The Savior Who Brought Her Down (1)
'...What the hell.'
For a moment, she was about to punish the scoundrel who had grabbed her shoulder, but Olivia flinched when she recognized who it was.
Sharp, stubborn-looking eyes and that fussy little goatee.
'...Why is Galdur here.'
Why in the world was a man who should have been negotiating in the border region here?
Olivia frowned at the unexpected situation.
Misfortunes were said to come in pairs, but I had never expected to run into Galdur here in Ikail, at the edge of the continent.
'...I can't just run away either.'
[Galdur Alibas]
- Level: 81
- Favorability: - 80
- Class: Archmage of Karmic Fire
- Titles: Head of the Mage Council, Red Tower Lord
Slightly weaker than Kiel at the tutorial point.
At this level, he was a capable individual who could confidently claim a supporting role in Lactea.
That made it even more annoying.
Because you can't easily shake off someone above a certain level.
'...It seemed he hadn't recognized me yet, but...'
She could tell just from the fact that he wasn't shouting 'witch' at her.
If he had properly seen her face, he would have immediately...
Just as Olivia was about to turn away pretending not to know him, Galdur yanked her robe aside. Snow-white hair cascaded down to her waist.
"You...!"
Lightning crackled and scorched Galdur's right hand black, but his gaze never left Olivia.
"So you really are a witch..."
Just as he gathered fire mana to burn her alive—
"Is this bastard insane?"
A chilling cold, deeper than anything, blanketed the world.
KABOOOOOM!
A chill ran down his spine.
The cold rushed in as if it would snuff out life at any moment. Before that overwhelming power, Galdur could do nothing.
He wanted to resist, but his mana refused to obey.
Control had passed to Olivia.
'Th-this is impossible.'
Dominate the mana of the entire area?
Unless the opponent was a dragon, this shouldn't be possible.
Galdur looked up at Olivia, face filled with terror. But the only reply was a pair of icy eyes.
'S-spare me...!'
Just then, the cold vanished as if it had never been there. Galdur gasped, dragging in air.
To that Galdur, Olivia spoke casually.
"...If you don't want to die, just go on your way."
She meant it. Olivia genuinely hoped Galdur would let this go quietly.
Because if she fought an Archmage in a major city like this, the regressors would immediately see through her identity.
Of course, other mages wouldn't have even considered such an offer, but this was Galdur.
'He has too much to lose.'
He was the de facto head of the Second Prince Faction. If he died, the faction would lose its center and collapse.
There was no way Galdur didn't know that simple fact.
What mattered was having an excuse.
An excuse that would let him run away while saving face as an Archmage.
And by showing the gap in power, Olivia gave Galdur that excuse.
Run away.
If you fight, you'll die like a dog.
"..."
Galdur couldn't meet Olivia's eyes and hung his head.
Even if it meant groveling, he chose survival.
Olivia glared at him for a moment, then spat out a word.
"Forget today. If you breathe a word...I'll make you end up like the Gold Tower Lord."
Galdur's shoulders flinched at those words.
The Gold Tower Lord was dead?
His eyes rolled wildly into the air.
The witch before him could easily have brought down the Gold Tower Lord. The mana control she'd just shown was at a level that could be mistaken for a dragon's.
"D-did you kill her?"
The expression on Galdur's face showed terror, but also a strange hint of anticipation.
Because if the Gold Tower Lord died, the title of the Continent's Strongest Mage might become his.
'...Ha.'
Olivia, noticing Galdur's thoughts, gave him a look as if he were pitiful.
She'd been about to let it pass, but that attitude—as if he was hoping for Melina's death—irritated her deeply.
'Yeah, he was always like this.'
If she left Galdur like this, he would surely spread rumors throughout the Magic Tower that 'Melina is dead.' Then he'd quietly usurp the position of Gold Tower Lord and steal the title of the Continent's Strongest Mage.
'I won't stand for that.'
Olivia snorted derisively.
"I tried to kill her. I almost succeeded, too. But the Gold Tower Lord's apprentice fled with her, so I failed."
