[V13C18] The Master Prevails

The Magic Corps was the branch of the military specialized in applying magecraft for combat purposes.

Sometimes, their magic was used to subdue dangerous criminals. At others, they collaborate with the Dragon Knights to shoot down dragons.

As for their current situation…

Right now, the Magic Corps were lined up in the corridor of their headquarters and deploying the strongest barriers they could muster. All of them looked desperate, perhaps even more desperate than during the Gluttonous Zoe incident.

“Damage report on the magical battle barrier!”

“Three holes in the west corridor! The barrier itself remains intact, so the physical nullification effect is still active!”

“Two in the east! He intentionally opened them at set intervals, with differences in elevation! Further expansion will only thin out the barrier, so we need to address each hole individually!”

“Assign three people per hole, and switch out in rotations! The rest of you, keep your eyes peeled for Former Captain Miller’s next move!”

“Captain! He beat our squad to the ground, and some of them are still unconscious!”

“Slap them awake if you have to!”

Norman, who was crouched under the window, shifted his gaze from the busy Magic Corps members to the nearby Hubert.

Hubert had ducked in anticipation of the Barrier Mage’s assault, but he was already back on his feet and watching the battle play out with glee.

“Dee-sensei, it seems things have gotten out of hand…”

“Only the best of barriers can block a spell from the Seven Sages. Plus, they have to maintain the barrier indefinitely, since they don’t even know when the battle will end.”

Defensive barriers operated under a different system that was a bit more complicated than elemental magic.

The barrier for magical battles could withstand extended periods of use thanks to the support of dedicated magical tools, or auxiliary formulas engraved into the ground in advance.

In contrast, it was not so easy to maintain personal barriers. Especially not barriers capable of withstanding attacks from the Seven Sages. After all, the duration of a barrier was inversely proportional to its durability.

“It’s pretty easy to hold your breath for ten seconds, right? But how about a minute? Three minutes? It gets harder the longer you go… Barriers are similar. Making sure they stay up is a lot harder than it looks.”

Only one man was capable of maintaining such a powerful barrier without the aid of magical tools: Louis Miller, the Barrier Mage——aka, the culprit responsible for breaking their barrier in the first place. How ironic.

“We’re lucky that my uncle, the Artillery Mage, is already incapacitated. Since they’d be screwed if they had to block any of his spells!”

Norman did not find anything about this situation funny, but for some reason, Hubert burst into laughter.

Norman stood up and cautiously peeked through the window.

The Barrier Mage was still using the Magic Corps building as a shield.

Facing off against him were the Silent Witch, the Dragon Slayer Mage, and Glenn Dudley, who, despite being an apprentice, wielded powerful magic.

Glenn could not hope to match the Artillery Mage, but the sheer power of his spells surpassed most advanced mages.

Meanwhile, the Magic Corps was desperately struggling to plug the holes in the barrier. In this situation, Glenn and his allies would hesitate to attack with full strength.

On the other hand, the Barrier Mage showed not the slightest hint of hesitation or mercy.

“What do you think about this situation, Norman?”

“I think ensuring the safety of the crowd will be crucial to commercializing magical battles.”

Norman’s answer caused a humored chuckle to escape Hubert’s throat.

“Hah… I mean, who do you think will win?”

“Ah, sorry. Um… I’m not too sure about that one.”

The Barrier Mage had been at a clear disadvantage since the beginning, but it was still impossible to read the outcome. He was just too unpredictable.

Hubert did not scold Norman for lack of an answer, because he knew that there was nothing shameful about saying “I don’t know” after careful consideration.

While humming a cheerful tune, Hubert continued observing the scene before them.

“Hmm-mmm-mmm… The big question is how they’ll use the thing I lent them. It’s been set to minimal output to avoid interfering with the barrier, so handling it requires finesse… Watch closely, Norman, and make sure to gather as much data as possible.”

＊　＊　＊

“Now then, who wants to get crushed next?”

As Louis tapped his shoulder with his staff, Glenn could only clench his fists in frustration.

