The power of Fiend magic was generally stronger than regular, mainstream magic. The synergy between mana and dark energy, even just for self-destruct spells, was imnse. Despite this, Fiend magic was regarded as non-mainstream and often shunned for several reasons.
ntal contamination? Among magicians, eccentrics were common. Many were already so obsessed with magic that they would sell their souls. But this wasn’t the main reason Fiend magic was rejected and failed to beco mainstream.
The main reason was the critical weakness inherent in the dark energy that Fiend magic relied on.
『Anti-Magic Potion』
This potion could restore any phenona caused by dark energy to their original state. And the primary ingredient for this potion was this:
『Holy Herb』
An herb containing components that suppress dark energy.
Hetherson, an expert in Fiend magic, had said:
If you encounter anyone with either of these two things, retreat imdiately.
There were only about ten sentries. The rest of the personnel were either in the fortress or resting in the open space beyond it.
lin looked at her teammates holding torches.
“After taking out the sentries, set fire to the fortresses. The enemies will panic and rush out one by one.”
The enemy wouldn’t expect an all-out assault, especially since they were also huddled together.
“When they’re confused, quickly target their necks and then escape. Understood?”
Her team mbers nodded. The young roaming band mbers approached silently, then suddenly increased their speed.
Thump thump thump!
A simultaneous assault.
The yawning sentries opened their eyes in shock.
“What’s going on?”
“An attack!”
lin didn’t intend to take their heads. Her real targets were mbers of the Adelle Hall or the companions of the ponytailed man.
‘To fulfill my wish, I must be ruthless.’
As the units approached the sentries with their weapons, lin felt a chill from their conversation.
“It’s happening tonight, just like that guy said…”
“Let’s pull back for now.”
lin slowed her pace. The sentries didn’t raise an alarm or even scream; they simply turned and ran away silently.
That could only an…
“An ambush!!”
Another squad leader shouted as the fortress doors orderly opened wide. The enemies erged swiftly and in perfect formation, even from between the fortresses due to limited space.
As they drew their swords, the advancing children stopped abruptly. lin, with a trembling voice, ordered her unit.
“Retreat!”
Just then, the windows on the second floor of the fortress swung open, revealing figures with staffs. Among them, lin noticed a familiar face next to a short man—the blonde man.
‘That man…!’
The swordmaster. He was undoubtedly the one who had sliced her sleeve with his sword energy during reconnaissance.
lin turned and fled without looking back.
Whoosh!
The stinging sll of burning and the intense heat surrounded her. Sweat ford on her forehead.
She was blocked by walls of fire.
‘Magicians did this!’
With no way out, her comrades started to panic. The enemy soldiers raised their swords and approached slowly. The significant difference in height only intensified the fear.
“What do we do?”
“What do you think? We have to fight to the death.”
“Hey, commander? Give us so orders.”
Despite her squad mbers calling her, lin couldn’t take her eyes off the window. The man jumped down from the railing, landing lightly as a feather before setting his feet on the ground.
Thud.
He stood at the front and scanned the young roaming band. Just his gaze made them feel oppressed. lin was certain.
‘That swordmaster is definitely their leader.’
Their eyes t, and lin flinched, her ears perking up as he opened his mouth to speak.
“Squad leaders, throw down your weapons and step forward.”
The term ‘squad leaders’ from his lips caused a stir among the young roaming band. lin was also taken aback. This ant he knew the structure of their organization.
‘The instructor said they wouldn’t know, so how…?’
lin quickly dismissed the thought. Perhaps they learned it from their instructors. What mattered was that the blonde man was a swordmaster and that she had to comply with his demand. If he slashed with his invisible sword energy, her head would be lopped off.
Thud.
Leading the way, lin stepped forward, and the other squad leaders followed, puzzled. In a low voice, she inford them.
“That’s him. The swordmaster I ntioned…”
The squad leaders flinched and dropped their weapons as they approached him. lin, despite her seemingly compliant attitude, had other thoughts.
‘An ambush is possible. I have this power.’
If she could strike down that man, the instructors would be satisfied. Her wish could be granted. Moreover, if she could eliminate their strongest enemy, it would boost her comrades’ morale.
Thud.
lin showed her empty hands, indicating she was unard. The man shifted his gaze from the approaching squad leaders to lin.
In that mont, lin’s eyes flashed.
