Wise Assistant Life (6)
The moment I struck the blood-red sphere, tendrils of flesh swelled in size, blocking my sword. It was as if it reacted whenever someone tried to harm it. At the same time, unfamiliar figures were summoned around me.
Black mages. Not the ones Bellum and his men were dealing with—these were different ones. They must have been in another space, and the moment the sphere was attacked, a spell activated just like with the mass of flesh.
"They came prepared, huh."
Of course. It wouldn't make sense to just leave such an important item—one they'd poured money and manpower into creating—unguarded. I scanned the ten black mages surrounding me. Nine of them immediately began casting black magic the instant they spotted me. Sinister energy welled up from their fingertips.
Slash—!
But I wasn't standing still either. I swiftly swung my sword, severing one guy's neck. His head tumbled to the ground with a thud. Panic flickered across their faces in that instant. Yet they didn't stop their casting.
A barrier formed around me. The pitch-black curtain completely severed the space. It felt like I was left alone in the world.
But the black mages' assault didn't end there. The interior of the barrier rippled. And with that, black magic came rushing at me. Exhaustion, weakening, sensory deprivation—they unleashed every curse they could muster. They even tried to steal my mana, desperate to neutralize me somehow.
I resisted by emitting my own mana. I wasn't weak enough to fall to curses like these. But the space isolation was perfect; no matter how much I extended my senses, I couldn't feel anything beyond the barrier.
No problem, though. I gripped my sword and assumed a stance.
But in that moment, the barrier twisted, and black mana coalesced into thorny forms. Sharp thorns generated from all directions lunged straight at me. The thorns filling the barrier interior left no room to dodge.
I quickly deployed a shield. Clang!! The black thorns crashed against the barrier, sparks flying. I didn't stop there—I pushed back with the shield, widening the space.
The black mages wouldn't let that slide. Black magic wrapped around the thorn tips. The point of contact began to melt. At this rate, the shield would break, and I'd be impaled.
My decision was swift. I reverse-engineered the thorns and the black magic coating them. I wove my own magic subtly into the parsed black magic. Right then, a thorn pierced me.
There was no pain. I'd assimilated part of the black magic with my flesh during the reversal.
I stayed still, impaled on the thorn. Through that sensation, I picked up on the outside situation. I'd linked the barrier to my senses.
"Is he dead?"
"No reaction."
"Be careful. This guy's the one who dragged in the capital's biggest syndicate."
Murmurs went back and forth, and to make sure, they stabbed me a few more times with the black thorns. Convinced I was fully dead, they slowly lifted the barrier.
And in that instant, I kicked off the ground and swung my sword.
Splatter!! A black mage was bisected, blood gushing from the cross-section. I didn't stop. Two more swings took out the two beside him.
Six left. Excluding the one hanging back a bit, I just needed to kill five more.
"……."
"……."
Having killed three in the blink of an eye, they fell silent. Unlike before, genuine panic showed on their faces this time.
"How did he survive inside there…."
"No need to know, asshole."
I cut off the one who'd opened his mouth without a long explanation. Blood sprayed through the air. Of course, I kept my arms moving without pausing the attack.
The remaining black mages fell easily. Even in a group, mages couldn't beat a swordsman up close.
"Just you left now?"
The man guarding the blood-red sphere like a shield. He was the last black mage standing here.
"Should've all rushed me together. Black mages really have no camaraderie, huh."
"…You seem to know who we are."
"Yeah, I do."
"Not very wise for a syndicate leader. Do you know what happens if you mess with us…."
I snorted at that.
"Doesn't matter—you're still black mages. And who's to say you're the leader? Could be a subordinate."
"Don't underestimate our intelligence network. We already know you've taken over the criminal syndicate called Cantia."
It wouldn't make sense if the guys operating in the capital hadn't investigated that much.
"So what? You're about to die anyway."
"…I don't know why you're attacking, but if you back off now, I promise compensation."
He tried to bribe me. As if I'd fall for that.
"Sorry, but I'm a patriot. Can't betray my country."
"A foolish choice."
The moment he finished speaking, he swung his arm from below upward. Flesh erupted from the ground. The massively swollen mass pressed toward me.
"So you're the controller, huh."
