The execution date was one of the two shopping days of the week. The adults supervising the children apparently went to play in a town a short distance away while doing their twice-weekly shopping. The time frame was from evening until the following morning. Only during this period was the facility least staffed.
First, they beat down a boy they had caught, and as if in a chain reaction, a commotion broke out. The supervising adults gathered, but by fanning the flames of the disturbance, they succeeded in making it unmanageable, and then knocked down the adults from behind.
One adult after another, they steadily deprived them of consciousness, and sometimes succeeded in extracting information.
There were ten guards in total. They chose a day when Tom, who had been concerned about Jared, was absent because they felt indebted to him.
Having defeated all the adults in the facility, Jared and Luzer succeeded in escaping.
Outside, the snow-covered, biting cold attacked them, but despite their thin clothing, they started running.
“We’re free now!”
The moment Luzer cried out in joy—blood spurted from his shoulder, and he fell forward onto the snow.
“Luzer!”
Jared rushed over and helped him up. His shoulder bore a wound as if cut by a sharp blade.
Jared, unable to comprehend how, where, or from whom such a thing was possible, was grabbed by Luzer’s arm, the one he could still move.
“It’s magic, be careful.”
“Damn it!”
It never occurred to him that there might be a magician in the facility, and anger surged at his lack of foresight. Jared lent Luzer his shoulder and they moved to get as far away from the facility as possible.
Magic was unleashed, targeting the two of them.
Something invisible flew towards them, blasting apart the surrounding snow and slicing through trees, indicating it was Wind Elemental Magic. But knowing this offered no countermeasure.
All Jared could do was create distance.
Gasping for breath, Jared and Luzer continued to run. They no longer felt the cold. They were sweating and felt hot.
They had no idea how far they had run. The facility was no longer visible. If they could just reach a nearby town, they might be able to ask for help, but they didn’t even know which direction the town was in.
The relentless magic and the landscape of only snow and trees had completely disoriented Jared and the others.
“Murphyyyyyy!”
Someone’s voice echoed, calling a name.
They instinctively hid behind a tree, and the sound of footsteps crunching on snow grew closer.
There were three sets of footsteps. While having fewer pursuers might offer a chance, the presence of a magician made them uneasy.
They quietly watched their pursuers: two adults wielding swords, and a short, stout boy from the facility who had been violent towards Jared in the past—a total of three people, clad in thick clothing, were chasing them.
“Could it be, is *he* the magician?”
They judged the boy with no weapons to be the magician, but he had never used magic before. At first, he had been the one inflicting violence, but now their positions had reversed, and he was cowering in fear of Jared. If he could use magic, he would have been able to fight back and wouldn’t have been so afraid.
“The rumors were true, then.”
“Rumors?”
“I heard that facility has some kind of curse on it. Because of that, magic can’t be used at all inside the building. I didn’t believe it was possible, but if that guy really is a magician, it makes sense.”
Jared recalled knowledge about magic suppression. However, that existed in ancient times when magic was used daily, more so than in modern times. No one in the present day could replicate it. Why, then? The question arose, but he didn’t have time to ponder it now.
“Let’s just run.”
“No.”
“Luzer?”
Luzer stopped Jared, who was intent on fleeing.
“I agree with running. There’s no way a magician can be beaten with just fists. But, if we both run, we’ll eventually be caught.”
“But—”
There was a possibility that the injured and pale Luzer wouldn’t be able to escape.
Jared had no intention of abandoning him.
“We promised, didn’t we? If one of us couldn’t escape, the other would fulfill our objective in their stead.”
“Still, I can’t abandon Luzer.”
“Don’t be an idiot. No one’s asking you to abandon anyone. Besides, I haven’t given up either. Think about it carefully. There are three of them and two of us. If this continues, the pursuers might increase. So, let’s split up here and escape for sure.”
There was no resignation in Luzer’s eyes. Relieved, Jared nodded forcefully.
“I’ll go right, Jared will go left. Alright?”
“Understood. Be careful.”
“You too. Let’s meet again someday, brother.”
“It’s a promise, brother.”
They hugged each other tightly and ran towards their respective paths.
“This way! Come on!”
“We found you, Murphyyyyy!”
The short, stout boy let out a cry of joy and unleashed magic. The two adults had gone after Luzer. Facing one magician, even a child, versus facing two armed adults—it was hard to know which was better.
Jared continued to run, darting left and right, focusing solely on avoiding the magic.
However, the physical and mental exertion differed between the pursuer and the pursued. The fatigue that had accumulated unconsciously began to slow Jared’s movements and dull his reflexes.
And then—an invisible blade grazed Jared’s leg, and blood splattered.
“Ah, aaaaagh!”
Magic struck Jared, who fell onto the snow from the force of the impact. His limbs were cut, and the blood that flowed dyed the snow red.
The wounds themselves were not deep. However, perhaps due to the magic, an unbearable pain assaulted him.
As the short, stout boy, panting, caught up to the immobilized Jared, he kicked him with a cruel smile.
Not satisfied with just one kick, Jared was kicked repeatedly.
Blood flowed from his mouth, and even as he coughed, he was relentlessly kicked.
“Hah, hah, hah… I overdid it. I forgot I was told not to kill you.”
“I’ll kill you.”
“If you can still talk back like that, there’s no problem. Honestly, escaping like this. You don’t know what kind of place that is, do you?”
“What kind of… place? Who cares, about that…”
Spitting blood, he tried to stand up, but was kicked hard in the abdomen and rolled over.
