Chapter 5 Part 1
Chapter 5 – Duel
“Abel! You’re open!”
He should do something about that habit of moving after announcing his actions out loud first.
I thought and lightly flicked my arm with the spine of the book.
Hm. Wait a minute.
“Ted. Did you just call me by my name?”
“Haha! We’ve been playing together for many days now, even I can remember!”
Somehow, it is pleasant to see children grow a little.
I was about to get sentimental about it, but when I thought about it calmly, I realized that nothing was surprising about it.
A typical child should be able to remember my name easily.
It’s just that this rich kid of nobility has a terrible memory.
“You’re my future underling, so I have to remember it properly!”
If such a future comes, then, by all means, you can forget my name.
Now.
There’s something I’ve learned from observing Ted over the past few days.
He has the <<Burning Eyes>> that is good at fire attribute magic, but unfortunately, his talent for attribute magic, which is his favorite, seems to be lacking.
Attribute magic requires a good head on your shoulders to instantly understand, apply, and expand on complex magic syntaxes.
It seems to have been a bit too much for a simpleton like Ted.
But instead, Ted has a ‘reasonable’ amount of talent for body strengthening magic.
Unlike attribute magic, this type of magic does not require logical thinking but rather ‘natural intuition’.
Perhaps it suited Ted, who had a simple thought process, for better or worse.
“Take this!”
Ted’s fist came straight at me.
I see.
It seems that he has somewhat improved his skills over the past few days.
However, in the world I was in two hundred years ago, anyone could do this level of movement, regardless of age.
It is only at the level where ‘not worth considering’ has become ‘somewhat better’.
I caught his arm with one hand and swept his leg out from under him.
“You’re too slow. Even a fly can stop such an attack, you know?”
“Uguaaaa”
Ted let out a toad-like shriek and rolled a few meters away.
“What’s the matter, giving up so soon?”
When I gave him a provocative ‘shove’, Ted got up with a prolonged shout of “Damn it!”
It was immediately after that that something unusual happened.
“Whoa!”
“Hey-hey…”
It was a mistake to get up so quickly.
Ted’s foot slipped on the snow that piled up on the roof and fell towards the back door.
Ah-ah, ah.
That sucks. He fell onto the stone pavement.
Well, that’s Ted, whose only merit is his resilience.
He won’t die from something like this.
“Ou…! Ouch…!”
Ted is screaming silently.
Tears continue to flow from his eyes.
I see.
It seems that he broke his leg when he landed.
What. It’s just a broken bone.
In my previous world, broken bones were a common occurrence.
While organ damage tends to be troublesome to repair, it is relatively easy to join bones with magic.
“Stop crying. You’re a man, aren’t you?”
Or not, Ted is just a child.
It would be unreasonable to expect him to endure the pain of a broken bone.
I can’t deny that I’m partly responsible for Ted’s injury this time.
It can’t be helped.
I’m not very good at recovery magic, but if it’s a wound like this, I can treat it ──
“Ted! Are you okay!?”
Bass came running in a hurry.
“Wait for me! I’m going to cast recovery magic on you right now!”
Oh?
This guy is not a magician of the <<Gray Eyes>>, but he can use recovery magic?
Bass invoked the basics of recovery magic.
I think I may have underestimated him a little bit.
Depending on the nature of the magic, I’ll have to evaluate Bass’s abilities.
“W-What the hell are you doing…? Just what are you doing?”
“What’s so unusual about recovery magic? I’m having trouble concentrating, so I need you to be quiet for a minute!”
This is bad.
Recovery magic is similar to building with wooden blocks in terms of image.
It is easy to build with big wooden blocks, but it gets difficult with small wooden blocks. The more advanced or complex the magic is, the smaller the wooden blocks become. That’s how delicate recovery magic is.
Then, when stacking these wooden blocks, larger blocks are usually placed under the smaller blocks so that they would not collapse.
But this guy is like forcing a large wooden block on top of a small wooden block and reinforcing it with glue.
Wow….
I can’t watch this anymore….
I think this guy really hates his younger brother.
If he joins them together like that, the nerves will rub against each other, and problems will occur.
“Gyaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!”
“Are you okay!? It’s going to hurt a little bit, but you’re going to have to endure it!”
I can’t help but feel sorry for Ted.
