Parun Magic Kingdom (3)
“Damn them all…!!”
Petus stomped the ground furiously. He couldn’t contain his boiling rage. Why? It all stemmed from the humiliating incident just a few hours earlier.
Petus was one of the most promising mages in the Magic Tower. Among those under twenty, reaching 6-circle status was exceedingly rare in the tower’s history. Sure, his family’s support had played a role, but being on the cusp of Master rank alone proved his exceptional talent.
And yet, to be humiliated by some no-name knight—a Tianis Academy student, no less. Petus couldn’t accept it.
“That spoiled brat…”
Kyle Arden. His reputation was infamous even in the Magic Tower. No, it was well-known throughout the Parun Kingdom how utterly worthless he was. Born into the great Arden family, yet utterly talentless and with a temperament as vile as they come. A figure scorned not just by the Empire, but the entire continent.
That was Kyle Arden. And for a 6-circle mage like him to lose to that guy?
Petus’s right hand still throbbed when he recalled the moment.
“It had to be some magic tool. Or magic assistance. Otherwise…”
Maybe even Ruina Lindel. That wretched woman might have helped. She was a genius at alchemy, after all. Even if it was just support magic, her alchemy was on another level.
Grind. Petus gnashed his teeth.
He’d never liked Ruina since their Magic Tower days. She was always so arrogant, always stealing the spotlight. He couldn’t just let her be.
The spoiled brat needed to pay too, of course.
Petus turned his gaze. At the edge of his vision, he saw the two mining mana stones and crafting mana essence, chattering away. Their flirtatious demeanor was utterly revolting.
He moved far enough away that they wouldn’t notice, then drew up his mana to cast a spell. He intended to make them suffer.
Ideally, he’d cripple them for life. But he couldn’t.
The Arden and Lindel families. Both prestigious houses. Stirring trouble could bring an investigation team. And if his involvement came to light…
Petus could be expelled from the tower—or worse, killed.
“Not like that.”
He’d come this far. He couldn’t throw it all away over a moment’s anger.
The spell was complete: Stone Rain. It summoned rocks from above. Perfect for a stone-filled mine. And with recent reports of collapses, no evidence would remain.
Petus moved to activate it. But then—
“What the…?”
His mana scattered, the spell fizzling. At the same time, a chill crept up his neck. The sharp touch told him it was a blade.
“W-Who…!”
Petus froze, shouting at the unknown figure.
“You’re a mage, huh.”
The voice dripped with killing intent. Hatred lurked beneath.
“Y-Yeah, a mage. I don’t know who you are, but you’d better not do anything stupid. Or the Magic Tower will—”
“A mage. Mages…”
The mysterious man repeated the word obsessively. The fixation sent chills down Petus’s spine.
But Petus was a 6-circle mage. He subtly gathered mana. Then the man spoke.
“Mages are a sinful lot. They only bring harm to this world—creatures that shouldn’t exist. So… they must vanish from it!!”
“You bastard…!”
A memory flashed in Petus’s mind. The mage disappearances. For the past month, Magic Tower mages had been vanishing. The investigation had narrowed it down to one suspect…
“The Mage Killer! You’ve been hiding here?!”
Petus squeezed out his mana. But again, the spell failed, dissipating into the air.
“What did you…?”
His words cut off.
Splat! Blood sprayed. His throat was slashed deep, gushing crimson.
“Guh… guhk…”
Petus clutched his neck. The Mage Killer watched and said,
“Mage, atone with your death.”
He turned, activating a magic scroll on the wall. Three seconds after he left—
BOOM!!
The mine exploded.
***
Rumble! The vibrations reached even here. The epicenter seemed distant, but damage would hit soon enough.
Did something like this happen in the Magic Tower arc at this point…?
I didn’t know the details. The novel only mentioned the tower when Evan reached his second year. And the Magic Kingdom arc wasn’t heavily featured.
Anyway, no time for idle thoughts. One thing mattered now.
“Looks like we need to get out.”
“It’s fine. The essence is done.”
At her words, I tossed the pickaxe and took back the entrusted Carsa. Then—
Kaboom!!
The shaking intensified. In a mine like this, once collapse started, it spread fast.
“I’ll clear the path. Hold on tight and follow.”
“Okay.”
A normal essence would fit in sub-space. But Ruina Lindel’s was too mana-dense.
