Chapter 35 - The Magic Otaku Gets Scolded Again
A heavy darkness blanketed the royal capital of Hanoku that night. A thick, unbroken layer of clouds hung low in the sky, obscuring the starlight. To make matters worse, it was the night of the new moon, when the queen of the night completely concealed herself in a cloak of black. While the Noble District was awash in magical light, the lower town, separated by a single city wall, was plunged into a darkness so profound one could barely see the ground at their feet.
From a mansion in the commercial district of this lower town, a carriage departed, though it was nearly midnight. The carriage itself, the horses pulling it, and even the coachman holding the reins were all unified in a deep indigo that seemed to melt into the shadows. It raced quietly along the capital's inner wall.
Sunk into one of the seats was a young man in his early twenties. He traced a finger over a mask he had pulled from his coat—one fashioned after a horned reptile—and lost himself in thought as the carriage swayed.
According to my agent at the Academy, the target has yet to return to the dorms. It is unclear if the operation was a success or a failure... For now, I suppose I have no choice but to feign ignorance at tonight's meeting.
Even as he considered this, the man was confident that the chances of success were high, given that they had managed to catch the target alone.
No matter how magically gifted, he is, at the end of the day, a seven-year-old child. He has no experience with violence—he has likely never even lived a day without servants. He could not possibly have survived an encounter with a Second Tier magic user.
For the time being, he had managed to strike a blow against his great enemy. But the real challenge was yet to come. He had to use every means at his disposal to prevent their furious retaliation. The main event, he thought, steeling himself, was about to begin.
Once they learn the assassination was a success, the hesitant Unicorn and Eagle should cooperate in bringing the situation under control. It is an open secret, so to speak, that we are working together behind the scenes. They will likely complain endlessly afterward, but they will not refuse to help when we are all bound by a common fate...
While the man was lost in his rather self-serving thoughts, the carriage began to slow and eventually came to a halt. He returned the mask to his coat, then pulled his hood down low to hide his face. Opening the carriage door, he stepped out into the gloom.
The sensation under his feet was not of cobblestone, but of bare earth.
The man froze for an instant, then threw back his hood in confusion, his eyes darting around. It was certainly a dark evening, but this was a depth of night he had never before experienced. The clear, cold air peculiar to a winter's night carried the faint scent of grass and soil, and the distant howl of a beast.
Stunned, he glanced behind him, but the carriage he had just exited was gone without a trace. The hazy silhouettes of the merchant houses, warehouses, and the city wall, which should have been visible even as they dissolved into the night, were nowhere to be seen. Before him stretched only an endless expanse of darkness, and the man felt a primal, biological fear.
But the true terror appeared in the next moment. A small point of light materialized in the distance, slowly making its way toward him. As it drew closer, he could make out the figure of an old woman in a robe, a magical light glowing at the tip of the staff she carried. It was the very person he and his colleagues feared most.
"You look like you don't know where you are."
When the distance between them was short enough to distinguish each other's faces, the old woman stopped and spoke. And the words that followed were far beyond anything the man could have imagined.
"We're in the Central Plains. About a seven-day walk from the northern border fortress, I'd say. There was a rather large battle around here once, a long time ago. Back then, I found the journey here more exhausting than the fighting itself."
"The Witch... Ester Adoni Arcalai..."
"Full marks."
The sole Seventh Tier magic user in the kingdom—no, in the world—Ester Adoni Arcalai, appeared before the man with a sardonic smile.
"This is our first time meeting, isn't it, Oz Adoni Katzir? I know your father well. A cautious man, far from reckless. A pity that blood doesn't seem to have been passed down to you."
"...How?"
After a brief pause, the question that escaped the man—or rather, Oz, the second son of the Marquis Katzir House—was simple, yet carried a multitude of meanings. The utter incomprehensibility of his situation had robbed him of his vast vocabulary and the eloquent phrasing befitting a nobleman.
"Simple. The moment the carriage stopped, I brought you here, along with the horses and the coachman. Don't worry. The carriage is back where it was, and the driver... well, he should wake by dawn."
Even as Ester explained how he had arrived in this place, Oz could not understand it at all. As the young Marquis's mind ground to a halt from the sheer absurdity, the old woman pressed her advantage.
"You were too hasty this time. It was remarkably easy to trace the line from Mordecai's disciple who accosted Saki, to the student acting as a messenger, and finally to the magic user in your service. They must have been inwardly terrified of your scheme to attempt such an outrage within the Academy. Every last one of them told me everything."
