novelraw Chapter 16 : Chapter 16
Chapter 16 : Chapter 16
Chapter 16: Missed
Wh, what was that just now...?
Stiny gasped for breath.
A stream of blood was trickling down Ered’s forearm.
Seeing that, his complexion turned rapidly pale.
"You, you’re bleeding—"
Thud.
Stiny, who had been rambling excitedly, collapsed helplessly forward.
I just knocked him out moderately.
I have to activate the mana circuit to deal with a wizard.
I must not show my appearance to anyone in the school.
Whirrrr!
Ered raises the output of mana at once.
He kicked the ground toward the fleeing wizard and dashed out in a single bound.
No matter how much it jumps, a flea is just a flea.
No matter how much it struggles, it cannot outrun Prominence.
...Or so I thought.
Even as time passed, the distance did not narrow.
Only the silhouette of the guy was barely visible.
It meant the wizard’s speed was neck and neck with Prominence.
Surprisingly.
Rather, he is getting further away.
This is impossible.
At this rate, I will lose him.
Ered concentrated mana in both legs.
There was no choice but to catch up even if it meant overexerting.
Thump!
With every step he took, acceleration was added.
The overworked mana circuits rapidly heated up.
It was hot as if my legs were branded with fire.
It is difficult to control the speed.
All sorts of obstacles flickered past to the left and right.
I glared and concentrated to avoid colliding with them.
The gap with the wizard narrowed noticeably.
It was worth enduring the pain.
The wizard was wearing a mask.
The distance became close enough to recognize the shape and pattern of the mask.
The wizard seemed to glance back and then waved his hand.
……!
Ered suddenly turned his direction.
A violent wind swirled fiercely.
Crash!
The shrubs in the garden were horribly mangled.
As if a giant claw had scratched past.
It was a terrifying power.
It was a narrow margin.
If I had been just a little late, I would have ended up in a similar state as the shrubs.
This was not the first time I had faced a wizard.
Even so, my response was late.
He is different from the wizards I have seen so far.
An incantation is essential to cast magic.
The law of magic is that a magic circle is created when an incantation is chanted.
However, that guy neither recited an incantation nor created a magic circle.
He activated magic without any omen.
Even with the hearing of Prominence, I could not hear the sound of him reciting an incantation.
Let's concede a hundred times and say I couldn't hear it because I was too distracted chasing him.
But it makes no sense that I didn't even see a magic circle.
Because I, Ered, had been focusing my vision solely on the wizard's back.
There is no way I missed it.
The wizard suddenly stopped and fired magic in succession.
Bang-
As the guy waved his hand, compressed wind was fired rapidly.
Ered rolled my body and took cover behind the garden wall.
Every time the wind hit the wall, the bricks were ruthlessly shattered.
Even the firing speed is considerable.
Rat-tat-tat!
It is virtually at the level of a machine gun.
There is no rush.
Mana is not infinite.
Rather, I am just thankful.
Since he is wasting precious mana to break an innocent wall.
The moment the magic baptism stops will be that guy's funeral day.
Ered exercised patience and waited for the time of counterattack to approach.
…Just when exactly is the mana going to run out?
As time passed, doubt arose.
Even for a wizard who flies and crawls, he should be a bit exhausted after firing magic this much by now.
The wind baptism showed no signs of stopping.
Even the momentum did not decrease.
It seemed like the garden wall would collapse faster than the guy getting tired.
There is no time.
Guard marionettes will soon flock here.
-I will provide cover.
It was around that time that Isel stepped forward.
Clack, the sound of loading was heard over the communicator.
Suddenly, the wizard seemed to stagger and then stepped backward.
About 2 seconds after that.
Boom.
A distant gunshot rang out belatedly.
Judging by the sound, Isel’s firearm is an 1899 model Imperial Rifle.
It is a gun whose bullet speed is double the speed of sound.
It means she succeeded in sniping from a distance of about 1500 meters.
The wizard limped his leg.
It seems a bullet was lodged in his shin.
It must be Isel’s aim.
I must not kill him.
I must capture him alive.
The wind baptism that had been pouring down frantically stopped for a moment.
Now is the time.
Ered sprinted while jumping over the wall that had become rags.
Feeling the presence, the wizard hurriedly raised his hand.
Angry streaks of wind began to gather at the tip of the guy's hand.
I am faster.
I clenched my fist.
It is finally a chance to land a blow on him.
The moment I raised my fist to strike his jaw.
……!
Ered's eyes widened in surprise.
A third party appeared.
Suddenly from beside the wizard.
Until just before the guy revealed himself, I didn't notice at all.
