The Magical Autumn Is Over
The Magical Autumn Is Over
Seraile glared at Daniel, breathing heavily.
Seeing Seraile in that state, Daniel couldn't help but admire her inwardly.
It was unbelievable that she had withstood a direct hit from a sniper rifle—theoretically capable of piercing tank armor—without any major injury.
'Even though it was an attack that would normally have made an ordinary person's body burst apart...'
Seraile had only taken a shock; she was still fully conscious.
However, just because her outward appearance was intact did not mean her insides were in perfect condition.
The ice crystals condensing around Seraile and scattering in all directions were proof of that.
She had desperately tried to cast magic to attack Daniel, but her mana wouldn't gather.
It was a side effect of momentarily reversing her mana flow to block the sniper rifle's attack.
"Damn...!"
Seraile raised her fist and struck the floor.
Realizing the tables had turned, Seraile gritted her teeth.
Steadying her breath in defeat, Seraile pushed herself upright.
"...Congratulations."
Seraile lifted her head and looked up at Daniel.
"You've won. It means my life is in your hands."
Beneath her disheveled hair, her red eyes were half-open.
"What are you going to do with me now? Are you going to kill me or something?"
Just as Daniel was about to answer,
"Wait...!"
Lucy, who had cut off his reply, stepped closer.
"There is something I want to ask this woman. Of course..."
Lucy looked at Daniel.
"...only if the Division Commander permits it."
Daniel couldn't bring himself to say no.
Because the source of the horrific memories Lucy had endured in her childhood was Seraile, now right in front of them.
Normally, Daniel would have said it was too dangerous and refused, but just this once, he decided to turn a blind eye.
Because there would be no opportunity once Seraile was no longer neutralized.
"Permission granted."
After thanking Daniel with a slight bow, Lucy looked down at Seraile.
A vivid fury swirled in her eyes, reddened by the Factor manifestation.
"Seraile. From now on, answer my questions. Why did you provide your Factor to Count Kaledra? You must have known that countless children would lose their lives due to the Allied Nations' human experimentation."
"You call that a question?"
Seraile let out a low laugh.
"What do you think magic is? Magic is status. To be precise, magic is a miracle that can only be used by those chosen by the god who created this world. The fact that everyone is born with mana, but those who can use magic are limited, is proof of that."
Seraile's words were filled with sincerity.
"That is why mages have always occupied a noble position in human history. It's only natural. We mages have always been the vanguard of humanity, the intellectuals leading the ignorant masses. But with the development of guns, things began to go awry."
Seraile glared at the sniper rifle Daniel was holding with a look of hatred.
"Trash who can't use magic became able to kill mages far too easily simply by putting mana into bullets. Because ordinary mana shields were shattered by bullets."
Frustrated, Seraile's hands trembled.
"Have you ever thought about it? Cases where a street urchin easily kills a mage who dedicated long years to magic research, just because they have a gun?"
Daniel frowned.
"Are you trying to say that's unjust now?"
"Then does this look normal to you?! Guns... that lump of metal should never have been developed! Once any piece of trash could get their hands on guns, we noble mages began to be ostracized! This is a challenge to our status! A challenge to god!"
Daniel tried to refute her but closed his mouth.
Looking into those madness-filled eyes, persuasion seemed utterly impossible.
"I couldn't tolerate it. I couldn't understand why trash was threatening our place. That's why I joined Count Kaledra's plan. I thought if we produced superior mages like me, you trash would look up to us again!"
"Are you calling that an excuse...!"
Lucy couldn't hold back and cut in.
"Hundreds of innocent children died because of your useless ideals! Mages are noble? How many people do you think could look at you right now and still think that?"
Seraile's eyes, which had been rolling, turned toward Lucy.
"...It seems Count Kaledra betrayed my expectations. Lucy Emilia. As I thought, you are not a mage. You are nothing more than a weapon of war created by the Allied Nations."
Lucy clenched her fist tight.
'That's enough now.'
Seraile was a being who deserved not even a shred of sympathy.
Even for the sake of avenging the children who had died as test subjects, it was right to kill her here and now.
It was the moment Lucy made that judgment and was about to move into action.
"Ah! Everyone's here!"