Ted, who had been subjected to crude recovery magic from his older brother, ended up fainting with his eyes rolling back into his head.
“Hey. I think you should take him to the infirmary for treatment”
The hurdle for treatment has been raised a bit because of the older brother, but even now, Ted will probably be able to recover well enough with proper treatment.
“Wait a minute. Before that, you…”
“What is it?”
We need to get Ted to the infirmary quickly.
Your crude recovery magic will turn into body-destroying attack magic.
“This injury, how did it happen?”
“We were playing, and he fell”
“He didn’t just fall, did he?”
“Hmm?”
“I saw it. Just now, I saw you swept Ted’s foot”
“If you saw it, then you should know what happened next. When Ted tried to get up ──”
“It should be Ted-sama, don’t you think!?”
Good grief. What has this rich kid of nobility… been saying just now?
To fuss over such details in this situation.
“You are a commoner. Ted is noble. No matter how young he is, he is the legitimate second son of the Langobalt family”
“Err…. So?”
“What’s with that attitude?”
“Commoner or noble, that doesn’t matter now. We need to get Ted to a place where he can recover”
“It doesn’t matter, you say?”
Bass clenched his fists.
He was clearly directing his hostility towards me.
“You ‘Inferior Eyes’ bumpkin! I’ll make you regret your disrespect towards nobility!”
Bass threw something at me.
The act was a little familiar to me. It was an old way of doing things.
“A duel! You’ve dishonored nobility. I’m sorry, but I’m not lenient on insolent fellows”
Yeah. I had a hunch that this would happen.
The intervention of the ‘unable to take a hint’ rich kid of nobility (older brother) seems to have made the situation increasingly complicated.
“Wait a minute. I really don’t have any reason to fight you, you know?”
Of course, this rich kid of nobility (older brother) is nothing.
Defeat is unthinkable.
Even if we duel ten thousand times, the result would probably all be the same.
But I just want to live peacefully in this world.
Even now, the people in the city who have heard the commotion are gathering around us.
It would not be a wise choice to stand out in the city.
“D-Don’t screw around! You’re trying to mock the pride of the nobles!”
Ahh. Bass’s anger is flaring up.
That’s right. He’s just a child, after all.
If I tell them not to be so angry in their anger, tempers will flare.
Mmm.
What should I do?
Maybe it would be less conspicuous if I were to just accept the duel and win it in an instant?
I have a feeling that the more I anger Bass, the bigger the commotion will become.
I sighed deeply again.
“Okay. I’ll accept the duel”
It can’t be helped.
Let’s just go along with Bass’s game.
I was just thinking that I would like to have a ‘sample’ of the nobles’ magic capability in this era.
As long as I don’t use any flashy magic and just end the fight quickly, I probably won’t draw too much attention from the people around us.
“Fufufu. I’ll explain the rules of the duel then! One on one, you and me! The first one to make the opponent say ‘I give up’ wins! Well, since we’re so far apart in age, I’ll give you a handicap…”
“Okay. I understand. No handicap is necessary. Let’s just get this over with”
I’m more worried about Ted’s injuries more than anything else.
Since I’m partly responsible for the injuries, I have a duty to treat Ted’s injuries.
“What…!? H-How far do you intend to insult me…!”
Oh no.
It seems that my careless attitude has further angered Bass.
His voice trembled, and his whole body radiated bloodlust that seems to be ready to lash out at any moment.
“Very well. You should regret insulting me for the rest of your life!”
Bass drew out the sword at his waist.
Hmm.
A single-edged sword, a bit long for a child to hold. It’s probably a proper sword for adults.
But it’s not like a normal sword. It has some strange workmanship.
“Wind Blade, Wind Edge!”
As soon as he swung down the sword, a wind blade came straight towards me.
Hmm? He is better than I thought.
The power itself was mediocre, nothing to speak of, but the construction of the magic was too fast.
The only person who could construct magic at such a speed was me in the previous era.
Then, what I find suspicious is the unfamiliar shape of the sword that the rich kid of nobility (older brother) holds.
There’s some sort of special workmanship on that sword.
Otherwise, there was no way a child like Bass could construct magic so quickly.
“Hmmm. That reaction. Perhaps you’ve never seen a magic tool before?”
Magic tool?
Is that the name of the sword? This is the first time I’ve heard it.
