The Curse and the Berserker's Awakening
When Marquis Ater visited the mansion, I realized he was the mage who had cursed the duke. And he was undoubtedly keeping an eye on Benjamin, who was staying at the ducal residence. After that, it was easy.
I tipped off Benjamin about the marquis being the curse caster and instructed him to put on a simple act to lure him in. Rumors had been swirling that the Magic Tower Master, Benjamin, was visiting the north. The most credible one was that the north and the Magic Tower were forming a partnership—and there was only one thing in the north worth the Magic Tower's attention.
Mana stones. The north was the only place with mana stone mines. Until now, the Magic Tower had been able to buy them with its own funds, but with that becoming difficult, rumors spread that the master himself was reaching out to the duke for profit.
I used those rumors to make it seem like Benjamin was genuinely interested in the mana stones. Then I had him pretend to leave the ducal residence to inspect the mines. The marquis fell for it because the traces were erased with magic.
Finally, when I let slip to Ian about the Tentamen, the marquis followed me all the way here to make contact. The only places in the ducal residence protected by the Magic Tower Master's barriers were his quarters and my room. The marquis must have naturally suspected my connection to the tower master.
I'd anticipated he'd try to eliminate me first rather than risk touching the untouchable tower master, but I never expected him to go straight for the kill like that. I clicked my tongue as I recalled the one thing I hadn't foreseen.
"Ugh, damn it."
"Marquis, you'd better start talking nicely now."
I met his gaze. His eyes, gleaming with pain, were bulging with veins.
"Why did you try to kill the duke? Was it just you?"
"Heh heh heh."
The marquis suddenly burst into laughter—a grotesque cackle rising from the depths of his gut. I looked down at him with emotionless eyes.
"You think I'll talk? You and the duke are dead anyway. Lady Abigail."
Benjamin frowned and asked, "Should I beat him more?" His hand twitched, ready to cast a spell at any moment.
I quietly grabbed his hand. "No. He might die."
We couldn't have the marquis dying before we got any information. Instead, I hefted the longsword from its sheath, as big as a house door.
"How big is the barrier?"
"The whole area around here."
"Then screams won't matter."
I smiled sweetly and plunged the sheathed sword into the marquis's thigh. "Arghhh!" Blood gushed from the spot.
With a blank expression, I continued beating him mercilessly.
"...You really seem like the villain here."
"Shut up."
But no matter how much I stomped on him, the marquis wouldn't open his mouth. Tough bastard. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and turned to Benjamin.
"No choice. Interrogate him at the Magic Tower."
"Y-yeah."
He wiped the marquis's blood from his face with his gloved hand, and his complexion worsened. I couldn't understand why he was so rattled.
Leaving the unconscious marquis, I headed toward Ian, whom I'd forgotten about in the chaos. He seemed to still be out cold from the marquis's magic. But Benjamin blocked my path.
"Hey, that mutt's condition looks weird."
"Ian?"
I frowned and looked at Ian, sprawled far away. His body was trembling faintly.
"Grrr..."
A beastly growl leaked from Ian's mouth.
"Ian!"
I called out loudly. His body reacted, slowly rising. I felt a bit relieved, thinking the beastly sound had been my imagination.
But as I approached, Benjamin grabbed me. "Wait. His condition's off, I said."
"But..."
More importantly, I needed to check how badly Ian was hurt. He'd been flung far by the marquis—if he'd suffered a serious injury, it would be trouble.
Benjamin wouldn't let go. Then, I locked eyes with Ian, who had turned his head.
"Ian...?"
"Grrr."
Only then did I realize. Ian's appearance was definitely strange. Was that really the Ian I knew? His eyes gleamed with a reptilian yellow light.
"Ian, snap out of it!"
"Raaargh!"
Completely devoid of reason, Ian lunged at me. The distance closed in an instant.
"Not so fast!"
Benjamin calmly raised his staff to block him. Ian seemed even faster than when he'd faced the count's knights earlier—impressive that Benjamin stopped him. Embarrassingly, I just stood there dumbfounded. Caught off guard by Ian's sudden change, I couldn't move.
"What now? You can't kill the mutt, right?"
Benjamin turned to me, his translucent shield holding off Ian's attacks. The clash rang out like metal on metal—clang clang!
Ian swung his sword a few more times in midair before retreating. His unfocused eyes glared at me and Benjamin.
"Ian's from the Servo clan."
"Those fanatic weirdos? Then he's..."