A ringing voice made everyone turn their gaze.
Frien was walking in from the entrance of the room.
"From some point on, the mansion's structure returned to normal. So we decided to head toward the center of the mansion, and along the way, we ended up meeting Major General Daniel and Major Lucy like this."
Frien, who had approached with a bright smile, saw the wound on Lucy's shoulder and made a surprised expression.
"Oh dear. You seem to be injured. Please wait just a moment."
When Frien placed her hand on Lucy's shoulder, black mana spread softly and then disappeared.
Lucy, whose shoulder had been healed, stood there awkwardly for a moment before letting out a dry cough.
"...Thank you."
Just moments ago, fury had been boiling up to the top of her head, but Frien's appearance had diluted it somewhat.
Daniel was also relieved to see that Frien was safe.
"Frien. I was worried the dolls might harm you, but I'm glad you seem to be fine."
"It was needless worry. You know as well, Major General Daniel. I've encountered the dolls several times; did you think I'd lose? Still, I'm happy you were thinking of me."
Frien, who had been maintaining a harmonious atmosphere, looked down at Seraile, who was sitting on the floor.
"But this person is..."
"It's Seraile. The very person who has tormented you countless times."
"Is that so? It's my first time seeing her in person. She's a little different from what I imagined. I thought she would look a bit more fierce."
As Frien was making small talk, Daniel took out a revolver from his chest and handed it over.
Among them, Frien was the one who had suffered the most at Seraile's hands, so this was telling her to end it personally.
Understanding what it meant, Frien accepted the revolver Daniel handed over.
But she didn't shoot right away.
Sensing hesitation in that action, Seraile immediately opened her mouth.
"Wait a moment! You're really going to kill me? The knowledge I possess is greater than all of yours combined! How about it? Let's set aside past grudges and join hands for now?"
Lucy bristled and tried to step forward, but Daniel raised a hand to stop her.
Because Frien was looking steadily down at Seraile as if she had something to say.
"She's probably not wrong."
Frien's eyes slowly narrowed.
"Certainly, Seraile's knowledge would be helpful to us. Even if she has secrets she can't tell, I could find out somehow if I conduct torture."
"...Torture? What do you mean?"
"I mean torture, literally. I'll torment you using every method I know. You'll probably end up screaming like a child?"
Seraile swallowed dryly.
On the surface, she pretended to be terrified, but inwardly, Seraile held a sneer.
She thought things were flowing according to plan.
However, Frien suddenly shifted her stance.
"But I think I'll stop after all. It would be better to just kill you here."
At that, Seraile's eyes went wide and round.
"...What did you say?"
She asked again, unable to understand, but Frien was resolute.
"I know you well. You may not know, but I've had conversations with you several times in the past. From what I've felt, you were an extremely practical person. You have a strong tendency to judge that as long as you're alive, an opportunity will come somehow."
Step─
Frien stepped forward.
"You're still the same now. What do you think will happen if we try to take you out of the mansion? We would certainly be exposed to the traps you've laid throughout the mansion. Because you, having recovered even a small amount of mana, would try to attack us somehow."
Seraile's breathing grew rough as her intentions were exposed.
"Continuing to lead the conversation like this now is also waiting for your mana to recover, isn't it? Ah. What a pity. If you had just stalled for a little more time, you might have been able to escape from here."
Seraile's eyes trembled.
Frien, positioned behind Seraile, slowly reached out her hand.
Placing both hands on Seraile's shoulders, Frien bowed her head.
Frien moved her lips close to Seraile's ear, who felt the fear of death.
"You know. There's something you always used to say to me. I'll let you hear it now."
Frien slowly turned only her eyes to look at Seraile.
"Cut the bullshit. Things won't go according to your plan."
Seraile's mouth hung open blankly.
Frien let out a laugh as if amused and straightened up.
And then.
She pressed the muzzle against the back of Seraile's head.
Feeling the cold metal, Seraile let out a low sob.
Tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes.
"Please. Please, stop..."
Seraile pleaded for the first time, but Frien's expression only grew cold.
"It's too late."
Having delivered her final words, Frien pulled the trigger.
Taaang─
The single gunshot that followed announced that the age of magic had come to an end.