Chapter 18: Anyway, I will serve you well (7)

“Daisy!”

“Daisy!”

Oh.

The ropan male leads had lost their minds. It was a pretty precise attack for a first timer, but their rage had overtaken their reason. If I didn’t intervene, they would get themselves killed before even landing a blow on the enemy.

“Ugh.”

My hastily formed party had fallen apart. I retreated and glanced at Violet.

Wait a minute. She was supposed to follow the original plot. Why was Daisy the one who got stabbed?!

“What…?”

And Violet’s reaction was also unusual. She stared blankly at Daisy’s bleeding wound, muttering something under her breath. She looked completely unhinged, and the aura surrounding her was… unsettling.

Wasn’t mana supposed to be suppressed? Then what was this aura? I tried to circulate my own mana, but it was still locked. Looking at Ellen and Aslan struggling against Silence, they didn’t seem to be using mana either. What was this, a special perk for reincarnators? I didn’t get one.

“I’ll kill you.”

Violet’s chilling voice echoed. Hadn’t she said she couldn’t defeat him? If she had a way to kill him, she should have used it already.

“Ugh!”

If I’d had the time, I would have commented, but seeing Ellen flying through the air, I had no choice but to return to the front lines.

“Ugh.”

I managed to catch Ellen, but my face contorted in pain. I was already struggling with the mana suppression, and now my body felt even heavier. Based on my web novel experience, Daisy must be casting some kind of area-of-effect weakening spell. Silence had targeted her because of that ability.

“Sorry, Adam!”

We were out of time. I had to end this quickly, even if it meant pushing myself. I left Ellen, who was trying to charge forward again, and took a step back. I pulled a small steel container from my pocket and opened it.

Drip. Drip.

I carefully tilted the container, applying the liquid to my sword.

“…”

I made eye contact with Silence. Weren’t you supposed to be an exceptionally talented swordsman? Buy me some time!

“…What is that?”

What do you think it is? Poison, obviously. Knights normally didn’t use poison, and it was supposedly unheard of for someone from Leon to use such tactics. This was risky, but…

“…”

So what? I was a Royal Instructor, not a knight.

“These kids are truly something.”

Silence deflected the dagger I threw and charged towards me. This was a good sign. He had all sorts of abilities; I was worried he might be immune to poison. His reaction indicated that he wasn’t.

“Huh?”

As our swords clashed, he deflected my attack and aimed for my back. Did he think I was an extra? I turned around, following his gaze…

“What the…?”

Oh, right. I would have ignored them too.

“Die.”

A wave of crimson flames erupted around Violet, engulfing Silence. That was good, but…

“These idiots never cooperate.”

This was a group project, not a solo performance. Seeing the indiscriminate flames, I had no choice but to retreat.

****

Silence versus Violet. Live. This was truly epic. Watching the crimson flames clash, I told Prince Ellen, who was regaining consciousness:

“Stay put.”

“U-Uh, okay.”

“You too.”

“I know.”

The heavy feeling in my body subsided. Silence seemed to be struggling to maintain his abilities. The evidence was in his eyes.

“How do you know that ancient spell?”

The narrow-eyed character’s eyes were wide open, his usual composure broken. He looked genuinely surprised.

“Shut up.”

Violet ignored him, gritting her teeth. Her eyes were bloodshot, blood trickled from her nose, and her purple hair was fading. She was clearly not in her right mind, but we couldn’t help her.

The violently clashing energies were beyond our reach, even without the mana suppression. I managed to gather the other incapacitated male leads and prevent further casualties. I would make sure Aryn and the fire mage paid for this later.

“You two take care of the others. Be ready to escape if necessary.”

“Adam, what about you?”

“I’d love to join you, but I’m not leaving Daisy.”

The ropan male leads were staring at Daisy, who lay unconscious behind Violet. As if I would abandon her.

“I’ll take Daisy and escape.”

“You can’t do it alone.”

“Neither of you can help.”

“Argh!”

I never thought I’d say this to Prince Ellen, but he was paying the price for his reckless charge.

“What are you going to do with one arm?”

My left arm was broken. I’d put some force into that grip, but for Ellen to react like this…

“Doesn’t that usually hurt even under normal circumstances?”

He gave me an accusing look, and I frowned.

“I’m telling the Queen everything, so don’t die now. Save it for later.”

“…Wouldn’t it be better to die fighting together?”

“No way.”

I wasn’t planning on dying. My retirement fund was growing steadily back in the kingdom. I couldn’t die before spending it all.