“Seriously… I’m speechless. I can’t believe you’ve lived your whole life without knowing about magic tools…. You must have lived a harsh life in the countryside”
“Well, it’s not like I lived in the countryside…”
On second thought, it’s hard to explain my circumstances to others.
Even if I told someone that I was a magician who had been reincarnated two hundred years into the future, it is probably hard for them to believe me.
“Well, you’re right. At least I’ve never seen anything like it”
“Then let me tell you this, instead of a handicap. This item supports the construction of magic!”
Bass raised his sword as he exhaled.
“── This sword allows me to activate magic much faster!”
The ‘Wind Blade, Wind Edge’ was activated again.
I easily avoided it and then observed the sword.
I activate my <<Analysis Eyes>> which is an application of body strengthening magic.
Hmmm.
I see.
It seems that the sword that the rich kid of nobility (older brother) is using has a magic syntax set in advance.
In other words, it allows simple magic to be activated by simply pouring magic power into it without having to assemble the magic syntax.
“What do you think? This speed! You can’t keep up with me unarmed!”
What can I say about it…? It’s a well-made toy.
That’s the only way I can describe it.
Such a tool looks like the cane that a crippled old man would use to walk around.
In magic, no syntax is absolutely correct.
The real thrill of a battle between magicians is to search for and construct the best syntax that best suits the situation of the battle.
“Come! This is my power!”
Bass continuously swung his sword one after another, but none of them felt threatening.
Too slow.
It is because he uses a sword that does not fit his stature.
I simply dodged everything and took some distance.
Bass would then unleash the same ‘Wind Blade, Wind Edge’ again.
“Foolish”
I’m starting to get bored with this.
I use my left hand to easily knock off the ‘Wind Blade, Wind Edge’ that Bass has unleashed.
“What!? M-My magic with your bare hand!?”
The mystery that I had been wondering about has finally been solved.
Magic tool.
Perhaps it is one of the reasons why magicians have become weaker.
Magic tools are indeed convenient.
Because they are convenient, the magicians from this era must have thought, ‘I don’t have to build my own magic syntax if I have a magic tool’.
In fact, in a world without the natural enemy, the demons, simple instant magic would have been sufficient.
But, it is tragic.
In the era I was living in two hundred years ago, the environment was not conducive to the use of toys such as magic tools.
As a result, magic tools have deprived magicians of the ability to think.
“That’s magic? I thought you were sending out balloons”
“Wha──! You!”
Bass struck out with a series of spells made with the exact same magic syntax in a fit of rage.
It can’t be helped.
I would like to express my gratitude to him for his cooperation in the verification process so far.
Let me show him what pure and genuine magic looks like.
“Wind Blade, Wind Edge”
The magic I chose was the same one that Bass used, the ‘Wind Blade, Wind Edge’.
*FLASH*
The ‘Wind Blade, Wind Edge’ I constructed flew right through Bass’s magic.
“Wha──!”
The rubble settled, and Bass laid flat out on the ground.
It went without saying that I had added a few touches.
I had applied some flashy effects to show the difference in our abilities but reduced the power considerably.
Such a flexible response would be impossible with a fighting style that relied on magic tools.
I walked over towards the rubble and approached Bass.
As I thought.
He seems to be in a daze, but it does not look like he was seriously injured.
“H-How did I…. To a commoner like you…”
Whoops.
Come to think of it, I almost forgot.
The condition of this duel was not to render the opponent incapacitated.
“What do you think? Are you ready to say ‘I give up’?”
“You filthy… inferior-eye brat…! Why would I…!?”
Good grief.
Can’t he put that pride to use somewhere else?
Humanity will be finished if we take pride in what others have given us instead of what we have achieved.
With that being said, I’m not a demon either.
There’s no reason to push him any further, so let’s call off this game of a duel at this point.
And just when I was about to show mercy ──
“Ahhh!”
The sound of rubble collapsing was accompanied by Bass’s scream.
The person who kicked the rolling Bass away was someone familiar to me.
“Err…. Lilith. What are you doing?”
“I’m sorry. Abel-sama. There was trash lying around”
That was not what I was asking.
She is a housemaid working for a rich noble household, right?
I feel that violence against an employer is a bad idea.
“Argh…. Lilith…! What the hell are you doing…!?”
