The Black Mage's Brush
"The Gald Cup begins."
Since my opponent was using a drawing ability, I pulled out the magic stone that held the power of erasure.
It was the one I'd gained after taking down the semi-transparent wyvern, and I'd never used it before.
I'd planned to finish loading every function I wanted into my gauntlet first, then take the time to analyze and process it properly later. But it looked like the perfect moment to test it now.
I channeled mana into the magic stone resting in my palm. The stone, which had gone dull the moment it was torn free, began to glow with a vivid purple light.
When I pressed it against the black stain still clinging to my body...
"Oh. It's gone."
It vanished without a trace, as if the stain had never existed.
Performance confirmed. Not bad at all.
"Your ability's pretty lame, isn't it?"
Of course, since this magic stone came from a wyvern that had been subjected to every experiment imaginable, the power sealed inside it had to be on a completely different scale.
But right now, insulting the black mage in front of me mattered more than the truth.
Black mages are surprisingly proud. If you insult the demon they worship, there's a very high chance they'll...
"Haha, as expected from the ignorant fools who serve The Erased One... They're really no help at all...!"
He tried to sound calm, but the vein throbbing on his forehead gave him away.
And the black mage, now thoroughly provoked, finally snapped.
"Fine. I know you were trying to provoke me, but I'll give you credit. You did an excellent job."
He opened his previously squinty eyes halfway and glared at me with pale green irises.
"For a talented kid like you, I'll show you something special. I'll prove that the brush of us Those who paint is far superior to the likes of those who worship The Erased One."
The black mage pulled the massive brush he'd been carrying on his back into his hands.
"See you next time."
He drew a circle on the floor and vanished right before my eyes.
"...?"
What the hell.
Weren't we supposed to be fighting?
[S-Senior...?]
Look at that. Even the liquid monster I'd called in a hurry was glancing around in confusion.
Who would've guessed that "next time" was literal future tense instead of right now.
Even I was stunned, so I could only imagine how the liquid monster who had summoned him felt.
[...Kugh, forget it! I don't need anyone! Art is... a lonely road!!]
-Beep!
"Ow."
Maybe it was the shock of being betrayed by the black mage he'd trusted.
The liquid monster's roar was so full of rage that my ears rang for a second.
If I hadn't wrapped my ears in mana the instant it happened, even I might have suffered some real pain.
'Where's Ella?'
Our RoFan heroine's body was the most important thing here, so I immediately turned toward her.
"Ugh...! Ray..."
She was using divine power to heal the blood flowing from her ears.
'I need to practice protection magic more.'
She'll overcome the trials since she's the heroine, but with a variable like me in the mix, the world might have changed in unexpected ways. I should prepare defensive spells that can block things like this.
A mage is someone who always prevents variables, after all.
While I was quickly organizing plans in my head, Ella wiped the blood from her ear and rose to her feet.
"Ray doesn't have to walk alone! I'll stay by your side...!"
[Shut up! Someone born with everything like you wouldn't understand! You weren't even a noble to begin with!]
"...!"
[An orphan should act like an orphan and crawl on the ground! Don't stand in front of me... No, don't even stand beside me!!]
-Swoosh!
Countless tentacles erupted from the black walls and ceiling.
I was about to fire a fireball with my sword and a fire arrow with my gauntlet when...
-Flash!
"Oh."
A brilliant light exploded from Ella's body.
The black liquid around her recoiled as if burned, the domain of darkness shrinking rapidly under the pure white radiance.
At the center of that light, Ella slowly opened her eyes.
Her shining golden irises turned toward the liquid monster.
"...You're right. We may never fully understand each other in our lifetimes."
[Kugh...! Damn Saintess...!]
"As Ray said, I'm an orphan. I wasn't a noble from the start."
[Exactly! And yet you're top of the economics department and a Saintess...! Your very existence is unfair!]
"But even if we can't understand each other, can't we still admire one another?"
"What."
I recalled someone once saying that admiration is the emotion farthest from understanding.
Of course, saying that out loud would destroy the atmosphere, so I kept my mouth shut and simply watched the two of them.
