Nobles Run Away at Night, Geniuses Sharpen Their Swords
Bergen Count’s mansion, Sophia’s room.
Sophia paced the floor with hollow eyes, as if she hadn’t slept a wink all night.
“Still no word?”
Gael, standing by the door, shook his head with an awkward expression. “Yes, miss. It’s been long past the time Jacob promised to return, but he still hasn’t come back.”
“Then what on earth happened? Don’t tell me he failed? He was only supposed to snatch up a tailor, for heaven’s sake.”
“That’s what I can’t understand. If he’d been discovered by the Valderk family, there should have been an uproar, but the manor is quiet as a grave.”
Gael stroked his beard, frowning.
“Sis, maybe that bastard got caught?” Felix said, trembling with unease.
“What if... what if he got caught and spilled our names? If Count Valderk finds out... we’re finished!”
He sprang to his feet.
“You were the one who pushed me into it! You said that after humiliating Ellen, if we brought that guy back and made him kneel, Ellen would collapse too—that was what you said!”
“Hey, Felix!”
“I just did what you told me to do. I’m not the one at fault!”
“You said you wanted to do it! You said you’d wanted to put that Hans bastard in his place ages ago because you couldn’t stand him! You were the one who called Jacob! You were the one who handed over the money!”
Felix’s face went red, then pale.
“That money came from you, sis. You take the blame!”
Gael quietly took a step back.
His face said plainly that there was nothing good to be gained from standing here.
Bang—!
The door flew open so violently it seemed to splinter, and a massive figure stormed into the room.
“You damned fools!”
“F-Father!”
It was the Bergen Count.
His eyes were razor-sharp.
His expression was carved from ice.
“You dare stir up something like this without my permission?”
The count’s gaze pinned Felix in place.
“Not only did you waste money on stocks, now you’re trying to drag the entire family into the pit!”
“F-Father... I...”
Felix’s eyes darted toward Sophia.
“It wasn’t me... it was Sis...”
“Say it. What did Sophia do?”
“It was all Sis. She told me to bring Hans back. I was just trying to help her...”
“Hey! Felix!”
Sophia cried out, but—
“She was the one who told Gael to give him the money too! I didn’t know anything, I swear!”
“You’ve really lost your mind, haven’t you? You said it yourself—you wanted to crush him!”
“Shut up! Both of you!”
At the count’s bark, they both fell silent.
Felix hunched his shoulders and shuffled half a step behind Sophia.
“Worse than beasts. A family’s about to be ruined and you’re busy shoving the blame onto each other.”
The count glared at Gael.
“And you, Gael! How dare you help with this without even asking me?”
Gael dropped to one knee.
“I deserve to die, my lord count. The young master and young miss gave me such forceful orders that I had no choice...”
“Do you call that an excuse? First, tell me this. What exactly happened to that Jacob fellow?”
“...He still hasn’t returned. Not even a trace of him has surfaced. Given how quiet the Valderk side is, it may be that he failed and ran.”
“Failed and ran? What a foolish notion. Do you not know what kind of man Count Valderk is? If he infiltrated the place and was discovered, he’d already have been dealt with in silence.”
The count narrowed his eyes.
“Sophia, act more confidently than usual. Don’t show even a hint of being rattled; pretend you know nothing. This matter has nothing to do with you.”
“Y-Yes... I understand.”
“And Felix. You leave Rowen tonight.”
“L-Leave? Where am I supposed to go?”
“The Kran Kingdom. I’ll send word to your maternal grandfather’s house, the Broi Ducal Family. Stay there, undergo proper knight training, and keep your head down. Do not set foot on imperial soil until I call for you.”
“The Kran Kingdom? These days it’s on bad terms with the Empire... If I go there, I’ll be treated like a foreigner! Send me somewhere else instead...”
“That is an order. If you want to avoid the Valderk family’s pursuit, the surest thing is to make you disappear from this city.”
“B-But Father...!”
“Shut your mouth and pack. You leave before tonight is over.”
The color drained from Felix’s face.
His legs trembled.
“...Understood.”
With no time even to pack properly, Felix was shoved onto a carriage.
It was a night escape.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The next afternoon.
Rowen Magic Academy, central garden.
Lunchtime.
Sophia spotted Ellen walking in the distance and jerked to a stop.
