Chapter 43 – A Simple Misunderstanding

A Simple Misunderstanding

“Could you not go any further than this?”
The butler-dressed man spoke impassively to Marian, as if slightly troubled.
Marian, responding to him, still maintained an expressionless face.

“And if I refuse?”
“…I suppose there’s no choice then.”
At that moment, suddenly, an ear-piercing scream was heard.
“”Aaaaargh!!!!!””

The source of the sound was the two hooded figures who had been beaten to a pulp by Marian earlier.
It’s probably not that their wounds suddenly hurt more… The mana flow fluctuating around them was clearly abnormal.
“S-Suddenly I feel my strength draining…”
“Me too, dear…”

People around started collapsing one by one. The reason was those hooded figures indiscriminately absorbing mana.
It looked similar to a mana outburst that occurs when magicians can’t control their mana flow.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

While Marian was momentarily distracted by the sudden situation, the butler-dressed man quietly began to chant a spell.
“Marian! It’s a teleportation spell!”
I immediately tried to fix his dimensional coordinates to nullify the teleportation spell, but he was one step faster.

“Damn it.”
The butler-dressed man teleported away somewhere with the one-armed host.
In Marian’s hand was what appeared to be the butler-dressed man’s wrist. He had immediately cut off his own wrist in response to Marian reflexively grabbing him and escaped.

“I’m sorry, Ariel. I messed up trying to capture him alive.”
“No, it’s my fault for not noticing he was a magician.”
A magician with concealment abilities good enough to escape my notice, and even able to use teleportation magic. He was quite a high-level magician.

“Anyway… now those guys are the problem.”
Marian turned her gaze from the wrist in her hand to look at the two rampaging hooded figures.
“”…””
They stood there with extremely unstable mana flow, having stopped absorbing mana from their surroundings.

Their faces, which had been pulverized, were somehow restored to normal, and they stared into space with unfocused eyes.
“Ariel. Are the people collapsed over there alright?”
“Those people are fine. But, the people trapped in there…”

The people trapped in iron cages, treated as ‘goods’, were already in a weakened state. Although those guys have stopped absorbing mana, their lives are still in danger if left like this.
‘Did they intentionally cause a mana outburst through some means? No, it’s a bit different.’
Amidst the swirling mana, what I faintly sensed was demonic energy.

“Marian. Those guys. I sense demonic energy.”
“…You’re right.”
“”Aaaaaah””
These guys uttering sounds without a trace of intelligence.

‘We should move locations for now.’
In any case, there’s almost no concern about the people here escaping. To reduce unnecessary casualties, we need to change locations.
“Marian. Let’s move locations.”
I immediately teleported myself, Marian, and those two outside the mansion.

“R-Requesting backup! Suddenly, people from thin air…”
The guard forces protecting the outside noticed our presence, but it didn’t matter particularly.
More important than that were the hooded figures in front of us.

“Marian, even for you, it would hurt if you get hit by that.”
“Perhaps.”
The guys slowly extending their hands towards us simultaneously while chanting spells. Looks like they’re going to do some kind of combined attack.
Rumble─!

Despite their ridiculous appearance, the flow of demonic energy and mana gathering at their fingertips was no joke. Dense enough to easily blow away this mansion.
…We can’t just watch.
“[Wind Cutter]”
I quickly fired a spell towards the two about to cast magic.

A blade of wind fiercely cutting through the air.
Only in comics do people wait while the opponent is casting a technique.
‘Are you stupid? Wait for me.’
There’s no way those defenseless guys could defend against my magic, and the situation should end immediately…

“Huh?”
…or so it should have.
Bang—!
My wind blade, just a hand’s breadth away from them, collided with the barrier they spread, creating a loud noise and then… vanished without a trace.

“”Graaaah!!””
Simultaneously, fierce flames burst from their fingertips and engulfed Marian and me.
“[Barrier]”
Thankfully, due to the barrier I spread just in time, neither Marian nor I were injured, but… it was quite a surprising situation.

‘This is impossible. They can do multi-casting?’
…It’s not impossible. I can cast about three spells simultaneously too.
But that’s because I’m a special case, having received separate procedures from those crazy people who experimented on me, and even magic tower graduates known for their skills often can’t use two spells at once.

Moreover, the speed of that barrier deployment. Both of them are too fast. As if they’ve received procedures like me…
“Ariel. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but focus.”
“Sorry. I was a bit surprised.”
Marian’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Right, for now, we should capture those guys and then worry about it.

“”Grrrr…””
As soon as they confirmed their magic was blocked, they started chanting spells again.
…But Marian was faster.
Approaching them at a speed invisible to the eye, Marian swung her fist wrapped in aura at them.