“Shut up. Don’t ever speak to me again. I will not allow you to insult Abel-sama any further”
“Eek──!?”
Bass looked completely terrified when Lilith directed her bloodlust towards him.
Uh-oh.
Didn’t Bass like Lilith enough to confess his feelings for her a while ago?
I have a feeling this is going to be a lifelong trauma for him.
“Abel-sama. I’m so sorry. This incident occurred due to my lack of supervision”
“No. It’s fine. I don’t care about it”
“…But by the looks of it, you must have received some pretty rude remarks from that guy without my knowledge, right?”
“Yeah. It’s fine if it’s about my eyes. I’m used to it. Let’s just forgive Bass”
The remarks made by Bass this time were nothing compared to two hundred years ago.
Many people were not treated as humans in the previous era just because they had the <<Amber Eyes>>.
The people of this world may look down on people with amber eyes, but they don’t do anything more than that.
“Hey. You there”
“Eek”
“You should be grateful for Abel-sama’s generosity. Just this once, I’ll let your sin slide”
“……”
I get it. I get it.
I get what Bass is exactly thinking.
The words he was probably thinking of saying were, ‘Why am I, a noble, in such a situation!? Isn’t it normally the other way around!?’.
But that’s the last thing he would want to say.
He probably knows that Lilith will kill him the next time, so he can’t say anything.
“Agghhh! Agggggghhhhhhh!”
How tragic.
There’s nothing Bass can do about it.
His pride was utterly shattered, and he just plopped down on the ground, crying out in misery.
Chapter 5 Part 3
“Improve it…?”
Vera’s eyes opened widely, and tilted her head.
“Yes”
“W-W-What do you mean!? Why do you need to improve it!?”
Vera asked, leaning forward.
“It would be useless if I were to use it in this state…. No, I thought I could make it a better sword”
“You bought it, so you’re free to do what you want with it, but are you sure about that?”
“Yeah”
I nodded, and Vera crossed her arms with a smile on her face.
“You’re an interesting boy. Good. I’ll lend you my smithy. You can use it to your heart’s content!”
“It’s all right. I’m done”
“Huh?”
Vera almost fell.
“W-When did you do that!?”
“While we were talking.”
Vera was so absorbed in talking that she didn’t seem to notice, so I had taken the magic stone obtained in the <<Treasure Labyrinth>> and inlaid it into the sword.
By doing so, it was enchanted with magic.
It took me less than a second to do this. So it’s no wonder that she didn’t notice.
“What’s changed?”
“It doesn’t look any different…”
Lara and Marise put their faces close to the sword.
Are they… doubting my skills?
I’ve indeed been relatively bad at such production magic since my previous life.
Although I was not good at it, there was only one blacksmith in the world who was maybe a little better than me.
In the first place, Gold Magic is not really suited for production jobs.
“Right, let’s see… store owner. Do you have anything that I can use to try out the sword?”
I asked.
“There’s a Mud Doll in the back of the store. It’s a very tough doll. No matter how many times you slash at it, it’ll be fine!”
If I remember correctly, it’s one of those fragile dolls used in the entrance examination.
Well, that’s okay.
It’s good enough for trying out the sword.
We immediately went to the back of the store where the Mud Doll was kept.
When we looked at the Mud Doll, we saw that it was covered with countless cuts.
As the store owner had said, it seemed to be used as a doll for trying out swords.
“Don’t put too much strength on it, okay? Some people broke their bones because the Mud Doll was too tough”
Vera warned.
“I understand. I’ll try not to put too much strength on it”
I held my sword in one hand and gazed at the Mud Doll.
“Hmph”
As it is, I sloppily slashed the Mud Doll horizontally half-heartedly.
Then ── the Mud Doll was slashed into two.
“…Huh?”
The store owner kept her mouth partially opened.
“Hmm… that’s about right”
All I used was a single magic stone, after all. So something like this is to be expected.
While I was deep in thought, I returned the sword to its sheath.
“Thank you very much. Well then, I shall take my leave”
“W-Wait a minute!”
I was held back.
“W-Why did the sharpness become so much better!?”
“Right. After inlaying the magic stone, I enchanted it with magic such as [Sharpness +500%], [Physical Strength Support +500%], [Light-weight], and so on”
There are more than that, but if I tell her that, I think Vera might collapse. So let’s stop here.