If something happened last night, it’ll show on Ellen’s face.
Maybe she’d be crying because the commoner tailor had disappeared, or maybe she’d be shaken by the assassination attempt.
“Oh, Sophia? Hi.”
But Ellen was exactly the same as always.
No—if anything, she looked even brighter and more self-assured than usual, probably because she’d gotten an A+.
“......”
Sophia was thrown off.
What the hell? She looks like nothing happened.
“You seem cheerful today.”
She tried to probe casually.
“Of course. I did well on the exam, and...”
Ellen’s expression suddenly turned cold.
“...I really can’t stand it. I’m going to kill her.”
“W-What...?”
Sophia’s back stiffened.
“Kill...?”
“Yeah. Burn her to death.”
Blue flames flickered at Ellen’s fingertips, and Sophia staggered backward in alarm.
“W-Wait...! Spare me. I... I didn’t do anything!”
Whoosh.
Something shot out of Ellen’s bag and was instantly burned to ashes.
“A bug? It was a beetle.”
Ellen smiled faintly.
“...You were talking about a bug?”
“Well, it came into a place it shouldn’t have. But why are you so startled?”
“It’s nothing... I’m just a little tired...”
Sophia hurriedly turned away.
Her legs were shaking so badly her steps came out crooked.
“I-I’m busy, so I’ll be going.”
The moment she turned her back, Ellen’s bright smile froze over like ice.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
That night.
Valderk manor, the basement in the annex.
“Here, Hans.”
Ellen placed a heavy leather pouch on the desk.
When she opened it, a clear blue light spilled out.
10 Medium Magic Stones
If a Low Magic Stone was a cloudy rough liquor, these were clear, potent distilled spirits.
The density of the mana packed inside was so great I could feel it through my skin.
“Thank you, miss.”
“If it’s not enough, say the word. I’ll get you more.”
“Is it really all right for me to keep receiving something this valuable?”
“Don’t worry about it. Don’t hold back—use it as much as you want.”
Ellen sat down beside the worktable.
“I ran into Sophia at noon today. It was a sight to see.”
“What happened?”
“I wasn’t even trying to bait her, and she was trembling on her own. She kept saying it wasn’t her doing... and I hadn’t even brought the matter up.”
“If it really hadn’t been her, she wouldn’t have acted like that. She might as well have confessed.”
Ellen nodded.
She let out a heavy sigh, looking annoyed.
“I couldn’t sleep thinking about the assassin. I kept wondering what would’ve happened if you hadn’t stopped him.”
Her fingers tapped lightly against the Magic Stones.
“That’s why I brought these. Use them to set up a stronger magic circle. If someone comes again, I want them to leave only as a corpse.”
“Understood, miss.”
“But what are you making with them?”
Ellen asked with curious eyes.
“I’ll show you. I designed it last night.”
I picked up one of the Medium Magic Stones.
The magic circle I’d prepared in advance.
The circuit was far more intricate and refined than the old one.
I set the Magic Stone into the groove at the center.
Click.
Wooooong—
With a bright resonant hum, the entire magic circle lit up.
When I’d used a Low Magic Stone, the circuit had strained and flickered, but now it was overflowing with energy.
“This is a magic circle called the Needle Shower with Rapid Fire.”
“A shower? That’s a fun name.”
“Now watch it hit that target over there.”
I activated the circle toward the thick oak board I’d set up in advance.
Papapapapaat!
It happened in an instant.
Dozens of blue mana needles formed in the air.
1st Tier Compound Formula: Mana Needle + Rapid Launch
Faster and more penetrating thanks to the output of the Medium Magic Stone.
Thud-thud-thud!
Huge holes burst open in the oak board.
“My word...”
Ellen couldn’t close her mouth.
“At that rate, it’d pierce a knight’s armor.”
“It wouldn’t go through plate armor that easily. But chainmail wouldn’t be a problem.”
If I concentrated on one spot and fired a hundred shots, maybe I could even punch through iron plate.
Two hundred. Three hundred.
If I poured that much into it...?
No.
On second thought, that would be a brutish way to do it.
Why do I need to pierce the plate at all?
No matter how good plate armor was, there would still be tiny gaps where a needle could slip through.
All I needed was to drive one shot precisely into that gap.
Then one needle would be enough.
Unfortunately, with the magic circle I’d installed now, that wasn’t easy.
