Chapter 8 - Who Will Bell the Cat?

In the world of mages, hierarchy was determined by Circle.

Mages were one of the few professions in the noble world where superior and subordinate were decided not by status or rank, but by pure skill.

In that sense, Thessalos Vulture had heard the greatest insult of his life today.

—Acceptable.

'Acceptable? Does he think a Mage is some fucking joke?'

Mages were given titles according to their Circle.

A 1st Circle was a Mana Walker.

A 2nd Circle was a Spell Blower.

A 3rd Circle was a Magic Walker.

And only after reaching the 4th Circle were they finally called a "Mage."

From the name alone, it was the stage where one was treated as a true mage.

'A mere Mana Walker brat dares say what? Acceptable?'

What position did a 1st Circle hold?

They were nothing but small fry who had to crawl before a 3rd Circle, and even treat a 2nd Circle with utmost respect.

And a bastard like that had called a 4th Circle acceptable.

Acceptable.

Acceptableacceptableacceptableacceptableacceptable.

That one word became a reverse scale in Thessalos's mind.

The Circle lodged in his lower abdomen spun tautly.

It would not have been strange if he fired magic at any moment.

He might have lost his reason and attacked then and there, but Ferda happened to make him a proposal worth being grateful for.

A mere 1st Circle had even challenged him to a duel.

Thessalos intended to teach him a lesson.

For the magic duel, they had come out to the clearing.

The two stood apart, each making their own preparations.

"There is something I am curious about. May I ask?"

Thessalos answered curtly.

"What is it?"

"What kind of magic do you use?"

At that question, Thessalos retorted as if he found it absurd.

"Asking about magic in a mage's duel? Is that not far too rude?"

"Was that rude? Hm, my apologies. It has been a long time since I dueled like this."

Thessalos was dumbfounded by words no 1st Circle should have been able to utter.

'What an arrogant little brat!'

At that moment, Thessalos made up his mind.

He would pour out everything he had and kill that bastard.

Ferda himself was not paying Thessalos any attention at all.

'Yes, now I remember a little.'

Just as he said, it had been more than twenty years since he had fought something called a duel.

After that, all Ferda had known were duels where people killed and were killed, and that had become natural.

'A mage's duel is like playing cards from behind a curtain.'

It was taking out one card at a time without being able to measure what cards the other had or how many they held.

It was a game that required theory, skill, and wisdom.

'He is a mage who reached the 4th Circle, so he should be able to use at least eight spells in one battle. He will use 4th-tier magic too.'

Tier magic was magic that only those who had reached a certain Circle could use.

Thessalos was a 4th Circle mage, so he could use magic up to the 4th-tier.

The mana he possessed would also easily be several times Ferda's.

'It will be like striking a boulder with an egg.'

Ferda already knew that everything was in Thessalos's favor.

However, Ferda had not once thought he would lose.

'I am not foolish enough to lose to an acceptable mage.'

That was what Ferda thought.

"Well, since the handicap is clear, I will tell you one thing."

Thessalos spoke with a wry smile.

If he was going to give information, there was no reason not to listen.

"What is it?"

"I, Thessalos Vulture, will use Magic Blast here. If you are a mage, I trust you know what that spell is."

Rather than Ferda himself, the lords who had come out to watch were more surprised and began murmuring.

"Magic Blast, you say..."

"Is that not a powerful spell focused on firepower?"

Among 4th-tier magic, it was a spell purely responsible for destructive power.

Since its destructive power was outstanding, it was an easy technique for another 4th Circle mage to counter.

However, that was not true for mages below that level.

Especially for a 1st Circle mage like Ferda, there was no hope.

That was why Thessalos was saying this.

—Submit even now, you bastard.

"Hm, is that so?"

Ferda tilted his head, then nodded as if he understood.

"Very well. I understand. I shall tell you one thing as well. The only spell I can use is Mana Shot."

"Mana Shot? You think you can defeat me with something that basic?"

Ferda waved his hand dismissively and answered.

"Ah, there is no need to worry about me. Unlike all of you, I know a great deal."

"You green little bastard...!"

The aura that made up Thessalos heaved violently.

"I will make you disappear from this land without a trace!"

Even amid killing intent that surged so fiercely, it did not reach Ferda.

'So this man was also a possessor of the Red Circle.'

The fact that he had grown stronger even after breaking his composure and drawing out his emotions meant one thing.

