Things That Shouldn’t Be Touched 2

“AAARGH!”

How much time had passed?

Jade felt as if even his sense of time was becoming a mess.

It felt like he was continuously experiencing pain in slowed time.

‘I-is this not an illusion?’

And when the pain subsided enough for him to look around, Jade realized that the feeling wasn’t an illusion.

‘Everyone is stopped? No, they’re moving minutely!’

Not only Yuria Arsein, whom he had targeted, but also numerous academy students were only moving very slightly.

Time around him was flowing so slowly that it almost seemed as if time had stopped!

“In time slowed to one-thousandth of normal, I can make you continuously experience the pain of your insides being twisted… what do you prefer? Tell me your preferred method.”

Even in his pain, Jade, as a magician, realized how absurd this was, that time was flowing at one-thousandth of normal speed.

‘I-impossible! One-thousandth?’

Slowing time was a power possible in the realm of archmages.

But even then, the limit was 10 times acceleration and 10 times deceleration.

To make the time of the world itself flow at one-thousandth of normal speed, and moreover, not just himself but to allow other people to maintain a normal timeframe even in such slowed time—this was absolutely impossible magically.

No, the very fact that there existed a being with such power was utterly incomprehensible!

“I-I was wrong! No, I was wrong, sir!”

At this moment, Jade Miller abandoned all his pride.

He had thought himself a special human being.

Born into a prestigious family that produced archmages, he had been enveloped in arrogance as he maintained top position year after year with his outstanding talent, and he considered it natural.

He thought that a man as excellent as himself deserved the best woman—someone like Yuria Arsein, who had perfect beauty, a ducal house background, and even outstanding swordsmanship skills.

But reality was different.

‘T-this guy is a monster!’

Enveloped in groundless confidence, or rather arrogance, that a man as excellent as himself could make Yuria Arsein fall for him with just one day of dating, he now realized his place.

The man who possessed such a woman was a monster beyond imagination!

---

When Jade Miller put Yuria up as a bet, what Theodore felt was a quiet anger.

Feeling anger rising in a stillness as if everything had stopped, he examined what thought had led Jade Miller to utter such nonsense.

Jade likely calculated that in a place where House Arsein’s influence was limited, they couldn’t properly retaliate against him, and if a foreign ducal house retaliated over something as trivial as a date request, Jade could gain the support of public opinion within the Britannia Empire.

Unlike William who openly harassed her, he had an excuse that he was merely trying to ask for a date. He probably also calculated that he could simply say, “I just expressed my interest because she was so beautiful.”

But at the root of all this was ultimately arrogance.

‘Incomparably arrogant.’

Born into a famous family and having had a smooth path to success, the world seemed easy to him.

He was caught in the delusion born of arrogance that Yuria would fall for his excellent self if they went on a date.

Unlike William, he seemed to have put in quite a bit of effort, but even so, he had never seemed to have put in effort to his limits, being immersed in his talent and family status.

‘A few days ago, I wouldn’t have been this angry, how unfortunate for him.’

Having faced such provocation after having given affection to Yuria, he couldn’t just let it slide.

“AAAAARGH?!”

Thus, he inflicted pain on him to make him realize his place.

He made Jade feel the overwhelming difference in level as magicians while watching him repeatedly scream in terrible pain.

And he made time flow at one-thousandth of normal speed.

“AAARGH!”

After suffering for a long time, Jade gradually began to come to his senses.

And he was seen noticing that time was flowing slowly as he looked around.

“In time slowed to one-thousandth of normal, I can make you continuously experience the pain of your insides being twisted… what do you prefer? Tell me your preferred method.”

At Theodore’s words, Jade’s complexion could be seen turning pale with terror.

“I-I was wrong! No, I was wrong, sir!”

Seeing him immediately begging for forgiveness, Theodore looked down at him and said:

“I’ll return time to its normal state, so speak properly. How’s the price for rushing in without knowing how high the sky is? Daring to make advances on my fiancée without knowing your place. How very novel.”

“I-I coveted her without knowing my place!”

Jade, terrified, was seen desperately begging for forgiveness, so much so that he couldn’t deeply think about the fact that Theodore had said he would return time to normal.

The Minst Academy students who saw him prostrated on the ground, begging for forgiveness with a terrified expression, whispered among themselves.

“Senior Jade being so subservient?”

“What exactly happened?”

“According to what I felt, Theodore, that person, took control of Senior Jade’s mana. And he infiltrated his own mana to twist Senior Jade’s mana from the inside.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means the difference in skill is that overwhelming. It’s a technique only possible at the level of an archmage.”

Students from the Magic Department were explaining what they had seen to students from other departments.

“So he’s at archmage level?”

“No way. An archmage at 21 years old?”

“That can’t… be possible?”

Naturally, confusion ensued. They couldn’t believe that Theodore’s skill level was that of an archmage.

However, Theodore was solely looking down at Jade with his arms crossed.

“I dared to act above my station, not recognizing a being who stands above the sky!”