(He’s really strong.)

Louis’s strength went beyond his skill in magecraft or physical abilities. He was simply good at fighting. He never showed mercy to his foes, nor did he have reservations about beating them down.

Glenn reached into the pocket of his robe. He had no plan, but he did have a trump card.

(I hate that I have to use what I borrowed from that creep… But this is the only way I can win.)

“Glenn-san.”

Monica called Glenn’s name in a quiet voice.

Glenn turned to see her staring at Louis without any facial expression. But her eyes looked like those of a player overseeing a chessboard, surveying everything from above.

“I will move Louis-san into position,” Monica continued. “Please strike him down.”

“Roger that!”

Glenn chanted the incantation for flight magic, then soared into the sky.

Meanwhile, Louis remained motionless. His foes could no longer bombard him with the Magic Corps taken hostage, so he likely intended to have them come to him.

“Master!” Glenn shouted.

Louis turned toward his disciple.

His ashen-purple eyes contained a dangerous amount of bloodlust, and his mouth was firmly stuck in the shape of a sinister smile.

Louis generally acted elegant and refined, but he seemed more at home as a soldier covered in mud on the battlefield.

“Please cooperate for the sake of Elly’s treatment!” Glenn roared, refusing to falter.

“Glenn.”

Louis replied in a surprisingly quiet voice, using the tone of a master advising his disciple.

Yet his nasty grin remained unchanged.

“I believe the first thing I taught you was ‘how to get what you want’, yes?”

Long ago, Glenn had caused a mana outburst and gotten confined by Minerva faculty. When Louis picked him up, he told Glenn that he should have broken out on his own, even if it destroyed the building in the process.

In hindsight, this was indeed the first lesson Louis gave to his disciple.

Glenn let out a deep breath, expelling all of his hesitation in the process. Then, he slammed his right fist into the palm of his left hand.

“Fine, then I won’t hold back… You better brace yourself, Master!”

“I would have it no other way!” Louis replied, pointing the tip of his staff at Glenn. “Just try and make me, pathetic disciple of mine!”

＊　＊　＊

Louis watched as Glenn voiced a slightly longer incantation, which seemed to be a doubly-reinforced fire spell. Apparently, this good-for-nothing disciple had somehow mastered reinforcement formulas without his knowledge.

The most troublesome aspect of Glenn was his mana capacity. Ideally, Louis wanted to incapacitate him by knocking him into a curse trap.

However, Monica raised her staff simultaneously with Glenn’s incantation.

Louis braced himself for an attack from Monica, but the spell she cast was not offensive magecraft.

(…A defensive barrier?)

Monica had erected a defensive barrier around the Magic Corps building. Presumably, this was to ensure that Glenn’s spell did not harm anyone inside.

Mages could only maintain two spells simultaneously, so Monica was locked into a single spell for as long as this barrier remained active.

Louis found it regrettable that he could no longer take the Magic Corps hostage, but this was an acceptable loss if it meant weakening the Silent Witch.

And now that Louis had lost his hostages, he no longer had a reason to stay in one place.

(Dodging their spells with flight magic will be more mana efficient than using a barrier.)

Glenn’s incantation was very slow, so Louis decided to strike him down with the enchanted staff before he could finish his spell.

Louis employed flight magic to close the distance in a flash, but right before he reached Glenn, a golden net spread through the air between them.

This was the Dragon Slayer Mage’s special binding spell, a net made from lightning magic.

“Sorry, I can’t let you do that, Barrier-niisan!”

Silas had been on his knees a few moments ago, but now he was standing with his staff at the ready.

Louis clicked his tongue and glared at Silas.

The original version of this net was much broader, but Silas had apparently adjusted it specifically for him. Louis had no way of passing through without getting electrified.

“…Wasn’t this designed as an anti-dragon spell?” Louis snarled.

“Well, you’re even scarier than a dragon.”

Louis knew that getting caught in the net would spell his doom. He decided to change target to Silas, applying a small defensive barrier to the tip of his staff.

“Then you can get crushed first.”

