Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Magic Genius with Korean Patch
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"Huff... huff."
The second daughter of House Celleron, Ivy Celleron, felt her breath coming in ragged gasps for the first time in ages.
Running wasn't difficult for her.
She was a 3rd Circle Mage—not quite on the level of a trained knight, but certainly not someone who would be winded by a sprint like this.
"Huff! Huff!"
Yet despite that, the more she ran, the more labored her breathing became.
Her body was fine, but her mind was a chaotic mess.
'How did things end up like this?'
It had been a perfect plan.
Nothing should have gotten in the way.
A suicide bombing carried out by ten of her fellow believers.
Klein, who had kicked things off, was the core of this operation—the one who had prepared for over ten years specifically for this moment, standing out even among the rest.
'The prince should have died right then...!'
Originally, Klein's explosion should have obliterated the entire staircase of the banquet hall, sweeping up the 5th Prince along with it.
And once she confirmed the prince's death in the blast, all she had to do was slip away unscathed.
'That damn fox ruined everything!'
A silver fox from who-knows-where had wrecked it all.
The explosion that should have demolished the banquet hall staircase and the 5th Prince...
Ended up blocked by that lone silver fox, weakened to the point it couldn't even kill the nearby knights.
'Impossible... this can't be happening!'
She had abandoned her parents, her siblings, her entire house for this.
Yet it had failed so spectacularly.
'I wanted to become an Apostle too...!'
If this had succeeded, she could have earned recognition from "Them."
She might even have risen to the rank of Apostle.
Just this morning, she had dreamed of a rosy future. Now, she faced the possibility of execution for her failure.
"Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff!"
The more she thought, the more her chaotic mind made her breathing grow rougher.
Her lungs felt like they were tightening, but she couldn't stop now.
The castle would collapse soon.
Even if they executed her for this, she didn't want to be buried alive under the rubble.
'I have to survive first. If I play my cards right... I might still live!'
And who knew? She had devoted so much.
The effort and money poured into this, even sacrificing her family to prove her loyalty.
"I can survive... I can survive... I can survive!"
A hopelessly slim chance, really.
But clinging to that thought steadied her ragged breath a little.
Focusing on the goal of escaping cleared her muddled mind somewhat.
And only then did she notice.
'...Someone's chasing me?'
She flinched.
Turning her head, she saw three people following her.
'...Silvermont?'
The first target of this terror attack was to kill the 5th Prince Lucian.
The second was to assassinate high nobles from the Empire and other nations, sparking social chaos alongside the prince's death.
That's why Ivy had approached the Silvermonts under a pretense of kindness, subtly guiding them near the site of the first explosion.
If the Silvermonts—Duke Langley's house—died along with the prince, it would have been perfect.
Yet here they were, chasing her.
And though she had been too absorbed in her failure to notice earlier...
"Silver... fox...!"
That silver fox that had blocked Klein's explosion.
Now that she thought about it, it seemed deeply connected to the Foxkin Silvermonts.
Ivy ground her teeth.
She was the one being chased, but that was fine.
'If I kill those ones, I might save my neck.'
Once she reached the end of this path, she could slaughter them all.
'This is suspicious... way too suspicious.'
As Jeon pursued Ivy, his suspicions about her grew stronger.
'The direction she's heading is straight to the back gate.'
The path Ivy was taking led to the castle's back gate.
Sure, it might just be the safest route by coincidence, but no explosions had gone off along this path at all.
Boom! BOOM!
All the blasts echoed from the opposite side.
That meant this wasn't just a probably safe route—it was guaranteed safe.
"You two, just in case—once we're outside the castle, get ready to fight immediately."
"...Got it."
"Understood."
Lena and Risar nodded without question at Jeon's words.
They had already been following his judgment completely on the way here, so there was no need for explanations.
Chasing her a bit further, the exit to the outside soon came into view.
A small door in the back gate area, untouched by people, bordering the rear forest.
The moment they stepped out through it.
Rumble... GROOOAN!
The castle, shaking from the chain of explosions, began to collapse slowly.
"You actually followed me all the way here."
Ivy finally stopped and turned around slowly.
Her hair and clothes disheveled from the frantic run, she flashed a mad grin that matched her wild appearance.
"Fine. Congrats on surviving inside there."
This time, unlike before when her eyes hadn't smiled, she leveled a feral grin at Jeon's group.
"But you won't survive here."
With that, Ivy immediately began casting a spell.
Three geometric shapes overlapping in a circle.
A 3rd Circle lightning spell, prepped in advance and completed swiftly, shot from her hand.
Too fast for a magical counter.
"Danger!"
ZZZCRACK!