“Enchant magic in an instant? Besides, I’ve never heard of someone being able to enchant two or three magic! And no matter how much you try… a light swing like that can’t split a Mud Doll in half!”
“Right, I’m sorry. If I remember correctly, Mud Dolls are expensive. I’ll fix it right away”
“Eh!?”
Vera’s eyes popped out in surprise when I restored the Mud Doll to its original state with Restoration Magic.
“T-That’s…! It should have taken ten years of training to be able to enchant magic! And yet… why… why…”
Perhaps out of surprise, Vera repeated the word “Why”.
Hmm. In that case, I think I can make money as a blacksmith. Well, I don’t intend to become one right now, though.
“Well, it’s Kurt, after all…. As I thought, he did the same thing when he worked on my ring”
“Of course. I can’t be surprised every time. It’s Kurt, after all”
The two of them didn’t seem too surprised, but their dumbfounded stares were a mystery.
Now.
I’ve bought a sword, fixed the Mud Doll, and I’m done.
As I was about to leave the weapon store again.
“Wait, wait!”
Vera hugged me from behind and restrained me.
“F-Five of my best…. No! Just one! Just one sword, can you do what you just did? I’ll pay you whatever you want!”
Oh boy.
“I’m sorry, but it’s not possible. Besides, I don’t have any magic stones left, so I can’t do what I did just now”
“That’s fine! So… please! For the wish of my lifetime!”
“But…”
“…Can’t you do it?”
Vera grabbed her collar with both hands and showed her chest.
It was a flat chest.
However, the pink-colored buds at the top of the two summits do give off certain femininity.
“Y-You can do whatever you want to me if you like. So…”
“H-Hold on! Don’t teach Kurt anything weird!”
Lara intervened from the side and pressed her chest against my right arm.
Big.
Vera is not bad, but as I thought, I feel more comfortable with the tender Lara.
That being said.
“Haa, fine. Just one sword, okay? But I can’t guarantee the quality”
Vera wasn’t going to back down at this point, so I let out a sigh and replied.
“T-Thank you!”
“But I don’t need the money. Let’s see… if you have any good materials or swords, or if you have any information, please let me know first, okay?”
“Are you fine with just that!?”
“I can do it in one second, so I don’t need to get paid that much”
“O-One second!?”
Getting information should be a higher priority than money right now.
After that, I enchanted the store owner’s prized sword with [Slashing Speed +500%] and left the store for real this time.
◆ ◆
“It’s quite a splendid building”
I had already finished my business, so I dined out with the two of them and then returned to the front of the dormitory.
Rosanlila Magic Academy is a boarding school.
The dormitory, located right next to the school building, is a gorgeous building.
“Such a stylish building, isn’t it? It’s beautiful!”
“The dormitory of Rosanlila Magic Academy has won several famous Architecture Awards. There are even people who want to join the Magic Academy just to live here”
Lara’s eyes lit up while Marise crossed her arms and said calmly.
Hmm….
It’s a splendid building. I really do mean that.
But it seems that there are no barriers?
I’m worried about that, so let’s set one up…. No-no, it’s a bad habit of mine to meddle like this. I’ll stop now.
“Ah, it’s Eri-chan!”
In front of the dormitory, Eri-chan… our class homeroom teacher, Erika-sensei, was standing there.
She looked a little grumpy.
“You’re the last of the new students to come back”
She said with a stern look.
“Eh!? When did it get so late!?”
“We’ve been to the labyrinth, the guild, choosing weapons… and so on, after all”
Time flies when you’re doing something, doesn’t it?
“So… why is Sensei here?”
“I’m your homeroom teacher and the dormitory chief executive. I’m here to give you a list of the dorm’s rules and your assigned room number”
said Erika, handing us a thin booklet and a piece of paper with our room number written on it.
It seems that my room is located on the eighth floor of Building A.
“I’m on the third floor of Building A!”
“Me too…. Is it the same building for men and women?”
“Yeah. It’s a mixed dormitory. We don’t have the budget to build two separate dormitories. But don’t get any weird ideas, okay? Illicit sexual relationships are forbidden, after all”
What a surprise.
I hadn’t read through the academy’s rules yet, but I didn’t know there was such a thing.
“…Did we have an academy rule like that?”
