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Chapter 39
🕑 Added 2025-07-22 09:12:38 +0000 UTCEdit: I take it y'all didn't like this chapter? Should I rewrite it?
It was a quiet night. Moonlight faintly shimmered through dark clouds that masked the starry night sky I'd become used to in this castle in the middle of nowhere. A chill wind crept through the garden we were all gathered in, and the trees and flowers bobbed gently along its cool course.
Waver had called all of the magi with the help of the servants, and everyone had no real reason to deny him, not when he declared that he'd discovered the castle's secret. Curiously, Heine and Flueger arrived before even me and Luvia, with Jiroubou being the last to join us.
The death of Orlocke Caesermund was... a numbingly uninspired affair. No one really cared. This was just how magi were. If anything, it was good fortune that a competitor was knocked out of the race. Admittedly, it was somewhat startling but... it was reassuring to know that there was someone even more surprised with everyone's casual disregard than I was.
Gray. My fellow apprentice.
The Professor put his lit cigar to his lips, and furrowed his brows. "Be more respectful to the plant life, Henry."
"...?" I cocked my head in confusion, then realised I'd stepped right in a patch of lilies, crushing a decent bit of them. "Must've missed them."
"How?"
I shrugged.
He gave me a look that said 'I'll deal with you later' and turned back to face the rest of the magi. For someone who would die to literally any single one of the people there, he seemed pretty confident. Rather, I imagined he was putting up a strong front and had already begged Gray for help should it come to a fight... which it undoubtedly would.
"Before you begin, Lord El-Melloi II," Flueger cleared his throat, holding up a hand. "I want to withdraw from the running."
"May I ask why?"
He just laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Well, I don't think I'm really suited to it... or hm, hm, I'd get killed, I think. No, I know. "
There it was again, that absurd degree of reason the people of this world operated within. I expected someone with his appearance to die fighting or underestimate everyone else but nah, he was using his head.
How unlucky.
I wanted to at least see his magecraft.
"You guys are way too absurd for poor old me. Maybe I'd survive one exchange, but then the next I'm dead. And I know those two there..." He pointed a thick finger at me, and Luviagelita standing beside me with a hand on her hips, "They're definitely stronger than everyone here... It's almost absurd, ya know? Cause all of us know for a fact they'll pair up."
When he put it that way... Yeah, I wouldn't want to fight me as a magus either.
"Ugh, I get ya." Jiroubou groaned, a hand on his forehead. "How does a magus of the Clock Tower even know Raven Flight?! Hell, how is he better at it than me?! The Kami can be really unfair."
I wondered what would happen if I told him I pried the technique off him... I chuckled at the thought. I wasn't going to do that. If anything, I was grateful to him for granting me one of five things I needed to complete Project Gojo.
Instantaneous Movement.
The mystery behind it was quite intriguing too, actually. It was essentially a recreation of the movement speed of the mythical Tengu (thank you, Reddit); winged creatures with long noses and beaks, capable of flight, wind control and insanely quick movement. Raven Flight capitalised on the legend of them being able to cover distances so rapidly it looked like teleportation, or, maybe it even was actually teleportation for those creatures themselves.
As a spell, a mystery re-enacted, it allowed limited-range movement at speed imperceptible for the naked eye.
It really was a fine addition to my arsenal... which was why I hoped for the faintest chance that the Professor was wrong.
"Don't worry about it, Glannid. You'll be as good as I am one day." I said calmly.
"I know! I'm still super jealous!" Jiroubou replied like it was natural, then his eyes widened as I sighed in disappointment. "Who's Glannid?"
"Don't tell me you don't recognise your own name?" It was Waver who answered, blowing out dark smoke. "That is you, yes? Glannid Ashborn."
"I... don't know what you're talking about." He answered hesitantly.
...Okay, that settled it.
I pursed my lips.
Was everything about his older brother and stuff a lie then? Ugh. He really had me going too. I even wanted to help him when he dumped that bit of backstory of it in me. But... oh well, well played.
"Don't hesitate like a high school girl. It's disgusting." I shook my head.
"Please wait," Heine cut in. He looked between the Professor and the clearly conflicted Jiroubou confusedly, a hand over his chest. "What are you talking about?"
"Allow me to explain then. That is indeed Jiroubou, and I believe it really was Jiroubou that we interacted with for the past few days." Waver said calmly, stuffing a hand in his pocket. "But, he also has Glannid Ashborn's 'self' in him, according to this."
With an insane level of aura, the Professor tossed Lord Geryon's journal at Jiroubou's feet.
"To put it in modern terms, the hardware is Jiroubou. But there is a virus in the software..." He tapped a finger against his head. "That is to say, that body has two people in it... The real owner seems to be oblivious to the uninvited guest even. Lord Geryon was truly quite the magus, to accomplish something like this."
"What he said... wait what?" I stopped myself, and turned to look at the professor, "I thought it was an impersonator."
Waver nodded. "That's what I thought too. Then I went over the entire matter once more."
Wait, so that meant his little backstory was probably the truth and he was a victim in all this too. That... also meant that this wasn't just a seasonal villain I could go all out against! Goddamit! That meant... That meant I needed to try to help him.
