“Student Ain, I’m telling you, the taboo magic you used is the kind of low-rate magic that only third-rate mages would ever touch.”
“But you, having suffered a backlash from it, could be said to be even worse than those third-rate mages... well, you know.”
“Also, regarding the upcoming battle, Student Ain, please try to stay as far away from us as possible. After all, you’re now so weak that you’re practically no different from a commoner. It would be best if you didn’t drag us down.”
How could this guy say so many snide things with such a straight face?
Ain was somewhat speechless. This blunt personality reminded him of the character's role in the original story.
Silas Xavier.
An elite member of the Titan Prosecution Office and a regular in the annual top ten of the Magic Practical Exam rankings.
He was also a key character in the boss raid during the second act of the story.
As for why it was Silas who struck the killing blow on that boss instead of Erylin, who was stronger than him...
Ain couldn't help but glance at Lillian, who was snickering nearby.
After all, no one would ever raise a hand against their own sister.
...
“Wait, my badge is reacting. It’s almost here!”
Silas pulled the Titan Badge from his shoulder and continued.
“This is a badge worn by all members of the Titan Prosecution Office. It’s used to detect the intensity of nearby mana fluctuations. The darker the color, the stronger the fluctuation.”
“Is that... deep purple?”
Erylin spoke softly, but soon, a strong wave of mana stimulated her nerves.
“Lillian!”
At Erylin’s warning, Lillian spun around. A blurry figure wreathed in purple lightning was charging toward her at high speed. The girl immediately whipped out her wand and pointed the tip downward as a white magic circle condensed at her heels.
“Vento, flugu!” (Wind, fly!)
Using the force of the wind, the girl leaped like a bird and landed lightly on the trunk of a tree.
A black-and-white magic wolf, larger than a normal person and with eyes flashing with golden light, appeared before them.
The mana pressure it emitted was, without a doubt, Tier 3!
The Tier 3 magic wolf—Mordred!
Erylin pulled a slender wand from her waist and began chanting her spell.
“Glacio, sago!” (Ice, arrow!)
A blue magic circle appeared at the tip of her wand. Simultaneously, dozens of ice spikes condensed in the air and shot toward the magic wolf.
The wolf dodged backward with a quick leap. Realizing the situation, Silas also immediately pulled out the magic book bearing the judgment mark from his waist.
“Tero, ĉeno!” (Earth, chain!)
Several red magic circles manifested in the space around the wolf, and the chains extending from them quickly lashed out at the beast.
Under the alternating attacks of ice spikes and chains, the magic wolf was forced to use the surrounding trees for cover. This gave Lillian the chance to escape from the wolf’s attack range.
“Silas, how many Tier 3 spells can you cast?” Erylin asked.
“Right now? Four.”
“Do you know any Tier 3 trap-type spells?”
“I know two.”
Erylin held her wand high as dozens of ice spikes continuously condensed in the air, on a scale even larger than before!
“Find the right moment and release them all at once.”
Erylin was confident.
She was confident that she could finish off the magic wolf in one go once it was restrained by the trap spells.
“Tero, fendo!” (Earth, split!)
“Glacio, tombo, silento.” (Ice tomb, silence.)
The soil beneath the magic wolf’s feet dissolved like flowing water, forming a sizable crack. The wolf, just as it tried to leap away, fell right into it.
At the same time, the sharp ice thorns from Erylin’s feet rushed toward the wolf.
Dual-casting of different elements and different tiers.
This was one of the reasons Erylin was hailed as a magic genius.
While others struggled to draw a single magic rune with their right hand, she was essentially writing a reading comprehension essay with her left hand while solving advanced calculus with her right.
Silas wasn't idling either.
“Tero, ĉeno!” (Earth, chain!)
The magic wolf, which had just tried to leap out of the fissure, was firmly bound by Silas’s judgment chains. Unable to move, the incoming ice thorns pierced deep into its bones. The intense pain caused the wolf to howl continuously.
“Fajro, brulo!” (Fire, burn!)
“Akvo, premo, trancu!” (Water, pressure, cut!)
Lillian’s water blade was the first to slice into the wolf’s flank, neatly tearing through the grayish-black fur as hot magic blood erupted.
Almost at the same moment, Erylin’s fireball slammed into it from the front, crashing down like a meteorite.
After a brief delay, the fireball exploded, sweeping the surroundings with a scorched mist of blood. The magic wolf let out a shrill, miserable howl before its massive body crashed to the ground. The smell of charred flesh filled the forest.
Erylin lowered her wand, her ice-blue eyes scanning the corpse that no longer moved.
“It’s over,” she said softly.
...
“Professor, 300,000 is way too much, isn't it?”
“You can pay in installments.”
Perseline fell silent for a moment before saying hesitantly, “Does Erylin really have no chance at all?”
“Professor, I think you should be well aware of her magic talent. Even against some Tier 4 opponents, she wouldn't necessarily...”
August smiled and stroked his beard, interrupting her. “Of course I’m aware. But think about it—no matter how powerful Erylin’s magic is, or how fast her casting speed may be, all of that is built on one premise.”
“That she can actually cast the magic.”
Perseline was stunned for a moment, then looked at him with disbelief.
“Professor, are you saying...”
“That magic wolf can absorb a mage’s mana.”
“Hehe, such a rare ability. I’ve only ever seen it twice in the ancient books of Minerva.”
“Either you have the magic attainment of Tier 5 or above, where the refinement of the mana in your body is simply too much for the wolf to absorb...”
“Or...”
As if thinking of a funny joke, August laughed for a long time before continuing.
“Or you simply have no mana in your body at all.”
“But how could a person without mana ever use magic?”
“I’m already looking forward to seeing the look of defeat on Erylin’s face. Oh dear, how should I comfort her?”
Rate on N.U.
