Chapter 38-2 Magic Sealing
"You're mad that I'm not worried about not being able to use magic? Keeping calm is the basics for an Arcanist, right?"
Magic's power and precision are affected by emotions, so you always need to stay cool.
That's the first thing they teach in Arcanist class, and they drill it into you until graduation.
Though, considering how emotional some teachers get, it's all just theory.
"You seem pretty worked up, though. What's up? That last spell can't be all you've got, right?"
"Ice Rain!"
The look on his face right before the magic activated──it was like he was riding my taunt into a frenzy.
"How far will you push this! Rock Storm! Flame Blast!"
A tempest of stones, big and small, sweeps through the warehouse, smashing everything in its path, blowing off the roof, and fiery bombs rain down, setting the debris ablaze.
"Haha... I'm still on top, not someone like you..."
His laughter, twisted with pain from the burns, is illuminated by the flames consuming the wooden crates.
"As an Arcanist... maybe it was like that."
"Guh!?"
A shot from the arcane gun, hidden in the smoke, wraps around his body, now vulnerable with overconfidence.
It's a binding bullet.
Another shot at his legs.
Now he can't even stand.
"Why, the barrier..."
He's more surprised by the dome-shaped, transparent wall spreading around me than by the reversal of fortune──a true Arcanist's reaction.
"Sorry, but I'm an Arcane Engineer, not an Arcanist."
Just as I expected from the defensive magic I based this on Thomas's work──good durability.
And it was all thanks to disguising it as a wristwatch that it went unnoticed.
"There's no way my magic can be blocked by something like Arcane Machinery!"
"You say that, but it's blocking me just fine."
They figured since I'm known as an Arcanist, I'd prepare some kind of magic counter.
And, true to an Arcanist's style, they probably underestimated the Arcane Machinery.
The classic anti-magic seal only blocks magic itself, not the physical circuits engraved in Arcane Artifacts or Arcane Machinery.
It doesn't stop the release of magical power either, so it can still be stored in power reservoirs.
So, this time, I made it into a wristwatch to keep it close to the body, letting it draw just enough energy from the wearer to activate automatically.
Anyone with average magic reserves would run dry real fast, so it's strictly customized for me.
If I ever go commercial, I'll throw in a limiter.
"Now, you just blasted a huge chunk of magic. There's barely any juice left, right?"
Glad they took the bait.
The shadow power that held my legs weakened like I predicted, and one shot from the arcane gun broke the bind without a sweat.
I could redirect the magic used for the anti-magic seal to break the restraint, but then I'd be able to use my magic fully again.
"Pathetic, isn't it? An Arcanist who can't use magic."
Pressing the gun to his forehead, the powerless Arcanist suddenly started babbling fast.
"That silver-haired one you're with! She's the 'product' who ran away from us! You don't care what happens to her!?"
Hearing that, a cold chill ran down my spine.
"...You're definitely not Isandro."
"Huh?"
"That heartless bastard wouldn't waste a second remembering some off-the-shelf experiment."
The kind of guy who called every human he collected for experiments by numbers alone.
He was probably only in that group to efficiently get test subjects.
Being a little good-looking wouldn't even register in his memory.
"What are you──"
"Did you use magic to copy his face? You look less like someone from the organization and more like a burned-down lab worker. Did you give yourself those burns?"
Judging by that twisted look on his face, I must be right.
I felt off from the moment he realized I was the target.
Isandro wouldn't go after me just because his group got wiped out.
If he was obsessed with me, it'd be as a test subject──but the moment he showed real intent to kill, I knew it was something else.
He probably worshipped Isandro, a high-ranking Arcanist.
"W-wait──if you kill me..."
"You say your friends attacked the shop? Why do you think I came here alone?"
This isn't about protecting the citizens or keeping the festival prep safe.
It's about not turning the shop into a battlefield.
"Come on, just give it up already. You're facing the captain of the kingdom's top Arcanist Squad, [Fourth]!"
Luka swaggered in, grinning wide with a sniper rifle slung over his shoulder.
Keel slinked in quietly behind him.
"No way..."
He noticed someone was missing.
Just in case, I left the kingdom's most reliable man guarding the shop.
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