And, with a scene that would suit a “crash” sound effect, their barrier shattered.
‘They seem to be scared somehow…’
It must be my imagination that their eyes, which had seemed devoid of reason until now, appeared filled with terror.

I caught the ankles of those trying to turn and run away with a binding spell.
“”Grrrr…””
…Surely they’re not asking to be spared?

“Brothers! Over here!!!”
Numerous troops surrounding Marian and Ariel.
This was because one of the guard forces who saw them teleport outside had requested backup from others.

“W-What is that, little brother?”
The leader-like figure of the guard force asked his younger brother beside him in shock at the scene unfolding before them.
They were not the host’s direct forces but a rabble of hired thugs from the city, tasked with stopping people from sneaking into the surrounding mansions.

What they witnessed was a masked banquet participant shattering two hooded figures at an invisible speed.
“L-Let’s pretend we didn’t see and leave.”
They quietly turned their backs and began to leave the space where that carnage was occurring.

‘Where are those guys going?’
I was worried they might attack us, but the troops were fleeing helter-skelter with their backs turned.
Well, who wouldn’t be scared seeing this scene?

“Marian. That’s enough…”
I intervened, unable to watch Marian beating the hooded figures to a state that could be described as miserable.
The two had already lost consciousness.

“…They probably aren’t dead. I controlled my strength.”
Although the surrounding ground was cratered and split to the point where its shape was unrecognizable for something done with controlled strength, I let it slide. She must have truly controlled her strength by her standards.
As we were waiting for these guys to regain consciousness, suddenly…

“Ariel. What is this…”
Without any warning, their bodies began turning to ash. They crumbled without time for us to do anything.
On top of their ashes lay familiar black objects.

“There have been some cases of people who experienced mana outbursts having their bodies turn to ash and disappear, but…”
Those black objects. They were the ones presumed to have mutated the goblin last time.
Two black objects lying there, one for each person.

‘Could they have swallowed these…?’
The disappeared butler-dressed man, the unidentified objects, and the demonic energy.
I started to get an ominous feeling that some grand conspiracy might be lurking.

“Is this the end of it?”
“Yeah. I’ll request the magic tower to investigate those cube-shaped black objects for now.”
Now that the commotion had settled, the Green Guard members Marian had stationed in advance were in the process of arresting the people inside the hall one by one.

Somehow, I don’t see the maid who first brought the wine… Did she leave earlier?
“Let go of me! Do you know who I am!”
A noble guy shouting at the top of his lungs while being dragged away.
Look at him holding his head high. Makes me want to give him a knock on the head.

“Good work, Ariel. If it weren’t for you, we would have been in big trouble.”
Marian said to me, who was blankly watching the scene, while offering a handshake.
Just as I was about to take her hand─one of the guys being arrested roughly pushed me while resisting.

“Are you alright?”
Marian naturally embraced and supported me as I lost my balance.
Completely unintentionally, we ended up in a pose like a princess in a prince’s arms.

“Huh? Uh…”
A rather embarrassing position. The memory of almost kissing her came back, and my heart started pounding again.
‘Get a grip! Ariel!’
Of course, Ariel isn’t my real name, but still.

“Th-Thanks, Marian.”
“It’s nothing.”
Marian indifferently turned her gaze away. Somehow, I felt a bit upset that only I seemed to be conscious of it.
‘I wondered before too, but am I too easy…?’

‘I must have gone mad after all.’
Otherwise, there’s no way I would be this flustered over Ariel, who is also a woman.
My heart is in turmoil. A feeling I’ve never experienced before.

“Are you alright?”
“Huh? Uh…”
Ariel, who fell neatly into my arms after being pushed by someone, is like a baby kitten, making me want to protect her desperately.
Her black gothic dress perfectly harmonizing with her night-sky-like black hair, contrasting with her transparent white skin.

Is it okay for there to be such a difference between women? It’s enough to make me feel bitter.
I briefly gazed at her pale pink lips, made more prominent by her transparent skin.
‘Get a grip, Marian.’

It was from that time. When we were in danger of being exposed for infiltrating, and I tried to kiss Ariel.
It was just a spur-of-the-moment response, but thinking about it now, I can’t believe I was about to do such an embarrassing thing. A kiss between women.
‘…I wonder if she found it unpleasant.’

Ariel naturally slipped out of my arms as time passed.
“Th-Thanks, Marian.”
“It’s nothing.”
I deliberately turned my gaze away, but the sensation of holding her still lingered on my hands, making it hard to calm down.
…This pounding heart must surely be because I’m angry at the guy who just pushed Ariel.