Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Oops.
The Black Flame Dragon’s big mouth had caused trouble again.
But Katrinne reacted in a way I hadn’t expected.
Given her usual nasty, prideful temperament, I’d thought she would fly into a rage and charge at the Lich.
“…What are you talking about?”
“Hm?”
“…Young Master Ban, why would you protect me? Have you actually gone mad?”
Her words were still harsh, but there was something less venomous in her voice.
Looking closer, I could sense a faint trace of bewilderment beyond her fierce eyes.
‘…Could she have taken my words as genuine concern?’
I realized why.
‘Katrinne has never had anyone protect her.’
Ever since she was born, Katrinne had been abandoned by her father and mother.
Even after she went to the Prestigious Magic Family, no one had protected her.
Everyone was her enemy.
Katrinne had never experienced the protection from adults that every child in the world was supposed to receive.
That was why she was reacting this way.
In other words, was this a case of, “You’re the first person to treat me like this!”?
‘…Should I put Katrinne to work?’
I thought it over, ever so slyly.
The reason I’d planned to exclude Katrinne was that there was no chance she would obediently follow my orders.
But from the look of things, if I sweet-talked her, I might be able to use her as I pleased.
“Do you really want to take down that Lich? Then do as I say.”
“What kind of ridiculous—?!”
“Or do you think you can take that Lich down yourself? What astounding recklessness.”
Katrinne hesitated.
Because I was right.
“Young Master Ban, are you saying you can take that Lich down?”
“Yes. With my greatness, it will be easy. Trust me.”
“Hah!”
“If you can’t trust me, I’ll handle it alone. You’re in the way, so just step back. It would suit you better to stand behind me and marvel as I take down the Lich.”
In the end, Katrinne gritted her teeth and said, “If you’re talking nonsense, I won’t let you get away with it.”
Bingo.
She’d fallen for it.
I held out my hand.
“Take this Magic Sword.”
“…A Magic Sword?”
“Yes. When I give the signal, put everything you have into cutting down the Lich with this Magic Sword.”
Katrinne frowned.
“I’m a mage. I’ve never used a sword…”
“Even so, swinging a Magic Sword will be better than your pathetic magic. Surely you don’t think your inadequate magic will work on the Lich, do you?”
Katrinne fell silent.
For the record, even though she was seventeen—the age to enter the Academy—she still hadn’t mastered the First Star Rank.
Considering she came from a Prestigious Magic Family, her achievement was woefully lacking.
“Remember. Swing the sword when I give the signal, then move back immediately.”
After impressing that upon her, I walked toward the Lich.
The Lich showed no particular reaction, as though it were asleep.
‘It’s designed to regain consciousness in response to the mana of an opponent.’
The amount of mana I had was so pathetic that it remained asleep.
The opening I could exploit.
‘Still, if I start making a move, it’ll wake up. Before the Lich can properly react, I have to use my Grandmaster ability to shatter its Life Vessel.’
It was a race against time.
Would the Lich’s counterattack hit me first, or would I break its Life Vessel first?
‘Let’s do this right.’
I swallowed hard.
Now that it was time to actually do it, my heart was pounding.
‘Think about the comfortable, glorious future waiting for you. You can do this.’
I looked inside the Lich’s chest.
Deep within, I could see its Life Vessel, its core.
As I focused, the magical formation came into view.
It was a Seventh Star Rank magical formation, with no fewer than seven stars concentrated within it.
‘That star in the middle is the core!’
My Grandmaster ability pierced through the essence of the stars and discerned which one played the most crucial role.
‘The second star protects the whole formation, while the fourth and fifth stars surround the core like satellites.’
The core had protection of its own, so it was shielded three times over.
With the mana I had—no bigger than a chestnut—I could never break through that defense.
‘But if I aim for the gap, I can do it.’
The second star was a broad defense.
There were faint openings in it.
The fourth and fifth stars moved like satellites, filling those gaps, but—
There was a moment when the two stars crossed and an opening was revealed.
A gap only I could exploit.
‘Now!’
I raised my hand.
The Black Flame Dragon’s Charisma didn’t miss its chance, and launched into a spectacular bout of grandstanding.
“Disappear, filthy Chaos Monster.”
The magic activated.
First Star Rank: “Mana Needle.”
A basic attack spell that stabbed an opponent with a needle of mana.
It was a spell that could do no more than sting a little, with no killing power whatsoever—but if it struck the exact point at the exact moment, it could produce an effect beyond imagination.
[Kyaaaaaaaaah!!!]
Crash!
The protective formation around the Life Vessel collapsed.
But I had only dismantled the defense. I hadn’t destroyed the core yet.
The Lich let out a voice full of fury.
[How dare you…! To me, the Recluse of Darkness…!]
The Lich raised its hand.
Fwaaash!
Dark mana, Demonic Qi, gathered, and Black Magic began to manifest.
The instant that Black Magic hit me, I’d end up like a fly struck by a flyswatter.
But—
“Now!”
“Hah!”
Katrinne, who had been waiting behind me, thrust her sword forward.
Her technique was clumsy. But, as befitted the future Saint Hero of Light, her strike was decisive and without hesitation.
[Urgh! You insignificant humans…!!]
The magic carried by the sword was Holy Sword, an enchantment of the holy attribute.
It made the Lich falter.
It was only an instant, but it was worth its weight in gold.
‘My victory!’
The Lich belatedly began casting Black Magic and drawing in the dark mist, but I would be faster at smashing the core of its Life Vessel.
However, something unexpected happened.
