EP.178 Sign Here, Battle Mage!(4)
The Royal Family’s Hound, Hound.
Soldiers who swear to dedicate their lives to the royal family are trained from a young age. The education they receive is different from that of knights. There is no honor. No pride. They only learn skills to kill.
Throwing, stealth, disguise, infiltration.
They learn techniques that knights would not. More often than not, they deal with memorization rather than wielding a sword. They carry out tasks that knights cannot. Mainly, filthy ones. Dirty but practical tasks.
Those who endure such grueling training become excellent soldiers. They perform the covert missions that knights cannot. Assassination and stalking, such tasks. Their operational capabilities are astonishing.
Masters of close combat.
The nemeses of mages.
Although they have no pride as the royal family’s hunting dogs, they have confidence in their abilities. When gathered together, they believe they can hold their own against superhuman mages, if not against sword masters.
“Those eyes.”
And now.
“Blessed by a star.”
The hounds realize that it was an illusion.
The Braver, Kelharlem.
An ancient superhuman’s voice resonates low. In that voice, a faint hint of anger can be felt. The Braver has revealed his emotions. It is the situation the hounds have been most wary of.
‘If the Braver reveals his emotions, we must subdue him immediately. We must rush in, suppress his mana with a magical device, and endure until he regains his senses.’
There was an instruction they once heard.
Following that instruction is the virtue of an excellent soldier. However, at this moment, not a single hound considers following the instruction.
“One.”
The air becomes heavy.
It feels as if it’s tightening around their throats. Creeeak, the sound of malfunctioning magical devices can be heard.
“I’ll give you a warning.”
Kelharlem reaches out his hand.
They know they must block it, but the hounds feel as though their feet are glued to the ground. It’s the fear of facing a beast. Cold sweat trickles down their spines.
And then, at that moment.
Thud, someone stomps the ground.
One of the hounds, hiding between the bushes and the gaps in the buildings, leaps toward the Braver. Even in the oppressive air, there is no hesitation in their movements.
The Tracker, Kalt.
A figure not born from the training period of a hound, but rather a soldier acknowledged for his merits on the battlefield. He is unlike the other hounds. Having survived facing the four disasters, he feels no fear from this kind of pressure.
Thus, Kalt’s movements are smooth.
Swish, he draws a dagger from his waist.
Quietly, he embeds the dagger hidden in the sleeve of his long coat into the ground. He approaches the Braver. And he is not the only one moving.
“Hey.”
At an unknown moment, from an angle of sight or perhaps outside of perception, a figure draws near. She grabs Kelharlem’s hand.
“What are you doing?”
Ashen hair flutters.
The blue eyes of a girl exuding a more ominous aura than the Braver glimmer.
Whoosh!
The mana that had been suffocating the surroundings suddenly disperses. Only then do the hounds begin to move, late to react. The royal family’s hounds are filled with one question.
Who on earth is that girl?
2.
“What are you doing?”
Raniael glares at Kelharlem with wide eyes. She knows that the Braver hates the star. Therefore, when the Braver and Resti, blessed by the star, are together, she feels an ominous vibe.
But, it was only a feeling.
Even if he is called a Braver, Kelharlem acts thoroughly according to principles.
Hence, she thought it best to keep her distance.
This was true until just before he revealed his emotions.
“Those eyes.”
“Blessed by a star.”
There was clear emotion in that voice.
It was anger. The deepest emotion buried within Kelharlem, the only feeling remaining for him. And the fact that he revealed those emotions was not a good sign. Not at all.
‘The constraint is shaking.’
Emotion tinged his voice, and the constraint wavered.
As the restraint loosened, mana spilled out for a moment, warping the air around them. At that moment, Raniael was already stomping the ground and running.
“Have you lost your mind?”
The grip on Kelharlem’s wrist tightens. This was a situation Raniael had not anticipated.
‘Why all of a sudden?’
Is it a reaction to the star’s blessing?
No, that wasn’t it.
She had already told Kelharlem that there are a few blessed by the star. The Braver didn’t show much emotional turmoil over that fact.
