[V13C16] A Youth Spent Searching for Loopholes

A few days ago, the Seven Sages held a meeting without the Barrier Mage. The agenda was ‘How to Persuade Louis Miller.’

“Well, he’ll probably just make a run for it.”

The eldest of the Seven Sages, Mary Harvey, started the meeting with this comment.

Raul nodded his head in agreement.

“Yeah, I think so too! Louis-san is good at flight magic, so he might just go woosh and disappear.”

“…How naive,” Ray muttered, leaning his elbows against the table with a grim expression. “That man is an avatar of violence… He’s going to fight back, and he’ll do it with glee.”

“Put my vote in for the violence side,” Bradford agreed. “I can’t imagine the Barrier Mage running from a fight.”

As the moderator for meetings between the Seven Sages, Mary wrote down their votes on a piece of paper in her beautiful handwriting.

  • Escape: Starseer Witch, Thorn Witch
  • Violence: Abyss Shaman, Artillery Mage

Then, she pushed this note towards the Silent Witch and the Dragon Slayer Mage.

“And what about you two?”

Monica flinched as everyone turned in her direction. This was an awkward situation, as her vote could be the tiebreaker. Remaining silent was no longer an option.

Silas scratched the back of his head and suggested, “Uh, how about we both point on the count of three?”

“R-Right.”

Monica and Silas raised their hands at the same time. Monica’s finger was pointed at ‘Violence’ and Silas’s finger was pointed at ‘Escape’.

The opinions of the six were neatly divided, but they all agreed on one key point: ‘persuading Louis was impossible.’

In fact, Bradford suggested that even attempting to persuade Louis was a strategic error, as it gave him time to prepare a surprise attack.

Persuasion would only be an option if they gained the cooperation of Rosalie Miller, as Louis loved his wife more than anything in the world. However, matters related to Gluttonous Zoe were top secret, so it was not possible to involve civilians like her.

This was an issue to be handled only by those already involved.

Thus began the Barrier Mage Capture Operation, but the Sages found it difficult to agree on a course of action.

Raul was optimistic, suggesting that their victory was assured as long as they challenged Louis as a team. Bradford laughed in agreement, saying that Louis would be satisfied after a well-fought battle.

However, Ray wanted nothing to with this and the most sensible one, Silas, expressed reluctance at the idea of ganging up on a fellow Sage.

Finally, Monica made a certain proposal with a grim expression.

“Um, I think we should immediately evacuate the person in charge of research… Louis-san will definitely target them if possible…”

But in the end, they found it difficult to agree on a plan. After all, the Seven Sages had never been a military organization. They were simply the seven most skilled mages in Ridill.

Many of the current Sages were proficient in combat, but that was not their essence. Their expertise lied in the field of magic, not battle.

Despite their extraordinary talents, most of the Sages had little experience in tactical coordination. Even the Artillery Mage and Dragon Slayer Mage tended to prefer solo action.

The recent incident with Gluttonous Zoe was the exception. The Seven Sages had to be deployed because only mages were fit to deal with ancient artifacts.

And everything went smoothly thanks to Louis’s leadership skills. As former captain of the Magic Corps, he was the only Sage with experience in coordinating military operations.

The Starseer Witch could lead the Seven Sages when it came to political matters, but military strategy was not her area of expertise. As a result, they were unable to formula a plan before Louis’s return.

And indeed, Louis quickly deduced that there was no skilled commander leading the Sages.

The current captain of the Magic Corps realized the gravity of this situation. When asked for his cooperation, he allegedly said…

“I will allow you to use the Magic Corps headquarters as the stage for this magical battle, but I am unable to lend you any manpower. Please understand. Our forces are already dispersed throughout the country, so I can’t afford to lose any more of my men.”

He knew that his men stood no chance against Louis. Their former captain would beat down every last one of them, regardless of the difference in numbers.

In the days following this magical battle, many would come to reflect on their poor decisions. However, there was one area where everyone could agree on.

