Short and Intense

Five minutes before the incident,

Vernel behind the stage.

“Huff, huff….”

He was drawing ragged breaths.

How long had it been since he had left his house and stood on a stage like this?

And had he ever had such expectations before?

‘I have.’

But could he truly have anticipated that a day like this would come?

Even if no one else had, Vernel had not.

His life had been one of being ignored, nearly even having his organs harvested by loan sharks.

Everything had changed after Ferda intervened, but even so, he had never imagined himself in this position.

Vernel lifted the curtain a little and looked outside.

He could see the spacious seats of the opera house.

His heart fluttered.

Yet greater than that were the pressure and fear.

-Vernel, do you believe it can be realized?

President Bernard’s words echoed in his ears, making those feelings grow even stronger.

It had been when, as an Escolleia Academy student, he had held a question-and-answer session at an academic conference.

-Anyone can propose as many such lofty ideals as they like. But what are you going to do if you become obsessed with them?

-Do not think you can break all existing laws. You may be clever, but you cannot become that kind of genius.

Bernard had tried to break Vernel’s will.

But Vernel had not given up.

But ever since that day, he had found people difficult to deal with.

Especially stepping onto a main stage like this.

Would they laugh at him again?

Would they confuse him with pointless criticism?

Would he disappoint the people who had believed in him?

Those questions became hands and strangled his neck.

‘Even so, I have to do it.’

For the regent who had believed in him, Ferda.

To screw over Bernard, who had refused to acknowledge his success and insulted him.

And for himself, who had devoted everything to this.

“Whew!!! Why is this damn medicinal tea so ineffective…?”

Despite drinking several cups that were supposed to ease tension, the thoughts still would not leave his head.

He prayed with both hands clasped tightly.

He wished something unexpected would happen to ruin everything.

Aaaah!

As if granting his tiny wish, a scream erupted.

The sudden scream jolted Vernel awake.

“What? What happened?”

The staff running the stage all began fleeing at once.

Rather than run after them, Vernel decided to assess the situation.

“Gasp…!”

A rift had opened.

In Halim—in the opera house itself—a rift from which monsters were pouring out.

‘Is that possible?’

Though there were said to be gates in cities from which monsters appeared, such incidents were exceedingly rare.

It had appeared precisely when people were gathered like this and the monster-appearance prediction device was being introduced.

The timing was too coincidental.

‘Should I run?’

Just as Vernel turned to flee, something seized his ankle.

Ferda appeared in his field of vision.

Ferda stood where he was.

He confronted the rift with cold eyes, as though fleeing had never been an option.

Noblesse oblige.

Ferda was fulfilling the duty of a noble.

Vernel was inspired by those eyes.

‘I have to do something too.’

Even if he could not risk his life like he had back then, he had to help.

He whipped his head around.

There stood the magitech rifle he had prepared.

Vernel picked up the rifle and activated it.

He adjusted the mana output, warmed it up sufficiently, set the selector, and adjusted the power according to the displayed settings….

‘Why are there so many?’

It required more than twenty separate operations.

Originally, there had been more than a hundred.

That was the result of Vernel continually simplifying and reducing them because Malcolm could not use it otherwise.

‘Still too many.’

Until just before the presentation, Vernel had thought this.

Even so, wouldn’t this be usable?

People could operate and use this much, couldn’t they?

‘It wasn’t.’

For it to be as simple as something Malcolm could use meant it had to be usable at any time.

Something this complicated could not be used in a moment this urgent.

Even holding out for a moment came with sacrifices.

‘Damn it.’

Idiot.

Just as the president said, I’m an idiot.

This was the result of failing to imagine what was needed and fixating only on raising the rate by one percent.

Even while voicing such regrets, Vernel kept moving.

Now, at this very moment, he decided to do what he could.

At last, he finished loading and pulled back the bolt.

Wooooong—!

The object-acceleration magic circle activated, sending vibrations through the inside of the pipe.

Vernel took the rifle and stepped onto the stage.

The situation had already entered its final stages.

Two wolf monsters remained, charging toward Ferda.

‘So fast!’

Vernel had only one chance.

He had to land an effective hit on the monster with that one shot.

But holding the rifle was difficult enough, and he had no confidence that he could track their movements and fire.

Crackle!

A single bolt of lightning shot from Ferda’s hand.

He succeeded in stopping one, but the other did not.

It overtook Jed and pounced straight at Ferda.

And then it tried to bite through his neck.

‘No!’

Vernel no longer hesitated.

He pulled the trigger.

As the magic formula manifested, a mana sphere formed inside the glass tube.

The sphere flowed into the long pipe, then shot out as a flash of light.

Bang!

It pierced the chest of the monster that had been targeting Ferda.

It struck the heart precisely.