It couldn't be helped, Oz thought distantly. The constraints of the Academy stage had severely limited the number of people he could involve. Normally, he would have prepared by placing multiple layers of intermediaries, making it difficult to trace anything back to him or the Marquis house.
No, even so, he could not comprehend it. He had ordered his agent in the Academy to carry out the assassination this very evening. How could they have identified his location in the capital and set a trap before the day had even ended? Even if the Arcalai family's intelligence network was superior, this feat, which seemed to ignore all constraints of time and distance, was not just unpredictable—it was something he still could not believe was real.
"Regardless. To send such an inexperienced greenhorn... you underestimated Saki far too much. If you want to do something about my grandchildren, you'd better prepare a veteran with military experience, Third Tier or higher at the very least."
Though even that's quite doubtful, Ester muttered. Oz simply stared at her, his face a blank mask, and stood frozen. What was that? A magic user like that? Excluding the Arcalai clan itself, only Mordecai and perhaps a few others fit that description. There was simply no way to deal with a child so abnormally powerful.
The moment Ester appeared before him, Oz knew the assassination had failed. He just hadn't imagined his own involvement would be exposed so quickly. One plausible scenario was that the Arcalai family had uncovered the conspiracy at an early stage and prevented it. That would explain how they had reached him on the very day the assassination was attempted.
But the reality was a display of brute force one would scarcely see even in a play: Saki had not only defeated the assassin, but Oz himself had been abducted just a short time later. Faced with a reality that made him want to give up on everything, Oz heard the sound of his pride and self-confidence snapping clean in two.
He had orchestrated this conspiracy with a full understanding of how terrifying an opponent the Arcalai family was, precisely to prevent them from growing any more powerful. In the end, it was clear that his judgment had been completely flawed. His enemy was already so mighty that even the four Marquis Houses united could not hope to oppose them. Their power was far, far beyond the scope of his imagination.
"Now that you've grasped the situation, I have a question for you."
Ester's voice was placid as she addressed Oz Adoni Katzir, who stood motionless with slumped shoulders, like a painting titled Despair.
"Where is the family of the assassin, Melek Halali?"
"You already know, don't you?"
A slightly self-destructive smile played on Oz's lips as he answered her question with one of his own. At the same time, he thought with a strange detachment that he must have some spirit left in him after all.
"I want to hear it from your lips."
But Ester pressed him again. Sensing a faint hint of doubt in her tone, Oz hesitated for a moment before replying.
If his trusted magic user stationed at the Marquis's capital villa had leaked his involvement and tonight's business, then they should have thoroughly gathered that information as well. Was her asking now merely following the basic tenets of investigation—that information is only confirmed once obtained from multiple sources? Or was there another motive?
"In one of the estates owned by the Marquis house, in the suburbs of the Katzir domain's capital. There are no guards posted, so feel free to take them if you wish."
At this point, evading the question would be pointless; the Arcalai family's investigative prowess would surely uncover the truth easily. More importantly, Oz felt, it would be unseemly.
At his completely straightforward reply, Ester's expression seemed to say, Well, well. Seeing this, a faint smile, one he himself was not aware of, touched Oz's lips. It was a minuscule point, but it seemed that at the very end, he had managed to subvert her expectations.
"You answered so honestly. To be frank, I expected you to put up more of a fight."
"I have suffered a total defeat. It is somewhat better to make a clean exit than to struggle unsightly."
As Oz shrugged and adopted a slightly joking demeanor, Ester stared at him with a serious gaze. After a moment, she muttered softly, "It seems you are prepared," then raised her staff with its magical light and declared in a solemn voice:
"Oz Adoni Katzir, second son of the Marquis Katzir House. For plotting to murder the heir of another noble house of the kingdom, and for attempting an assassination within the Talgum Magic Academy, your deeds are worthy of ten thousand deaths."
Then, in a tone that could almost be called gentle, she added one more thing.
"You will take full responsibility, alone."
"For such a generous arrangement, I offer my sincerest gratitude."
So saying, Oz placed a hand on his chest and bowed with an exaggerated flourish. The instant his deeply lowered head rose, a dull THUD! echoed as a massive hole was blasted through his chest.
[Magic Missile]? When did she cast it? I didn't see a thing. Truly magnificent, nothing less.
The strength drained from his body, and he began to slowly pitch forward. The mask he had kept in his coat tumbled out from the folds of his mantle.
I tried to change my family's fate for the better, but this is how it ends. One should not be born into a great noble house.