Even as he looked down at Jade, who was bowing his head to the ground and begging forgiveness without pride in a subservient manner, Theodore was feeling his own state being remarkably calm.

‘I’m still not satisfied. I must have given her too much of my concern.’

It seemed quite dangerous to have started giving affection to a woman like Yuria Arsein.

He was angry that someone had taken her lightly.

He was angry that such a fellow had dared to speak so freely about her.

Though his intentions were lewd, since he had acted indirectly, from Yuria’s perspective, it would be bewildering and absurd but couldn’t be called a severe insult.

It was more insulting to Theodore himself as her fiancé than to Yuria Arsein.

After all, it was a provocation declaring that he would ask his fiancée for a date.

But he was angrier at the fact that Jade had targeted her than at the insult to himself.

“Why did you make such advances toward Lady Yuria?”

“B-because she was too beautiful! Without knowing how insignificant I am, I dared to overstep my bounds and covet the woman of a being who stands above the sky! Please, please forgive my foolishness!”

Jade’s appearance was pitiful.

Being a magician, he understood Theodore’s power to some extent and lost his reason in terror at a vast power against which he couldn’t resist.

An ironic situation occurred where, because he was a rational magician, he rationally accepted the power gap and lost his rationality.

“Goodness.”

“Senior Jade going this far!”

“So twisting mana is that terrifying.”

The students of Minst Academy found it strange that Jade Miller, always arrogant and overflowing with confidence, a genius magician, was showing such a subservient appearance out of fear.

Since they didn’t know the power Theodore possessed, they found Jade’s reaction strange and didn’t understand him, though he had seen a portion of Theodore’s true power.

“Well, it’s the natural result. This is the price for rushing in without knowing how high the sky is. Daring to make advances without knowing your place. How very novel.”

“Y-yes! I didn’t know my place and was greedy! Please forgive me!”

Jade, terrified, was seen desperately begging for forgiveness, even though Theodore had said he would return time to normal, so much so that he couldn’t deeply think about it.

The students of Minst Academy whispered, seeing him prostrated on the ground and begging for forgiveness with a terrified expression.

“Senior Jade being so subservient?”

“What exactly happened?”

“From what I felt, Theodore, that person, took control of Senior Jade’s mana. And he infiltrated his own mana to twist Senior Jade’s mana from the inside.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means the difference in skill is that overwhelming. It’s a technique only possible at the level of an archmage.”

The students from the Magic Department were explaining what they had seen to students from other departments.

“You belatedly realize your own foolishness. It’s common. Those who haven’t tasted bitterness fail to recognize their place, fall into arrogance, and mistakenly believe they are the most excellent human in the world.”

Some people might say, “Isn’t that you?” if they heard these words from Theodore. But that would be the narrow vision of foolish people who saw only a fragment.

Rather, Theodore prided himself on evaluating himself more objectively than anyone else.

“Jade Miller, you were somewhat talented as a magician compared to others, right? So you developed a pride in being an exceptional human, and that transformed into arrogance. And today, you acted above your station by touching what shouldn’t be touched, and you’ve paid the price.”

“P-please, I beg for forgiveness. Please!”

The subservient appearance of Jade, trembling with a fear worse than death, would be deeply imprinted on the students of Minst Academy.

And Theodore’s gaze turned to Yuria.

‘This is enough for me.’

Such a will could be seen in her eyes.

She seemed to think that this level of punishment was sufficient.

‘This should be enough. But I need to set a warning to prevent others from trying to act above their station again.’

It was very effective for widely announcing his existence.

But Theodore was almost annoyed at the unpleasant feeling that filled his heart rather than the joy of things going according to plan.

What Jade Miller had done wasn’t a crime deserving of death.

But, the thought of wanting to inflict even deeper pain and despair on him wouldn’t disappear.

‘I should stop here.’

He had already inflicted terrible pain on his body, and along with instilling fear, he had shattered his pride.

He had also publicly humiliated him.

Regardless of what thoughts he harbored inside, he had already paid the price for his actions.

Anything more would not befit a duel.

“Then I hope you would disappear from my sight. Become a person who knows how to look at the sky properly.”

“Y-yes! I understand!”

At the sight of Jade fleeing in a hurry, it was clear that his reputation and image built up over four years at Minst Academy would plummet from now on.

But that was his problem, and the price he had to pay.

“Just in case, let me say in advance, I welcome challenges to me anytime. And I won’t treat them too harshly like those before. However, if you dare to speak carelessly about my fiancée, I’ll make you pay the price for touching what shouldn’t be touched.”

Theodore spoke with a slight pressure.

Though it seemed like facing a ferocious beast, female students were showing interest, their eyes shining, at Theodore’s handsome appearance and overwhelming strength.

It was a very familiar gaze to Theodore, but at the same time, it was always a meaningless aspect.

“Having sworn to protect Lady Yuria even with my life, remember this well. I will not forgive any disrespect toward her.”

As he said this, Theodore realized that he had become unusually irrational and emotional.

It seemed Yuria had also realized this, as she was seen looking at him with a slightly surprised expression.