Crackle—
Electric sparks erupted from her body. She activated the electric magic she had absorbed, empowering her entire body. Her current speed rivaled lightning, thanks to her mystical power.
Zoom.
lin swiftly drew a hidden dagger from her chest and aid it at the man’s neck while he was off guard.
Ping.
All her aura was concentrated in that strike. However, she felt only a dull pain in her wrist.
Crack!
The sound of breaking echoed, and lin’s eyes widened in shock.
“What?”
The broken pieces of her dagger scattered. While she was bewildered, the man reached out and grabbed her by the collar, lifting her off the ground.
Whoosh—
Throughout the process, lin couldn’t even think of resisting. What use was speed when she was already caught? lin’s body was thrown to the ground.
Thud.
The man applied a knee to her neck, preventing her from struggling further.
Despite this, lin mustered all her strength and flailed.
“Ugh…”
“Stop wasting your energy. The sa goes for the rest of you.”
His words completely drained the squad leaders’ will to fight.
“lin…”
“It’s over.”
Their reaction was understandable. As a squad leader, lin wasn’t particularly capable. She held the position because she was the strongest. Now, seeing her utterly defeated, the children’s faces contorted with fear. The man’s next words were even more surprising.
“I’ll spare you. Tell the others behind you to drop their weapons and surrender.”
What a foolish statent. The instructor would be watching from afar. If he deed her captured, he would likely trigger the bombs. lin tried to rise, even if it ant breaking her neck.
“…You don’t know anything.”
But the man’s reply made lin doubt her ears.
“You don’t need to worry about the explosions.”
“What?”
“Begin!!”
Seconds after his shout, white smoke enveloped the area. Coughing, lin heard sothing from the man that made her ears prick up.
“This smoke contains the scent of herbs that suppress dark energy. You’re safe from explosions for now.”
***
I fanned away the smoke trying to penetrate my lungs. The smoke ca from the ‘holy herb’ filling my backpack. This was sothing easily obtained from Nille’s alchemy workshop, albeit at a considerable cost.
“Why do you need so much of this expensive stuff?”
Anti-magic potions are costly because their ingredients are not cheap.
“Just in case. We can return what we don’t use, right?”
“Sure, we can stock up on them. It’s not difficult.”
Despite the high cost, it was a drop in the bucket for after the recent windfall from gambling.
Additionally, with the promise of a refund, I had nothing to lose.
Coughing, lin spoke.
“Cough. You expect to believe that?”
Bellam Kingdom opposed the Empire. The instructors had likely indoctrinated her thoroughly. A little persuasion might be necessary.
“Really? Then why are you still here? Your instructor would have activated the self-destruct curse by now. You were quickly subdued and are still in close proximity to . This should have been the perfect opportunity.”
lin’s hostile gaze faltered. Maybe the smoke really did work, and she was half-convinced.
It was ti for a bit more pressure.
“Anyway, we’ve done our moral duty. If you refuse, you’ll be throwing away your rights as a prisoner.”
lin, seemingly resigned, said,
“Fine, just get your knee off …”
After that, the situation quickly stabilized. lin led the other squad leaders to surrender. The children who followed them also dropped their weapons and raised their hands.
“Follow .”
“Hey, we’re out of ropes here.”
“Why aren’t you holding out your wrist? Want a beating?”
One by one, the children were bound. I wondered if I was dreaming. I never imagined they would all comply. If even a few from the other dormitories had stayed behind, the roaming band’s forces might have been divided, causing us significant trouble. According to Limberton, Belman played a significant role, and things seed to have fallen into place miraculously.
In any case, I pulled on the rope.
“Ah!”
lin stumbled but managed to keep her footing. What should I do with her now?
I succeeded in saving her, but hadn’t decided on the specifics yet.
◆Blessing of the Dark Dragon Alton
≡ There is no magic that you cannot taste.
Grants special abilities based on the magic elent consud.
Fire magic makes you a fire person, water makes you immune to physical attacks.
The strongest elent was electricity. Limited to one strike per charge, but unmatched in speed.
It would be a waste to retire her. But her story involved growing stronger through the roaming band. If I let her go, she’d be killed under the pretext of failing the exam.
I organized my thoughts and spoke.
“Do you have any thoughts of becoming an Imperial citizen? If you accept, I’ll request my family to look after you.”
