Chapter 16
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: A Merchant's Way of Fighting
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‘How long has it been?’
I didn’t know.
Sweat poured down like rain, my breath was caught in my throat, my armor was half-destroyed, and my blade was chipped all over.
‘He’s strong.’
He was by no means at the level of a first-year.
His blade was sharp, and the black aura was incredibly heavy.
Above all, the dense, ominous feeling from his aura was downright chilling.
‘Magi?’
Pernyan had said so. That he was possessed by a demon. If so, the black energy had to be the power used by demons. In other words, magi.
Was that why? The magi constantly tried to corrode her aura. Thanks to that, her aura consumption was even greater.
*CRASH!*
Ruina rolled across the ground. The earth where she had just been was shattered.
The black magi pursued her relentlessly. She scrambled to her feet and raised her blade.
*CLANG!* An ink-black and an azure flash collided. Fragments of shattered aura scattered in all directions.
“Snap out of it, Verian Calburden!”
Her shout didn't reach him.
‘What should I do?’
After several clashes, Ruina had a clear measure of her opponent's level.
If she truly sought victory, it wasn't unattainable.
But even if he was possessed by a demon, he was still a fellow student. The problem was that winning wouldn't be possible with half-measures.
She could win, but the price would be Verian Calburden's life.
He wasn't an opponent she could defeat while holding back.
“…”
She bit her lip.
The muscles all over her body screamed, and her fingertips trembled.
The end was approaching.
The biggest problem was that, unlike her opponent who drew energy as if from a bottomless spring, her aura hall was rapidly running dry.
‘...What should I do?’
She thought of Pernyan, who had fled.
If only he hadn't run away, she wouldn't have had to struggle this much.
Whether it was his own abilities or the power of artifacts, his support skills were top-notch. It might have been tough, but she would have been able to subdue Verian safely.
It was then.
*Peeeeee—*
A whistle sounded from not too far away. The direction was to the west, where Pernyan had fled.
‘A signal?’
Ruina realized this was the signal Pernyan had mentioned.
‘…He must have a sure-fire plan.’
Pushing back her rising disappointment, she kicked the chest of the mad dog-like Verian as he charged.
He rolled across the ground and was thrown back. In that opening, Ruina turned.
* * *
“Over here, Ruina. This way.”
“You…!”
Ruina, who had been running along the mountain path, spotted Pernyan and shouted.
“Why did you run away!”
“You ask the obvious. Because it's a demon.”
Pernyan guided the enraged woman as he moved.
“If you hadn't run away, we could have easily won!”
“…Huh? You’re saying it was possible with me there?”
Pernyan tilted his head.
A knight possessed by magi. A being that Aint had only barely managed to defeat after awakening with Gardner's help.
“There's no way.”
Naturally, Pernyan had set the opponent's level to the highest possible tier.
There were two reasons for this.
That Aint was the one who would save the world.
And the strength and unknown nature of a demon.
“It's a demon, Ruina. There's no way a demon appearing for the first time in a thousand years would be that weak.”
“What kind of baseless confidence is that? That's not a demon, it's Verian. He's bizarre to the point that it's inexplicable unless he's possessed by a demon, but he's still fundamentally himself.”
“…”
It was then that Pernyan sensed he had made a mistake.
Aint's level.
No matter that Aint was destined to be the hero who would save the world from demons, and no matter that he was being taught by the spirit of Sir Gardner Alpenparsen, he was still just a first-year academy student.
He had shown incredible growth, instantly shooting up to second place among the first-years, but at the end of the day, he was still a first-year.
There was a clear average gap in skill between the academy's year levels, and the current Ruina Bercefe was undeniably stronger than Aint Armian.
“…Wait a minute.”
Realizing he had been so engrossed in the twin challenges of the 'demon' and the 'Prophecy Book' that he had overlooked something crucial, Pernyan's expression hardened.
“Seriously, the two of us could have taken him?”
“Yes. I have no way to subdue him without killing him on my own, but if you helped…”
“Then what are we doing right now!”
“…Pardon?”
“Go stop him right now! Before he gets any closer!”
Pernyan stretched his hand toward Verian, who was charging like a mad bull.
“Go stop him before my precious traps are wasted—!”
—!
—!
That's when the explosions began.
“Ah, no…!”
It started with a small rock that Verian stepped on.
The rock exploded, and while his form faltered for a moment, magic arrows shot out from all directions.
*SHINK-SHINK-SHINK—*
A burst of magi protected its host. Deflecting all the arrows, Verian revealed a ferocious killing intent and charged again.
Or rather, he tried to.
In a fleeting moment, the ground beneath him collapsed. Having lost his balance, Verian flailed in the air.
And the moment his back hit the ground.
*Fwoosh—*
A magic circle drawn with red Bristy reagent reacted and ignited.
—!
In the center of the magic circle, which expanded as it absorbed mana from a mana stone, a pillar of all-melting flame shot up vertically.
Yet, Verian did not fall.
He unleashed a burst of black magi to offset the flames and finally managed to crawl out of the hole.