"Yeah. In Berserker mode."
"Haa, what a headache."
Benjamin shook his head. I'd seen Ian as a last resort. Naive thinking. Who knew he'd turn that power on us? I'd been clueless about him.
"Anyway, he can't break this shield, so in the meantime... What the—?"
Benjamin and I sensed something off and looked at Ian. A snake-like black aura extended from his hand, wrapping around his sword. It felt different from pure mana.
Once his sword was tinged black, Ian struck the shield again. Clang!
"Crazy! Magic nullification?!"
A crack formed in Benjamin's shield. A few more hits and it'd shatter. As if his pride as tower master was cracking too, Benjamin's face twisted in anger.
"Benjamin, hold on."
"Don't stop me. I'll kill him."
"If anyone's doing it, it's me. He's my subordinate."
I drew my sword from its sheath and aimed it at Ian. Benjamin's shield was nearly broken. The frenzied, reasonless Ian would charge at me soon.
"Looks like you need some training, Ian."
I said coldly, adjusting my grip. Stopping the rampaging Ian was my job—no one else's.
"Abigail!"
"Gah!"
"Raaargh!"
The moment Benjamin's shield shattered, our swords clashed. Ian's black-aurad blade met my red-mana-infused one, exploding outward with a deafening boom.
Boom!
I swung wildly, our skills seemingly evenly matched at first glance. But as time passed, the difference in training would show. Abigail's talent was genius-level, but it couldn't yet match Ian's lifelong dedication. A prolonged fight would put me at risk.
Plus, that irritating black aura around Ian since entering Berserker mode. I needed to end it quickly.
I focused my strength into my sword hand. "Benjamin! Get back!"
"Got it."
I glanced as he teleported away with magic, then parried Ian's sword. Now.
The Dragon's Mana was power drawn from my heart. My heartbeat raced wildly. Every cell in my body awakened.
Ian staggered under my aura, and I unleashed my mana explosively. "Sit!"
Bam!
"Arghhh!"
With a powerful blast, Ian flew far away, tumbling end over end three times before stopping.
Having surged my mana so suddenly, I suffered a momentary breathing issue. As I gasped, Benjamin approached.
"Hah, huff."
"You okay?"
His staff neared me, the pure white gem atop it emitting dazzling light.
"You, huff, know healing magic too?"
"A little. Not as good as priests."
"Haa, that's enough."
It was miraculous—like an empty bottle filling with water, my lost energy returned. Magic really was convenient. I looked up.
Ian lay still where he'd landed, the ominous black aura gone.
I sighed and approached him. Benjamin asked from behind, "Dead?"
"Not yet."
His pulse was steady—I relaxed. But his body was a mess from my attack. I asked the idly standing Benjamin, "Heal him too."
"Hah, on a dumb mutt who can't even control his power..."
"Do it."
"...Fine."
He cast the spell on Ian with reluctant eyes. White light flowed, staunching the blood from his wounds. I sighed in relief.
"Take Ian back first."
"What about you?"
"I still have my trial."
"Oh, that Tentamen thing?"
"Yeah."
I gathered my pendant and fetched one of the horses tied to a tree—Ian's mount.
"But first, toss this guy in a rune prison."
Marquis Ater, bound tightly in Benjamin's chains of light, looked pathetic as he was tied to the horse. Officially, he'd be reported as having returned to his territory early for an emergency, only to go missing en route. In reality, he'd rot in the Magic Tower's prison under torture.
I felt no pity. He'd cursed the duke and tried to kill me today—a criminal through and through.
"Take care of it. Make sure no one suspects you interfered in the Tentamen."
"Don't worry."
Benjamin, master of all magics, would seal the marquis invisibly in a rune prison and safely return Ian to the mansion. I waved, relieved.
"Well, shall we go?"
Holding the pendant, I scanned the surroundings and followed where the black mana stone pointed. Passing the knights' corpses, I spotted a small path.
The stone hummed faintly, as if urging me on. Beyond the path loomed a massive statue greeting me—far larger than a person.
Upon closer inspection, it resembled a wolf. A huge stone wolf sculpture. But no pendant in sight, no matter how I looked.
Did the count trick me? I shook the pendant gravely. But its signal cut off precisely here.
Tricky situation. With no choice, I examined the wolf statue ahead. It was huge for a wolf, with elongated fangs, but still wolf-like.
Or was it a monster? Maybe a magical beast?