Louis slammed the defensive barrier down on Silas, who blocked with his spear of lightning.

The two engaged in a clash of strength, with sparks flying as Louis pushed his barrier down harder.

The eventual victor was obvious, as Silas was getting pushed back despite his size advantage over Louis. His boots slowly slid across the ground, leaving a trail in the dirt.

“This is completely ridiculous…!” Silas grumbled. “You’re literally trying to beat me to death with a barrier…!”

“The strongest shield is also the strongest bludgeon, you see.”

Louis wanted to settle things here, but he was interrupted by a volley of wind arrows from the side.

All of them flew directly at Louis while completely bypassing Silas. There was only one person capable of such precision: the Silent Witch.

Louis pushed off of Silas to jump backwards, then swung the barrier on his staff to knock down the arrows.

Due to the risk of friendly fire, only someone confident in their accuracy could cast offensive magic on a target so close to their allies.

In other words, Glenn was powerless to stop Louis’s clash with Silas.

On the other hand, Monica was capable of sniping through the forehead of a flying wyvern. She could target Louis in any situation whatsoever.

(I knew I should have taken her out first.)

While fending off Silas’s spear and the wind arrows, Louis pondered his next move.

The lightning net had already worn off, but Louis decided to continue exchanging blows with Silas while scanning for openings to take advantage of. This was because Glenn was essentially neutralized for as long as Louis engaged in close-quarters combat.

But in the next moment, Glenn went against Louis’s expectations by throwing a doubly-reinforced fireball at him and Silas.

(What an amateur. Losing his patience already.)

Monica quickly deployed an additional barrier to protect Silas. Due to her active barrier over the Magic Corps building, she was now unable to cast other spells.

Meanwhile, Glenn required a long incantation before his next spell, making him completely defenseless.

(Perhaps I should finish off Glenn first?)

Louis blocked Glenn’s fireball with the barrier attached to his staff, then swiftly closed the distance.

“It’s over, foolish disciple.”

Louis raised his staff to deliver the final blow, but then, Glenn did something inconceivable.

“Yaaaaah!”

Rather than trying to escape with flight magic, Glenn screamed and charged straight at Louis.

There was an ornate knife in Glenn’s hands, the hilt of which was decorated with several large gems. Glenn promptly drew the knife from its sheath and slipped it into the pocket of Louis’s robe.

(…What is this? A magical tool?)

Louis tried to remove the knife from his pocket, but Glenn interfered by clinging onto his arms.

This seemed to be a futile effort, as Louis could easily strike Glenn down with his staff. It was then that Louis realized something.

He was currently maintaining two spells: flight magic and the barrier on his staff. But for some reason, both of the spells were falling apart.

(W-What…? Why…!?)

Louis abandoned his barrier and focused on maintaining his flight magic. However, his efforts ended in vain, as the meticulously woven formula collapsed on its own.

(The flow of mana is being disrupted…?)

Louis’s confusion only lasted for a second, but Glenn took advantage of the opening to accelerate with his own flight magic. Before he knew it, they were flying above the trees on the west side of the Magic Corps premises.

Once they reached a particularly tall tree, Glenn let go of Louis.

Louis grabbed onto the branches to kill his momentum, and landed agilely on his feet.

At the same time, he quickly reached into his pocket and threw away the knife. The disrupted flow of mana returned to normal, and his dizziness subsided.

Apparently, that knife had the ability to disrupt the mana of any mage in contact with it.

This was certainly an intriguing tool, but other things took priority right now.

Louis found himself under a barrage of spells. Fireballs from Monica, and lightning arrows from Silas.

He had little choice but to cast a shortened incantation dome-shaped barrier, blocking the storm of magic raining down on him.

Both Monica and Silas had abandoned defense to launch an all-out assault. Did they intend to finish him off here?

(Foolish girl, this fire magic will be your undoing.)

Monica was bombarding him with countless fireballs, each about the size of a fist. However, the small explosions caused by these fireballs lifted clouds of smoke and dust, covering Louis in a smokescreen.