He was a mage of a similar nature to Ferda.

He, too, was someone who had trained his magic on the foundation of an inferiority complex.

'It feels familiar somehow.'

Ferda definitely knew this.

Like a chopstick deep inside a bottle.

It felt as if it might touch the tip of his fingers, yet could not.

Something kept tickling inside Ferda's memories.

'I will leave it for later. Right now, I need to focus on the magic.'

No matter what, this was a fight between a 1st Circle and a 4th Circle.

Ferda had already measured his own capacity in advance, and he reviewed it.

'The number of Mana Shot orbs an ordinary 1st Circle can use is three in total.'

Even that was only because they were not used to magic, so their concentration and senses were lacking.

'The number I can make is six in total.'

If he did not want to feel the aftereffects of mana depletion, five was the limit.

So he had five chances.

"Huuuuup!"

The intensified flow of mana gathered in Thessalos's palm.

The gathered mana swirled and drew a large circle just like that.

The circle of a magic circle.

And the glyphs inside it were drawn based on what Thessalos had memorized.

Ferda felt it in the wind brushing past his cheek.

The murderous intent was thick.

'That output...he means to kill me outright.'

But it did not matter.

If that killing intent did not reach him, then it had no meaning either.

Just as Thessalos had declared he would end it in one blow, Ferda also intended to end it with this one blow.

Ferda formed spheres of magic power at an even faster speed than him.

One on each finger, five spheres in total rested above his hand.

Even while Ferda's attack was complete, Thessalos's Magic Blast was still being drawn.

"The conclusion is clear."

Ferda said.

"I have won."

Along with Ferda's declaration of victory, the five spheres flew toward Thessalos.

Five arcs flew toward Thessalos.

"What the...!"

Thessalos, who was watching them, was startled, and before he could finish speaking, Ferda's attack ended.

BANG!

B-B-B-BOOM!

THUD!

From where Thessalos stood, a total of four explosions and one dull sound rang out.

The dirt in the clearing shot up, and dust spread thickly.

A moment later, everyone there was able to confirm the result.

"Guh..."

Thessalos, who had been chanting the magic circle, sat there groaning.

The right hand he was clutching had swollen bright red.

Trembling, Thessalos looked at Ferda and spoke in a low voice.

"I lost..."

The cheeky 1st Circle brat, Ferda, had won.

* * *

Thessalos was facing a situation that could truly be called astonishing.

He reviewed the scenes he had been unable to understand in that situation.

'The Mana Shot that flew toward my face.'

The sphere manifested from the middle finger had flown toward Thessalos's eye.

If one's head was pierced, anyone would die.

However, it was not easy to make a mage panic.

Even a Red Circle mage's magic would collapse if their concentration was broken.

But something flying toward the eye was different.

It was a situation where any human had no choice but to panic.

So Thessalos had cast defensive magic while chanting.

He was a 4th Circle mage who could defend and attack at the same time.

The three bullets he thought would fly toward his torso should have been blocked by the defensive magic as expected.

'What he aimed for was not my torso, but the magic circle.'

However, they exploded in front of the magic circle and destroyed the magic circle that had been maintaining its form.

'He destroyed the magic circle...'

Thessalos felt astonishment there.

If a magic circle was not perfectly constructed, something called a mana blind spot existed.

If an explosion occurred precisely at that blind spot, the effect of the magic circle could be reduced.

But that was only a matter of reducing it; destroying it was another realm entirely.

That man was using a technical field that only a mage of at least the 5th Circle should have been able to perceive and perform.

Like that, he had even destroyed the magic circle.

'And as the final finish, a low-output Mana Shot to the back of my right hand.'

Lowering the output meant he had no intention of killing him.

At the same time, it also meant that if he had wanted to, someone like him would have been dead.

Everything meant Ferda's complete victory, and even Thessalos, whose blood had rushed to his head, had no choice but to admit his defeat.

The result was so clear that even those who knew nothing about magic could understand it.

'How can a 1st Circle mage defeat a 4th Circle?'

'Did he not pull some trick? Because they could not allow the Consort to die...'

'The one who could pull such a trick would be...'

They wondered if perhaps the dragon had intervened and quietly turned their heads.

Feeling those gazes, Luri glared at them with her silver snake eyes.

"Would you please look away before I pluck those eyes out?"

"Eek!"

