Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: The Tamed Beast (3)
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A short while ago.
It was only a brief moment of observation, but my conclusion about Arthur was this.
The current Arthur was only reacting to someone’s aggression.
‘In other words, when I’m holding the gun.’
Arthur had definitely been looking at me, not Theodore, back then.
I had promised to use magic if needed, but Theodore clearly had no intent to attack.
But I had approached Arthur with the gun gripped tightly from the start.
Arthur never took his eyes off me the entire time I held the gun.
In short, only his animalistic instincts remained, like a wild beast.
I quickly began explaining.
“Arthur responds to what you say, but he’s not really listening to you, right?”
“Yes? Well, that’s true, but.”
“And yet, look—when I draw my gun, he’s staring at me again.”
The situation now was different from moments ago, when I’d been ready to actually fire in a dangerous spot.
Right now, I had no strong aggressive intent.
Maybe that was why Arthur’s gaze followed my gun but didn’t feel as threatening as before.
“Huff... huff...”
“Arma Cruise. If you excite Arthur—”
Arthur shook off Theodore’s hand from his shoulder.
Theodore placed his hand back on Arthur’s shoulder and started pressing down.
‘Still, this level gives us a shot.’
Theodore was physically restraining Arthur, who looked ready to charge at me any second.
But no matter what, Theodore couldn’t win against the size difference.
If Arthur wanted, he could barrel toward me even with Theodore slung over his shoulder.
Pretending to load bullets into the chamber, I said,
“Fortunately, he’s not reacting to my words at all.”
“...”
Even in the urgency, Theodore still looked confused.
And rightly so—I wasn’t even sure if my plan would succeed or fail.
No, I actually thought it was a reckless method more likely to fail.
Still, I figured it was better to try something than let Arthur turn into a vegetable.
‘Theodore... I trust you... You wouldn’t let me die, right?’
Hoping Theodore had the power to hold back an enraged Swordmaster, even if just for a moment, I continued.
“Cadets with magic aptitude all get some form of magic-seal brand, right? Some, like you, have it on an accessory, but Enoch Clark didn’t.”
“Arma Cruise, what are you talking about in this situation—”
“From now on, don’t answer. Just listen.”
It had been an offhand question at the time, but that conversation had sparked an idea.
I shook my head slightly, exposing the nape of my neck, and said,
“Enoch’s brand was near his neck. Etched right into the skin.”
-Click.
Arthur still wasn’t in his right mind.
But since the out-of-it Arthur was dutifully responding to Theodore’s words, it would be trouble if Theodore realized what I was planning.
I cocked the hammer, chambered the empty gun, and aimed it at Arthur.
‘This is chilling.’
Arthur stared at me with sharp eyes, like a predator eyeing prey.
“Whew...”
It felt insane to pull this in front of a half-mad prospective Swordmaster, but if Arthur didn’t have much time left, I had to try everything possible.
Fortunately, my training to stay calm while holding a gun was paying off big time.
My pounding heart settled steadily.
In moments like this, I pictured a gently rippling pond.
-Clack.
The key was to make him think I was a mage.
Did Theodore get it?
The moment my finger touched the trigger, Theodore urgently reached out toward me.
-Bang!
The hammer struck the firing pin, but since it wasn’t loaded, it shouldn’t have made much noise.
Yet the sound that rang out was loud enough to echo through the mountains, and the muzzle flashed unnaturally bright.
“Ugh!”
-Crash!
The shot and the impact happened almost simultaneously.
Theodore must have caught on in time, because a burning pain flared at my nape.
As I focused on the pain, the world flipped upside down, and agony shot through my twisted arm still clutching the gun.
“It hurts, it hurts! Let go!”
“Arthur!”
It had all happened in a flash.
The moment I “fired” the empty gun, Arthur lunged like a carnivore and wrenched my arm to point the barrel downward.
My arm hadn’t broken only because Theodore, having played his part, pinned Arthur with magic to protect me.
“...Brand?”
Even crushed under Theodore’s magic, Arthur didn’t release his grip on my arm.
We hit the ground face-first almost together.
He still seemed enraged, but upon seeing the “scar” burned into my neck by Theodore’s magic, Arthur froze.
‘Did it work...?’
It hurt like hell.
If my arm was dislocated, I was tempted to smack the confused Arthur out of spite.
As the pain pushed past my tolerance and physiological tears welled up, Arthur slowly eased the pressure on me.
“Arthur, I’m sorry.”
Theodore kept apologizing to him.