Marise asked Sensei.
But Sensei was firm.
“Even if there were no such academy rule, it would be unacceptable for you to engage in illicit sexual relationships while training in magic! What’s more, you guys are first-year students! If you have time for that, you should be learning some magic!”
said Sensei.
“Well then, I’ve got some work to do, so I’m going back to the academy. A-And don’t you dare do anything indecent, understand?”
With that, Sensei left us.
She is quite a strict teacher.
But I agree with her that illicit sexual relationships are a hindrance to magic training.
In my previous life, I continued to train my magic without paying attention to women.
…It’s not because I didn’t dare to talk to the girls.
“…Sensei was kind of angry. Is it because we didn’t come back early?”
“No… probably not”
Lara and Marise were talking in hushed tones so that the departing teacher could not hear them.
At any rate, I think I’ll go to bed now.
I still have enough stamina, but as I thought, I’m tired from all the events that occurred today.
I’ve never been good with crowded places, even in my previous life.
Chapter 7 Part 3
“Hey. What’s going on!? This child has been suffering!!”
Barnes-san carried Xellos nii-sama and ran toward us.
I looked at Kachel for a moment.
He is attempting to summon something and still putting up a huge magic barrier.
But according to everyone, Kachel doesn’t have that much magic power.
If that’s the case, then he’s taking in magic power from somewhere else.
He has a glowing amulet in his hand. It’s just like the one that nii-sama has.
“So that’s it!”
I ran up to nii-sama.
“I’ll look after nii-sama. Please go back to escorting the princess, Barnes-san. Hurry up!”
“My apologies!”
With an axe in his hand, Barnes-san started running.
I took nii-sama in my arms and whispered in his ear.
“Xellos nii-sama. You’ve got something from Kachel, right!? Let me take a look at it!!”
“…Amulet for… strengthening magic power”
Nii-sama held up his right arm.
There was an amulet intertwined with a black crystal.
*Thump* *Thump* It was throbbing repeatedly. The chain dug into nii-sama’s arm like blood vessels.
“Sensei told me that… if I had this, it would make it easier for me to develop ‘Ancient Magic’. Sensei also said I could borrow his magic power with it”
‘Woooooooo’
An ominous voice reverberated in the surrounding area.
Kachel had deployed a huge barrier to defend against the soldiers’ attack.
From the magic circle in front of him, something in the shape of a human is about to emerge. As the figure became clearer, nii-sama’s face became pale.
He is leeching nii-sama’s magic power through the amulet.
In that case, could it be that this amulet is also a replica of ‘Ancient Artifact’?
“…I’m sorry, Yuuki. I saw you… as an enemy, and picked a fight with you. I deserve this. I’m…”
“I’m sorry too, but I’m not mad at you”
Barnes-san… already left. The princess and the soldiers also aren’t looking at us. Good.
I cut my finger with my dagger.
The blood that flowed out, poured into the amulet.
“It has always been my dream to quarrel with brothers like humans”
In my previous life, I only had younger companions.
And to be honest, I wanted to fight with my brother.
“That’s why I don’t want nii-sama to die yet. I can’t laugh at the thought that the ‘Monster, Nosferatu’ had his family killed by trash like Kachel. Nii-sama”
“…Yuuki”
“‘Magical Blood, Mistel Blood’ ── ‘Erosion, Hacking’”
I activated my skill.
Blood is a part of my body.
I can move it as I see fit for a while, even after it is out of my body.
So I began pouring and filled the amulet with my ‘Magical Blood, Mistel Blood’.
It started to erode the spell cast on it.
Move the blood, deep, deep down.
The exterior of the spell ── Erosion Complete.
Magic analysis ── Successful.
The spell is made up of two configurations. One is the transfer of magic power from nii-sama to Kachel. The other is the mental attunement and message transmission from Kachel to nii-sama.
…So this was how he has been brainwashing nii-sama.
All right, let’s destroy it quickly.
Infiltrated the circuit that makes up the amulet’s spell ── Started interference with ‘Magical Blood, Mistel Blood’ ── Successful.
Eroding the technique.
Destroying the circuit of magic power.
If I can stop the flow of magic power and finally place my ‘Magical Blood, Mistel Blood’ into it and then hit it with about a hundred times the magic power that normally flows through it ── I can overload it.
