episode_0021

-Clang!

With just a light thrust, the compass shattered into scrap metal and clattered to the ground.

“…”

The mage stared blankly at the destroyed compass for a moment before erupting in fury.

“You little—! What the hell do you think you’re—”

His words never reached their end. In an instant, the mage dissolved into a burst of light and vanished from the mountain range without a trace.

So that’s how it works.

Huff!

The giant was surprisingly fast for his size. Closing the distance in two swift steps, he threw a punch without hesitation.

His judgment was sharp, too. His target wasn’t me.

Clang!

The hilt of my sword took the blow, sending the blade spinning into the air.

About three seconds until it fell.

For a trained martial artist, that was more than enough time to crush four men to death.

But—

Whoosh—!

“Hmm…”

The fist never reached me.

All seven strikes sliced through empty air, and in that gap, I caught the falling sword.

The giant frowned and immediately retreated.

As I steadied my stance, preparing for his next move, he let out a sigh.

“Let’s stop.”

“Why? Wasn’t this whole test made to kill him—no, to kill swordsmen?”

“That’s… not the point anymore.”

The giant gave a bitter smile and slowly lowered his fists.

“You’ve put in a lot of effort. It’d be strange if you didn’t know.”

His skin, hardened by what could only be called chemical augmentation, had a texture that made it nearly impossible for blades to pierce.

“Skin” didn’t even begin to describe it. He must have trained specifically to counter bladed weapons—a martial artist’s greatest weakness.

“I haven’t yet learned how to break a paladin’s grappling techniques. Where did you pick them up?”

“Must’ve been around ten. Had to fight a lion barehanded once. To take on something that big, I needed high-level grappling, so I called in a paladin to teach me. Ended up using it a lot afterward, so I mastered it.”

“I see… You were a slave, then.”

“Uh…”

The giant nodded as if it all made sense.

…No.

Well, technically, back then, I couldn’t exactly say I wasn’t.

Interpreting my silence in his own way, the giant looked at me with pity.

“Working as a gladiator since you were ten explains why you’re so versatile.”

“No, I wasn’t a slave—”

“I have no interest in fights I can’t win.”

Crack—

The giant picked up the compass and crushed it himself.

“If I can’t even win against this test, against you, against the Witch… maybe I’ve underestimated the world.”

With those hollow final words, he dissolved into light and vanished.

“…”

Just says his piece and leaves, huh?

The job got easier, but an awkward silence lingered.

Arin was the one to break it.

“…Why did you help me?”

“Hmm…”

I tried analyzing her tone and phrasing to grasp her meaning.

But I genuinely had no clue.

The question, the flat delivery, her usual monotone voice—it felt like she’d just said, “Oh, by the way, yesterday’s dinner was braised potatoes, right?”

“I’ve got a favor to ask. Right now, I’m being chased by some lunatic shaman—”

“Not that.”

“Then what?”

“You knew I was the Witch from the start. Why did you help her?”

Seemed she was referring to the ride I gave her in the carriage.

“You’re a mage. There’s no way you didn’t know. What do you want from me?”

“No, I told you—you’re not the Witch.”

“…”

Arin stared at me with utter disbelief.

Starting to get annoyed, I laid it out clearly.

“Listen. Can you use magic?”

“Yeah. Like emitting this heat.”

“Bullshit.”

“…?”

The sudden profanity made her pupils flicker.

But I was the one pissed off.

She thinks she’s using magic?

Does magic look like a joke to her? Nine out of ten humans never even sense the flow of mana in their lifetime, let alone recognize the existence of mana beasts.

Magic is an advanced art reserved for the chosen few.

And this feral brat, raised in the wild, has the audacity to spout nonsense?

“Do you even know the difference between mana and mana beasts? Mana flows through nature, and when humans claim ownership of it, it becomes a mana beast. Harnessing that creates a flow of magical energy, and the miracles shaped by that energy are what we call magic. Ever learned any of that?”

“N-no.”

“You don’t know a damn thing, yet you call yourself a Witch? You think magic is easy?”

As one of the chosen, her delusion was downright insulting.

I barely managed to cast my first spell after weeks of unpaid overtime and sleepless nights.

“Listen, what you’re using isn’t magic. It’s just some bizarre, anomalous ability. Honestly, it’s less of a skill and more like something you were born with—like how some people have good hearing or bad eyesight. It’s just your innate trait.”

“…”

“You’re not a mage. Not a Witch, either. If anything, you’re something even worse than a Witch.”

“…”

“Why’d I give you a ride? Honestly, I was curious. I thought you might be part of some survivalist group. When you said you were taking the exam, I wanted to make sure you weren’t planning to sabotage it. But you were too clueless to be a threat. Curiosity satisfied?”

“…I’m not a Witch?”

“No, but don’t celebrate. I said you’re worse. Frankly, I’m tempted to hunt you down. If we ever meet at the academy, don’t act like you know me. Got it?”

Arin blinked at me, her expression unreadable as ever.

Still no clue what she was thinking.

“Anyway, just answer this. Are you willing to help me? Doesn’t matter what you are—I’ll make sure you’re rewarded.”

“…”

This time, her silence lasted longer.