It was as if he rose from beneath the ground.
The guy supported the wizard.
Like the wizard, his face could not be recognized because he was wearing a mask.
“Let's end it here for today.”
The guy left a meaningful word.
Swoosh-
Immediately after that, the bodies of the two people became blurred.
In an instant, their presence vanished.
…Just what kind of magic is this?
Let alone an incantation, not even a magic circle was seen.
The same method as the wizard who fired the wind bullets.
Because of that, I couldn't guess what kind of magic it was.
“Damn it!”
I missed the fish I had all but caught right in front of my nose.
…Let's stay calm.
I haven't completely missed them yet.
The technique the guy used is strictly magic.
It means it consumes mana.
Even if they hid their traces perfectly, if I follow the tracks with mana detection….
Ered activated mana detection as soon as the thought reached me.
I must hurry.
Before the traces of mana scatter.
***
His expression, which was concentrating with closed eyes, froze coldly.
What happened?
No mana is detected at all.
I missed them.
***
-That cannot be. It is impossible to cast magic instantly without any omen.
Doubt was mixed in Isel’s voice.
At the time of confronting the wizard, she was waiting at a point more than 1.5 kilometers away.
In other words, there is a high possibility that she did not witness the circumstances properly.
“Are you saying I saw a hallucination?”
There was an edge to Ered’s voice.
A situation where the suspects were missed right before my eyes.
Now was not the mood to answer her questions kindly.
-…I am sorry.
Sensing the atmosphere, she apologized politely.
Although her rank itself was high, she did not commit the folly of being discourteous to a Prominence cadet.
Perhaps because of that, Isel always treated Ered with respect.
-Then they must be a new type of wizards.
She seemed lost in thought.
-I will report the relevant content to headquarters immediately.
After finishing the communication, Ered looked down from the rooftop.
Guard marionettes that sensed the disturbance were investigating the garden that had become a mess.
A situation where I had taken refuge on the rooftop of the main building one step ahead of them.
It's a shame, but for now, there's no choice but to withdraw.
“Wake up.”
I lightly tapped the cheeks of the unconscious Stiny a few times.
“Ugh….”
“Are you awake?”
“…What happened?”
“You fainted.”
“I did…?”
Stiny muttered blankly.
He seems to have not yet discerned the situation.
“Why is the back of my neck throbbing? As if I was struck….”
“It's your imagination.”
“I, is that so…?”
Stiny was tilting his head while continuously massaging the back of his neck.
“How much do you remember?”
“Well….”
Receiving the question, Stiny narrowed his brows and fell into thought.
“When we arrived at the garden, you suddenly stopped me, right? Right after that, something sharp flew in….”
The more he recalled the memory, the paler his complexion became.
“Right! Ered! Is your arm okay!?”
Hearing this, it seemed he remembered everything until just before he fainted.
“It just grazed me slightly.”
Ered showed my arm to Stiny as if it was no big deal.
Traces of dried blood remained, but the wound itself was not significant.
I purposely did not use physical regeneration.
I only took simple measures to stop the bleeding.
Because if I am hurt but have no wound, it will arouse suspicion.
“My wound is not what's important right now.”
“What? A person is hurt, then what could be more important than that?”
“Stiny. You were almost murdered. What that guy aimed for was your heart.”
“Killing me…? Why on earth?”
Stiny's expression became blank.
As if the function of his brain had momentarily stopped.
If anyone's life was threatened, they would show such a reaction.
A reality too heavy to handle and accept quickly.
“It was lucky the marionettes came just in time. We were able to run away in that gap. If not for that, you would have been killed for sure. My fate wouldn't have been much different either.”
Ered made up a rough story to convince Stiny.
“Stiny. Who would have tried to kill you? Is there no guy you can think of?”
Why would people who are wizards go out of their way to remove an insignificant student?
What kind of profit is there?
I couldn't understand.
“I, I don't know…. I know I am in a position of being hated at the academy, but even so, there's no need to go as far as killing….”
Stiny muttered softly while turning ashen.
The shock seems great.
Back to square one.
Ered narrowed my brows.
Until a while ago, I was considering Stiny as a strong suspect.
On the contrary, the fellow was almost killed by a wizard.
In this case, he can't help but move further away from the line of suspicion.
“Stiny. Don't walk around alone for the time being. Don't go to late-night meetings either.”
As he said that much, curiosity naturally rose in Ered’s head.
“That secret meeting you said you attend, what exactly is it a place for?”
“That, it was a meeting to study astronomy. We used to explore natural phenomena occurring in the celestial bodies or observe constellations….”
