A sudden angry shout made Jared turn around. A man in his late twenties, dressed in a predominantly white uniform, glared at Ernesta, his eyes bloodshot.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Vice-Captain Redmond…”
Ernesta’s whisper made Jared understand the man’s position.
“Vice-Captain? Ah, one of the Vice-Captains of the Royal Mage Corps. What’s your problem?”
The man, with his short-cropped brown hair, directed an angry gaze at Jared.
“Do you have no manners when speaking to your superiors?”
“Sorry, but I don’t think I need to be polite to a man who starts yelling at a woman for no reason.”
“You brat! Flattering the Ducal Family to become a Court Mage—how dare you!”
“Hey, aren’t you a grown adult serving the country? You should at least try to figure out if rumors are true before jumping to conclusions.”
Like his friend Laurentz Herring, who had been misunderstood in the past, the man Ernesta called Redmond harbored prejudice against Jared.
However, the difference between a student and a Vice-Captain of the Royal Mage Corps was significant. His words carried responsibility.
While being called out for dealing with the Ducal Family now meant nothing to him, Ernesta’s verbal abuse was unacceptable.
“Are you mocking me?”
“There’s no need to mock you. First, apologize to Ernesta.”
“Don’t—don’t be ridiculous! Who would apologize to the sister of a criminal? And you’re no better! Aren’t you ashamed of becoming a Court Mage through such underhanded means! And—Ernesta Kaif! You too, desperately trying to protect your position by fawning over this power-hungry brat!”
While he was stunned by the absurd words, those around him seemed to feel differently.
One person agreed with Redmond, shouting, “That’s right!” and others quickly affirmed his words, their voices echoing in condemnation of Ernesta.
“I…”
She tried to say something, but sensing it was futile, or perhaps for another reason, she clenched her fist tightly and bit her lip.
As if to protect Ernesta, Ari stepped forward and spread her arms wide.
“I find you disgusting! All of you ganging up on one person with so many insults! You’re the ones who should be ashamed!”
“It’s alright, Ari.”
“No, it’s not alright. There’s no reason for you to be subjected to this!”
Ari, trying desperately to protect her, raised her voice, but the jeers from the crowd were louder.
Still, she glared back, refusing to back down, looking noble.
“Silence, you insignificant wench without any magic!”
Redmond, his face contorted with anger, raised his arm towards her, who was defending her colleague.
However, his hand never touched Ari.
“…Who do you think you are?”
Jared, moving to shield Ari and Ernesta, had grabbed Redmond’s arm right in front of him.
“Let go of my hand—! Gck—Aargh—Guaaaahhh!”
“You’re a Vice-Captain, aren’t you? Don’t cry so easily if it just hurts a little.”
His arm was gripped with such force that it seemed like bones would creak. Unable to endure the pain, Redmond fell to his knees.
It was impressive that he didn’t give up, but he needed to learn a more painful lesson.
“You—a brat, no manners towards your superiors—Gaaahhh!”
“As if I care. You’ve just gotten old for nothing. How dare you spout abuse at someone who lost their family—Are you kidding me?”
“—You dare say that after you’re the one who took them!”
“That’s right. I killed Barnabas Kaif. If I hadn’t, I would have died. There aren’t many mages that strong. He did stray from the path. But there were other reasons. So, it’s not fair to blame only him and his family. At least, someone like you, who isn’t even a victim, has no right to say anything to Ernesta!”
“What right do I have to say anything to the sister of a criminal—Guaaahhh, stop it, stop it!”
As punishment for another unpleasant remark, he increased his strength. His arm would likely break soon.
“And you all watching from afar! If anyone has the right to blame Barnabas and his family, it’s only the victims and their families! Those who are not involved should shut their mouths!”
Jared’s enraged shout silenced everyone, and a hush fell over the crowd. Even the gazes directed their way shifted, and everyone in sight looked down.
“You should have done that from the beginning… you idiots.”
He said clearly so everyone could hear, then released Redmond’s arm. Redmond, his face contorted in pain, glared at Jared.
“…You dare treat me like this? I am one of the Vice-Captains of the Royal Mage Corps! Do you think you can get away with this!?”
“As if I care.”
“Even if you try to enlist the help of the Mage Corps, no one will assist you! If you make an enemy of me, you’ll be making an enemy of the entire Mage Corps—Guh.”
“Ah… I messed up.”
He realized he had punched Redmond square in the nose without noticing. Redmond let out a groan, falling to his knees and clutching his face, blood flowing from his fingers and staining the ground.
“My apologies. You were just too annoying, so I got carried away.”
“Y—You—!”
Jared felt the magic power around Redmond rapidly surge. His magic power and quality might indeed be worthy of a Vice-Captain of the Royal Mage Corps. However, he doubted if such an emotional and noisy man was truly a strong mage.
‘Seriously, how long are you going to keep gathering magic?’
He had gathered enough magic to cast a spell but there was no sign of attack. Maybe, despite his harsh words, he didn’t want to involve Ernesta and the others—he considered revising his assessment, but…
“Eat this—my Wind Magic! It will rage like a storm and trample everything—”
“That’s what I mean, it’s too long! Are you going to start chanting now?”
He wished Redmond would cast the magic without incantation. If a Vice-Captain was only this capable, the strength of the Royal Mage Corps might be lower than he imagined.
“You know what, you’re done.”
As Jared extended his right arm and placed his hand on Redmond’s abdomen, he suddenly released the accumulated magic power all at once. The man, struck not by magic but by a concentrated mass of magic, was sent flying, unable to resist. His body traced an arc, breaking through a third-story window of a building.
“If anyone else has a complaint, come at me. I’ll entertain you. If you can’t challenge me—then don’t you dare speak before me again.”
I have made an important announcement in my activity report.
Please take a look if you have time. Thank you for your cooperation.
