Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Pioneer
Explaining to Dirgof that I wasn't the culprit wasn't difficult.
The previous incident had already been wrapped up by Veratis, and Philip's survival was still uncertain.
"I've heard that Instructor Philip is an alchemist. Is that correct?"
Through this question, I would gain one of two things, or perhaps both.
Clear evidence that I hadn't planned this incident.
And confirmation that Philip was still alive.
'Answer me, Veratis.'
No matter what he said, he would end up helping me.
"Yes, Philip is indeed an alchemist. He's the instructor in charge of that field."
"Then let me ask again."
"The hand you're holding right now, which you claim is Philip's, doesn't have the 'Book of Contract' engraved on it—the symbol of an alchemist. Do you know why that is?"
Veratis froze in place.
He turned his gaze to inspect the arm he had insisted was Philip's, then looked back and forth between me and Dirgof with a flustered expression.
'Got you.'
I was certain.
That arm he was holding wasn't Philip's. If it had been, the back of the hand would definitely have the Book of Contract. But the back of the hand he held was far too clean.
Ahem—
Dirgof cleared his throat while looking at him.
"Veratis, I'd like to hear your explanation for this."
It was over.
His claim had been proven a blatant lie. I no longer needed to explain anything; I just had to listen to their conversation.
"...Not bad, Strange brat."
Veratis, who had been stiff-faced, suddenly twitched the corner of his mouth upward.
Thwack!
He jabbed his aura-infused fingertip into Dirgof's abdomen.
It happened in an instant.
A strike too fast to react to.
Of course, if it had been me, I wouldn't have just stood there until my gut was pierced, but Dirgof, being a mage, had physical abilities on par with an ordinary person.
Plus, he was advanced in age, so dodging was impossible.
"Kuhuk!"
Blood gushed from Dirgof's mouth. He stared at Veratis's face without saying a word, then dropped his head.
Thud.
A great sage renowned for his vast knowledge, one of the top five mages on the continent, dying so pathetically.
"Damn mage bastard. That's why you should've just done as I said. Why drag it out and create this mess? You trying to die—"
Veratis furrowed his brows deeply.
"Hey, I'll kill you soon enough, so wait your turn."
He looked at me with a sinister villain's face—one I'd never seen in my previous life.
'No choice.'
Things had come to this; I'd have to fight.
I waited for him without drawing my sword from its sheath.
"Come at me."
"...You planning to fight without drawing your sword?"
"No need."
"Arrogant. Even after seeing my power just now, you say that."
I didn't respond.
Because I knew Veratis could never beat me.
He had told me in my previous life.
'My fists are as powerful as cannonballs and more accurate than an expert hunter's arrows. But I can't hit what I'm not looking at.'
That's right.
His technique had a fatal flaw.
To land an attack, he always had to keep his target in sight. In other words, if you blocked or dodged only where his gaze was directed, his attacks wouldn't connect.
'Now.'
Veratis's gaze locked onto my chin.
He must be aiming to end this in one blow.
I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly.
He always stepped forward with his right foot while thrusting his fist.
'Now.'
Whoosh!
It was a strike as sharp and precise as a sword blade slicing through the wind.
His fist flew silently.
Boom!
And upon reaching its target point, it exploded with a deafening roar like a cannon.
"...You dodged?"
It was by a single step.
Veratis's fist stopped right in front of my face.
He tilted his head, brows furrowed in disbelief.
'As expected.'
Dodging his attack wasn't hard.
The moment he thrust his fist, I just took one step back.
No need for a shield or sword to block or parry.
I already knew his arm's reach.
'Exactly.'
How many times had I been hit by his fists in my previous life? How could I not remember this much?
"So, can you catch me like this?"
Veratis flushed red and unleashed another straight punch.
I lightly evaded each time, tossing out remarks.
"Even a monkey would do better. Always the same pattern with your fists— that's why you can't hit."
"You damn little shit...!"
"Why not try using your feet? They're longer, after all."
This question enraged him completely.
I knew why Veratis never used kicks. In his youth, during a fight with my father, both legs were badly injured.
They said that on the first day I faced him, I slashed his knee the moment he tried a kick, and after that, he never used his legs in attacks.
Whoosh—
Veratis's punches were slowing.