From the start, despite hating the star, Kelharlem has collaborated with heroes and executed operations countless times.
That’s the kind of person Kelharlem is.
Understanding his own madness, he is someone who is more careful than anything to control it.
‘So why is Kelharlem suddenly…’
Raniael feels a sense of bewilderment.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“······.”
Kelharlem remained silent at Raniael’s question.
He looked at Raniael holding his wrist, then turned to Resti, who sat across from him. Resti was terrified.
“···Hmph.”
Kelharlem exhaled shortly.
The mana that had been seeping out disappears, and the flickering flame behind the ashen eyes settles. Thus, tightening the constraints further, Kelharlem shot a glance at Raniael.
“···I’m sorry.”
He said.
“I’ve complicated the situation.”
“···Tsk.”
Raniael clicked her tongue briefly.
The surroundings were chaotic. There were many students watching this place. Their murmurs buzzed in Raniael’s ears. There were too many eyes on them.
– What’s going on?
– No, all of a sudden…
– Who are those people?
– Why are Professors Lrutia and Rania here…
From the bushes, the rooftops, the gaps in the buildings.
Hounds who had been hiding everywhere suddenly revealed themselves. All of them pointed their weapons at Kelharlem.
“···I apologize.”
A small voice only audible to Raniael echoed in her ears. It was Kalt’s voice, who stood behind Kelharlem. Even in this urgent situation, Kalt approached while hiding his weapon and erasing his presence; however… the other hounds were different.
Their breaths were ragged.
A moment of confusion, realizing they were late to respond, they even forgot to calm down and broke the rules.
As a result, all eyes were on them. The students’ murmurs grew louder. It was not a good situation. Raniael frowned as she muttered to Kalt.
“···Try to cover it up.”
Kalt nodded and stepped back.
He gestured to the hounds.
“Stand down.”
In a cold voice, he said.
“The guest is not in any danger. It seems that our professor has misunderstood for a moment.”
Raniael released Kelharlem’s wrist. Kelharlem rubbed his wrist and responded appropriately.
“I acted in a way that could be misunderstood. I apologize.”
Ad libbed words were exchanged.
The students observed them with keen interest. The hounds that had gathered to subdue Kelharlem had turned into his escort.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. But…”
Kalt responded to Kelharlem’s question.
“This professor seems to have something to say to me.”
“Then perhaps we should guide you to a private meeting room…”
“No need for that.”
Raniael interrupted Kalt’s words.
She slipped her fingers into the gap of her gloves and wrist, then pulled roughly.
Thud!
Raniael’s glove is thrown on the table. It is almost a signal. Kalt’s pupils shook. Kelharlem’s eyes narrowed.
“It’s a duel.”
Raniael said expressionlessly.
“You wouldn’t refuse, would you?”
As the students’ attention focused, Raniael declared a duel. Cold sweat dripped down Kalt’s back. Surely, he would refuse, right? With that thought, Kalt glanced at Kelharlem, but…
“···I accept.”
Kelharlem accepted the duel.
Kalt felt a sense of dizziness.
3.
“Senior, have you lost it?”
“Ten, you’ve been speaking rather brashly lately.”
“No, senior. Didn’t you just say ‘try to cover it up’ while clicking your tongue?”
“I did.”
“So you covered it up, didn’t you? The situation could have been neatly resolved! Just pretend it didn’t happen! Inform students that the Braver is a ‘noble person’ and try to prevent them from approaching!”
Isn’t this a terrible situation?!
Kalt screamed into my ear. I frowned and covered my ears. Of course, blocking my ears wouldn’t prevent me from hearing his voice.
“But a duel?!”
Kalt’s eyes went wide.
“A duel with the Braver. Considering you declared it in front of the students, do you think you’ll fight here in Apuria? I can’t believe you would do that.”
“I will.”
“Aaaaah!”
In a forest a bit away from Apuria, Kalt screamed and tore at his hair.
“···Huff.”
Finally calming down, Kalt took a deep breath and looked at me again, questioning.