It was a trivial secret.
The tension drained away.
Was the reason they had to have a secret meeting in the middle of the night simply because of constellations?
“Let's go back for now.”
Ered helped Stiny up.
I left the rooftop while supporting the fellow who was still in shock.
Wiiiiing.
Alarm sounds rang out disorientingly.
Soon the academy will be in an uproar.
In the midst of the commotion, I arrived safely at the dormitory.
“Go in and rest. Don't think about anything today.”
“Th, Ered. Thank you for saving me…. You are my life's savior.”
Helping Stiny was purely to obtain information, but there was no need to bring that up.
“Those two people who tried to kill me. What on earth could their identity be…?”
“I'm about to find out from now on.”
Ered watched Stiny's back as he returned to the dormitory and then turned around.
Around the time I completely escaped outside the academy while avoiding the eyes of the marionettes.
***
Something is bothering me.
There was a suspicious corner in the conversation with Stiny.
Why do I feel this way?
While thinking over and over again.
I stopped my steps abruptly.
The wizards I faced today were two.
The wizard who shot wind and the unidentified wizard who vanished without a trace.
On the other hand, the one Stiny saw was only the wizard of wind.
Because he fainted around that time.
I have never told Stiny that there were two wizards.
But that fellow….
The words Stiny left last were being played repeatedly in my head.
He clearly said “two people.”
***
The academy was turned upside down.
It was understandable since the garden area was devastated in the middle of the night.
While students gathered and murmured, school officials were having a conversation with serious faces.
Men in grey coats were also seen.
They must be investigators.
Ered guessed so.
They seemed to have been dispatched after receiving a report.
They wouldn't even know in their dreams.
The fact that this incident is closely related to magic.
The investigators were working hard on the investigation while reviewing the scene of the incident in their own way.
However….
They won't be able to find any noteworthy clues.
Ered recalled the situation of the previous day.
All bloodstains were erased.
Ered’s own, of course, and even those of the wizard of wind, cleanly.
Obsidian did not give instructions that it is okay to cooperate with other agencies.
Furthermore, this incident must not receive external spotlight.
The more it does, the deeper the rebellious group will hide.
Therefore, he had no intention of cooperating with the investigators.
It is a rule that the fewer people who know a secret, the better.
The possibility that an investigator or a school official is involved with a magic organization cannot be excluded either.
I must not trust anyone.
“Ered. Shouldn't we tell them about what we experienced…?”
Stiny was stomping his feet restlessly.
Ered stared at such a Stiny for a moment.
The fellow looked completely terrified.
Based on what evidence did he say “two people”?
Stiny's remark last night kept bothering me.
There's no way the faint was broken in the middle.
I calculated the force precisely as much as needed and knocked him out.
So that he wouldn't wake up for a while.
To begin with, Stiny is a fellow whose physical conditions are inferior even to an ordinary person.
That I couldn't even knock out such a fellow properly?
It makes no sense.
“Hey, Ered?”
“Sorry. I was thinking about something else for a moment. What did you just say?”
“Um, that, I asked if it's okay not to talk about what happened yesterday….”
“So, you're saying we should voluntarily confess the fact that we broke the school rules and went out at night?”
“Th, that is…!”
Only then did Stiny realize and cover his mouth.
“Even if we step forward now, nothing will be solved. It'll be a relief if we don't get suspected conversely.”
“W, why? We are strictly victims.”
“The investigators will throw questions at us without rest. Since they've essentially obtained a threadlike clue in the middle of having difficulties with the investigation.”
“I guess so…?”
“On the other hand, the information we know is extremely limited. Let alone the identity of the assassin, we don't even know why they tried to kill us. So we won't be able to answer most of the investigators' questions. In the worst case, we might be suspected instead.”
“Th, that can't be….”
Stiny, turning ashen, trembled his shoulders thinly.
“So stay quiet for now. Don't try to step forward unnecessarily.”
“I, I understand….”
As if the commotion was getting too loud, professors waved their hands and drove away the gathered students.
“Now, now! Stop peeking and everyone go inside!”
From the academy's standpoint as well, they wouldn't want to receive more attention than necessary.
It would be troublesome if ominous rumors spread within the school.
“Ered. Let's go too. We'll get scolded by the professor at this rate….”
“Go back first. I still have business left.”
“Uung. Okay….”
Stiny moved away with quick steps.
“Hmm.”
Ered moved far away while avoiding the eyes of the professors.
Around the time he was watching the investigators searching the garden.
……?
A familiar face was seen.
It's really unexpected.
“Lensis?”
I never thought I would meet him here.
Why are you coming out from here?