“You were still cute when you first came to the facility, but now you’ve changed because of Luzer. Because of that, I had to be afraid of someone like you—do you know how humiliating that was!?”
He was kicked again and vomited bloody stomach fluid onto the snow.
This situation was dire. If he were captured, it would be the end. He felt he would never be allowed outside again if he were taken back.
More than that, he worried about Luzer. How far could the injured him flee from adults? He wanted to pursue him, but the severely wounded Jared couldn’t.
He could only lament his own inadequacy, wishing he could vomit at himself.
“You’ve had your way for so long. Be prepared to lose at least one limb.”
The boy, wearing a sadistic smile, exuded perceptible magic.
There were few spirits around him, and he could tell they were feeding on his magic.
“—Huh?”
Jared was surprised. He suddenly saw a faint light emanating from the boy and for some reason understood it was magic.
He somehow understood that the suddenly appearing, shining orbs of light were spirits.
At the same time, he realized the magic within himself. He felt a power pulsing strongly within Jared, making him wonder why he hadn’t noticed it before.
The spirits spoke to him.
“—We’ll lend you our strength?”
“—Give us magic?”
They spoke to Jared in children’s voices, in girls’ voices, in old men’s voices, seeking something.
His body moved instinctively. Faster than the boy could unleash his magic, Jared offered his magic to the spirits, and a powerful force surged through his body.
That force… changed.
Following Jared’s will to attack, a stone spear sprouted from the frozen ground beneath the snow and struck the boy.
The moment he understood this was magic—multiple stone spears rushed towards the boy.
The boy, surprised and wide-eyed, clearly not expecting magic, unleashed his own to resist.
He could clearly perceive that his magic was Wind Elemental Magic, and not only that, he could even see the previously invisible blades.
Once seen, they were no longer terrifying. He asked the spirits for defense and created a stone wall, against which the casually cast blades of wind were blocked.
“Why, why can *you* use magic!”
Jared had no obligation to answer the boy’s question. More than that, Jared himself wanted to know why he could use magic.
After using magic only twice, exhaustion overwhelmed him. He didn’t know how many more times he could use magic, so he wanted to end it on the next move.
He dispelled the stone wall before him and met the boy’s glare.
Jared stood up and, once again, offered his magic to the spirits, drawing strength.
“I won’t follow your orders! I’ll kill you here!”
“You’re the one who will die.”
The stone spear unleashed rushed towards the boy. Simultaneously, a blade of wind was also released from the boy.
The stone spear and the wind blade collided and cancelled each other out, but a single spear found its mark on the boy’s face.
“Gyaaaaaaaah!”
A scream echoed, and blood splattered. The boy clutched his face and writhed on the snow, scattering blood.
Jared did not deliver the finishing blow, but turned his back and began to walk.
His body ached. Not only his cut limbs but the deep gashes on his shoulder and chest showed no sign of stopping their bleeding.
Just as Jared’s attack had landed, the boy’s attack had also reached Jared.
He could afford to feel pain and lose consciousness later. For now, he had to go help Luzer.
Believing he could help now that he could use magic, Jared kept walking.
But he didn’t know where Luzer was. His consciousness was hazy from the bleeding, and he felt he could pass out if he wasn’t careful.
He didn’t even know where he was walking, and as he reached the limit of his stamina and spirit, Jared finally collapsed.
In his fading consciousness, he could only pray for Luzer’s safety.
“Oh my, I was wondering why the spirits were so LOUD, and here’s a child injured. How strange, spirits rarely worry about humans… Well, that’s a lot of magic. Perhaps they also have the ability to interfere with spirits?”
A voice like tinkling bells reached Jared’s ears, but his vision was no longer showing anything.
“I’ve decided. I like you, so I’ll make you mine.”
***
“Hello, Luzer Fischer. It’s our first time meeting like this. I am Dolf Ein, who is in charge of this facility. I’ve had my eye on you for a while, but I never imagined you’d actually escape—to be honest, you’re the first.”
“So what if…”
With his shoulder wound and bleeding, Luzer, who had faced two adults, managed to kill one but was captured and returned to the facility, where he was kept chained and hanging.
For his escape, as well as for beating his overseer, he was severely beaten by the adults taking out their frustrations, but Luzer continued to smile defiantly.
In his line of sight was a short, stout boy, his left eye completely red and bandaged. Knowing that Jared had escaped safely, his smile deepened.
It was then that Dolf Ein appeared. He was accompanied by a girl.
“We let the other one escape, but he seems to be severely injured. Moreover, he seems to have gone in the opposite direction of civilization, so he’ll probably die of blood loss or exposure by now.”
Though he didn’t show it on his face, Jared’s death was something he didn’t want to believe but had to consider as a possibility.
“Well, as for the dead human, it doesn’t matter. The problem is you. I’m gathering pieces, but I suspect you won’t listen to me, will you?”
“Naturally.”
“That’s why I’ve decided to make you my piece. Using this girl. After a bit of pain, you will be reborn. You will hate your dear friend, filled with loathing, a mere puppet that obeys only me.”
“Stop it!”
“Do you think I’d stop just because you say so? Are you an idiot?”
Luzer glared at Dolf, who looked exasperated. But Dolf paid him no mind. He gave short commands to those around him and stated cheerfully,
“Now, Luzer Fischer. It’s time for your rebirth.”
“Stop ittttttttttttttttttttt!”
This concludes the past arc. Thank you very much.