It couldn’t reliably place a mana needle into a microscopic opening with precision.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Once again, I was alone in the hidden room.
The horrifying scene from last night returned to me: the instant I slit a man’s throat with my own hands.
The faces of the people who’d sent the assassin came with it.
Felix.
Sophia.
From what Ellen had said, Felix hadn’t acted alone.
That sister of his had stirred him up, and that brother of hers had carried it out.
Those disgusting siblings had put their heads together and even sent an assassin after a commoner tailor just to crush him.
“......”
Seventeen years of life as a commoner.
Years spent being beaten for no reason by noble children, bowing my head and apologizing anyway.
Even when I was framed, even when they spat on me, I had to endure it all simply because I was a commoner.
But not anymore.
I’ll make them pay.
Felix, and Sophia too.
I wouldn’t let either of them live.
But not now.
I was a commoner; they were the children of a count’s house.
If I rush, I die.
I couldn’t draw my blade on the strength of my immediate anger.
Build power. Wait for the right time.
And for now, preparation came first.
I had no idea when another assassin might come prowling back.
Yesterday I’d been lucky enough to lure the bastard into the trap down here, but what if I met one outside?
With my pathetic 1st Tier mana, I’d die without even being able to resist.
I need a countermeasure.
The thought I’d had in front of Ellen wouldn’t leave my head.
If I want it to work with one needle and no waste...
The magic circle had limits.
It compressed and struck a single point, yes, but because it was built for automatic activation and multiple shots, there was no way to force one needle into one precise gap.
Then I’ll rewrite the formula.
If possible, I’d make it a device I could carry with me.
Something like a leather bracelet hidden inside my sleeve. That means I’ll need to carve a precise magic circuit into the inside of the bracelet.
A structure where mana flowed along the circuit and met the mana of a Medium Magic Stone, gaining explosive propulsion.
Only a minimal amount of my own mana would be needed to activate it.
The actual compression and launch would be handled by the enormous mana stored in the Medium Magic Stone.
Spatial Stitch Needle Bracelet
Soaked in sweat, I fixed the circuit in place with microscopic threads infused with mana.
Hours of struggle.
At last, it was complete.
There goes another Medium Magic Stone.
One fresh Magic Stone had become a spent one, but all of its mana was now fully infused into the Spatial Stitch Needle Bracelet.
Wooooong.
As the device came online, a pleasant vibration ran through it.
Good. Perfect.
I propped an oak board against the wall and began a test shot.
I extended my left arm and poured my mana into the bracelet hidden in my sleeve.
Fire!
A blue mana needle shot out without a sound.
Snap!
Direct hit!
A thread thinner than a hair pierced the board and poked through the other side.
“There.”
Up to a hundred shots.
Still, unlike a magic circle, it could fire one round at a time without waste.
When the bracelet’s mana was drained, I could get another Medium Magic Stone and refill it.
As long as the circuit didn’t break, it was a continuous weapon fueled by Magic Stones.
I hoped I’d never need to use it.
But something like yesterday could happen again.
I pulled my sleeve down until the bracelet disappeared completely from view.
From the outside, there was no sign of anything at all.
Wearing a weapon worth ten gold felt strangely surreal.
Expensive, but I don’t have a choice.
And if I grew my mana core and reached 2nd Tier?
Then I’d be able to fire mana needles without relying on Magic Stones at all.
Until then, this is the best I can do.
But I wasn’t done yet.
I immediately began making a second weapon.
Transparent Thread Launcher
The Transparent Thread that had played the decisive role in killing the assassin yesterday.
This too had to be usable from the outside.
A bracelet form is still best.
What if I laid these threads out in advance through a dark alley or some narrow terrain and lured an enemy in?
The target would be sliced apart without even knowing why.
“This one can be recovered, so I should be able to use it for a long time.”
If I activated the device, it could draw out sharp Transparent Thread for several hundred meters at most.
Unlike mana needles, which vanished after being fired once, the advantage of this thread was that if I recovered it within a certain time, I could use it again.
This one also consumed one Medium Magic Stone.
A total of twenty gold!
And so, on my left wrist I wore the Spatial Stitch Needle Bracelet.
On my right wrist, the Transparent Thread Bracelet.
They were my own, deadly little magic armaments—known to no one else.