And Pernyan's next prepared move greeted him.
His outstretched hand triggered a trap, and prepared reagents went flying.
*CRASH—*
Five vials shattered, drenching Verian. *Sizzle—* the mana-corroding reagent began to weaken even the magi.
Verian screamed and staggered, triggering another trap. A scroll tore. *CRACKLE—* With a violent spark, ten lightning bolts fell in a straight line.
*BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!*
The pure white lightning pierced through the half-corroded magi. Verian's body trembled as if being tortured.
“Kuaaaaaargh!”
A bizarre scream finally erupted from him.
…And that was the end of it.
“Grrrrl…”
Foaming at the mouth, Verian's eyes rolled back as he collapsed.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
Pernyan and Ruina stared blankly at the scene.
“…Is he okay? He's not dead, is he…?”
“The original plan was to switch places with him as he lost his mind and approached me, then set off another trap…”
Pernyan muttered, seemingly oblivious to her words, completely zoned out.
Ruina finally looked behind him. A step behind where Pernyan stood was an obviously elaborate trap.
“And after that, I was going to fight the battered guy with you, but…”
Hah, Pernyan laughed.
“There really was no need for all this. If it was just the two of us, there was no need.”
*This thing* is a demon?
Pernyan's eyes became bloodshot.
* * *
There is a famous saying among mages.
‘A mage is one who prepares.’
‘A fully prepared mage can defeat anyone.’
Ruina Bercefe had fought mages several times, but she had never truly understood the meaning of those words.
But this moment was different.
A prepared location.
Prepared magic traps.
A thoroughly anticipated stratagem.
She realized the true meaning of the words mages lived by.
And that the reason she couldn't understand it before was because they were just simple duels.
“So this is a true mage's way of fight—”
“Wrong. This is a merchant's way of fighting.”
Pernyan cut Ruina off.
“…A merchant, not a mage?”
“Think about it.”
He held up a finger.
“Scrolls bought with money.”
It moved to the side.
“Artifacts bought with money.”
“But you didn't use any artifacts.”
“I was planning to. But there was no need since he was so pathetically weak.”
Again, to the side.
“Magic reagents and mana stones bought with money. And even the traps made with them.”
The touch of money reached every corner of it all.
“It started with money and ended with money. If this isn't a merchant's battle, what is? Do you think some poor-ass magic-slingers could ever pull this off?”
Not a chance. Pernyan shook his head.
“It's absolutely impossible for them. Without money, they couldn't do it if they died and came back to life. And mages, by nature, are a group that consumes, not produces.”
“…I understand what you mean, but you're also a mage.”
“That is also wrong. I only learned magic for self-defense and some other useful applications. My essence is that of a merchant.”
That's why it was all the more a waste.
Because if you converted all the materials used to conduct this merchant's battle into money, it was no small sum.
“It's still absurd when I think about it. If only I'd known he was weaker than I thought.”
If only I hadn't been scared off by the name 'demon'.
“No, if you had just told me the truth a little sooner…”
“You're the one who ran off without any explanation.”
“Since there was no explanation, you should have just followed.”
“Who was it that told me to hold out for just ten minutes?”
“Do you think it's right to just blindly follow without being given a reason?”
Hah, Ruina let out a hollow laugh. Dumbfounded, she shook her head and changed the subject.
“Still, this is unexpected. In absolute terms, waiving three years of my family's interest is more expensive.”
Frankly, it was puzzling that Pernyan, who was rumored to be a money-grubbing demon, would make such an offer in the first place.
At first, she was suspicious, but now she was starting to think the rumors were a bit exaggerated. But seeing him be so stingy about money today, she was confused about what his true nature was.
“The circumstances are different.”
“Circumstances?”
“Do you know why I like money?”
“Do I need to know?”
“Because with money, you can do anything.”
“You're not listening to me, are you.”
“Money is potential.”
If you have money, you can do things you thought were impossible.
If you have money, solutions appear where there seemed to be none.
If you have money, you can even win over people who seemed completely unattainable.
Money is, quite literally, an all-powerful treasure that can do anything.
“That is why money is precious. And that is why it must be spent in meaningful places, on things more valuable.”
On someone like Ruina, not in a gutter like this.
The money spent on Ruina was not a waste at all. It was because he saw the potential for her to become a future Royal Knight.
“There was no reason to waste it so pointlessly on an opponent we could have just taken on together.”
Pernyan's cold gaze turned to the fallen Verian. Ruina, finally having a moment to properly examine Verian, was startled.
It was only natural that he was on the verge of death after being hit by traps and dozens of spells.
She didn't know if she should call it fortunate, but it was safe to say the magi was the only reason he wasn't dead.
“I'm sorry to ask this at a time like this, but could you please give me a potion? He'll die if we leave him like this.”
“…Fine.”
Pernyan took out a potion and poured it over Verian's body.
Can't be helped.
He muttered softly.
“I'll just have to collect the money I spent from the one responsible.”
That was the way of the world since time immemorial. For that to happen, he certainly couldn't be allowed to die.
But before that, I need to collect the traps that are still intact.