Chapter - 203 Dismissal?
Brick said he would protect Herian.
A declaration with not a shred of worth, carrying only contempt. Maybe it sounded different to others, but at least to Verden, it was nothing else.
So, he made a point of killing Herian.
A blatant provocation, a show of disregard.
Brick's face twisted grimly.
Yet, he did not let himself be swept away by anger.
Clicking his tongue lightly, Brick brushed away his emotions.
"Phew, tch. Herian, I've lost a decent man. His skill may have fallen a little short compared to other court mages, but he was far more diligent. With this, I've no face to show Leonil, His Excellency."
What he felt was only that he had lost something useful.
That was all.
From the beginning, Brick was a mage who dedicated his life to others.
He had no family, but even if he had, if they wished for it, he would hand himself over without hesitation. Brick's mindset always centered on loyalty and duty.
Two court mages, including Herian.
The deaths of those who had spent years under Brick's command did not stir any sorrow. Only regret that the Royal Family of Estiria and Leonil had suffered loss.
"By the way, it's been a long time since I've turned my gaze away from the kingdom, so I don't know who you are, but… well, I'll call you as I please. Hey, blue-eyed mage. You've killed a court mage of the kingdom. How do you plan to repay that loss?"
"This is hardly the time to count losses."
Verden's gaze sank coldly.
Even if this Brick was strong as a court mage, the gap in power was clear.
The guardian elf, Karans.
The 5th tier high Magus, Edmon.
Verden, and Blue who bore his magic power. If battle broke out, it wouldn't be a close fight but a hunt.
And surely Brick knew that too.
'Yet he looks so composed.'
He even looked relaxed.
A reaction unnatural for the situation.
'…Is it related to that hand.'
Verden's gaze moved to Brick's right hand.
He was wearing a white glove, but beneath it, an abnormal amount of magic power was detected. It wasn't simply preparing a spell.
Then, Brick twisted his lips into a smile.
"I already know what you're thinking. You're wondering why I'm not daunted in this situation, aren't you. Well, the truth is, I've no reason or intent to hide it."
Brick, with emphasis, removed the glove.
On the back of his hand, a black object had been implanted. Over it, a geometric magic circle floated.
Verden pierced through its identity at once.
"A spatial coordinate system."
"Oh, far more learned than I thought. Yes, you're right. This is, quite literally, a magic item that relays the coordinates of space input by receiving the signal of His Excellency Leonil. You could call it both a transmitter and a receiver."
"Leonil?!"
Linus's eyes widened.
"N, no way, does that mean that Leonil himself is coming here…"
"The coordinates of this place have already been set, and the device activated. Once His Excellency Leonil sends the signal, a spatial teleportation circle will occur. Until the scheduled time… roughly ten minutes remain."
Brick's eyes curved upward in amusement.
"Of course, there is no way for you to stop it. Even if you kill me, even if you crush this hand to pieces. Once a coordinate system is activated, it cannot be undone by anything. The outcome is already determined."
"Heh, no wonder you stepped out alone, you had something to rely on. As sly as expected of a division leader among court mages."
"Filthy human."
"…I'm hearing a lot of harsh words today. Well, since you'll all die soon, I'll indulge it as much as you like. Curses from those who aren't black mages are nothing to fear anyway. Unless you return as undead. Ah, but before that, I have a proposal for you."
Brick focused on Verden.
"Blue-eyed mage, your talent looks excellent. Far greater than the court mages who died earlier. So, join the Court Mage Order."
"…"
"It would be a very beneficial offer for you. Better to convert into a court mage than be mercilessly slain by His Excellency Leonil. You'll not only save your life, but gain power as well. There's no reason to refuse. Of course, there is a condition."
Brick pointed at Edmon.
"Kill them with your own magic. Do that, and I'll personally petition His Excellency to grant you a seat."
Edmon's strength was most tempting.
'But he is a loyal subject of the marquisate.'
He would never accept persuasion, so the best choice was to eliminate him here. As for the elf, the spirit, and the craftsman, they were useless, so dispose of them along with him.
"Edmon Rodliner, now that a young mage with a bright future will struggle to survive, you don't intend to resist shamefully, do you?"
"…You've grown quite sly since last I saw you, Brick."
"Think nothing of it."
Brick shrugged his shoulders.
Utterly detestable. Edmon frowned and whispered to Verden.
"In my mind, there's only one way. Kill Brick in the shortest time possible, and then use the remaining time to get as far away as we can. The odds of not being discovered are slim… but it's the only possibility."
"…"
"What do you think?"
…No answer returned.
Of course, he knew Verden would not suddenly betray them. But the silence, without a word, left Edmon unsettled.
Verden ignored the reactions around him.
His gaze had been fixed on one spot all along.
Precisely, on the magic circle set into Brick's hand.
Spatial magic circles were without exception the highest level of difficulty.
Even for Verden, analyzing their structure took time. But his speed was beyond comparison with others.
At last, the analysis of the spatial coordinates was complete.
Releasing his concentration, Verden shifted his eyes aside.
"Sir Edmon."
"Oh, don't tell me you…"
"There is a countermeasure."
A countermeasure?
"Wh, what is it? No, what do you need me to do?"
Verden pointed at Brick's arm.
"Would you cut off that right hand for me."
***
Verden's voice echoed quietly.
In the silence that dropped instantly, Brick felt a chill.
"You, what did you just…"
A blade of wind flew forth.
With speed surpassing sound, with eerie sharpness. Too late to block with magic. Reading its trajectory, Brick twisted his body violently.
Shraaak!
Blood spurted from his torn robe.
