Jared lay on the ground after repeated struggles. His combat uniform was stained with dirt, and blood trickled from his arms and cheeks. His breathing was ragged, and he felt as though he would suffocate if he didn’t use his entire body to breathe.
In contrast, Luzer, looking down at Jared, appeared to have the upper hand despite his own strained breathing.
“What’s wrong, Jared?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why aren’t you using magic? I’ve looked into you. I know most of your magic power is sealed away, and that you house a spirit within your body to suppress your magic to a harmful degree. But even without that, you possess more magic power than me—so why? Why aren’t you fighting me seriously!”
Jared was grabbed by the collar and lifted by sheer brute force. He couldn’t fathom where such strength came from, and though he wanted to resist, he couldn’t. No matter how many kicks he landed, Luzer’s body remained unyielding; in fact, his own legs ached from the impact against Luzer’s impenetrable form. He couldn’t help but think Luzer’s body itself surpassed that of a human.
“I’m fighting with only murder in mind, and you’re clearly holding back—don’t insult me!”
Thrown by Luzer’s powerful arm, Jared crashed to the ground and rolled away.
“Jared!”
The Duke rushed over and helped him up. Jared offered a small apology, but a question arose in his mind: why wasn’t the Duke among the Norland Count Family?
“Duke, why?”
“There were too many enemies. I apologize. To perform so poorly after entrusting you with the most troublesome opponent.”
As the Duke said, the enemies outnumbered Jared and his allies. While they hadn’t confirmed the exact number of Waalthe members, a quick glance indicated they were outnumbered. However, the quality of their individual fighters seemed superior, keeping the situation at a stalemate.
It was a significant advantage that Pfeil and Rosa had taken on one of Waalthe’s former successors, referred to as a cadre. With their high-powered offense removed from the immediate area, the overall battle situation hadn’t drastically changed. Yet, losing two equally capable fighters was a heavy blow. There were still two more cadres yet to appear, and the disappearance of Dolf Ein was also a concern.
“I will forge a path.”
“…Jared, that will be difficult. I understand your circumstances, so I must say this: even if they appear as enemies due to brainwashing, it’s hard to fight them if they are your friends. Even if you steel your heart to kill them, your blade will falter.”
Leaning on the Duke for support, Jared stood up, raising and intensifying his magic power. The Duke might be right. Jared had the will to fight, but not the animosity. While there was hostility and anger in his heart, its target was directed towards Cornelia Alway and Dolf Ein.
“I understand. Nevertheless, I will fight. I want to win and get Luzer back.”
“…Is there anything I can do?”
“Capture Cornelia Alway as quickly as possible.”
“Understood.”
Capturing Cornelia would eliminate one worry. For now, he couldn’t afford to focus solely on Luzer. To be honest, he wanted to concentrate only on Luzer. However, Jared had people he wanted to protect. For their sake, he couldn’t choose only friendship. He knew he was being selfish and considered it arrogant, but he couldn’t help but want everything.
“Has the charade ended?”
Luzer’s cold gaze was filled with hatred. Although Dolf had instilled this animosity, Jared’s heart ached every time he looked into Luzer’s eyes. The Duke and Jared exchanged a nod, about to launch an attack, when suddenly—
“We don’t have all day to dally with that child, you know?”
“Hurry and kill him, then we’ll move to the next stage.”
Two new figures appeared beside Luzer. A man and a woman in combat uniforms. Based on their magic power and movements, the Duke judged them to be cadres comparable to Luzer. This meant all the unseen cadres had now appeared.
“I’m not sure if my prepared elites can win… Jared, for now, perhaps you should—”
“I won’t run. I came here today to end it all. For Olivier and Hannelore to live their days with smiles, there are those I must defeat and those I must capture. There’s no way I can retreat!”
In his peripheral vision, Mia, who had been watching the fight with Luzer, shook her head, her face ashen. This clearly indicated the situation was dire. Still, Jared couldn’t retreat. No, he didn’t want to retreat.
“Oh my, this child… He’s gathering magic power, but does he intend to face all three of us?”
“If so, that’s not bravery, it’s recklessness. Foolish.”
“Shut up, you bums! Come at me, all of you!”
Despite being met with gazes that treated him like a fool, Jared raised his voice. However, the two new cadres, without engaging him directly, unleashed soldiers upon the weakened Jared.
“There’s no need for us to deal with you. You may think you’ve become strong by being chosen as a court mage of a certain kingdom, but court mages are nothing to fear.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“I won’t let those words slide.”
The words spoken were not by Jared, but by someone else. In an instant, dragons of gale and water swept away the combatants who were about to attack Jared and the Duke. Searching for the source of the familiar voice, Jared’s eyes widened in surprise.
“…Who are you?”
“Oh dear, weren’t you doing thorough prior research? Or perhaps you judged that we weren’t worth your investigation—but that would be insulting.”
“I feel the same way. There aren’t many people in this country who could identify us. It’s novel—but frankly, it’s annoying.”
In Jared’s line of sight stood a young man with flaxen hair, clad in a combat uniform primarily green, favored by wind elemental mages—Tres Brauer, Seventh Seat of the Wethered Kingdom Court Mages, the ‘Wind User.’ Beside him stood a beautiful woman with a silver-blond short cut covering her right eye, dressed in a blue combat uniform—Adelina Bischof, Eighth Seat of the Wethered Kingdom Court Mages, the ‘Mirror of Water.’
“Why…”
“Fufu… Olivier told me about your situation. I never expected to repay your kindness so soon.”
“Today, we’re not here as court mages, but as individuals wanting to repay Jared Murphy. Besides, there are others too.”
As Adelina spoke, the ground rose, and earth walls materialized. The earth walls, moving as if possessing will, attacked Luzer and his companions. Luzer blocked the earth walls with a swing of his greatsword, while the other two dodged by leaping high. Jared recognized this magic. Thinking it impossible, he looked towards the source of the magic and was surprised again.
“Laurentz.”
“Jared, you’re being too secretive. If you were in trouble, shouldn’t you have said something to me?”
Laurentz Herring, an earth elemental mage and Jared’s fellow student and friend, was dressed in combat uniform, kneeling on the ground with his hand placed on it to control his magic.
“All three of you, why are you here?”
“Well, we became Laurentz’s masters. You understand the situation, right? And while we were training as usual, a messenger from Olivier appeared, so we brought him along for practical training. Fighting against combatants from Waalthe, even defectors, is a rare experience.”
Jared was surprised that Laurentz was being taught by Adelina and Tres, but it also made sense. Laurentz’s previous master had been a court mage candidate, just like Jared. However, that candidate had also been a victim caught in Barnabas Kaif’s revenge. It was likely that Adelina and Tres, both victims and involved parties, felt responsible and decided to look after Laurentz.
“What difference will it make, even with more court mages and their disciples?”
“Agreed. It’s clear they differ from us in experience and ability!”
Luzer said nothing, merely staring with vacant, indifferent eyes.
“Then let us show you our abilities. With such words spoken, there’s no choice but to fight. Even though this is personal, we take pride as court mages. We won’t be defeated by people who make their living as assassins!”
“Laurentz, you can take care of the riff-raff and assist Duke Alway. We need to teach these ignorant assassins a lesson in the difference in our strength.”
“Understood. Good luck.”
Laurentz distanced himself from the two and approached them. He met Jared’s gaze and nodded reassuringly.
“Duke Alway, I will accompany you from here.”
“Thank you. But those two…”
“They are court mages, just like Jared. In terms of experience, they surpass him. So please trust them.”
As Laurentz’s words reached him, the Duke nodded. At that moment, the court mages’ magic surged, and they clashed with the two assassins.
