“—Roar.”
As soon as Kirsi spoke, the ring-shaped magical artifact on her finger emitted a tiny sound.
“—Ngh.”
“…What is this?”
Immediately after, not only Leonard, who was facing her, but also Laurentz, standing beside Kirsi, were struck by an excruciating pain that felt like their heads were being squeezed.
“Ah, my apologies, Laurentz. Please bear with it.”
Although he wanted to complain about the unexpected words, he had no room to do so. Even with a barrier, the pain didn’t lessen much. He braced himself, clenching his teeth, realizing he had no choice but to endure.
Laurentz didn’t know it, but for Leonard, it wasn’t just a feeling of his head being squeezed; he collapsed to his knees, clutching his head.
“Earlier, you called me a beauty who could only make magical artifacts, but you can’t underestimate those artifacts, can you?”
There was no reply. The truth was, he didn’t have the composure to reply.
However, instead of a response, Leonard clenched his fist and punched the ground.
“Whoops—”
A spear of ice shot up from the ground, attacking Kirsi, but as if she had foreseen it, she narrowly evaded it by leaping far backward.
“To still have the energy to use magic so easily… as expected of the Commander of the Royal Mage Corps. But—you’re at your limit, aren’t you?”
“Silence! Do you really think this much can do anything to me!”
With a growling voice, Leonard glared at the second-highest-ranked Court Mage. She merely snorted without flinching at his murderous gaze.
“Seeing you in pain makes me feel so much better. Now, Leonard, who feels like his head is about to split open, a question for you: where are your students?”
“Kill me if you can. Even if I die, my comrades who initiated this will not stop!”
“Hmph. You mean they *can’t* stop. This is treason against the nation with no room for denial. If caught, you’re looking at imprisonment at best, or death for your entire family at worst.”
Those who were led might be spared with imprisonment or labor with surveillance, but for Leonard and the higher-ups of the Orthodox Magician Army, it wouldn’t be so simple. To leave no loose ends, they would all face the death penalty. They had intended to eliminate the Royal Family, so they couldn’t complain.
“We believe that if we cannot live in a world of our ideals, we are better off dead. Therefore, we do not fear death. What we fear is—our ideals not being realized.”
Leonard stood up, conjuring a giant fireball and an ice ball. Mastering opposing attributes simultaneously required literally blood-sweating effort. As a pure magic user, he was superior to Jared Murphy, who also possessed composite attributes.
“Since I couldn’t take the Prince’s life, I will take yours—Kirsi Santala!”
“I’ll commend you for shouting such boasts with a wavering body. But don’t assume you’re the only one casting magic.”
“—What?”
The moment Leonard voiced his confusion, the fire and ice he had conjured shattered.
“What did you do!”
“Are you stupid? I wouldn’t explain my abilities to the enemy, would I?”
Kirsi snorted disdainfully. Laurentz, who had been watching the battle, gasped. Like Leonard, he had no idea what she had done. His magician’s desire to not miss the fight between the second-highest-ranked Court Mage and the Commander of the Royal Mage Corps had kept him from even blinking. They exchanged words and fired off magic a couple of times. It sounds simple when put into words, but the magic performed without incantation was incredible. Laurentz couldn’t replicate it by any means. They likely engaged in a simple probing exchange, but within that minor back-and-forth, he witnessed the difference in their abilities.
‘Is this what it means to be one of the top-class magicians in the country!’
Although he was nominated as a Court Mage Candidate, he had no confidence that he could reach the same height.
“…As expected, it’s difficult for the current me to face the wise Santala.”
“Hey, don’t talk as if there’s a next time.”
“Unfortunately for you, we’ll postpone this fight to another time. Though whether that next time will arrive is questionable.”
“Are you running away?”
“Yes, I am running. You’re not at full strength either, but neither am I. Therefore, the outcome of this battle is yet to be decided. Besides—my reinforcements have arrived.”
Leonard pointed to the sky, and stone spears could be seen raining down. With a click of his tongue, he raised his hand with the ring equipped, and the stone spears falling from the sky shattered with a loud noise. As the shattered stone spears fell like sand, Kirsi looked back at Leonard and shrugged. Leonard, who should have been there, had vanished. But she quickly knew where he was. He was on the rooftop of the school building, having moved there at some point.
“Fine, I’ll let you go. Run away with your tail between your legs. You’re finished anyway.”
“Do you really think so? Do you honestly believe I would show myself without any backup?”
“Was I wrong? I thought you were just an idiot.”
“You’re quite the talker. Well, fine. My comrades are already attacking other Court Mages. Even if they can’t take lives, it’s enough if they can inflict wounds. Of course, we’ve done the same to well-known nobles and Royal Family members.”
Laurentz gasped. This was truly treason against the nation. And they were already one step behind.
“And then?”
“Ah yes, your friend Jared Murphy has been apprehended.”
“Hah— Do you really think that kid would be caught so easily by the likes of you?”
“He might be caught if it were just him. But what if there were hostages?”
“You, don’t tell me…”
“You, what did you do to Jared!”
Addressing Kirsi, who’s eyes were wide, and Laurentz, who spoke with raised voice, Leonard smirked.
“I haven’t done anything here, as I was busy fighting. However, my comrades attacked his mansion, took hostages, and apprehended him. It is only because they succeeded that they came to pick me up.”
“You coward, come down and fight me!”
“No matter how strong Jared Murphy is, he won’t be able to fight with his loved ones taken hostage. I had wanted to fight him seriously at least once, but alas.”
Saying this, Leonard turned his robe and walked away.
“Wait, Leonard Gallagher.”
“What is it, wise Santala? I’m on a tight schedule, so please make it brief.”
Leonard stopped and looked back only with his face. Kirsi asked.
“What do you plan to do after capturing Jared?”
“I intended to keep it a secret, but I’ll tell you to drive you to despair. We will make him our—pawn.”