To say I was frustrated would be accurate... but honestly, I was a bit relieved too. I'd never tell anybody that though. Maybe Luviagelita or my mom.
"If his son lives," Luviagelita narrowed her eyes, "then what need was there to invite us? Are you sure this isn't some delusion you came up with to make up for your own inadequacies?"
This girl really needed to chill out with the shade she threw at Waver every so often.
"We are gifts."
"Excuse me?"
"We are gifts." Waver repeated. He retrieved the invitation letter from his coat and held it up. "Our Magic Crests, to be precise. They're Lord Geryon's inheritance for his son. The puzzle held no meaning from the very beginning. We were supposed to all die and be used as materials. Adra Castle. This workshop already has a master."
How very magus-like.
Quietly, I took off my aviators and flicked them at Waver. In the blink of an eye, the world became bare. I could even see minute creases in every single blade of grass under us, the bits and pieces in the air, the flow of mana in this workshop. Truly, living like this would get troublesome.
"How presumptuous." Luviagelita huffed, visibly annoyed with the revelation.
"But you did misstep, Glannid." Waver said with a sigh. "Killing Orlocke wasn't planned, was it? You confronted him, and you killed him to take revenge for your father... I pity that."
This much, I knew already. The others still did not give a single shit about it though.
Moments passed in silence, hostility flushed into the air like water from a broken dam as magic circuits were activated all around. It didn't need to be said that there was going to be a fight.
"I guess... if you've got it figured out to that extent. There isn't really any point in trying to convince anyone otherwise." Jiroubou, or rather, Glannid let out the most corny cackle I'd ever heard in my two lives, the laugh of a proper seasonal villain. He even slicked back his hair. "But so what?! None of you are doing anything anyway! Come!"
Something massive jumped out from the shadows, as tall as a single storey building. It was his mother. No, that wasn't a joke. Ashborn's beast was really his mother. I still laughed though.
"Lil bro cried to his mommy."
Luviagelita joined in, "I would expect little more from a child that laughs like he's never been punched in the face."
"Shut up! Shut up! Both of you!"
"Oh look, he's throwing a tantrum." The Edelfelt Princess giggled, hiding her mouth behind her hand.
"What a shocker." I cackled.
This was some Sukuna and Mahito level of ragebaiting.
He answered by tearing open his shirt, revealing a pulsing, veiny crest implanted just below Jiroubou's shoulder. It seemed to hum, and bulge out, as if it didn't suit the body it was in and was trying to jump out.
"Sing!"
His mother 'sang' with the command, letting out that same deafening howl.
"How's that?! None of you can use your crests anymore! Hhahahaha!" He struck out against Waver, glaring at the one who revealed him, "I'll start with you!"
Waver, like an absolute aura farmer, calmly drew a matchbox and another cigar from his coat. COMPLETELY unfazed by the beast getting ready to charge him, he struck the match and lit his cigar. He then fixed his coat.
"As a teacher, it's rather troubling to have you underestimate my students to such a degree."
"Add!"
"Sunder."
Just as the beast lunged, Gray shot out from behind the Professor, a massive scythe larger than her own small body in her hands. The two met midair, and sparks flew off when claws met steel. At the same time, thunder boomed. Lightning arched through the air and blew against the beast's side, disorienting it just enough that Gray was able to overpower and throw the animal back.
"How?! What the hell is that?!" Glannid cried out like a bitch.
I had mixed feelings about attacking a mother protecting her child but... I completely ignored those feelings and almost obsessively focused on that scythe in my fellow apprentice's hand. It was a Mystic Code, that was the first thing I noticed. It was sealing something, that was the second thing I noticed. Then, came the fact that it was drawing power from said something... but I couldn't see just what it was hiding.
But! What I could tell was that that scythe was absorbing mana. And, honestly, that was going to come in really handy in almost every situation.
I closed and opened my palm, deciphering and recreating the process as a spell before Gray even dropped back down to the ground.
"I understand it now."
"I feel rather useless here. If the intention was to kill us all one by one, I'd say I deserve some revenge." Luviagelita crossed her arms under her chest, not the least bit bothered by the implications. She even smiled. "Won't you do something about that, Henry?"
"Of course, love."
Even Heine gave me a nod, agreeing with her request.
"I would like that too. It is quite grating to be of no help whatsoever."
The Crest interference worked only and only because of the amplification workshop around us.
That meant it was time to commandeer the game so my girl could beat his ass.
Sweat formed on Glannid's as I raised my hand overhead, pressing my fingers together for a snap with a massive grin etched across my face. Evidently, I was not very good at hiding my excitement.
"You shouldn't be able to use magecraft! You shouldn't!"
"Finally! Someone delusionally unreasonable! I've been waiting so long! A true fucking shame I can't beat you black and blue cause of that horny protag you're possesing!"
My body trembled, my drumming heart was the only thing I could hear.
"It didn't work! Sing again! You damn maniac! You can't use magecraft here!"
Above, the beast and Gray clashed again and again and again, sending sparks flying into the darkness of the night.
"Is that right? Maybe you're right! Oh you're so right!"
-
Hope you enjoyed. Please feel free to share any ideas, suggestion or thought you might have about the chapter. They're highly motivational.
Comments
shanks
It's good no need to edit
William Kirk
No need to edit in my opinion.