“Why didn’t Kelharlem refuse?”
“That’s part of the contract.”
“What?”
“It’s one of the conditions of the contract made when he entered Apuria. If the constraints ever waver, unless it goes against the principles, he must accept my proposal.”
I murmured with my chin supported.
“I was thinking of just kicking him out, but that didn’t seem feasible.”
“···What do you mean?”
“Didn’t you see his eyes? There’s something there. If I told him to leave just like that, he wouldn’t listen…”
He had an ulterior motive.
There was definitely a scheme.
“And I plan to find out.”
“What do you mean?”
“The purpose of his visit. And what he’s aiming for.”
“How do you plan to figure that out through a duel?”
There are always ways. I spoke carefully, clenching and unclenching my fists. Lately, it feels like encounters with superhumans have been increasing.
“······.”
Casually glancing, Kalt was looking at me with a complicated expression. His face was one of deep contemplation. After all, this must be a tangled situation for him.
“I won’t fight to kill, so don’t worry.”
“···What?”
“Am I going to use top-tier spells in the academic grounds? Most I’d do is exchange basic spells. Before the duel, we’ll both set our constraints.”
“···Does that even have any meaning?”
“There’s a reason I’m doing it.”
Kalt still did not withdraw his suspicious gaze. I sighed and continued explaining.
“This is something you wouldn’t know, so it would be pointless for me to say it… But to sum it up in a simple way, it’s like this.”
I wiggled my fingers.
Mana flared up over my fingertips.
“I’ll approach and read the flow. As we exchange blows, I’ll view the information inscribed on the constraints he has on his body.”
“···You can see it like that?”
“Think of Kelharlem as a well-made mechanical device. He moves according to the ‘command’ inscribed on the chains bound to his body. I’m going to read all those commands.”
I had done something like this before.
The difference is that last time, I had to read his commands when the constraints were all lifted.
“Just checking what’s different from what I saw back then will show me what he’s aiming for.”
“Hmm…”
“If I explain it in more detail, you wouldn’t understand. Say, want me to lecture you on how to read circuit patterns? Want to try it yourself?”
Kalt shook his head.
“No, I just think you might have some other intention. Am I wrong, senior?”
“···No.”
“So there is something, huh?”
“There isn’t.”
“If so, then why did you openly declare a duel in front of the students? Why not quietly retreat and have it in the forest instead?”
“Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue shortly.
‘Shit, this kid is quick-witted.’
I fell silent.
Kalt continued to gaze at me with a more suspicious look. I averted my eyes slightly. Kalt’s eyes narrowed.
“Senior.”
“···What.”
“Just a thought.”
“No.”
“I haven’t said anything yet.”
That was not from some deep-seated desire to showcase the ‘superiority’ of a battle mage over a wizard in front of students. Not at all.
“Showing them could help, right?”
I may only be using basic spells, but the root lies in the basics. A duel between fundamentals can be beneficial just by watching.
“Since I’m having a duel anyway, it’d be nice to show them. You probably don’t know, but I’ve been giving special lectures lately, right? What I’ve been covering is…”
I kept explaining. After hearing my explanation, Kalt sighed like the ground was going to open up beneath him.
“If you say so, then I suppose that’s that…”
“Exactly.”
“But you’re going to lose.”
“···What?”
I opened my eyes wide.
Kalt replied indifferently.
“Since, as you said, many eyes are on us. Are you planning to make it known that you’re the Ashen Mage before all those hounds?”
“···No, that’s not…”
“If you manage to win against a superhuman, your excuses will be all for naught. Haven’t you already been caught by one of your disciples doing just that?”
Kalt decisively declared.
“Just lose in moderation and it’ll all end well.”
“······.”
“Wasn’t your goal to read what’s inscribed in the commands tied to the constraints? Then winning or losing shouldn’t matter.”
It was a valid point.
“Unless you have another objective?”
Kalt glared at me.
I muttered helplessly.
“···No, well… there’s nothing. I was originally planning to lose…”