——We should never have given Louis Miller a justified reason for violence…

＊　＊　＊

The tragic hero, Louis Miller, had defeated the dragons at the border and protected the nation. And yet, his reward was being made the guinea pig of some sketchy experiment.

“Now then, it’s time to bully the strong.”

Having been given a justified reason for violence, Louis strolled through the Magic Corps with gusto.

He had already defeated two of the Sages, the Thorn Witch and the Abyss Shaman, by sealing them within a barrier.

Both of them were the heads of prestigious families, so taking them as hostages was always an option. But was that enough to satisfy Louis? No.

There was only one thing Louis wanted: to beat down all of the remaining Sages with his own hands.

As a former member of the Magic Corps, Louis knew this area like his own backyard.

The magical battle barrier was centered on the main building and contained the entire premises, including the vast training grounds and the surrounding shrubbery. Ray’s curse traps had been placed around a set of bushes.

After confirming the location of the traps, Louis glanced up at the fence blocking his escape.

The height of the fence and the barbed wire at the top made it too difficult to climb by hand.

(The Artillery Mage will shoot me down if I attempt to escape via flight magic.)

Assuming the Artillery Mage was monitoring Louis to prevent his escape, he only had two suitable sniping positions. The roof of the main building, or the emergency staircase.

(I need to pinpoint his location and take him down with remote magic, or create some sort of diversion…)

He considered the possibility of freeing Ray, the lighter of his two captives, and using him as a human shield to charge at Bradford. However, doing so would require redoing the fixation spell on his sealing barrier. This came with a hefty mana cost, and Louis did not have any mana to spare.

Louis stared at the Magic Corps building while contemplating his options.

It was generally impossible to extend a magical battle barrier inside a building.

The interior of the Magic Corps building was likely a sort of air pocket, outside of the barrier’s influence. The walls and roof were fully protected, but not the inside.

Louis could see several Magic Corps personnel crowding around the windows and spectating.

Some of them were even holding betting tickets. Apparently, they were gambling on the results of this battle.

“Well, well… this is becoming more and more amusing.”

Louis put on a wicked grin as he tapped his shoulder with his staff.

Suddenly, a man used flight magic to jump off the rooftop and approach Louis. He was tall, with blond hair, and he held a spear enveloped in lightning.

It was Silas Page, the Dragon Slayer Mage.

Silas landed a short distance away from Louis and readied his weapon.

“Barrier-niisan, I have nothing against you, but… uh, can you surrender quietly?”

Louis scoffed at Silas’s proposal.

“If you truly want me to surrender, then either persuade me with a gift, or threaten me properly.”

Such a halfhearted approach was nothing more than a waste of time. Louis raised his staff and performed a quick incantation, enchanting his staff with mana.

This was an incredibly simple enchantment, perfect for fighting while conserving mana.

Though Silas seemed unenthusiastic at first, this changed once Louis made his intent clear. The Dragon Slayer Mage smoothed back his hair and took a deep breath.

“…Fine, then I’ll consider this a revenge match for the Sage Selection Exam. Here’s to a good fight.”

Silas engaged his flight magic again.

On the other hand, Louis simply spun his mana-enchanted staff without casting flight magic.

“Here I come!”

Silas closed the distance at a low-altitude flight and swung his spear of lightning. Louis parried the blow with his staff, then crouched down and placed both hands on the ground.

Meanwhile, Silas jumped into the sky and pointed his weapon downwards. His lightning spear forked into three bolts of lightning that attacked Louis from all angles.

However, Louis had apparently anticipated this. He easily blocked everything with a quickly chanted barrier.

“I’m glad to see that you have polished up on your aerial combat skills,” Louis said.

“Yeah, because you told me to, remember? I made sure to practice man-to-man combat too.”

Louis did not remember saying it so kindly, but either way, Silas’s diligence was commendable.

In contrast to Silas going all out with flight magic and a lightning spear, Louis only used his mana-enchanted staff, as flight magic would consume a considerable amount of mana.

“Can you really beat me while conserving mana? Come on, get serious!”

