Ch.9Kidnapping Like This (6)

Every magician seeks truth. It’s the fundamental source of the world, an absolute proposition that no one can refute.

Some seek answers in the hottest burning flames, others in the endlessly cycling waters.

The White Tower sought to find that answer in light.

The origin of the beginning, the start of all life.

Jayna also had a mission to reach the truth. That’s why she slowly but steadily improved her skills.

Even today, she had research that needed to be completed.

So she couldn’t die here…

“What are you all doing?”

Jayna swallowed hard and slowly turned her head. The crazy witch was glaring at her with murderous intent.

“M-me?”

“Yes. You.”

Olivia’s fingertip was pointing directly at Jayna.

‘Actually, she’s probably referring to all three of us.’

Honestly, the situation felt hopeless.

‘It’s my fault for trusting that idiot Aramis.’

Jayna glared at Aramis with a resentful expression.

If she had just kept her mouth shut, this would have ended with electrocution, but now she’d gotten involved and was about to die a miserable death.

“Come here.”

“……”

Jayna hesitated, unable to step forward.

Though she looked like the third daughter of a Duke’s family, her behavior was no different from that of a third-rate thug. This incongruity made Jayna hesitate.

“These bastards won’t come? Huh, I guess all that talk about White Tower folks having good character was just bullshit?”

Seriously, would you go if you were in my place?

As Olivia strode toward them, cold sweat ran down Jayna’s face.

Honestly, this woman was ten times scarier than a dragon.

As she unconsciously stepped backward, advice she had heard since childhood echoed in her mind.

– Jayna, in life, there are times when you must stand firm. You can’t accomplish anything if you’re paralyzed by fear.

Jayna gritted her teeth. Her father was right.

As a magician, she couldn’t remain terrified forever. Jayna raised her head proudly and stared at Olivia.

In the face of any threat, she would stand her ground until the end…

“Why are you getting up again? Just stay down.”

Bzzzzzzt.

“Grrrrrrrk!”

“Gack, gackgegegack!”

…Her courage vanished instantly.

If she defied that witch who showed no respect for her elders, she probably wouldn’t even leave bones behind.

What would her father say if he were here now? Wouldn’t he tell her to survive first?

Jayna made up her mind quickly.

She knelt down and pressed her head to the ground as if bowing.

“Please spare me! I’ll do anything!”

Ro exclaimed in surprise.

“J-Jayna?”

“Shut up and put your head down too!”

“Urk!”

Jayna knocked Ro down in one swift motion and pressed his head down.

She could feel numerous gazes on her, but what did that matter?

They say a Grandmaster’s revenge isn’t late even after ten years. You need to survive first to take revenge later.

“You’ll do anything?”

“Y-yes!”

“This friend doesn’t seem to feel the same way.”

Jayna slowly turned her head to the side. There stood Aramis with his head held high.

“Aramis? Are you crazy…”

“There’s no need to kneel. This woman has no intention of killing us anyway.”

“Oh?”

Aramis looked down at Olivia with sharp eyes and said:

“Am I right, witch?”

“Aramis, you still shouldn’t speak so informally…”

Aramis cut off Jayna’s words.

“If simply killing us was her goal, she would have done so already. The same goes for merely incapacitating the Tower Master and the Elder. There must be a reason why she needs to keep us alive.”

Jayna’s mind raced at those words. Certainly, there was nothing wrong with Aramis’s logic.

“The lower floors won’t be much different. She probably knocked everyone out.”

Aramis stared at Olivia. Though her actions resembled those of a neighborhood thug, she was far from it.

A Tower Master-level magician doesn’t appear out of nowhere. Only the best magicians who overcome odds of thousands or tens of thousands can claim that title.

A Tower Master is a weapon of war in themselves, the empire’s most valuable resource. And the witch before them had taken down such a strategic asset in one blow.

It’s not that there aren’t people stronger than the White Tower Master, but such powerful individuals all belong to kingdoms or families.

The Knight Commander of the Holy Kingdom is one such example, as is Harten of the Eastern Harten School.

They could defeat a Tower Master in battle, but they would never commit such a reckless act due to the consequences. Even the most renowned powerhouses wouldn’t dare provoke the empire, as they wouldn’t escape unscathed.

‘A group that doesn’t fear fighting the empire.’

There was only one such insane group on the continent.

Crescent Moon.

A criminal organization that overthrew a southern kingdom seven years ago.

If the witch before them belonged to Crescent Moon, it would explain why she wasn’t killing them.

She probably intended to sell them as slaves. Magicians were valuable resources, after all.

Though slavery was illegal under imperial law, other kingdoms had no such restrictions, making it a feasible plan.

“Let me make one thing clear, witch. Others may tremble in fear before you, but I do not. Don’t think you can intimidate me with violence.”

The magicians who had been terrified fell silent upon seeing Aramis’s boldness.

‘Damn…’

‘How shameful. I’m so ashamed of my own weakness.’

Some clenched their fists.

Others rekindled their fighting spirit.

“If the Tower Master hadn’t fought alone, if all of us had fought with desperate resolve, you would have been nothing. We couldn’t give our all from the beginning because we wanted to minimize damage, and that was our downfall.”

The atmosphere heated up with Aramis’s speech.

But Jayna couldn’t bring herself to agree. She had made eye contact with Royd, who was trembling like a stroke patient while giving her a desperate look.

Aramis?

…The Tower Master is saying that’s not the case?

That if we all fight together, we’ll all die?

“Grrrrrrrk!”

“……”

It was already the third electrocution.

Jayna squeezed her eyes shut at the horrific sight.