This was the perfect for hiding until the moment was right.

Louis covered his mouth with a hand to avoid inhaling the smoke.

(Wait a second…)

Louis noticed something that didn’t make sense.

The smoke from the explosions should have been blocked out by his barrier.

…So why was there so much white smoke on the inside of his barrier?

The moment he realized the reason, Louis let out a loud sneeze.

“——Achoo! …Achoo! …N-No way… Achoo! Y-You damn geezer… Achoo!”

The series of sneezes disrupted Louis’s concentration, causing his barrier to dissipate.

The next moment, he found himself defenseless under a torrent of spells.




Louis was lying face down on the ground, completely depleted of mana.

Despite his mana exhaustion, he dug his fingers into the ground and pushed himself up with sheer determination.

Hearing a set of footsteps approaching, Louis growled in that direction.

“…I thought you said smoking a pipe as a kid would set a bad example.”

The smoke that passed through Louis’s barrier was infused with a substance for causing uncontrollable sneezing.

There was only one man capable of this kind of magic: Louis’s master, Gideon Rutherford the Smoke Mage.

However, Gluttonous Zoe’s power had transformed Rutherford into a five-year-old. As a result, he voluntarily gave up his smoke magic, as it was inappropriate for a teacher to smoke while looking like a child.

Louis was painfully aware of Rutherford’s stubbornness, so he had assumed that Rutherford would never violate his own principles.

Rutherford simply burst into laughter… in the hoarse voice of an old man.

“Hah! What’s wrong with an old guy smoking a pipe?”

“…What?”

Louis exerted the last of his strength to roll over onto his back.

This allowed him to see Rutherford’s short-cut white hair, messy eyebrows, and sharp eyes. There was also a slender smoking pipe in his hand.

How could this be?

Rutherford had his age devoured by Gluttonous Zoe. Why was he no longer a five-year-old?

“Y-You… Achoo! Achoo!”

“As always, you’re only cute when you’re sneezing… Oh, looks like I’ve reached my limit.”

Rutherford blew out one last puff of smoke before he started shrinking. The wrinkles disappeared from his face, and the color of his hair shifted from white to black.

He had transformed into a five-year-old buried in oversized robes, but his sharp eyes and wicked grin remained exactly the same.

“They’ve started research on how to recover what was taken by Gluttonous Zoe,” Rutherford explained. “But it’s far from perfect. For whatever reason, my age reverts back if my mana falls below half capacity.”

Rutherford revealed a small bottle from his robe’s pocket.

The bottle contained several pink balls, likely House Roseberg’s secret mana restoration candies.

The moment Louis saw this, he understood everything.

Rutherford had used the voice of a young boy when he told Louis to surrender at the start of the magical battle.

In other words, he had intentionally reduced his mana to revert to younger form, all to deceive Louis into believing that his smoke magic was still sealed.

Then, he restored his mana by eating the candies and hid behind the trees in the form of an old man.

While Rutherford’s smoke could slip through defensive barriers, it had two major weaknesses. The effects took time to apply, and the range was limited.

(So they dropped me in front of where the old man was hiding…!)

Louis realized something else as well.

If Rutherford had been lying in wait the entire time, then Louis’s assumption about the barrier’s casters was wrong.

“Hold on… If you’re here, then who is maintaining the barrier for this magical battle…?”

For a magical battle of this scale, only the most skilled mages could handle the barrier.

Louis had assumed that the Starseer Witch and Smoke Mage were responsible, but…

Rutherford smirked at the visibly pale Louis.

“The Starseer Witch and the Aquamancy Mage. I’m sure he saw everything.”

The Aquamancy Mage was Bertrand Verde, the father of Louis’s beloved wife. In other words, he was the father-in-law who Louis could never oppose.

Louis was reluctant to contemplate the consequences of this, so he closed his eyes and allowed himself to lose consciousness.

The knife tool they borrowed from Hubert was modified to lower the output and prevent interfering with the magical battle barrier. This time, it could only disturb the mana of people making direct contact.

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