"Tch, shallow, was it. You've certainly improved."
"What is this, blue-eyed mage, do you mean to reject my proposal? Even knowing you'll be killed in vain?"
"Don't speak to my brother, trash."
Karans dashed forward swiftly.
The movements that shifted here and there, aiming for blind spots, were hard to track with a mage's eyes. Projectile-type magic was not suitable.
Kwoong!
Brick slammed his staff into the ground.
Boiling lava poured over the earth.
Losing his footing, Karans clicked his tongue and retreated. Maintaining favorable distance was a mage's basic common sense.
But that was only basic.
A storm of gravity raged.
A composite magic. Brick faltered at the sight.
'What kind of calculation speed is this…'
Before he could even finish the thought, he was swept away.
Thrown back together with the lava, Brick groaned from the impact. Jerking his head up, he saw arrows covered in tree roots flying at him.
"You think I'd be done in by something like this?!"
Fwoooosh!
He swung his staff and scattered flames.
At that moment, the trajectory of the arrows bent in an impossible direction, grazing deep across Brick's right shoulder.
Edmon's manipulation of wind.
"This time it went in deep."
"Khk…"
"Next, watch out for the storm."
A fierce gale whipped up at the tip of Edmon's staff.
Karans, already clinging to the ceiling, bared sharp killing intent with the forest spirit, while Blue watched for an opening in Brick.
And behind them, Verden aimed the Oculus.
Brick instinctively took a step back.
To think his generously offered proposal would be refused in an instant. That a mage incapable of even basic judgment stood before him.
This was unexpected.
'But once His Excellency Leonil arrives, everything will be resolved.'
Only seven minutes remained.
He didn't know what Verden intended with that right hand, but if he held out just a little longer, victory would be his.
Brick activated his mana circuits at full power.
With everything he had, he resisted the merciless assault.
***
Brick gave his all.
His magic power, reactions, and combat methods could not even be compared to Herian earlier. He revealed himself to be truly fitting of the 4th seat of the court mages, a powerhouse of the upper 5th tier.
But his opponents surpassed even that.
Compressed wind exploded.
The aftermath shook his insides violently. The breath he had just drawn was forced back out.
Brick clutched at his mouth.
Then, hurling his body aside, he dodged sharp branches that sliced through the air.
'To think a guardian elf could be this troublesome…!'
No time to catch his breath.
He couldn't burn him either—the speed was too great to hit.
And then.
Lightning bolts fell from the sky.
Dampening the impact with a wall of fire, Brick bit his lip.
'On top of that, a spirit with lightning attribute!'
He had never seen such a thing.
Each one would be fatal if allowed through, and his nerves quickly frayed. He felt like an orc being mocked by a flock of wyverns.
At last, the hunt neared its end.
"Gahhh…!!"
Lightning pierced through his back.
Unable to withstand the searing agony, Brick dropped his staff, and Karans flew in, striking his face. With broken teeth, Brick's body was flung into the air.
Edmon drew his hand swiftly.
Shraaaak!
Brick's right hand was severed.
At once, Edmon stirred the wind, delivering the cut hand to Verden.
"Kyaaaaghhh…!!"
Clutching the severed stump, Brick screamed.
"Your end is already decided! When His Excellency Leonil arrives, all of you will be slaughtered! It would be better for you to take your own lives now!"
The whites of his eyes were bloodshot, his voice nearly a shriek.
Brick now resembled those who, at the moment of death, spat curses.
Ignoring him, Verden seized Brick's right hand.
At once, threads of mana unraveled from his fingertips and infiltrated the spatial coordinate magic circle.
Roughly three minutes remained.
'But breaking it is impossible.'
Its structure was far too complex.
Even if he targeted only the key nodes, it would take at least thirty minutes. Thus, Verden shifted his aim—not to dismantle, but to restructure.
This magic circle possessed two functions.
One was the safety mechanism, the other was coordinate setting.
The first prevented accidents, like a body being transported into a stone pillar or beneath the ground. Properly used, it might even be possible to kill Leonil… but time was too short.
The second was the coordinates themselves.
As Brick had said, arbitrarily modifying the coordinates was impossible. The framework was already fixed.
'But that applies only to common sense.'
Verden, who had broken through the tower master's magic circle, was skilled at shattering frameworks.
Time passed bit by bit.
Without stopping, Verden delicately adjusted the threads of mana, focusing on altering part of the circle's structure.
Unaware, Brick laughed uproariously.
"Khahahaha! Pathetic, dreaming of false hope!"
"Shut up."
"Guhp…!"
Karans kicked Brick.
The pain in his ribs was like being sliced by a blade, yet his laughter didn't stop. In contrast, the others were gripped by unrelenting anxiety.
'…We must be prepared.'
It was true—if Leonil came, their odds were slim.
Trusting Verden aside, it was only natural to imagine the worst.
Stifling tension filled the air.
As the appointed moment neared, mana surged through the circle. Soon, the coordinates would transmit and the teleportation circle would form.
Each gathered their mana, watching closely.
Fwoooosh!
Mana light suddenly engulfed the space.
They had seen it before—the transfer of coordinates. Witnessing it, Brick cried out.
"His Excellency Leonil…!!"
Then the light faded.
Now, the space should distort, and the kingdom's strongest should appear.
…Yet it was utterly silent.
The circle had vanished, its work complete, but nothing happened. The space, where screams should have erupted, was calm.
"M, m, My Lord?"
Violent ripples shook Brick's eyes.
Verden flung Brick's right hand away with a flick.
"That was a close one."
Spatial coordinate alteration, successful.