Chapter 72 Unknown Magic
Looking at their faces, none seemed younger than Lord Osric.
They were probably Mr. Magnus's companions from when he was still with Lilicheska, or children taught by their parents never to forget their homeland.
"I've been waiting for my chance as a court Arcanist... Maybe I was also searching for Yuruyana's father all this time."
He might have been a son who rebelled against the Silven family, or one who was taken away.
"I don't think my father would have agreed with such extreme opinions."
"The person's will doesn't matter."
"What? What do you mean? Uh oh..."
Almost at the same time Yuruyana asked back, a fireball hit them head-on and turned back.
"You can use camouflage, but if you run into the town like this, it's gonna turn into a battlefield..."
I had hoped that we would retreat once we became conspicuous, but it seemed impossible.
If Yuruyana escaped today, Mr. Magnus would issue a warrant, and Yuruyana would be accompanied by a strict guard, making any further contact impossible.
We couldn't afford to ignore it.
"This is troublesome! But what should we do..."
There were old acquaintances of Yuruyana living in the town, including Mr. Elmer.
I wanted to avoid threatening their lives.
"We have to figure something out here."
After stopping the Arcane Bicycle, Mr. Magnus and the others also got out of the Arcane Car.
The clouds covered the moon again, and the shadows wavered in the firelight.
"Have you decided to hand over the 'prince'?"
"No matter how much you ask, I'm not gonna become a king!"
Yuruyana clung to my jacket and shouted over my shoulder.
I should either scare them or provoke them.
"For these people, just the fact that you're a direct descendant of the Lilicheska royal family would be enough."
"It seems you understand quite well."
Mr. Magnus, facing the fire with his back, laughed while holding his staff.
Just one laugh could change a person's impression so much.
"If I don't agree, you can't become king, right?"
"Not always. Like I was trying to say earlier... Mr. Magnus was researching mind control magic."
Erasing memories. Planting new ones. Hypnosis. Brainwashing.
When Lord Osric told me, it sent a chill down my spine.
"Wait, so..."
"All ypu need is a living vessel with royal blood."
If the technique's precise enough, they could rewrite Yuruyana's mind.
Turn him into their obedient puppet.
Realizing again what they'd almost done to him, his grip tightened on my coat.
"If it wasn't a royal court Arcanist's project, that sort of magic wouldn't just be forbidden──it'd be unthinkable."
Thankfully, it's not perfect yet.
They still need to repeat it over and over for just one thing to stick.
But even so, it's terrifying.
"And of course, it guzzles mana like crazy. He's worn out now──I figured he couldn't do anything, so I searched fast. Glad I found you in time."
When we needed somewhere for our sketchy group to hide, the first spot that came to mind was the crumbling ruins outside town.
It used to be a research outpost Isandro owned.
Even dead, that man won't let go of us.
Tch.
But at least we got here quick.
"You're exhausted too, aren't you?"
Even after I wrecked his spell right in front of him, Mr. Magnus isn't giving up on Yuruyana.
This is the kind of thing he'd bet his entire life on, so... I guess it makes sense.
"No matter how great [Maga Ex Machina] is, you won't handle this many Arcanists on your own."
I raised my slender wand.
Gave it a wide, sweeping swing.
Wind rushed past.
The flames all around us roared even higher.
"Everyone──ready up!"
Mr. Magnus suddenly shouted.
The men who'd been waiting quietly snapped to attention with a harsh shuffle.
Most of them lost their wands, so they'll have to fight barehanded.
But they're all battle-hardened Arcanists.
"[Flame Bullet]!"
"[Water Wall]"
A normal group would never go all-out like this──especially not when dragging along the guy they're supposed to rescue.
Guess that means they're really scared of me.
"Yuruyana. Hide behind the car. Stay right there. Don't move."
"O-okay..."
I wanted to stick close to Yuruyana as much as possible.
But there's no time for that now.
I threw up barriers on all sides.
Steam closed in around us.
Gripped my arcane gun and charged in.
"More camouflage...!"
When my shape vanished into the steam, the men tensed up, back to back, watching for an ambush.
But──
"Gah!?"
One shot landed.
Hit a guy right in the mouth.
Not a killer round.
The sticky water bullet latched over his lips.
He clawed at it, panicked.
Trained Arcanists can use spells without chanting, but their power drops.
That's good enough for now.
"Mngh!?"
"Nngh! Nngh!"
One after another, their mouths got plastered shut.
Panic spread.
No one understood what was happening.
A terror hit──the thought of their nose getting blocked too, suffocating them.
It wiped out their cool.
"Get a grip! If you can't rip it off, cover your face!"
Before they could regroup, I smashed the staff I missed breaking earlier.
More things for them to worry about──keeps their attention split.
I kept moving, kept aiming.
Relentless.
Finally, Mr. Magnus caught on.
"The ground! Camouflage can't hide footprints!"
With that tip, the guy with a free mouth 0ed in on me, tracking the crushed grass──then fired a blast of flame.
Saw that coming.
"Ah──!"
I closed in so fast, he barely had time to react.
Didn't even flinch when I knocked him out.
Any closer and using magic would've hurt him too.
"One down."
Never get too close to an Arcanist──everyone knows that.
Flip side?
Most Arcanists don't know real fighting.
If you rush them and throw everything in, they break easy.
"Two down."
When my kick slammed his jaw, I could tell──he was using body enhancement.
Caught him off-balance, locked down his magic, yanked him to the ground as we passed.
Vines erupted and pinned him flat.
"Damn you, [Water Bullet]!"
The enemy's attack revealed the location of one of our own, who fired a colored water instead of a marker.
They burned away the liquid with fireballs before it could stick, then shot sticky bullets to plug the eyes and ears, finishing with a knee to the tailbone.
"Three."
As urgency turned to fear, this was their pace.
In a one-against-many fight, they avoided teamwork and took down each one separately.
That's what she, their leader, had taught them.
[Fourth]'s style of combat was particularly irregular. Not much of a typical Arcanist, they relied less on magic and more on a mix of small spells and martial arts, aiming to complete missions with minimal movement.
"We're like the machines you make, right?"
When they suggested dirty tactics, she'd laugh and say that, never complaining.
"No way. 'Surviving even when the mana runs out'──you don't design that into machines."
Hee had looked unusually surprised when I said that, a memory that flashed as another person collapsed.
I took down all the underlings, then revealed myself, pointing a gun straight at Mr. Magnus at point-blank range.
At this distance, I could shoot through his forehead before he could cast any magic.
"Please surrender, Mr. Magnus... I don't want to kill you."
Then, the old gentleman suddenly reverted to his gentle demeanor and chuckled.
"Now I understand why Ricardo disliked you. You're a threat because you stand undaunted as an enemy. And your calmness is palpable."
He raised both hands, dropped his staff to the ground, and looked up at the sky.
"Camouflage and silencing, I see. Your kind of magic. Magic that's only misused in peaceful times... If someone like you were on our side, Lilicheska might still be standing."
Behind his smile, there was a glimpse of resolve and a sense of solemnity.
If Yuruyana couldn't be obtained, if the revival of Lilicheska was impossible, then perhaps dying here would be better, his expression seemed to say.
In truth, that might be the case.
This man wanted to be killed.
But still.
"...I'm sorry, Mr. Magnus. I can't grant any of your wishes."
"Huh?"
I pointed my gun up and fired a shot.
Suddenly, under the thick, dark clouds that seemed ready to burst, a ball of light burst open, big and bright.
"What now...?"
Just then, a chirping sound started coming from my pocket, loud and clear.
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