"...A-apprentice?!"
Galdur shouted in a rough voice.
At that violent reaction, Olivia smiled inwardly.
"Yes, an apprentice. A young female mage...Her skills were extraordinary. She didn't even lose ground against me."
Hearing that, Galdur's face twisted into a ghastly, murderous scowl.
'...It was true?'
He had thought it was a joke when the Gold Tower Lord screamed her apprentice's name and went mad.
Even when Calliope had asserted that the Gold Tower Lord was not a person who lied, he had felt little different.
But now, nearly half a year since the Gold Tower Lord had vanished, he had never imagined he would hear about that apprentice from a stranger—and a cruel, merciless witch at that.
- Worthless fool.
Crunch.
Galdur's fist trembled. Nightmares of the past spread through his mind, consuming him.
He could never satisfy Melina. To her, Galdur was an incompetent, talentless mage.
Galdur simply could not accept that remark. His pride would not allow it.
If he had no talent, then it meant no mage on the continent had talent.
If he couldn't satisfy Melina, then no one should be able to satisfy her.
That was how it had to be.
That would make Melina look arrogant, sheltered, and self-righteous.
Because then, it would prove he was right.
But...
'...A young mage held her own against that witch?'
That statement made Galdur blind with jealousy.
A talent so brilliant at a young age that it might surpass Melina.
- You're like trash.
- Don't call me your teacher from now on.
Galdur, trembling all over, let out a passionate cry.
"Why not me..."
FWOOOSH!
A terrifying heat burst from Galdur's entire body, and the surrounding scenery began to warp.
['Archmage Galdur' uses 'Illusion Flame'!]
The ultimate technique of the Red Tower, which he had previously shown to his disciples, was about to unfold before her eyes.
A flame that not only burned the world but distorted reality itself.
"I just have to kill you! I'll cut off your head and show it to the Gold Tower Lord! Then even she will admit that my talent is the greatest!"
The back alley transformed in an instant into a desolate plain.
The sun had far surpassed the level one could call merely hot.
KABOOOOOM!
Sunlight poured down upon Olivia with the intent to melt everything away.
A warning notification filled Olivia's vision.
[Health decreasing!]
'...Did I provoke him too much?'
Bright light scattered behind Galdur.
To Olivia, it was merely painful, but ordinary people would melt the instant they touched that light.
"Graaaaaah!"
The heat Galdur emitted grew even more intense. He didn't stop there and focused mana into his other hand.
['Archmage Galdur' uses 'Karmic Fire'!]
With a whoosh, ominous black flames shot toward Olivia.
'If this drags on much longer, it'll be dangerous.'
Although it looked like a desolate plain, it was all just an illusion.
If this continued, there was a chance bystanders would be caught up in it.
Of course, Olivia wasn't truly worried about their lives.
Because if the citizens of Ikail died in droves, she couldn't avoid the attention of the regressors.
Galdur was staring down at her with a 'Well?' expression.
Olivia summed it up in one word.
"Moron."
At that, Galdur's face went blank for a moment.
"Now I see why Melina called you a moron. You really are one."
Olivia gave her characteristic contemptuous smile and extended her hand forward.
[Skill 'Lightning Bolt' activated.]
Lightning Energy gathered at her fingertips, and the sky was instantly covered in dark clouds.
"H-how is this..."
Galdur was so overwhelmed by the sight that he even forgot his own magic had been broken. A moment later, the sky screamed as if it would shatter.
Lightning filled her sight and struck Galdur directly.
*****
KWA-BOOOM!
At the sudden, colossal roar she felt, Esti whipped her head around.
"..."
The sky was quiet, as if nothing had happened. But the dark clouds still lingered, guarding their place.
Esti, who had been staring toward Ikail for a long while, soon wore an expression filled with ecstasy and passion.
Dozens of lives were fading in real time beneath her feet, but she couldn't care less about the lives of pirates.
Esti hugged her own shoulders. Her whole body felt like it was heating up.
"...You've come."
The liberator who would save her from this ancient bondage.