“I have potions. I can heal her if I can reach her.”

They were emergency potions, but since she was about to awaken as a Saint, I didn’t need to conserve them. She could just produce some holy water later. Daisy might be oblivious, but she wasn’t ungrateful.

“Actually, just go.”

I was better off without these two. Fewer witnesses meant more options.

“But…!”

“Just go, damn it.”

They still wouldn’t leave, so I pulled out another container from my pocket.

“What’s that?”

“Poison. For assassinations.”

“…Really?”

Ellen blinked.

“What, you think it’s fake?”

“What are you going to do with it?”

“Throw it at him, obviously.”

“At Silence?”

“Yes.”

“But Violet will be in danger.”

“Maybe. If I’m unlucky.”

“What about Daisy?”

“She might survive. If she’s lucky.”

“And if she’s not?”

“She’ll die, of course.”

Ellen and Aslan blinked, not comprehending my words.

“They’re hostages. If you don’t take these useless bodies and leave right now, we’re all going to die.”

You’re not leaving? Then Daisy dies. Sometimes, an ultimatum was more effective than persuasion.

“You wouldn’t.”

“I don’t care if Daisy dies. My duty is to protect Prince Ellen.”

Did they sense my sincerity? They tried to attack me, but they were half-dead themselves.

“30.”

“Ellen.”

“29.”

Their eyes met as the countdown continued.

“O-Okay!”

“We’ll take everyone and leave!”

As they hurriedly dragged the unconscious bodies away, I looked at Silence and Violet, still locked in their epic battle. It looked like an even match, but Violet was clearly losing. She’d lost more blood than Daisy.

“Wait…”

It wasn’t just bleeding. It was like she was willingly drawing out her own blood. And the crimson energy surrounding her intensified as her blood flowed.

“Is that dark magic?”

As someone from Leon, I didn’t know much about magic, but I couldn’t tell the difference between that and dark magic.

“Ugh.”

After confirming that Ellen and Aslan had left, I put the container, supposedly filled with poison, to my lips. The poison was already on my sword. Even a royal agent couldn’t smuggle potent toxins into the academy.

This was a pure doping agent. Not a mana-enhancing elixir, but a performance enhancer that boosted physical abilities, something that occasionally caused scandals in sports back in my world. Of course, its effects were amplified in this fantasy world, as were the consequences.

“I’m getting all this back later.”

Even if I didn’t care about the plot, the heroine’s death here would create problems for me. I swallowed the contents of the container, my trump card prepared for Prince Ellen, and charged forward.

****

Snap.

Something in my mind broke. A single thought consumed me. I had to kill him and save Daisy. Her wound wasn’t fatal. I’d stopped the bleeding. My mana circuits screamed, but I ignored them.

Curses. Similar to magic, but fundamentally different. Magic borrowed power using mana as a conduit. Curses borrowed power through sacrifice.

The source of Silence’s power, revealed later. I knew about it from the original story. An ancient power, predating the systematization of magic. That was my trump card. I hadn’t wanted to use it, but…

Who cares? I’m killing him first. The original story, the future, none of it mattered anymore. Daisy’s last words echoed in my mind, fueling my rage.

“Ugh!”

Blood spurted from behind Silence, as someone emerged from the distorted space where their curses clashed.

“That hurt like hell.”

A blood-soaked figure, their face contorted in pain, stood there. Who was it? Oh, right.

“Adam.”

“Shut up.”

He gritted his teeth, silently urging me on. Right, no time for talking.

“Blood is a part of my soul.”

A pool of blood erupted from his wound. An absolute law of curses: the sacrifice had to be something you owned. That was the key difference between curses and dark magic, which used any available sacrifice. And that’s why curses were even more dangerous.

My head spun. I would die if I lost any more blood. But who cared?

“Die.”

“Oh”

Uncontrolled power swept through me. Adam, frowning, dodged the attack. There was no coordination, no strategy. We attacked and evaded instinctively. No support, no teamwork.

To an observer, it wouldn’t look like a 2-on-1 fight, but a chaotic three-way free-for-all. Swords clashed, curses flew. I almost died from a stray projectile, but so did they. After several exchanges, Silence still stood. As expected of a villain who wasn’t supposed to be defeated until the climax of the third arc.

“Akraine Dale.”

At the most crucial moment, I uttered the most crucial words.

“How do you…!”

Silence’s composure shattered as he heard his true name.

“Just die already.”

Adam’s sword pierced his heart.