“Get wrecked, you relic of the past!”
*Crack* Cracks started to appear on the black stone of the amulet.
As it is, the stone exploded. The metal fittings shattered and fell from nii-sama’s arm.
Xellos nii-sama collapsed.
He is still conscious. The outflow of magic power has stopped.
I hacked into the amulet and destroyed it.
The amulet had the effect of transmitting nii-sama’s magic power to Kachel, so I broke the circuit and destroyed it. There is no more magic power outflow.
As for Kachel, who was using nii-sama’s magic power to perform magic ──
“Gyaaaahhhh!!”
He turned completely pale and screamed.
With his pale face, he started scratching himself all over.
“Kachel has self-destructed!?”
“That’s because he tried to summon something above his caliber. Such a fool…”
The princess and Barnes-san watched as Kachel writhed in pain.
They don’t seem to know that I’ve done something.
“Gyaaaahhhh!”
‘Oooooooooo…’
The shadow of a person summoned by Kachel disappears.
Kachel collapsed while scratching his throat.
“…The magic channels throughout his body have been torn to shreds.”
After a while, Barnes spoke.
“This guy is beyond recovery now…”
“It’s only natural. After all, he used ‘Ancient Magic’ above his caliber. The thing he summoned must have drained all of his magic power”
“He may never be able to use magic again, and even his spirit may have been destroyed. As a mage, he is as good as dead…. Or worse than dead, I suppose”
Barnes-san and Princess Iris looked at me.
“He is as good as dead now. There is also no need for you to get your hands dirty anymore”
“…Is that so”
I picked up the amulet that had fallen to the ground.
During ‘Erosion, Hacking’, I noticed something. This thing was set up with a circuit to transmit Xellos nii-sama’s magic power to Kachel. At the same time, it also can send instructions from Kachel to Xellos nii-sama.
That said, replicas or not, ‘Ancient Artifacts’ are out of my jurisdiction.
Just that while nii-sama was wearing it, he would have been more receptive to Kachel’s voice.
The story about me bad-mouthing Xellos nii-sama was probably told to him by Kachel.
“I have a question”
Princess Iris approached me slowly.
“Yuuki Grossalia-sama. Who are you?”
“Yuuki is my younger brother!”
When I turned around, Xellos nii-sama was about to stand up.
“He may be an illegitimate child, but there is no doubt that Yuuki is my younger brother. Is there anything suspicious about that!?”
“Then I will ask you this. How is it that your younger brother can use ‘Ancient Magic’?”
“That’s…”
Xellos nii-sama looked at me as if asking for help.
As for me, I was planning to disappear without a trace but now is not a good time.
…It can’t be helped, huh?
“I was taught ‘Ancient Magic’ by Xellos nii-sama. He was thinking about my future as an illegitimate child, so after learning magic from his tutor Kachel, he taught me what he had learned. I tried to use it and managed to activate it. That’s all”
“Is that true? Xellos Grossalia-sama”
“…Y-Yes”
Xellos nii-sama nodded.
“Yuuki is right. After Kachel-sensei’s lessons, I reviewed the day’s lessons and told Yuuki what I had learned. However, Yuuki seemed to have more talent than me and had learned magic one after another that I couldn’t use. I was so frustrated by this that I started to attack him”
“You attacked Yuuki Grossalia-sama?”
“…Yes. The reason why I asked Kachel-sensei to let me take the exam for the ‘Magic Guild’ was to get back at Yuuki. I really wanted… to be better than Yuuki, and that was all I needed”
“What about the ‘Sanctuary Church, Elysium Temple’?”
“I didn’t know anything about that. I’m speaking the truth!”
I also think so.
The ‘Sanctuary Church, Elysium Temple’ is taboo in this era.
There is no way that nii-sama, who is thinking of raising the status of the Baron family, would have done such a thing.
“Taking the fact that Kachel attacked Her Royal Highness during the exam, I think it’s obvious that Xellos nii-sama had nothing to do with it. If nii-sama were one of Kachel’s associates, then both of them would have attacked Her Royal Highness. That would be certain”
I held out the amulet that had fallen to the ground to Princess Iris.
Of course, my ‘Magical Blood, Mistel Blood’ has been thoroughly wiped off.