The ground drew closer, and his vision began to blacken from the edges.
If there is such a thing as reincarnation, I pray I am never a noble again. Yes, in my next life, perhaps I could be a stage actor...
Before he could feel the impact of hitting the ground, Oz Adoni Katzir's consciousness vanished.
Ester quietly approached Oz's corpse, which now lay on the ground in a pool of blood. She picked up the dragon-shaped mask that had fallen beside it, then turned on her heel and walked away without a word. The light from her staff receded into the distance, and just as the body was completely swallowed by the darkness, a voice was heard to whisper, "[Teleport]." In an instant, the light was extinguished.
Darkness and silence returned to the Central Plains. No one knew that the fate of a young nobleman had been sealed there.
Here, the stage returns once more to the royal capital.
In a room prepared for a secret meeting in a corner of the commercial district, the individuals Oz Adoni Katzir was supposed to meet tonight were waiting for his arrival, each in their own way.
"Lion" sat with his arms crossed, staring motionlessly at the light of the lamp on the table where the three were seated.
"Unicorn" was perched sideways on his chair, occasionally stifling a yawn as he rested his cheek on his hand, looking weary.
"Eagle" was exceedingly restless. He kept shifting his masked face, glancing between Lion and Unicorn, then over at the empty seat meant for "Dragon." His hands fidgeted, pulling at the sleeve of his robe with the opposite hand, then clasping and unclasping his fingers, his unease plain to see in his every gesture.
"...It seems the Dragon will not be attending after all. Though it is vexing not to have received any prior notice."
They had maintained a mutual silence since sitting down, but at last, Lion spoke. The hour was now well past midnight. While the Dragon had often been late to their meetings before, he had never been this late.
"Perhaps something... happened?" Unicorn remarked, his face still turned in an odd direction, his cheek still propped on his hand.
"Something?"
"Who can say? Perhaps that 'something' occurred in the short time between his departure from his manor and his arrival here."
Unicorn's reply to Lion's short query was evasive. Just then, with a clatter, Eagle shot to his feet with such force he nearly kicked over his chair.
"I-I have just remembered an urgent matter! As the Dragon does not seem to be coming, I shall take my leave!"
He gave a hurried bow to the other two, then practically ran out through the same door he had entered. Of the two who remained, Lion muttered in a stunned voice.
"What in the world was that about? Why was he in such a hurry?"
"He must have had an inkling, I imagine."
Lion had intended it as a thought spoken aloud, but the reply came from Unicorn, who sat across the table. In response to Lion's quizzical look, Unicorn continued in the same sleepy voice.
"Despite our agreement at the last meeting to stand down, the Dragon must have acted on his own. It goes without saying that while we may be allies, we do not trust one another, and we sometimes scheme to get the upper hand. The Eagle's house also has connections at the Academy, so he must have caught wind of the Dragon's movements through those channels."
"Which means..."
"The Dragon did something to provoke their wrath. As retribution, is he not now in a situation where he cannot show his face here? The Eagle's restlessness was likely because he suspected this all along."
Still looking away, Unicorn spoke as if it were nothing at all. Lion, on the other hand, placed a hand to his mask and shook his head wearily.
"If what you say is true, Elder, then what a rash fool he was... We cannot afford to treat this as someone else's problem."
His tone was no longer that of the "Lion" and "Unicorn" personas representing their respective houses, but of a junior nobleman addressing a senior. For Lion, at least, the pretense was gone. He rose from his chair, bowed his head to Unicorn, and said:
"I too shall take my leave. I must return to my manor and gather information... I might even have to leave the capital and return to my domain. Let us suspend these meetings for the time being."
"That would be wise. Fare you well."
"And you, Elder."
As Unicorn finally turned to face Lion and gave a lazy wave, Lion bowed deeply once more before turning his back. After his silhouette disappeared through the door, Unicorn waited a while longer before letting out a great sigh and muttering a single phrase.
"Well, it's too late for any of you, no matter what you do."
He then reached for the lamp on the table, removed his unicorn mask, and in a single breath, blew out the flame. In the instant before the room was plunged into total darkness, the face of an old man with furrowed white brows and a sorrowful expression was illuminated.
In the darkness, the sound of a door opening and closing was heard, and footsteps faded into the distance. In the now-empty room, a single unicorn mask lay abandoned on the table.
On this new moon night, when the secret meeting was unexpectedly cut short, a frantic energy seized certain manors in the Noble District. Despite the hour being close to dawn, people were seen rushing in and out, scouring the capital for information. They eventually discovered an abandoned carriage in a corner of the commercial district. The coachman was asleep, still holding the reins, and the interior was empty.