But eventually, I saw the faintest nod.

“…Yeah.”

Seemed we had a deal.

Now that I had a way out, I nodded and asked,

“Good. So, how far are you willing to go?”

“Not sure.”

“What about stripping naked, covering yourself in snow leopard blood, and running around like that?”

“Hmm…”

After a brief pause, she answered.

“No.”

Worth a shot. Too bad.

I drew my sword and hurled it into the blizzard where visibility was zero.

-Groooar!

Thud. Something collapsed, and I led Arin toward the sound.

Unsurprisingly, it was a snow leopard. At this point, it was getting old.

I pulled my sword from its neck and flipped the corpse over.

“Ever seen these before?”

“No.”

“Tch. They’re definitely after me.”

“Hmm…”

Arin poked at the corpse and concluded,

“Strange. Their eyes are red, and their skin’s burning. They don’t seem sane.”

“Their physical abilities are enhanced, too. Normally, they’d never catch my scent, but their sense of smell has gotten absurdly sharp. They’ve been tracking me relentlessly—about two every five minutes.”

“Just kill them?”

“No end to them. Someone’s sending them.”

“Who?”

I grabbed Arin by the scruff of her neck and grinned darkly.

“That’s what you’re going to find out.”

McClain was steeling himself.

For the sake of the head of the Seriratus family, he was prepared to lay down his life.

Of course, ensuring Firunea’s safety was his foremost duty—

But keeping her in good spirits was also part of his responsibilities.

-Bang, bang, bang, bang…

…The latter hadn’t been going well since the former head butler left.

“Y-young, Young Mistress.”

“Yes.”

McClain, uncharacteristically hesitant, tried to speak, but Firunea remained eerily composed.

No anger, no irritation, no sulking—just an indifferent face and tone as she handled her work while simultaneously “solving a puzzle” on the table behind her.

Tens of thousands of puzzle pieces assembled and disassembled themselves in the blink of an eye, just outside her line of sight.

…McClain forgot what he was going to say and just stared in awe.

‘I knew the Young Mistress was exceptional, but…’

This was beyond expectations.

Telekinesis was supposed to be simple, basic, weak magic.

Applying force to move objects at a distance.

By nature, it had to be weak. Even the greatest archmages couldn’t use telekinesis to directly interfere with another person.

At best, it was good for lifting and throwing heavy objects.

But Firunea’s precise mana control shattered that logic entirely.

Recognizing the shape of a puzzle piece, relaying it to the mage, who then memorized and combined the information—if this was possible…

…it meant that if an enemy entered her line of sight, she could instantly choose to strangle them to death. An incomprehensible method.

Could that even be called combat?

A fight where, at every moment, she could select an option to kill her opponent instantly.

And ever since receiving that mysterious pendant from Virudem, her mana never ran dry.

The Young Mistress’s growth should be a cause for celebration.

And in truth, McClain felt pride and admiration.

But his instincts as a warrior screamed warnings.

—She had transcended common sense.

‘…Foolish of me.’

Yet McClain chastised himself and knelt.

His master was not just a monstrous mage who defied logic—she was still just a young lady who had lost her emotions.

Firunea continued working silently, neither smiling, crying, nor showing anger.

Not a flicker of emotion crossed her face.

Only Virudem didn’t know.

Occasionally, when he left for work, Firunea always became like this.

—All her emotions existed solely for one person.

‘I’m unfit to be head butler.’

McClain smiled bitterly but also felt relief.

At the very least, there was one person who could still make her laugh, cry, and rage.

“Why are you here?”

Firunea didn’t look at McClain as she spoke.

This much of a response was only because it was him. Anyone else would’ve been ignored entirely.

“Through connections in the capital, I’ve acquired something I believe you’d want.”

“What is it?”

“A crystal orb streaming Virudem Butler’s exam in real time.”

It had taken considerable effort.

But it was worth it.

“…Huh? I don’t need that. He’ll do fine on his own. He’s my butler.”

The change was immediate.

Her unfocused eyes sharpened into those of a noble lady, the telekinesis dissipated, the puzzle collapsed, and her poised posture shifted into a less healthy one with crossed legs.

Firunea bit her lip, sneaking glances at the orb.

“Shall I put it away, then?”

“No! …I mean, it’s not like I want to see it. But I appreciate the thought.”

McClain smiled gently and activated the orb.

What appeared—

“…”

“What? What is it? What’s happening?”

Seeing McClain’s face freeze, Firunea pressed him.

“Let me see, give it here.”

“…Y-Young Mistress. The orb seems to be malfunctioning. My apologies.”

McClain lied through his teeth, betraying his loyalty.

But Firunea, trained in politics, wasn’t about to be fooled by an amateur like him.

“…”

Her blank stare made him sweat as the orb floated out of his hands.

McClain panicked and tried to stop her.

“Young Mistress! It’s—it’s really broken! You shouldn’t look!”

“No, what is it—?”

Firunea froze as she saw the orb’s image.

There was Virudem, having carved out a small safe zone in the blizzard.

And a tiny female examinee.

Also.

Virudem was taking off his clothes.

“…”

McClain watched Firunea’s expression slowly drain away… and considered fleeing.