The pure mana bullet lodged in its body, and the wolf monster yelped and thrashed before stiffening upright.

One shot.

The monster fell with a single shot.

Even Vernel, who had fired the rifle, looked shocked.

He had set its power higher than usual, but he had never expected it to go down with one shot.

He had only thought it would buy them some time.

But regardless of his intention, it did not matter.

The earth-shaking boom and the death of the last monster.

All of it drew everyone’s attention to Vernel.

They stared at him with their mouths hanging open like idiots.

“What is that?”

“It looks like magic came flying out of there.”

“Then is it a wand? Did he use magic?”

“No wand could look like that, could it?”

They were only speculating about the object Vernel was holding.

The mana stone had been the main purpose of the presentation from the outset, while the magitech rifle had only been scheduled to be introduced as a simple application.

“Um….”

He had to say something.

Vernel felt pressured to say anything, and he opened his mouth.

“This is the magitech rifle I brought this time…?”

That was all.

He could say no more because no further words came out.

And yet, it was enough.

That brief introduction alone had been intense enough to hammer itself into everyone’s minds.

* * *

While the presentation hall was in an uproar, some people were watching from a distance.

The situation was over, and they could see the cleanup underway.

“Seven wolf monsters.”

A man folded his arms and muttered.

“How many people did you expect those seven wolf-type monsters to kill?”

The man standing beside him answered.

“At least three hundred should have died. Including the president of Escolleia.”

“But there isn’t a single casualty. Bernard didn’t die either.”

“Whoever planned this won’t escape responsibility.”

It was a failure that could not be dismissed as merely missing or exceeding expectations.

“What do you think caused the failure?”

“Do you need an answer?”

“I’m asking because I wonder whether you have the same thought.”

The cause of the defeat could be defined in a single word.

“Ferda Valdrova.”

“That bastard, after all?”

They had both been thinking the same thing.

Ferda Valdrova.

Until recently, that name had continued to be mentioned among the demons.

Once he began intervening, things had started to go wrong.

“I heard they even raided research facilities with the help of demons. Did we end up like this because we underestimated him?”

“We didn’t underestimate him. If anything, it was close to overestimating him.”

That overestimation had been based on Director Lynne’s testimony.

The demons had thought Lynne’s testimony was merely a stock excuse used whenever they needed to explain a defeat.

“And yet he seems to be exceeding even that overestimation.”

Ferda was beyond their imagination.

“He knows how to neutralize monsters using first- and second-circle magic that can’t even be used in combat.”

“He perfectly assessed and distributed our forces. He pushed things a little, but even that seemed to have been factored in.”

“He’s a cold-blooded bastard. Somehow, he seems skilled at battles like this.”

“He’s only eighteen. How is that possible?”

“Maybe he’s been on a battlefield?”

“Look at that body. What could he do with that skinny body, without even any muscle?”

“Then… is it innate?”

“It doesn’t feel improvised enough to be innate talent. His level is different.”

There were countless speculations about Ferda, but they remained lost in a fog, unable to produce an answer.

“The factors intertwined with him may give us the answer.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean we should broaden our view. Let’s look for additional factors elsewhere.”

He nodded toward the brown-haired man.

“That fellow named Jed is strange too. Can someone move like that just because Haste is cast on their body?”

“Ordinary humans can’t. If he can move that much, he must be someone who has lived at that speed.”

“I thought it was strange that a man who went around playing the gigolo was accepted just because he was a knight. Now I see there was a reason.”

The man nodded as if he understood.

“And that fellow Malcolm….”

“He’s just an idiot. Even now that the situation is over, isn’t he still diligently kidnapping wizards?”

“…I see.”

Meanwhile, the other man answered while thinking deeply about something.

“We’ll have to change the danger rating. To at least the Alberdo level.”

“You mean Ferda Valdrova? That seems like a hasty judgment. I still think he’s within our expectations.”

At that, the man shook his head.

“I’m talking about that one.”

He was pointing with his chin at the blue-haired man standing on the stage.

That man had killed a wolf monster with a single shot from an object closer to a work of art.

He was Vernel Marquis.

“That fellow’s influence will undoubtedly surpass Ferda Valdrova’s.”

* * *

The incident at the presentation hall ended with the deaths of the seven wolf monsters.

Although there were many injured, the fact that the battle ended without a single death was highly significant.

Usually, even when just one monster appeared, three deaths were considered the baseline, and as their numbers increased, the death toll rose exponentially.

Yet even though seven monsters had invaded, not a single person died.

Everything was over before Halim’s reinforcements appeared.

It was a wondrous feat, far beyond merely being impressive.

The person who had led that astounding situation was Ferda.

“Thank you for saving our lives, Regent.”