Silas taunted Louis as he continued attacking with his spear. Meanwhile, Louis intercepted the blow as he contemplated his next move.

Monica and Bradford were probably watching from a distance, ready to snipe Louis down once Silas pushes him into revealing an opening.

(In that case, this is my chance to lure them out.)

Louis already had an idea of their position, but it was best to narrow it down by provoking them into attacking.

Louis jumped backwards, distancing himself from Silas, then put on an especially sweet smile.

“Dragon Slayer Mage-dono. I believe you are rather inexperienced in magical battles, yes?”

“…So what if I am?”

Silas was a mage specializing in dragon extermination. While he had plenty of practical combat experience, he had not participated in many magical battles.

The barrier used for magical battles enforces special rules, such as nullifying physical attacks within its bounds. In addition, it protects participants from injury by exhausting their mana by an amount proportional to the amount of damage they would receive.

The existence of these rules made magical battles very different from real combat.

“As I am sure you know, physical attacks do not work during magical battles… But there are a few loopholes.”

Back when Louis was a student, his teachers constantly lectured him on the rules.

——This barrier nullifies physical attacks, so stop trying to punch your opponent.

However, the young Louis was quite the troublemaker, so he refused to listen to his teachers. He spent many a day searching for loopholes in the barrier.

“First, the magical battle barrier does not prevent accidents.”

The barrier was only designed to protect against physical attacks from enemies. If someone were to trip and slam into the ground, that would not count as physical attack.

For example, say you get hit by a fire spell while using flight magic. The spell itself would not hurt you, but what if you lose concentration and crash into the ground from a great height? That might result in severe injuries.

“Second, swinging a weapon or your fists is recognized as an attack, but kicking up dust is considered a natural phenomenon.”

Silas dived down at Louis and attempted to swing his spear.

However, Louis countered by throwing the sand he had picked up when he was crouched. The sand got into Silas’s eyes, blinding him, so he was forced to back down.

The barrier could recognize thrown stones and weapons as a physical attack, but not something as small as grains of sand.

Louis had used the same loophole in his student days, causing the teachers of Minerva to add a special rule that prohibited him from throwing sand.

That did not apply here, so the only thing stopping Louis from throwing sand was his moral compass. And since he considered this justified self-defense, he was not going to hold back.

Once Silas was stunned, Louis discarded his staff and circled around to grab Silas’s neck from behind.

“Third, strangling is not recognized as a physical attack. The barrier is simply not smart enough to distinguish between ‘holding’ and ‘crushing.’”

Raul was probably unaware of this loophole, but he could easily abuse it with his vines. The Man-Eating Rose Fortress was an extremely potent weapon, as it could absorb the target’s mana while strangling them.

This was one reason Louis found it fortunate that he managed to eliminate Raul early on.

Silas tried to escape Louis’s stranglehold, but to little avail. Eventually, his fading consciousness caused him to lose control over his flight magic.

“Grgh! Grh…!”

“Now then, let’s review the lesson.”

Louis voiced the incantation for flight magic while strangling a man far bigger than himself.

After calculating the perfect trajectory for evading possible attacks, he soared high into the sky.

“Question 1. Can the magical battle barrier nullify falling damage? …The answer is no.”

In this state, Silas was unable to chant. He would undoubtedly suffer severe injuries if dropped from this height.

“Fall.”

The moment Louis released Silas, two spells were activated simultaneously.

One was a cushion of wind to catch the falling Silas, courtesy of the Silent Witch.

The other was a five-fold fireball aimed directly at Louis, from the Artillery Mage.

(There you are.)

Louis boosted his flight magic into full throttle, narrowly avoiding the fireball. At the same time, he quickly glanced at two locations——the direction the fireball came from, and the direction the wind came from.

The Artillery Mage was standing on the emergency staircase on the east side of the building.

The Silent Witch was hiding in the shadow of the west side.

“Well, well, so the monsters finally reveal themselves.”

The man who loved bullying the strong adjusted his monocle as he twisted his face into a grin.

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