am not worried. Leonard joined the Royal Mage Corps and obtained his position to gather personnel. We can even say that our plan has accelerated thanks to him. Of course, I am also grateful for your hard work.”
“Your words are too kind.”
“Now, Leonard, killing that boy is a decided matter, but there is something we must do before that.”
“Gathering young magicians—I understand.”
The Orthodox Magician Army had many tasks to accomplish.
Not only the assassination of Jared Murphy, but they also had to take down the Ducal Family, the Court Mages, the Mage Association, and the Royal Palace.
For that, they needed soldiers. No matter how capable Leonard was as the Commander of the Royal Mage Corps, or how his power was on par with Court Mages, soldiers were necessary. And not just any soldiers, but magician soldiers.
However, the usable talent among magicians was not abundant. Many magicians were content with their current lives, unfortunate as it was. Thus, the Orthodox Magician Army set its sights on—students.
Though they were still children, they were surely aware of their chosen status. Young and energetic, and most importantly, many students harbored dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs, which had piqued the Orthodox Magician Army’s intelligence network.
The cause of their discontent was the existence of the Mage Association and Jared.
It wasn’t just the Royal Academy. Magicians attending academies across the kingdom harbored dissatisfaction in some form. Whether it was due to their youth or some other reason, it was impossible to grasp everything, but it was easy to recruit them.
Leonard had already succeeded in recruiting some student magicians from the regional territories.
“If you call out to them, any student will surely agree and sympathize. It will be incredibly easy to recruit them.”
“Rather than the Court Mages, who are like beings in the clouds, the Commander of the Royal Mage Corps, who is more approachable and a figure of admiration, will be able to reach the children more easily. As expected of you, Leader, and you, Leonard.”
“Treat the children as soldiers, but nurture those whose ideology and abilities are suitable under your direct command. Understood, Leonard?”
“—Yes.”
The executives, who had been observing the unfolding events, nodded in satisfaction at the smoothly progressing plan.
It was then—
“You seem to take the greatest pride in being magicians, but aren’t you overconfident?”
The voice of a boy, who appeared to be around mid-teens with a lingering trace of youth, ruffled his flaxen hair, pouring cold water on their excited emotions.
“…Rasmus, and Drew, wasn’t it?”
The Leader’s voice was slightly subdued, but he could clearly sense the anger emanating from Rasmus, who was accompanied by the one-armed boy, and smiled.
“Ghosts—our contract with you should be over. Don’t meddle in our affairs!”
One of the executives shouted, but the two boys didn’t show any sign of being bothered. This further irritated the executives.
“Oh, weren’t you the ones who sought help from those ghosts?”
“If you couldn’t use ancient magic, we wouldn’t have needed you!”
Rasmus, who continued to smile, was met with the executives spitting at him.
Then, Leonard calmly raised his hand and subdued them. He moved in front of the two boys and glared at them with sharp eyes.
“Our great cause cannot be understood by monsters who devour people. Remain silent.”
“You—”
As Leonard spoke with clear revulsion, Drew, who was waiting, reached out his one arm as if to grab him, but—
“Drew, stand back. I didn’t come here to fight.”
“…I apologize.”
“Thank you. I’m glad you were angry.”
It was Rasmus himself who stopped Drew, and he had no choice but to stand behind him again.
In an instant, a surge of magic filled the room, and Drew got into a defensive stance. He stepped forward to protect his master.
“Papa—let’s kill these guys.”
A young girl with black hair tied in twin tails emerged from the shadows of the room, her sadistic eyes fixed on Rasmus and the others.
Drew, and even the executives of the Orthodox Magician Army, were taken aback by the girl’s appearance and murmured in surprise.
“…Truly rare, a Dark Attribute magician.”
“Silence—”
The moment they realized the girl’s attribute and their eyes widened, she pointed her finger at Drew, unleashing magic.
“Avril!”
Leonard called out the girl’s name, as if scolding her, but she acted as if she hadn’t heard, with a nonchalant expression. In contrast, Drew, who had received the magic, tried to ascertain what had happened to him, and feeling relieved that nothing had occurred—he collapsed to his knees.
“…What did you do to him!”
Rasmus, hastily supporting Drew, lost his gentle expression.
“I’ll ask again—what did you do to him!”
Killing intent permeated the room, overwhelming it. The executives simultaneously stopped breathing and writhed on the floor in agony. While the Leader and Leonard were sweating, only the girl, the source of the problem, remained unfazed.
“Undo the curse, Avril.”
“Ehh… I just did it randomly, so it’s impossible.”
The girl—Avril—put on a troubled expression, but her eyes were smiling as she looked at Drew suffering and the downed executives.
It was impossible to tell whether she was telling the truth or lying, but to Drew, who had undeniable fallen under a curse, Leonard apologized.
“I apologize on behalf of my daughter. He has fallen victim to Avril’s curse. My daughter’s curse amplifies negative emotions, causing them to spiral out of control—and it becomes more dangerous as time passes.”
“You’ve certainly outdone yourself… To cast a negative curse technique of all things. The price for this will be great.”
“With your knowledge of ancient magic, you should be able to dispel it.”
Whether it was guilt, his words were somehow different from when he called them monsters. However, this did not quell Rasmus’s anger, and he felt an urge to follow the dark emotions boiling within him.
“I am truly sorry, Lord Rasmus…”
However, looking at Drew, who was suffering in his arms, he regained his composure. For now, it was imperative to treat him as quickly as possible.
“Quietly, I know someone who can dispel curse techniques, so I’ll bring them right away.”
Carrying the boy, who was weakly suffering, he stood up and was about to leave the room, but Rasmus paused once and glared at the Leader and the others.
“I’ll tell you this now: I will never cooperate with you Orthodox Magician Army again. When you win this war against this country—I will be your opponent.”
With those words, he left.
As the door closed, the oppressive killing intent that had filled the room vanished.
The Leader wiped the sweat from his brow and spoke to Leonard, who was still staring at the door.
“Thanks to your daughter, we have made an unnecessary enemy. You must educate her properly.”
“My apologies.”
“However, it was only a matter of time. Killing those ghosts is also our duty.”
Leonard quietly nodded at the Leader’s words.
“If they seek our country as the rightful heirs, those youngsters will undoubtedly be an obstacle. Their secret—must never be known to the outside.”
“If you understand that, then it is fine. If you can devise a countermeasure to his ancient magic, do not act against him for now. If they are willing to wait until we win this country, then we shall gladly accept their offer.”
“Yes. Then, I shall prove I can defeat those ghosts by fighting Jared Murphy and shattering ancient magic head-on.”
“I am counting on you, Leonard. My trusted son.”