Flat on the ground and pinned, I couldn’t tell what was happening behind me.
‘Did he bring an extra sedative?!’
If so, I didn’t need to go through all this trouble.
That was when I thought it.
-Thud!
It was the sound of something fragile breaking that shouldn’t.
Soon after, Arthur, who’d seemed briefly sane, collapsed onto my back with a flop.
-Thunk.
And a rock the size of two fists dropped near my head.
“I knocked him out.”
“...”
What could I say...
Theodore’s calm madness was shining brighter than ever today.
Feeling Arthur’s weight grow heavier as he passed out, I slowly closed my eyes.
‘A physical mage...’
***
After that, Theodore bustled about.
The first thing he did was kick the unconscious Arthur over with his foot and help me up from underneath.
“Ow! It hurts!”
“Your shoulder seems slightly dislocated. Sorry, but—”
“Why are you apologizing?! No! I’ll die if I get hit by a rock. I’m fragile!”
“...Pardon?”
The recent events had been so shocking that Theodore’s apology sent chills down my spine.
Theodore frowned slightly (even through the eyepatch, his expression was clear) as if he’d heard the strangest thing, then deftly twisted my arm across my chest and popped my shoulder back in.
“What about the burn on your nape?”
“Leave it. More importantly, we need to get our story straight before the Student Council arrives.”
Fortunately, Arthur hadn’t ended up a vegetable.
He might be a bit dumbed down instead, but trading small for big wasn’t a bad deal.
“Good thing you caught on quick. Explaining step-by-step might’ve tipped Arthur off and ruined it.”
“Honestly, I didn’t get it until you pointed the empty gun at him. It clicked when you mentioned the brand on the nape.”
“Thanks to you, I’m alive.”
Gazing at Theodore, whose bracelet—used for the magic—had shattered again from the casting, I unconsciously rubbed my stinging nape.
“Ow, it stings.”
“I couldn’t control the power. If I’d realized sooner, I wouldn’t have used magic strong enough to burn you.”
The moment I “shot” at Arthur, Theodore had overlaid an illusion on my gun to make it look like a magical discharge.
At the same time, he’d burned my nape to mimic Enoch Clark’s brand, staging it like I’d violated the magic ban.
“It’s lucky he was out of it. If he’d been clear-headed, he wouldn’t have fallen for it.”
“...”
Theodore alternated glances between me and Arthur, silent for a long while.
Then, squeezing under Arthur’s armpit, he said,
“Thank you so much.”
“Whatever. Anyway, we stopped him from going catatonic this time, but what’s your plan next? Try hypnosis again?”
“No, he should be fine now. Mental suppression is a horrific curse, but once you break free of the suggestion, it unravels weakly. He’ll be okay until it’s reapplied.”
I watched Theodore grunt as he hauled Arthur—who was at least ten centimeters taller—then slipped my head under Arthur’s other armpit.
‘Part of me wants to just leave him here.’
It wasn’t intentional, but Arthur had tried to kill me and dislocate my shoulder.
It wasn’t a habitual dislocation-level injury, but as a pampered young master, I couldn’t help harboring some grudge.
‘...Just ditch him?’
Irritation flared sporadically.
But recalling Arthur’s words from just ten-odd minutes ago softened my anger a bit.
-I killed Ethan.
-He said I killed him.
Arthur’s brother ‘Ethan’ had apparently died in some incident that got him and Theodore expelled together.
Truth aside, Arthur carried heavy guilt over it, and attacking a non-mage like me had triggered his suppressed trauma and inhibitions, causing an explosive reaction.
I felt unfairly apologetic for accidentally poking at Arthur’s buried trauma when it wasn’t even my fault.
“Theodore.”
“Yes.”
“...When Arthur wakes up and seems stable, come to my room?”
“Got it.”
With the extra burden of Arthur, the forest path felt even longer as we staggered along.
-Caw! Caaaaw!
Even then, the agitated crows kept swooping low, threatening us.
After swatting away several that dove at our faces, we came up with a good cover story.
Here’s how it went: The riled-up crows attacked Theodore, so I fired my gun to save him.
Then the enraged crows went for me, and Theodore killed them with magic.
“This explains the gunshot and your broken brand perfectly.”
“But Arthur collapsing...”
“...Maybe we should just ditch him after all?”
“...”
Honestly, after days in the mountains enduring night dew and still coming out fine, Arthur was clearly the toughest of us.
Suppressing the urge to dump him and head back to the dorm, I forced my heavy steps forward.
When he opens his eyes, I wonder what state Arthur will be in?