episode_0023

Since the last report, there hasn’t been any particularly special change in observing Yukal.

Keep track of who he contacts, what he does, and what conversations he has, then report back to the master.

However, after attending the first introductory magic class, it was undeniable that the sudden surge of magic from him couldn’t be anything but monstrous potential.

Having no magic in his body and never having dealt with it before, handling a significant amount was impressive.

If his master were to find out that he had talent not only in swordsmanship but also in magic, it was clear that the master would definitely try harder to obtain Yukal than before.

The issue was that they hadn’t yet figured out why he had weakened for health reasons, but by continuing to observe quietly, they believed they could find out.

Waiting patiently according to orders was familiar. Compared to other missions, the observation target and environment were relatively comfortable.

When Lyka thought there wouldn’t be anything special happening tonight as he familiarly observed him, it didn’t take long for those expectations to be shattered.

During the time he exceeded curfew at the academy dormitory tonight, he could see him tearing and tying curtains in his room.

Creating a rope skillfully and firmly securing it, then descending, gave Lyka more confidence that he had received training somewhere.

As he slowly surveyed the surroundings, he headed towards the building behind which the principal’s office was located.

He decided to stop the members with alarm magic and traps laid around and just watch for now.

Yukal managed to reach the door despite getting injured here and there by traps without triggering the alarm magic, and soon disappeared inside the door.

Sensing something going down somewhere, he soon felt a tremendous flow of power emanating from where Yukal had gone, as if something was breaking.

At the same time, as the alarm magic disappeared, just as he was about to go down to see what was happening, a ominous noise echoed in his ears.

“Why-ee-ee-ee-ee-eh”

“Has Yukal messed up something?”

They didn’t intend to get caught up in this chaos, but if that happened, there was a high possibility of being expelled from the academy, so it was clear that something had gone awry.

Before getting swept up in this commotion, they sent a signal to escape from Ardent Academy, and with teleportation magic, Han Inyeong appeared.

With green hair, unsettling odd eyes, and a small stature emitting immense magic power, it felt almost electrifying on the skin.

“Ardent Academy Principal Iris, was it? Of all times, she had to be nearby.”

As she looked around them, she spoke in a chilling voice.

“So you’re the ones, daring to spy on students like rats at Ardent Academy. All 16 of you?”

As one of the members cautiously reached into his pocket to throw something, a blue lightning bolt emitted from Iris’s fingertips instantly took his life.

The speed of the lightning magic in the Dark Blade was fast, but it wasn’t a speed their member couldn’t dodge.

Another member quickly prepared to attack as well, but couldn’t avoid the pillar of fire erupting from the ground and turned into ashes.

It was only then that Lyka realized the situation.

Looking up at the sky, a hemispherical dome barrier was slowly spreading out from the woman at its center.

His subordinates were forcibly prevented from enhancing their bodies with magic, something he would have easily avoided under normal circumstances. However, the interference at the moment of invoking magic rendered his body immobile, unable to avoid the magical effects.

“Even so, to exert such a dominating influence over others’ magic power.”

There was a high likelihood that within the dome-shaped barrier spreading out above, the dominance over magic power would significantly increase. Even considering that, it was overwhelming to the point where his subordinates couldn’t even attempt to enhance their bodies.

“Not long after inheriting the position of headmaster, I heard that it wouldn’t be so strong, but I never imagined this monster was quietly lying dormant.”

This fact must be conveyed to the lord by any means necessary, even if only one person survives.

Calmly, he ordered them to retreat without planning to attack via signals, ensuring they somehow survived and reached the lord. Despite this, Laika couldn’t avoid Iris’s attention.

“You’re the leader, right? We only need to spare one or two, including you. Don’t worry. I won’t kill you now.”

Feeling a large amount of magic flowing from her, Laika desperately shouted and fled backward.

“All unit members, listen! The opponent is in a state of greatly increased magic interference ability due to the dome-shaped barrier in the sky. Flee using only pure physical abilities without using magic power and do your best to escape. Just get out of the barrier.”

Following him, the unit members ran desperately, occasionally throwing smoke bombs and memorized spells, but to no avail.

Blocked entirely by Iris’s sturdy barrier, they all returned empty-handed.

“The same old tricks.”

As anger mixed into Iris’s magic, one by one, unit members fell, and eventually, the deputy commander said to Laika,

“We’ll try to buy time, so make sure to reach the lord and inform him of everything. Since the opponent is a grand mage, they might attempt a gamble.”

Before Laika could be stopped, excluding the two fastest unit members, everyone gave up fleeing from Iris and pulled out something square-shaped like a cube from their pouch.

“Respecting that you’ve reached the level of a powerful grand mage, at least hindering you with this should suffice. If we can buy that time, we’ll be satisfied.”

As Iris quickly cast spells to stop them, managing to capture a few unit members, she couldn’t prevent the cube-shaped items from exploding.

-Boom!

Although she blocked it with a barrier, Iris’s expression stiffened as she quickly grasped the situation.

“Did they detonate all the magic power in the area?”

Since mages typically mix internal and ambient magic to cast spells, eliminating all magic power in an area significantly reduces magical efficiency, making it very effective against mages.

The problem lies in not just the simple evaporation of ambient magic but also forcibly extracting internal magic due to differences in magic concentration, to the extent that even mages below a certain level cannot endure it and might explode immediately.

While not immune to its effects, humans are relatively less affected compared to mages due to higher synchronization between their bodies and magic.

However, the fact that they were unaffected didn’t mean there was no impact at all, and the sheer audacity of using it despite the risk of being vaporized by magic explosions made their teeth chatter.

It was a mass-murder weapon using high-level magic that had not been used on the continent for quite some time, and the fact that they had been using such things indicated a staggering background.

“Are you fighting so hard against these guys alone that you’ve accumulated wounds to the point where they’re immeasurable in your soul?”

It seems unlikely that the two behind, who appear to be fleeing leaders of the Black, will be caught. It’s also difficult to capture those remaining here.

Even for her, who has reached the level of a great wizard, it is burdensome to face the remaining ones while maintaining her body in a state where all mana has been depleted.

Seeing her body gradually sending warning signals, Iris judged that if this state persisted, there could be problems in maintaining her body. To finish it in one go, she drew upon a technique she rarely used and cast a spell.

Despite being covered in blood from the magical explosion, Iris calmly shouted as she picked up her dagger and scrolls, observing the approaching members.

“Thunderbolt.”

A bright blue lightning bolt engulfed the outer forest of the academy, causing a light that seemed blinding and a thunderous roar that felt like it would burst one’s eardrums, making a quarter of the forest disappear.

To ensure their sacrifice was not in vain, Laika and two other members continued running without stopping.

The news of the deaths of 13 people, excluding Captain Laika and two regular members, reached Cynaria some time later.