I backed away without engaging the flesh. From our earlier clash, I'd gauged it wasn't ordinary meat—it was tough enough to block my attack easily. Destroying it would require a much stronger strike than before.
Of course, no need to take the hard route.
Whoosh—!!
I spread a magic circle at my feet. But not ordinary magic—black magic. The barrier spell they'd just tried to kill me with, now fully parsed.
The black magic emanating from me swiftly dominated the space. This spell blocked vision with pitch-black mana even without curses. But it didn't stop there—it sealed off all senses except hearing with curses.
I was inside the barrier too, but as the caster, I was unaffected.
"…How do you know this magic."
He muttered, frozen in place. He seemed puzzled that I was using their magic.
I told the pondering guy, "Feels like shit when it's turned on you, right?"
"…Are you a black mage?"
"What black mage? Do I look like one of you?"
"But…."
"Shut up."
Shing—I pressed the blade to his throat and slightly eased the curse. As his senses partially returned and he felt the cold steel, a bead of cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
"You kill innocent people, and now you're talking back?"
"……."
"Trash like you guys—without Senior Ruina, you couldn't do shit, yet you're all brutal."
"How do you know Lady Ruina… Who are you?"
"Me?"
The space was isolated. Nothing happening inside would leak out. So I removed the mask I'd hidden with magic.
"Ruina's junior, asshole."
"……."
Seeing my face, he went silent. But the shock was obvious. Only after a long pause did he speak.
"I have a request."
Surprisingly calm tone. No way to resist at this point, so I decided to hear his nonsense.
"What, you want me to spare you?"
"No. Saint… please…."
In that instant, he pushed off the ground, twisting his upper body. Toward the blade. I thought it was a feint to escape—didn't expect this, so my reaction was a beat slow.
"Save Lady Ruina…."
He couldn't finish. Karthas's edge sliced his throat like tofu. The severed head rolled across the ground.
"Fuck…."
What the hell was that last thing he said while suiciding? An inexplicable unease settled in.
I emptied my soiled insides. Then dispelled the barrier and reverted my appearance.
"Haa… Why's nothing going right lately."
Sighing in frustration, I raised my sword to destroy the altar and blood-red sphere.
"…Let's head back."
Rumble!!
A massive explosion filled the underground waterway.
A few days passed after that incident. Time flowed on, and finally, the joint first- and second-year practical training arrived.
Ruina, as the professor in charge of first-years, participated in the event. I had no schedule that day, so I joined her.
The joint practical was called Material Hunt. First- and second-years scattered across a vast area had to team up and find the highest-quality materials.
I watched the students' progress on the shared screen. But someone beside me was staring intently at me. Naturally, it was Senior Ruina.
Seeing that, I asked her—as I had these past few days—what was up.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"…Nothing."
She turned her head. Lately, scenes like this had played out between us.
There was one reason for it. Her father hadn't called her for any more summoning rituals.
Obviously, since I'd wiped out the altar and everything else. Calling Ruina now would be tough.
Plus, I'd had Bellum surveil the capital. To pull off the same stunt again, they'd need ten times the money and manpower they'd already sunk in.
But Ruina had her suspicions, and since I'd offered to help before, she eyed me warily. Wondering if I'd done it.
So she'd been probing like this lately. Finally unable to hold back, she asked today.
"Did you do it?"
"Huh? Do what?"
"You know."
"No idea what you're talking about, Senior."
She stared at me so intensely it was burdensome, ignoring the joint practical entirely.
"You're a professor—shouldn't you watch the training?"
"…I can watch the recording later. Did you really not?"
"I said I didn't."
Under her persistent questioning, I played dumb.
"…You're lying."
"Senior."
"Yeah."
"Do I look like I'm lying?"
I met Ruina's eyes as I spoke. She stared right back without flinching, then finally shook her head.
"I don't know."
"So you're suspecting me without being sure?"
"…That's not it."
Embarrassed or sulky, she turned away. No matter what I said, she wouldn't look at me.
It was so cute that I couldn't help smiling.
This should settle it.
With the source of her torment gone, Ruina's face wasn't dark anymore. Still expressionless, of course, but a brightness lingered beneath.
"By the way, Rana's coming back today—want to head to the capital?"
So, until that future day arrived, I planned to keep up this kindness.
"Yeah, let's go."
For her bright expression.