“You worthless idiot! All that boasting—and now look at you! Watch out!”
Thinking I was in danger, Katrinne rushed in front of me and swung her Magic Sword at the dark mist.
I was grateful for the kindness behind it, but—
‘You’re in danger!!’
The mist surged toward Katrinne instead of me.
My vision went dark.
Originally, I’d planned to destroy the core and then use magic to escape backward at the same time. I’d already made all the preparations.
But if things went on like this, even if I escaped, Katrinne would get caught in the mist and die.
‘No! If Katrinne dies, who’s going to save the world?!’
I gritted my teeth.
I had to find a way.
Then, one thought flashed through my mind.
‘Could it work?’
I didn’t know if it was possible.
If I failed, I’d be caught up in that horrible mist along with her.
But—
‘Katrinne’s supposed to be the sucker who fights in my place! I can’t let her die!’
“Foolish girl. Didn’t I tell you to trust me?”
Tick. Tick.
As I reached out, a sound like dust scattering rang out.
It was mana dust.
More precisely, remnants of the mana that had spilled from the Magic Sword Katrinne had swung—the Holy Sword.
“W-what are you trying to do?”
Katrinne’s eyes widened.
She’d realized I was attempting something utterly absurd.
What I was trying to do was cast a spell using the remnants of the mana.
I didn’t know whether I could succeed.
In principle, it was impossible to cast a spell on the spot using mana floating in the air.
But—
‘Somehow, I feel like I can do it.’
“Watch closely.”
The remnants of light mana arranged themselves around me in a pattern.
Like a single star.
The faint motes of mana that had been circling between the vertices became points, and the points connected into lines.
An impromptu Magic Circle.
“This is what true magic looks like.”
What I cast was the First Star Rank Shield spell.
But its power was so immense that no one could have imagined it was only First Star Rank.
Powerful enough to hold back the Lich’s death mist, if only for a little while.
At the same time—
Crack!
The Life Vessel shattered.
[Grooooooo!!!]
-You have destroyed the Lich’s core!
-You have conquered the Wailing Cave!
-You have obtained the Mystery spell, “Shadow Sword”!
I did it!!
It had been close, but I’d succeeded.
‘The Shadow Sword pairs perfectly with the Grandmaster ability. With this, the hiring exam is nothing…’
But then, an unexpected message appeared.
-You have become Katrinne’s (Hero Candidate) benefactor!
-Katrinne’s “Affinity” toward you has increased!
‘…What is this?’
Cold sweat ran down my face.
Affinity.
It was one of the systems in Hero Academy.
The protagonists could interact with one another to raise their “affinity,” and this affinity had an important influence on how the story unfolded later on.
‘…I’m not even a protagonist. I’m an extra, so what the hell is this affinity nonsense?!’
The message didn’t seem to be a lie.
We’d left the cave and were taking a break, and Katrinne was glaring at me from across the way as if she meant to kill me.
‘What do I do?’
I was troubled.
As I’d said time and again, I had to stay away from the protagonists.
And yet, of all things, I’d drawn the attention of the most dangerous walking bomb.
‘Ugh. It’s not like I could’ve just left her to die. If Katrinne dies, who’s going to save the world?!’
I had no choice but to clean up the mess.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not as if I was trying to save you.”
Ah.
That doesn’t seem right.
Katrinne’s gaze turned strange.
I was about to make another excuse, but Katrinne cut me off with a sigh.
“…When did you learn magic like that?”
“I didn’t learn it. I’ve been a genius from the start.”
“…Young Master Ban, you mean you?”
“Yes. I’ve only been wandering because the world has failed to recognize my genius until now.”
Katrinne gave me a look that said I was talking nonsense, but I kept my expression confident.
What could she do if I said that was the case?
In the end, Katrinne couldn’t press me any further.
Instead, she sighed and asked me something I hadn’t expected.
“…Could I become like you, too?”
Her voice was heavy with all the worry she was carrying.
‘Hmm.’
I was troubled.
‘That’s impossible.’
Katrinne had one fundamental “problem.”
I couldn’t tell her how to solve it.
She had to realize it for herself.
‘Wait. What if I do this?’
An idea came to me for how to make Katrinne realize what her problem was.
And more than anything—
‘With this, I can make sure she stays far away from me!!’
“It’ll be difficult for you to become like me. I’m a heaven-sent genius, while you’re a once-in-a-millennium dullard.”
“……”
“But that doesn’t mean there’s no way. From now on, get plenty of hands-on experience.”
“…Hands-on experience?”
“Yes. As a future renowned professor, I guarantee that practical experience will be more effective for you than mere studying. You should go to Peridot Academy.”
Peridot Academy was located near the Demon Realm.
It was famous for its emphasis on practical training.
After being tossed around by Monsters nonstop, Katrinne would realize what her problem was.
‘Most importantly, Peridot Academy is the academy farthest from Rubiness Academy. I might never have to see her again!’
It wasn’t that I disliked Katrinne.
But you know how some relationships are?
The farther apart, the better.
It would be best if we could live far away from each other forever, while keeping only warm feelings for one another.
But then—
“Renowned professor? Are you saying you’re planning to become a professor? At which Academy?”
“…Rubiness Academy. Why do you ask?”
“…I was just asking.”
Katrinne abruptly pressed her lips together.
“I’m saying this for your sake. You absolutely must go to Peridot Academy. Trust me.”
I emphasized it again, with all sincerity.
“…All right. Rubiness Academy.”
“…No, I said you should go to Peridot Academy.”
“Yes, Rubiness Academy.”
“……”