“It seems that this amulet was meant for Kachel to drain nii-sama’s magic power. This is based on the fact that Kachel had collapsed at the same time as the amulet was destroyed due to overload”
“Kachel also seems to have a similar amulet”
“Yes. If you examine his amulet, it can be proved that nii-sama was being used”
“Considering that Yuuki-sama had helped us, I suppose so”
The princess nodded at my words.
“This is without a doubt Kachel Mieghem’s own personal judgment in this incident. Now then, Barnes”
“Yes. As soon as I return to the royal capital, I will investigate the connection between him and the ‘Sanctuary Church, Elysium Temple’”
“I’m counting on you. Also, Xellos Grossalia-sama”
“Yes. Her Royal Highness Princess Iris”
“Due to Kachel’s rampage, this exam has been invalidated. However, a re-examination is possible. Would you like that?”
“No. I don’t have that kind of power. More than me, Yuuki is…”
Oi.
Xellos nii-sama. What did you just say?
“I am, at best, a legitimate son of the Grossalia family. But Yuuki has talent. He also has the courage to face strong enemies. If Yuuki learns magic in earnest, he will become a mage like no other. Perhaps even to the point of changing history”
“That’s right. I also believe that Yuuki-sama has great talent”
“I would also love to have a mock battle with him”
“No. I’m going to a public school”
“I think you should make use of your talent, Yuuki Grossalia-sama”
The princess took my hand and said.
“I, Princess Iris Restia, hereby declare that Yuuki Grossalia, son of the Grossalia family, will be welcomed as an apprentice of the ‘Magic Guild’! I hope that he will learn together with me as schoolmates and eventually become my trusted retainer!!”
““““OOOOOOHHHHHHHH!!””””
A loud cheer was let out.
…This isn’t the kind of atmosphere where I can say no, is it?
That night.
I was in my room, thinking about my future.
“I’m going to replace nii-sama as an apprentice at the ‘Magic Guild’, huh…?”
When I thought about it, I had no problem with it.
I was originally planning to learn about the history of this world anyway. The ‘Magic Guild’ in the royal capital would probably have history books. There I can look into the history of my previous life after my death, and what happened to Lyle and the others and ‘Fila Village’.
While I’m at it, if I learn about ‘Ancient Magic’, I might also be able to find out why I was reincarnated.
I have all the time in the world, after all.
It wouldn’t be bad to spend two or three years in a human organization learning about humans.
Besides… if I turn down this offer, I will make the princess lose face.
I don’t want the royal family to keep an eye on the Baron Grossalia Household because of it. After all, I’m also a member of the Grossalia family.
“…I can’t allow the Grossalia family to go under now, can I?”
If the family is lost, Father, Rumia, and Xellos nii-sama will be in trouble, too.
It can’t be helped.
Let’s go to the royal capital to ‘observe humans’.
“Yuuki-sama. Her Royal Highness would like to see you”
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
When the door opened, Martha was standing there.
“I’ve sent her to the reception room. Please come with me, Yuuki-sama”
“Her Royal Highness is here?”
“Yes. She seems to have slipped out of the party”
“She likes to sneak around, huh?”
“Yuuki-sama and Her Royal Highness seem to be kindred spirits”
“Not as much as Martha though”
“……”
“What’s the matter, Martha?”
“Sometimes I think Yuuki-sama is trying to stop Martha’s heart”
“That’s not it. I trust Martha more than I trust myself”
“Thank you very much. To live up to that trust, Martha has decided to follow Yuuki-sama”
“Follow me? As in, to the ‘Magic Guild’?”
“Where else could it be?”
Martha sighed.
“I’ve been told that those recommended by the royal family are allowed to take their servants to the guild’s educational institution. When Baron-sama learned of this, he asked me to do it. So it has been decided that Martha will accompany Yuuki-sama”
“…I’m sorry”
“No, don’t be. It’s better than sitting here worrying about Yuuki-sama”
“I’m sorry for being such a good-for-nothing master”
On my way out of the room, I high-fived Martha.
“Take good care of me. Partner”
“If Martha is late in getting married, it will be Yuuki-sama’s fault, you know?”
“I’ll take responsibility at that time. Only if I hadn’t left the family to live a vagabond life”
“Please don’t give me hope and despair at the same time. Yuuki-sama”
Martha smiled with a troubled look on her face.