But for Risar, a knight rather than a mage, it was plenty reactable.
Already prepared for battle, he infused his sword with aura and blocked her lightning spell.
"Oh? You've got a knight too, huh?"
Of course, Ivy hadn't expected that attack to win.
It was just the signal.
"Thought you'd come alone, but you brought some annoying tag-alongs, Ivy."
And sure enough.
Apparently hearing the noise from the lightning spell.
A man slowly emerged from the forest behind Ivy.
Solid build, sword at his waist—a knight through and through.
"That's why I had you waiting here for a moment like this, right? Ted."
"Tch, putting it so complicated—plan went sideways."
"...Shut up."
After a brief Imperial Language spat, they switched to their cipher for the rest.
"Kill these guys?"
"You take the knight for a bit. I'll handle the woman."
"What about the other human?"
"Just a translator. Ignore him."
As they readied for combat, the two conversed in their private code.
'...They didn't see me use magic.'
But Jeon heard every word clearly.
He listened quietly, assessing the situation.
Especially fortunate: Ivy didn't know he could use magic.
She must have fled before he used Compression.
"Hold the knight a moment, then on my signal, chuck a dagger my way."
"Sneaky move."
"You hate it?"
"Nah, I'm better with thrown daggers than swords. Perfect."
During the brief standoff, Ivy and Ted hashed out their plan.
Normally perfect, since the enemy wouldn't understand.
But Jeon understood perfectly.
"Listen up. Risar takes the knight. Lena, hold Ivy briefly."
"Briefly?"
"They probably don't know I can use magic. Just hold for a moment—I'll back you up right away. They'll target the knight first, then Ivy."
Jeon relayed his plan to Lena and Risar in Foxkin Language.
A beat faster than theirs.
The short standoff ended.
The battle began: one side knowing everything, the other trusting only their plan blindly.
Clang! CLANG!
Risar and Ted moved first.
Charging each other, their aura-charged swords clashed in fierce exchanges.
Next came Lena and Ivy's standoff.
ZZZAP! WHOOSH!
3rd Circle lightning and flames lit up the area.
And from behind them.
'Impressive.'
Jeon watched their fight for a moment.
Lena and Risar in full earnest were surprisingly skilled, by his standards.
Risar especially—young, but his level seemed higher than the knights from the expedition days.
His opponent Ted was no slouch either; they were evenly matched.
'...If I fought properly, I wouldn't last.'
What if he swapped with Risar against Ted?
'I could resist a bit.'
Using Guardian Rune Magic for defense and Compression to restrict— he could block a few attacks.
But only that.
Guardian worked for blocking attacks.
But Compression on living beings or mana-infused targets cost way more mana.
Especially a trained knight full of mana?
Not only would it fail to stick, no real damage either.
Of course, that assumed a straight 1v1.
This was different.
Jeon gripped his manastone, watching the battle.
Mana flowed from it into his body. He was ready to cast Rune Magic anytime.
As the fights intensified...
"Ted, now!"
At Ivy's signal, Ted reached for the dagger at his back.
His speed was blinding—Risar saw but couldn't react in that split second.
"Compression."
"Urk!?"
Jeon's prepped Rune Magic activated.
No casting needed—instant cast compressed the fabric on Ted's shoulder, halting his motion.
Normally, a flex would shake it off.
But mid-fight with Risar, prepping a sneak attack? Critical timing exposed.
SLASH!
"ARRGH!"
Risar's sword severed Ted's arm without mercy.
But it didn't stop.
It cleaved the other arm too, mid-dagger swing.
"Ted!"
Ivy cried out in shock, but no time to worry.
"Lady Lena!"
Risar, having disarmed Ted, charged straight at Ivy.
"You damned bastards!"
Even Lena alone was tough.
Now Risar too? Ivy knew she couldn't hold.
Capture meant horrors—images flashed in her mind.
'...At least take these ones with me!'
Death or capture—either led to ruin.
Realizing that, Ivy gritted her teeth with resolve.
"...Divine punishment!"
Her shout unleashed a spell—not at Lena or Risar, but herself.
Mutual destruction to end it all.
ZZZCRACK!
Mana lightning scorched her body, nerves, and finally her brain cleanly.
And at the fading edge of her vision.
-Kyaaang!
Ivy saw a silver fox leap from Jeon's arms.
The same one that blocked the prince's assassination blast.
'No way.'
Only in her dying moments.
Did Ivy realize who ruined all her plans.
Come to think of it, even Ted's sneak attack failed after that translator's word.
The "harmless" translator was the culprit behind it all.
'Damn... fucking...'
Her first vulgar curse in life... and she died.
Her suicidal blast was blocked by silver light.