Chapter 92

Just as Albert and Lugard were facing off—

Carlyle was in a room of the castle, watching the scene unfold in the scrying crystal.

"So, it's finally come to this..."

Carlyle chuckled softly.

"Everything is going according to plan."

By the end of summer, the trap Carlyle had discussed with Philbus was reaching its final stage—exactly as Carlyle had calculated. When Carlyle told Philbus he would be "on a business trip," it was a lie. He only went himself on the first day, then entrusted the rest to a proxy and returned immediately. He barricaded himself in a room of the castle and waited for this moment.

"Surely, you didn't think I would really leave the capital, did you? Such a naive estimate wouldn't have led you to act, right?"

A light shone in Carlyle's eyes.

"I would be disappointed if they thought I had left. I actually have a strong sense of responsibility towards my work, you know?"

Carlyle chuckled.

He had long been aware that members of 'The Darkness' had infiltrated the academy, having detected the residual dark magic. Anyone else might have missed it, but not Carlyle. Therefore, it was his job to steal the Mark of Darkness. After the theft, would the infiltrator flee the academy?

No.

The spy he had sent to the heart of the capital, the Magic Academy, was not a card to be discarded so easily. Therefore, it made sense that another retrieval agent would come to collect it. The retrieval agent would likely pose as a vendor who regularly enters and exits the academy. So, Carlyle prepared a suitable vendor and carefully leaked the information.

This way, he could pinpoint the day and time the retrieval agent would visit. All that was left was to set up a barrier to detect the movement of the Mark of Darkness and wait for the moment to arrive.

Thus—

As Carlyle had predicted, the Mark of Darkness began to move. Sensing this, Carlyle watched the scene unfold in the crystal.

"Well, here's the first joker. How about it, Child of Darkness?"

In the crystal, Albert was continuously firing Magic Arrows, which the Child of Darkness was deflecting with a great sword.

"A magic sword, Dainsleif..."

Carlyle immediately recognized it. Indeed, with that, Albert's Magic Arrows could be cut. Carlyle judged that the situation was unfavorable.

"Let's give a little help, shall we?"

Carlyle cast an illusion spell and spoke in a cheerful voice.

"Nice to meet you, Child of Darkness. And all the students of the academy, how are you doing?"

Then, he incited the students.

"Without hesitation. Go ahead, Magic Arrow♪"

"Magic Arrow♪"

"Magic Arrow♪"

"Magic Arrow♪"

After repeating this several times, the students seemed to join in. Soon, a rain of Magic Arrows descended upon the Child of Darkness.

"Ahahaha! Isn't this quite a spectacle!"

After a good laugh, Carlyle stood up without waiting to see the result. If the Child of Darkness died, that would be fine. If not—

"I'll have to play the second joker."

The second joker.

Carlyle Heathcote—

Carlyle took the long staff, as tall as himself, from the wall and left the room. The staff was metallic and inorganic. Its name was 'Nibelung'—not just a staff, but a legendary item with powerful magical assistance effects.

Clattering his shoes, he hurried to a balcony with a view of the entire capital.

"Let's begin, shall we?"

Carlyle waved his staff and cast a spell. The image of the Child of Darkness, continuously deflecting Magic Arrows in mid-air, appeared.

"Open."

As Carlyle spoke, he struck the floor with the tip of his staff, and his magic spread throughout the capital like ripples. It was a signal. Simultaneously, hidden magical arrays across the capital glowed blue. Countless arrays, Nibelung—

Each was an essential part of the spell Carlyle was about to cast. Even as the seventh-ranked magician, Carlyle's power alone was insufficient. The spell he was about to cast was that far-reaching and heavy.

The realm of the gods—the activation of a divine magic spell.

"O great Dragon King, who dwells in the realm beyond this world! Hear my earnest plea!"

Carlyle's voice echoed loudly across the capital.

"Here and now, I beseech you! Here and now, I pray to you! Grant the mark of 'Destruction' to the foolish one who does not recognize their own insignificance!"

Then, Carlyle pointed the tip of his staff.

Far ahead—towards the Child of Darkness, who was currently battling Albert at the academy.

"Let destruction befall him!"

With those words, Carlyle felt a recoil in his wrist. An invisible surge of magic burst from the tip of Nibelung. The result appeared in the floating image. A blue-white magical array rose beneath the Child of Darkness. Realizing this, the Child of Darkness ignored Albert and fled the academy in a panic.

(…Good judgment… Not bad… But—)

Chuckling inwardly, Carlyle continued.

(No matter what, you can't escape.)

Carlyle's mouth began to chant.

"O three-headed dragon who has lived through the ages! Azure! Silver! Gold! Forgive the insolence of banishing the exile to your pristine world—!"

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

Lugard ran. He ran continuously.

So fast that people on the street looked at him in surprise. He ran as if to leave the magical array behind his feet.

But the array did not leave him.

It clung to him as if glued.

(…I have a bad feeling…)

He could sense a powerful presence from the array beneath his feet, a breath distinctly different from ordinary magic.

(Could it be… divine magic…?)

As a former student of the Magic Academy, Lugard knew the name. The highest-level magic, praised as the realm of the gods.

Could such a thing be here?

It wasn't impossible.

The one pulling the strings was that genius—Court Magician Carlyle.

It wouldn't be surprising if he could handle divine magic.

No, it would be more fitting if he could.

(…Then, there is time to escape…!)

Lugard changed his mind.

The activation of divine magic required a vast amount of chanting. No matter how much of a genius Carlyle was, he couldn't reduce that time to zero.

In other words, Lugard had some time left.

—Falthima said, "I'll set up a teleportation array at the hideout and wait. Come back as soon as you're done, without any detours."

If he returned to the hideout and used the teleportation array, he could escape the capital. Even with Carlyle's divine magic—

A bitter smile of self-mockery appeared on Lugard's lips.

"…I can't say for sure…"

After all, the opponent was that Court Magician.

But Lugard had no other choice. He had to believe in that miracle.

Like a gale, Lugard ran through the capital.

He ran—ran, ran, ran, ran, ran, ran.

Using the enhanced leg strength from the darkness' blessing, he dashed from the central Magic Academy to the middle-class residential area in one go. He entered a back alley and burst through the door of his destination.

"—Lugard?"

Falthima raised an eyebrow at Lugard's unusual appearance. In her right hand, she held a slender, silver staff. A red teleportation array, hastily drawn by Falthima, spread across the floor, glowing brightly with the magic she had infused.

Falthima's face twisted when she saw the glowing magical array beneath Lugard's feet.

"…T-this is—!?"

"Probably Carlyle! Hurry, we don't have much time!"

Shouting, Lugard jumped into the teleportation array.

Falthima struck the floor with her staff and shouted.

"Teleportation!"

Instantly, Lugard and Falthima vanished from the hideout.

At the same time—

"O Dragon King, fulfill my wish and destroy the foolish mortal with your wrathful breath!"

Holding his staff, Carlyle raised both hands to the sky and finished his chant.

Then, he shouted the trigger word.

"Wrath of the Dragon King!"

The divine magic was complete.

Carlyle turned his back and murmured.

"Farewell, Child of Darkness."