[Admire...? You, admiring me?]
"To you, Ray, I may look amazing because I'm top of the economics department and a Saintess, but the truth is I'm not that special."
[Lies...! You-]
"The reason I'm first in economics is simple. It was the only thing I could do."
[What...?]
"As you said, Ray, I wasn't born a noble. The only way I could repay the family that adopted me was to build more knowledge than anyone else and become useful in administration."
Ella continued speaking, paying no attention to the liquid monster's obvious panic.
"After the adoption, I studied economics every single day without fail. Every waking moment except for sleep and meals. I even kept books open in the bathroom."
[You...]
"The only way I could repay that debt was to live as a proper noble, so I studied. That was all I had."
[...I worked hard too! Don't act like you're the only one who struggled!]
"That's exactly why I admire you."
[...What?]
The liquid monster froze at Ella's sudden words.
"I focused on only one thing and was satisfied with the results. But you, Ray... the results you wanted never came. And it wasn't just once."
[Are you mocking me right now-]
"So I admire you. I admire that spirit of never giving up even when you don't get the outcome you desire."
[...!]
"If I had been like you, Ray, I would have broken long ago. But you endured in silence, kept going, and only now has everything burst out. You are an amazing person, Ray."
[I... yes, I held it in...]
'Wow. So this is the RoFan heroine.'
It almost sounded like gaslighting, yet the liquid monster called Ray was visibly shaken by every single word Ella spoke.
At this rate, the two of them would probably resolve things on their own if I left them alone.
That said.
"I still have work to do."
I had my own tasks, so I decided to leave this matter to Ella, the RoFan heroine, and slip away for a while.
"This should be far enough."
The entire area was pitch black. The only thing I could rely on was my fire magic.
I'd left Ella and the liquid monster behind and walked to an isolated spot.
The reason was simple.
"Come out already. I know you're there."
"...Haha, what a sharp-eyed brat."
The squinty-eyed black mage.
He slowly emerged from inside the black wall.
"How did you know? I was certain I'd hidden my presence perfectly."
"Look at your brush."
"Huh?"
The black mage checked the giant brush in his hand at my words.
And then...
"This is..."
He examined the bristles and plucked something free.
"A location tracker."
"...I've never heard of anything like that."
"Because I made it."
What he'd found was a simple location tracker I'd created myself.
It resembled a thumbtack. As a mage who eliminates variables and a magic engineer capable of making anything necessary, I'd prepared it in advance.
"With that, I can track your exact position."
"Haha, I took one solid hit there."
"Besides, I never believed for a second that you'd actually left."
I immediately drew my sword and leveled it at him.
A knight is someone who stands in the way and breaks through.
"If it moves aside on its own, is it really an obstacle?"
I wasn't about to let my guard down against the obstacle standing before me.
"Hahaha! Incredible! Truly incredible!"
I had no idea which part of my words pleased him so much.
He suddenly clutched his stomach and burst into laughter, eventually wiping away tears.
"Haha... haa... You have excellent eyes, my young friend. Someone like you shouldn't be trapped in a place like the Academy."
"I'm not trapped. I chose to stay."
"Children with eyes as sharp as yours should gain their freedom and fly through the sky with us like birds! Ah, what a truly tragic shame."
"Birds? Please."
These crazy narcissists.
"Ah, it's so unfortunate. That I must kill a child like you."
"Who said I'd let you kill me?"
"It can't be helped. You cannot defeat me."
"Haha. Despite appearances, the only ones in this world I might lose to are Loxia, Levia, Estelle, Leona, and the Imperial Knight Commander."
"Haha! Good eyes, but narrow vision! Don't judge only by what's inside the fence. You need to look at the beings beyond it as well."
His wording was so bizarre it was hard to follow, but I think he meant I shouldn't only consider official figures but also those from the underworld.
As expected from an arrogant black mage.
But there was one special attack that worked wonders on black mages like him.
"What are you babbling about, you who loses to an eraser."
"...."
"Got under your skin?"
It was simply the art of scratching the hell out of someone.