Drew Zimmer’s body was deemed dead, not regenerating as it had when Jared fought him.
The Mage Association, arriving late, was led by Dennis Beckman. He apologized to Jared for the delay, explaining that they’d wanted to mobilize as many capable mages as possible but the urgency of the situation had made it difficult.
Jared had no complaints, but the Knights, particularly Maltein, who had a strained relationship with the Mage Association, let loose a torrent of insults, causing Dennis’s face to twitch.
It was decided that the Knights would transport Drew’s body to the Mage Association, where researchers would investigate what had happened.
To prevent a repeat of the incident, they seemed to be moving to strengthen regulations on Magic Amplification Potions and simultaneously eradicate harmful drugs. Both the Mage Association and the Knights seemed to have something on their minds regarding the death of a minor student, and I heard they would proceed with cooperation.
As Jared watched Drew’s corpse being carried away, he pondered how it had come to this. He recalled Drew muttering about killing him and wondered if his delving into Magic Amplification Potions was his own doing, or if he himself had been the trigger. Above all, he didn’t know where Drew had obtained the Magic Amplification Potion, or if it truly was one in the first place. This problem wasn’t limited to Drew; any magician struggling to improve could potentially suffer the same fate. He hoped that the Mage Association and the Knights would catch whoever had supplied Drew with the drug as soon as possible.
“Murphy-kun.”
“…Christa, are you alright?”
“Yes. We were protected in the spectator seats the whole time, but you’re injured, Murphy-kun. Shall we go to the infirmary?”
“Yeah.”
Christa pulled Jared by the arm as they walked. In their line of sight, Laurentz and others were watching from a distance as knights carried Drew’s body. They noticed each other and nodded without exchanging words.
“I’m just so incredibly tired,” Jared mumbled weakly, but Christa continued walking beside him without a word.
***
“We unexpectedly found Jared Murphy’s weakness. It’s earlier than planned, but let’s move.”
From the rooftop of the school building, Rosa Roen observed Jared’s entire battle. She understood that he had indeed defeated Pfeil, but from her perspective, Jared’s fighting style was rough, relying on brute force with his abundant magic and talent. She believed he had the skill worthy of being selected as a Court Mage Candidate, but that was all. She wasn’t sure how much the Mage Association understood his rarity in being able to deploy multiple elemental magic at once and his unique constitution that allowed him to interfere with spirits, but he was undoubtedly a talent they wouldn’t want to let go. Although still unrefined, considering his future potential, making him a Court Mage to keep him tied to the country seemed like the best decision.
—However, he was naive. Despite wanting information, he captured Pfeil instead of killing him. He had intended to kill him for part of the fight, and after actually killing him, he showed hope when an antidote appeared for the revived Drew. She couldn’t help but feel his naivete.
“However, it might be a difficult fight if we just attack. I couldn’t see the bottom of Jared Murphy’s capabilities.”
She didn’t know if he was hiding something or if he couldn’t exert his full power due to recovering from illness. Nevertheless, his magic when using three elemental magic simultaneously was impressive, despite his unrefined control. Therefore, she could only be surprised by the transformed Drew. Even with Jared’s rough or naive fighting style, he could be considered more than enough of a strong opponent. Within Waalthe, it was acknowledged that only those directly trained by Wahash, like themselves, could stand against him.
“But what happened to that student? Why did he undergo such a change?”
That was why Rosa was curious about what had happened to Drew.
“You want to know?”
“—!”
Startled by the voice from behind, she drew the short sword at her waist and got into a defensive stance. Rosa, who prided herself on her considerable strength as one of her father’s successors within Waalthe, was shocked and humiliated to be so easily flanked. Glaring with piercing eyes, she saw the source of the voice offer a troubled smile.
“Did I surprise you?”
“You…!”
The boy, who had a somewhat friendly demeanor, appeared younger than Rosa. With his gentle, well-formed features, straight flaxen hair, and slightly small build, it was difficult to believe he could have gotten behind Rosa, who had been trained as a combatant and assassin. His body gave no impression of being trained, nor did it seem like he had experienced combat. Yet, Rosa hadn’t noticed him until he spoke.