I sprinted toward the exit. I remembered the route.
As we progressed smoothly, a rock fell from the ceiling.
Slice! I cut it down without hesitation. Carsa cleaved the stone effortlessly.
The exit was still far. She’d gone deep for high-quality stones.
So the way out took time. And the mine kept changing by the second.
Roooar! The quakes worsened. Cracks widened in the unstable floor.
No issue, though. Neither Ruina Lindel nor I would fall into such holes.
Soon after, I halted at an obstacle.
“Senior, the path’s blocked.”
The collapse had reached ahead, a pile of rubble from the fallen ceiling barring the way. A light mana scan showed it stretched far.
“Can’t get out?”
“We can, but it’ll take time.”
The rocks weren’t a big deal. Magic and swordplay could handle it. But the unstable mine slowed us.
“How long?”
“About two hours?”
“Too long…”
She grumbled, handed me the mana essence, and stepped to the rubble. Then she activated alchemy.
Crackle! The rocks decomposed instantly. The 300-meter chain turned to molecules.
Collapse threatened again, but Ruina Lindel handled it calmly. She filled the gaps with the decomposed stone, reinforcing each side with embedded mana stones.
The new passage gleamed—sturdy and flawless. No collapse here anytime soon.
“Follow.”
“Yes.”
Ruina Lindel advanced, adjusting with alchemy. I followed, nothing to do but keep up.
Clearing more rubble, a hand emerged—bandaged, familiar.
I recognized the owner immediately.
“Isn’t that the guy from earlier?”
“Yeah.”
Petus, the 6-circle mage. The one who’d been nearby was buried here.
I pulled him out.
“He’s gonna die soon.”
Blood soaked his dirt-caked body, drenching him. The throat wound had leaked enough for instant death. He’d staunched it somewhat, but his heartbeat could stop any second.
“What now?”
“Can you save him?”
“Not hard.”
Anyone short of fully dead was easy to heal. Humans don’t die as easily as you’d think.
“Then do it. He’s a colleague, idiot or not.”
“Sure.”
I cast a basic recovery spell. His color returned quickly.
But I wasn’t leaving him be.
“Hey, wake up.”
I slapped his cheeks.
“Ugh…”
“No stalling—get up!”
“Gyaak—!!”
A jolt of electricity woke him instantly.
“Wh-where…”
Slap! Another hit. His eyes focused.
“We’re short on time, got it? Spill it quick. Okay?”
“O-Okay.”
“No answers—explain why you’re here and what the hell happened.”
“…It’s…”
I raised my hand threateningly, and he spilled fast.
Once done—
“So the Mage Killer’s here?”
“Y-Yeah. Slashed me and vanished. He caused the explosion too…”
“How’d you survive?”
“Rapid regen magic tool, barely…”
“Enough. Don’t need more.”
More importantly… Mage Killer. The mage-hunting killer. Evan’s foe, a minor stepping stone. He’d been lurking in Parun around now. Made sense for his backstory.
“Senior, what’s the plan? He’s probably still around.”
My senses said he hadn’t left the mine. A psycho like that wouldn’t miss this chance—prime hunting ground for mages.
“Can you take him?”
“Not easy, but not impossible.”
His special ability was tricky, but winnable. And he wasn’t Master rank.
“Leave it to you?”
“Of course.”
Oh, right—he had a good artifact.
“Spoils are mine?”
“Yeah, don’t need ’em.”
She agreed readily.
“And since this mess kinda dragged you in, no extra commission?”
“…No.”
Tch, figures.
“But…”
Ruina Lindel paused.
“Fine. This once.”
“Thanks.”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s move.”
She pressed on with alchemy. I slung Petus over my shoulder and followed. Annoying, but blood loss meant I had to carry him.
The passage neared the exit. Faint outside light appeared.
But we couldn’t rush.
Bodies littered the entrance.
“H-Hiiik…! All those…”
“Shut it.”
I hurled the noisy Petus aside. Examined the corpses. All mages, still warm—dead maybe ten minutes ago.
“Senior, seal the exit?”
“Got it.”
She alchemized the open mouth shut. Light dimmed inside, but no big deal.
“Why not come out?”
I stared at one spot. I’d sensed him long ago.
From the shadows, the Mage Killer emerged.