His stamina was dropping sharply; it was obvious.
I waited for his next attack, then the moment his fist shot out, I aimed my sword at his throat.
Slash!
His fist stopped in front of my face, and my sword halted before his throat.
Exactly the outcome I'd intended.
It preserved his pride while making it look like a evenly matched bout.
"...Not bad, kid."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"Such talent... it's a shame to kill you."
"Then will you let me live?"
"Can't do that. What do you think would happen to me if I let you go?"
I met his eyes and slowly backed away, then kicked Dirgof's corpse into the lake.
Splash!
"...What the hell?"
"Destroying evidence."
"What?"
"It seems best if what happened here remains a secret between us two."
Whoosh.
A fireball swirled in my palm.
"Fireball."
A basic fire spell I'd learned from Brunhilt.
I used the flames to erase Dirgof's bloodstains as I replied.
Hiss—
"Veratis, you're after my father, aren't you? You killed me to lure him here."
Veratis listened silently. Whether out of truth or interest, he was focused on my words.
"The Tony, Jony, and Rony brothers. Killing any of them wouldn't move Father. That's why you ignored the older brothers until now."
"......"
"But I happened to arrive here, so you saw me as perfect bait to draw him out. That's why you set this up."
A smile crept onto his lips as he waved his hand in the air.
"Interesting. Keep going."
"You teamed up with Instructor Philip to trap me. Then use that as an excuse to start a war between Louisnes Academy and the Strange Family."
"......"
"So you could fight our father."
"Why would I target your father?"
"Reasons aplenty. The most likely one I can think of is that he kicked you out of his old party."
"......"
"If you deny it, I have nothing to say. But that's what I think. If it happened to me, I'd be humiliated and furious."
After hearing my deductions, Veratis grimaced while bursting into laughter, slapping his forehead with a smack!.
"You're one hell of a kid, huh? Ha... seriously! I heard Roys was bragging to his old comrades about the treasure he'd found."
Father went around boasting like that? Even seeking out his old comrades to do so.
"Real treasure, treasure. Even I can see it's a kid worth raising! Kahahahaha!"
I took a step closer and asked.
"Will you give me an answer now? I'd like to know your true goal."
"You already know everything, so why ask? Fine, say you heard the past from Roys— but how'd you figure out the rest?"
Bingo!
That was answer enough.
He'd acknowledged my deductions.
"Veratis, let me make you a proposal."
"A proposal? In this situation?"
"It seems our goals align..."
I sheathed my sword and continued.
Shing—
"I think we could make a great picture together." ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The path from the 40th to the 50th floor of the tower.
On the continent-sized '49th floor', before a vast sea battered by fierce winds, stood a massive castle.
There, Duchess Katarina and her guard unit arrived.
"Are your symptoms still not improving?"
Katarina asked Roys with pleading eyes.
"The medicine isn't working. It's definitely not a curse. And there's no way a mere monster's poison could affect me."
Roys de Strange, the head of the Strange Family and their pillar, gazed into the distance with hollow eyes.
Just recently, his presence had been so overwhelming no one could meet his gaze, but Katarina stared straight at his face without flinching.
"We'll find a way to cure you somehow. The royal court mage should be able to heal you."
"Enough. Even if I die, I won't accept a mage's help. Our ancestors would laugh. How could a swordsman rely on some mage?"
"But—"
"Quiet!"
Roys bellowed.
The castle shook as if struck by an earthquake.
Katarina bowed her head in fear.
Even the guards in the room could barely hold their weapons with trembling hands.
"I know my body best. If it's not a curse or poison, then it's definitely someone's ability."
Shiiiiek—
Behind Roys's back appeared a golden giant guardian spirit with six arms—one side of its face serene, the other furious.
"They're aiming for the gap in my weakened state to take my head. All I need to do is wait for the enemy."
"...Roys."
"Conversation ends here. I'm tired; leave."
Katarina could ask no more.
The family head's command was absolute. Even as his wife, she couldn't voice an opinion.
"I'll leave the medicine behind."
With those words, Katarina left the castle.
On her way out, she whispered meaningfully to a knight in black armor, in a voice so soft it was barely audible.
"Pass this to them. Tonight, finish the job."