“Who are you?”
“Hmm, well, I suppose you could say I’m Drew-kun’s friend?”
“A friend?”
“Yes. He was very cornered. Threatened by Emilia Alway and afraid of Jared Murphy. Despite all that, he was a pathetic Drew-kun who couldn’t rely on anyone.”
The boy spoke ecstatically, spreading his hands wide like an actor and singing his words. “Emilia Alway has forgotten she even threatened Drew-kun and is infatuated with Jared Murphy. Don’t you think that’s utterly ridiculous?”
“On that point, I agree. It is indeed ridiculous.”
“Drew-kun was cornered, unaware that the very person who threatened him had forgotten. I couldn’t bear to see it, so I reached out to him and became his friend.”
Hearing the word “friend,” Rosa scoffed. It went without saying that the boy in front of her was the one who had done something to Drew Zimmer. She felt contempt for him, who could call himself a friend after transforming someone into a non-human form and making them take a life so pointlessly. She herself was a combatant and assassin, and if necessary, she would fight, kill enemies, and sometimes resort to any means. However, she would never do something as shameless as calling someone she had used a friend, like the boy before her.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking or what you did. I don’t want to know. But remember that one human died because of you. If you toy with lives, you will eventually face retribution.”
“Oh my, I never expected a member of Waalthe to say something like that, but I’ll be careful from now on.”
“You know of us?”
“I do. Though not in detail.”
Rosa pressed the blade of her short sword against the boy’s neck.
“Tell me what you know about Waalthe. If you answer, I’ll spare your life.”
“Oh, scary. But I need to go pick up my friend now.”
“Friend? You mean Drew Zimmer? He’s dead— No, you must know that too.”
The boy laughed gleefully at Rosa’s words. Like a child showing off a toy, proudly and boastfully.
“Drew-kun isn’t dead.”
“Wh-what?”
“What the teacher watching from a distance said was very accurate. The power I gave him surely put a strain on Drew-kun’s body. However, it was all within expectations. He transformed once. Even though he was killed once by Jared Murphy, he even regenerated. But it was impossible for him, reborn, to fully wield his power, and when he reached his limit, he fell into a deep sleep that was akin to death.”
Rosa had definitively thought Drew was dead. She had, like Jared, sensed Drew’s magic and found no trace left, concluding that he had exhausted all his magic and succumbed. There were other factors in her judgment, but for a magician, running out of magic meant death. That was why she had judged Drew to be dead. But the boy said otherwise. After all, he had transformed from a human into a beast-like form and regenerated even after his head was destroyed; it wasn’t that surprising to hear that Drew, whom she thought was dead, was actually alive.
“I don’t know your objective, but it seems you’ve created a monster.”
“Oh, please don’t say such cruel things. There’s a proper name for it—we are ‘Demons,’ transcending humanity. Please remember it.”
“Demons, huh. I’ll keep it in the back of my mind.”
“Thank you. Well then, I think I’ll excuse myself now. Drew-kun might be lonely if I’m not there when he wakes up. And you, you should continue observing Jared Murphy.”
The boy smiled as if he knew everything about Rosa’s circumstances, prompting a click of her tongue.
“If you interfere—”
“I won’t. There’s no reason I would. Like you, I find Jared Murphy to be a nuisance. Of course, the reason is a secret. So, if you kill him, that’s fine by me.”
The boy moved away from Rosa, removing the short sword blade from his neck. His movements appeared unguarded, but Rosa couldn’t tell if it was intentional or not, and she could do nothing.
“Well then, goodbye. Perhaps we’ll meet again.”
The boy spoke and vanished. Rosa searched for his presence but couldn’t find him. He had disappeared as if he had never been there in the first place.
“Creepy fellow…”
Deciding that vigilance would be futile, Rosa returned her gaze to Jared. Her task remained unchanged: kill Jared Murphy, eliminate the obstacle, and then kill the targets, Hannelore Alway and Olivier Alway. To that end, she needed to take a decisive approach toward Jared. The people he held dear flashed through her mind.