Then, at sunrise, something was discovered at the gates of the Marquis Katzir house in the Noble District. It was a mask shaped like a dragon. This news spread instantly through a small part of the Noble District, and despite the early hour, two luxurious carriages were seen racing out of the capital.
Meanwhile, the old man known as "Unicorn" had returned to his manor, where he promptly took out his private collection of liquors and proceeded to drink his way through them without a wink of sleep. At dawn, a report was brought to him that a mask had been found at his own residence. The old man paused, the cup still on its way to his lips, and shook his head as if in deep admiration. Then, in a perfectly sober voice, he murmured:
"To let them off with just the ringleader's head... That 'Witch' has gotten soft."
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Bad news. I was sat down for a serious lecture. (For the second time this month.)
After defeating the assassin Melek Halali, I immediately contacted Chief Professor Azadh via [Sending]. I went to the Academy with Ruria and Hanna, who had been at the scene, and we explained the course of events in the professor's office. It was there we learned that Halali was a disciple of the renowned magic user Elder Mordecai, and that Elder Mordecai was sponsored by the Marquis Katzir House.
"Why did you accept a duel? You're still a novice. You should have thought to call for help."
After hearing the whole story, Professor Azadh, as expected, gave me a dressing-down with an exasperated look on his face. The sight of him covering his face with his hand and sighing was starting to feel strangely familiar.
"But he was trying to kill me from the start. If I had run, he would have just shot a spell into my back and that would have been the end of it."
"This would have all been over if you had just sent me a message the moment you found him hiding."
"...You are right. It was careless of me to call out to him."
"You are the heir to a viscounty and the man who will one day lead our faction. You must learn to be a little more mindful of your own safety."
I had no room to argue. "I will be more careful in the future," I said, bowing my head to the professor. Even if I had been confident of the outcome, it was not admirable for someone in a position of responsibility to take such risks. His point was entirely valid, so I offered a sincere apology.
"Well, I'll leave the scolding at that. This incident occurred within the Academy, involves Elder Mordecai, and above all, concerns your family. To be frank, this has become an extremely messy situation."
The professor did not try to hide his worried expression as he spoke to Ruria and me.
"Leave the rest to the adults and go get some rest. Ah, it would probably be best if you didn't return to the dorms, so you can stay in one of the professors' quarters. You'll all be together, but I trust that's alright?"
Ruria, who was clinging to my arm, nodded her head again and again. She was clearly plotting to sleep with me after so long. I felt we were getting to an age where such things were a bit awkward, but it was obvious she wouldn't listen to reason. I decided to give up.
"Understood. However, may I be permitted to say just one thing?"
Professor Azadh looked at me with a questioning expression, and I made my request in a serious tone.
"I am certain that Mr. Halali did not do this of his own free will, but was compelled by unavoidable circumstances. I implore you, please show him the greatest possible leniency."
Brawling within the Academy, attempted assassination of a noble—the charges against Mr. Halali were incredibly severe. He would probably be facing capital punishment. But from the words we exchanged before the duel, I was absolutely certain he was not the kind of person who would normally do such a thing.
I needed his sentence to be reduced, by any means necessary. Otherwise, my effort to neutralize him without killing him would have been for nothing.
At my plea, Professor Azadh's expression softened, and he patted me on the head as he answered.
"I understand. I, too, would rather not suspect a fellow student of magic. Depending on the circumstances, I promise to give it my utmost consideration."
But then the professor averted his eyes and added one more thing.
"Although, one could also say that sentiments like ours are what led to this situation in the first place. That is something we must reflect on."
His last words were rather concerning, but the professor seemed to have no intention of saying more. We were ushered out of his office and into a room in the professors' section of the Academy. Seeing that a simple meal for three had been prepared there, I remembered that we had missed dinner.
After a late meal with Ruria and Hanna, whose good mood was clear even without words, I went to bed early. It felt like it had been a very long time since I had slept with a pillow next to Ruria's, but when I thought about it, it had only been a little over a month since I left the manor. I mused on how I had unknowingly grown accustomed to sleeping alone.
Perhaps it was because I had unexpectedly experienced a real magic battle and had been tense ever since. The moment I lay down, an irresistible wave of sleepiness washed over me, and I let my consciousness go.
This chapter ended up being a bit long, so I've decided to split it into two parts. The second half will be posted tomorrow.