She could already envision Aramis’s demise.

“So, you’re saying if you all attack me at once, you can defeat me?”

“…That’s right.”

“Really?”

“……”

Olivia sighed and took out her staff.

As she tapped the floor with her staff, ice wrapped around Aramis like chains.

“…!”

“You need a beating.”

Olivia raised her staff.

Everyone thought it would be another electrocution.

Thwack-!

A completely unexpected sound was heard.

“What? Ganging up? GANGING UP? A magician talking about ganging up on someone?”

“AAAAARGH!”

Aramis collapsed on the spot after being struck in a vital area.

“If! I get! pissed off! I told you to come out earlier, didn’t I?”

“Urk! Gack!”

Thwack! Smack!

Jayna turned away, unable to watch.

She had been hitting only vital spots like a madwoman from the beginning.

When Aramis blocked with his arms, she kept hitting the arms until he lowered his guard. When he couldn’t hold out and lowered his arms, she continued hitting the original vital spot.

It hurt even when blocked, but it hurt like death if not blocked, so he had no choice but to block while crying.

“Kugh…”

Olivia didn’t stop there. She forcibly stood Aramis up and delivered a finale worthy of the next White Tower Master.

“Grrrrrrrk!”

With pain far exceeding the brain’s threshold, Aramis foamed at the mouth and collapsed.

‘She’s not human. She’s a demon, a demon.’

Only then did Jayna understand Royd’s feelings.

Death seemed preferable.

“Do you all think the same? Want to try ganging up on me?”

Jayna swallowed hard.

The answer was obvious.

***

“Ugh…”

Glacia staggered to her feet. The shock must have been significant, as she had transformed into human form.

As she rubbed her head, Glacia noticed the shattered main gate.

“…This is driving me crazy.”

Since when did dragons become substitutes for catapults?

Glacia looked up toward the upper floors. Judging by the commotion, it seemed like a proper fight was happening up there.

‘Crazy psycho bastard.’

Giving her a million concessions, she could tolerate being hit. But she couldn’t tolerate the fact that while she, a dragon, was beaten like a dog, humans were treated leniently.

The word “lenient” might not suit someone who destroyed the magic tower’s main gate and electrocuted dozens of magicians, but that’s how Glacia felt.

‘So she considers herself human too, huh?’

Even when ordering her to crash into the tower, she had instructed to do it moderately so people wouldn’t die.

Glacia looked around with an annoyed expression. Unconscious magicians were everywhere.

But that was it. They weren’t blackened or had broken bones.

‘That damn bastard. This means she could have gone easy on me too.’

Bruises were forming on her beaten limbs. How does one hit hard enough to bruise a dragon’s body?

Glacia looked up again. Olivia didn’t seem to have any intention of coming down yet.

“……”

Glacia thought for a moment.

No matter how skilled a magician Olivia was, she probably couldn’t catch a dragon determined to escape.

Especially in a situation like this where attention was focused elsewhere!

Glacia’s deliberation was brief.

“Hehehe… Farewell, damn human!”

Glacia laughed as she soared into the sky.

‘Ptui! I’m never looking at the North again!’

She would need to flee at least to the East to feel safe.

She’d have to abandon her beloved lair, but that was better than living as a slave.

‘I’ll hibernate for exactly a thousand years. When that human dies, then I’ll come out…’

Twang-!

[Gack!]

With the sound of a taut line being pulled, Glacia’s body was yanked backward.

Boom!

Having crashed to the ground, Glacia touched her nape with an incredulous expression.

Something hard could be felt.

What is this.

What is this thing.

[W-what is this…]

Even when she pulled with all her might, it showed no signs of coming loose.

She didn’t know what it was, but it felt like a dog collar.

Glacia collapsed with a look of utter defeat. She felt like she had been played in the palm of a demon.

At that moment:

“Hey, what are you doing there?”

At Olivia’s words, Glacia quickly turned around.

[I was watching to see if anyone was coming… I was keeping watch!]

“Keeping watch?”

[Yes, yes!]

Olivia snorted.

If you’re going to lie, at least make it convincing.

Normally she would have administered some discipline, but not now.

‘Ow, my arm hurts.’

It was because Aramis had endured longer than expected.

“Anyway, I need to load them up, so bend down.”

[Load who?]

Glacia lowered her head. There stood magicians, bound like criminals and staggering.

One woman and two men.

The face of the man at the very back was in a terrible state.

Glacia swallowed.

What crime would one have to commit to end up with a face like that?

She took back what she said about humans being treated leniently.

This person was a madwoman who beat dragons and humans equally.

[Um… are they criminals?]

“No, they’re my disciples.”

[Oh, I see?]

Huh? What did she just say?

Not slaves but disciples?

Seeing the disbelief in her eyes, Olivia shrugged.

“Anyway, they are disciples.”

[……]

“Let’s go to your lair first.”

[As you command.]

Just as Glacia was about to soar into the sky:

At the edge of Olivia’s vision, a light flashed for an instant.

Looking at the approaching light with half-closed eyes, Olivia shouted:

“Shit!”

Olivia yanked on the collar. Glacia choked and stopped in place, coughing.

Swoooosh-!

The next moment, the sky directly above Glacia split in two.

[W-what is that!]

“Shut up and fly! Fly higher!”

Olivia could see it clearly.

‘What the hell is that guy doing here instead of going to the capital!’

Rare black hair on the continent, an overwhelmingly large greatsword that intimidated just by looking at it.

Only one person possessed both these attributes.

Sword Master Kiel.

This was her first encounter with him.