Leaving her at the family estate wasn’t a bad option. With Aol and Coulot there, perhaps they could help guide her talents, which would benefit her story.
But lin refused.
“You think I’d fall for that?”
Of course, she wouldn’t trust an enemy. Even if she did, she’d be concerned about her mother. Given the chance, she’d likely try to escape back ho.
Returning ho would reveal a harsh truth, but it was necessary.
“I won’t force you to stay.”
Even if I relayed her mother’s passing from the estate, she probably wouldn’t believe .
Directly witnessing it with her own eyes would be more convincing.
“For now, your safety will be under Tenest’s care. If you want to leave, say so. We’ll provide a carriage from the family. When you arrive, decide whether to stay with us or not.”
lin mulled over my words.
“…What do you hope to gain from ?”
“Let’s just say I value your talent.”
I led lin to the designated prisoner holding area behind the fortress. At its center, a large pile of holy herbs burned brightly, emitting smoke.
From the roof, Limberton called out to .
“Hersel, they’re starting to move. Looks like they’re trying to find a spot to see this area.”
His awakened blessing’s detection ability was now comparable to a radar, an excellent skill for a long-range archer.
“They’re probably checking why the explosion spell isn’t working. We need to hurry.”
The holy herb smoke was just a temporary asure to buy us ti. The dark magic curse wasn’t lifted.
The only ways to break the self-destruct curse were purification magic, which we couldn’t use yet, or killing the caster.
We planned to deal with the instructors. The motivation had already been planted.
“I know everyone’s hungry. The food given to us is just a handful, and you’ve all lost money gambling because of my grades. None of us can rember the last ti we had a full al, right?”
They gulped and their eyes glead.
“As I said, the enemies have food. Let’s take it and eat like humans for the remaining ti.”
Dealing with hungry beasts is easy. Just throw them food.
“Prepare yourselves, and begin, Belman.”
The children distanced themselves from . The knights raised their shields and exuded aura. The magicians cast defensive spells, and Belman set up a barrier around . Having previously cleared the smoke with telekinesis, I absorbed the dark energy rising from the ground.
I was preparing a self-destruct spell. First, I needed to deceive the instructors.
***
From this vantage point, the area beyond the fortress wasn’t visible.
Thump thump thump.
The instructor moved quickly, feeling uneasy. There were many concerns.
It was puzzling why the students didn’t kill the captives but tied them up instead. Since the children were grouped together, it was a perfect opportunity, and he had activated the curse, yet there was no response.
It was a situation he couldn’t understand without seeing it firsthand.
As he moved closer to the students’ camp, a pungent sll hit his nose.
Sniff sniff.
It was a familiar scent. Any dark magic user would know this nesis.
‘Is this… holy herb?’
His eyes widened in shock. He had never seen anyone bring such an amount to an exam.
“Which lunatic…!”
As he cursed, a loud explosion rocked the forest.
Boom!
White light and black smoke spread in all directions.
He didn’t know the details, but the self-destruct curse seed to have finally activated.
“Looks like they ran out of holy herbs!”
The instructor smiled wickedly, hearing the successive explosions.
“The children are unfortunate, but rules are rules. If they wanted to survive, they should have passed like .”
Several figures erged from the black smoke. This was within his expectations.
Each year, there were always capable individuals who survived the explosions.
He grabbed his staff. Those who survived would be troubleso opponents for the roaming band later.
Better to eliminate them early.
‘The rest are either dead or severely injured. I just need to deal with these ones.’
He looked around. Oddly, the professors were nowhere to be seen.
Usually, they’d intervene when he took action.
That was concerning, but as long as he acted quickly, it should be fine.
‘They’re just kids. I’ll kill them in no ti.’
The instructor entered the Schlaphe camp. Two other instructors joined him shortly after.
“Ha, seems we all had the sa idea.”
“Perfect timing with no interruptions.”
“But where’s Amul?”
“He went to kill the swordmaster in the highlands.”
“Always full of pride.”
“Well, he does have the skill for it.”
Instructor Ber, who had a scar on his lips, drew his sword.
“Still, that guy is beneath . Foolish as always, focused on appearances.”
“Can’t argue with that, Ber.”
As they conversed, they arrived at their prey. Ber licked his scar as he eyed the leading man.
Years of experience told him that the blonde man was the leader.
“I’ll take those blue eyes.”
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