"Ahem!"

Luri openly displayed her disgust.

Unlike with Ferda, she had no need to observe formalities with them.

"Do you accept the result?"

"... I accept it."

Thessalos gave a hearty laugh and said this.

"To think... I would see a master of this caliber here. The world truly is vast."

Thessalos respectfully bowed his head and acknowledged Ferda's skill.

"Your skill is also outstanding compared to other 4th Circles. I am truly glad we have a force like you."

"Haha... I am honored to meet such a master after leaving the capital. Being demoted was not only a bad thing."

Hearing those words, Ferda's body flinched.

"... Did you say you were demoted?"

"That is correct."

"For political reasons?"

"Yes."

Words swirled inside Ferda's mind.

A Red Circle mage.

Demotion due to political issues.

And an inferiority complex.

Mana of a similar nature.

Vengefulness.

"What did you say your name was?"

"I am Thessalos Vulture."

Only then did Ferda understand.

"Thessalos Vulture... Yes... I finally remember."

"Do you know me?"

A question mark seemed to appear over Thessalos's head.

He searched his memory, wondering if they had met once before, but House Rosnova and he had no point of contact to speak of.

However, Ferda nodded.

"I know you. You are my benefactor."

"Benefactor...? When did we ever meet?"

"Not in the past. This is a story of the distant future."

"The distant future? What in the world does that—"

BANG!

His words did not continue.

A large hole had been blown through Thessalos's head.

Aiming at that hole was Ferda's index finger.

He had pierced Thessalos's forehead with Mana Shot.

"That is why I cannot leave you alive."

* * *

The people who had watched all of Ferda's actions could not hide their shock.

Ferda had killed a noble.

No one could intentionally murder a noble, and even Grand Duchess Valdrova's fiancé could not be forgiven for such a thing.

How could he commit such a heinous act!

It was something that ought to be denounced and condemned.

However, Ferda also had reason enough.

'Thessalos was no different in trying to kill him...'

'Should we consider it...self-defense?'

The lords also knew what Thessalos had tried to do.

Out of personal feelings, he had used 4th-tier magic and chanted a spell powerful enough to kill the Consort.

The fact that he had executed him outside the duel, rather than during it, was a blemish on him.

Normally, they would have been piranhas ready to pounce with delight, but the lords only looked at one another's faces.

Their thoughts were all the same.

Among rats like us, who would bell that cat?

Ferda, who had killed Thessalos, turned his head.

Ferda's face was clearly stained with blood that had spattered when the forehead was pierced.

A face from which not a shred of emotion could be felt, and blood.

Those elements made all the lords feel a chill.

Ferda himself had no idea of that fact.

He was in no state to care about it.

'I am dizzy.'

Ferda had used every bit of mana in his body without leaving any behind.

The difference between leaving 1% and leaving 0% was enormous.

Ferda had poured it all out so that he would leave not even the slightest room, and from the backlash, he felt a headache and dizziness.

Even staying conscious was difficult, and because of that, controlling his expression was difficult as well.

His face clearly looked like that of an irritated man.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"Uh... That, well..."

Their eyes quietly dropped toward Thessalos.

Only then did Ferda understand.

"Ah, is it because of Thessalos? Do not mind it. This man was someone who had done things that made him deserve to die."

He could not hold himself properly, as if he were drunk.

The muscles in his face spasmed and twitched.

"If this man had lived, he would have done something that would make the Grand Duchess grieve."

"T-The Grand Duchess, you say?"

"Yes. The Grand Duchess is a merciful person. She likes humans and fights for them."

At that moment, the headache rose.

It was so violent that his expressionless face twisted fiercely.

So fiercely that one might mistake it for an expression of disgust.

"I dislike people who make her grieve."

"Do you mean someone from House Vulture...made her that way?"

"No. I did it only because there was no doubt he would make her that way."

The lords who heard his answer became even more confused.

'W-What kind of bullshit is that?'

'There was no doubt he would make her that way? Then that means he had not even done it yet.'

'The one who is to become the Grand Duchess's Consort is this complete lunatic?!'

Cold sweat ran down their backs at his behavior, which they could not predict even one step ahead.

Ferda felt fear from them.

Wondering if he might be misunderstood, he emphasized his meaning one more time.

"Do not worry. I truly do not care in the slightest what you all do."

Seriously.

Who was going to bell that mad cat?