“I sincerely admire and worship your dazzling nobility, Regent. Thank you.”

Those who had fought, as well as those who had fled, returned and began fawning over Ferda.

Ferda’s refusal to retreat from the front lines and his decision to fight had been noblesse oblige itself.

Of course, Ferda was not the only one being praised.

Someone else had left an equally strong impression.

“Do you know who that person is?”

“Apparently, he’s someone named Vernel Marquis. I hear he participated in the presentation.”

It was Vernel.

Because he had appeared at the end of the monster invasion and delivered the finishing blow, people naturally began talking about him.

“Ah, I remember. It seemed impressive enough that President Bernard pushed it through on his own?”

“Is that the thing?”

“I don’t think so. It doesn’t seem right to call it a mana stone. If it’s a mana stone, shouldn’t it be a stone?”

“Then what on earth is that?”

Since they had no concept of magitech, they did not know exactly what the object was.

But there was no need to explain the concept at length.

Magitech was a technology capable of killing a monster with a single shot.

That alone made it an object worthy of interest.

Vernel sensed the looks directed at him had changed and quietly approached Ferda.

“Regent… There’s something I need to tell you….”

“Tell me.”

“I did kill the monster, but… it wasn’t supposed to die.”

Ferda turned his head.

“What do you mean?”

“I thought about it, and considering the force measured when the rifle was tested during the demonstration, the muscle density of the wolf monster, and the bullet’s trajectory, it could never have reached the heart.”

“You weren’t shooting to kill?”

“I only intended to buy time. So I roughly confirmed that the monster had died, but….”

“Yes.”

“You know where I shot it? The muscle there had parted slightly, and the bullet passed precisely through the space between the muscles, reaching the heart with almost no loss of force before exploding there.”

After hearing Vernel’s explanation, Ferda summarized it.

“So you’re saying everything happened because one coincidence piled on top of another?”

“Yes, exactly.”

Ferda stared intently at Vernel’s face.

“Would telling them that benefit us in any way?”

“Uh… no?”

“Then don’t rain on the parade. Enjoy it.”

Ferda patted Vernel on the shoulder and walked past him.

The moment Ferda passed, countless scholars and merchants approached Vernel.

They introduced themselves and paid their respects.

Vernel smiled awkwardly as he watched them.

It wasn’t so bad.

Whatever else might be said, this opportunity had arisen from something he had made.

Meanwhile, Penelope was holding onto Jed and jumping up and down.

“Jeje, Jeje! Look over there! There! Look at the look in those women’s eyes!”

“……”

“My goodness. I feel like my belly’s already swelling. C-can I cry?”

“……Shut up, you bastard.”

Jed pushed away the head of the overexcited Penelope.

With a troubled expression, Jed quietly slipped away.

Penelope chased after him like a child, despite his complicated expression.

“What is it? Is this the complicated-man concept?! That’s not bad either! Just don’t overdo the concept! I’m going to feast tonight!!”

While everyone else was receiving heated attention, Malcolm alone was not.

“Are you insane!? You threw me into the middle of a battlefield!?”

“I’m sorry! I thought she was a witch…!”

“What the hell do you mean, you lunatic!? Do I look like a witch, huh?!”

“Oh, that’s not what I meant! I just thought you were someone who could really use magic.”

Even five minutes after the situation had ended, Malcolm was still diligently kidnapping wizards and was now being struck by the noblewoman’s fiery tirade.

He had mistaken a noblewoman with a face full of wrinkles for a witch and kidnapped her, so he was being showered with spit and insults.

Within a minute, his parents and groin had disappeared, and plenty of other things were in the process of disappearing as well.

Unable to bear watching any longer, Ferda stepped in front of the noblewoman himself.

The situation calmed down in ten seconds.

Malcolm bowed his head, sweating coldly.

“I’m sorry, Regent. I made a mistake.”

“No, raise your head. Did you commit a crime?”

“You told me to bring only wizards, but I brought a noblewoman and caused trouble….”

“That much couldn’t be helped. You did your job. As a knight of the Grand Duchy, you carried out my order, and you did an excellent job.”

Ferda was sincerely grateful to him.

What would have happened if Malcolm had tried to persuade the wizards instead of bringing them back?

No one would have come.

Who would be crazy enough to go into a place where death lurked and volunteer themselves?

If he had not kidnapped them himself, the plan would have been disrupted.

This operation had gone smoothly because Malcolm had done what he could.

“Thank you, sob!!”

Malcolm held back tears of resentment.

Just as the matter was finally settled, someone approached Ferda.

The fact that no one stood where he had stepped made it clear that he was a high-ranking figure.

“I pay my respects to Valdrova’s consort, the great power of fire. I am Ahmad, lord of Halim, this land of pleasure.”

He was the lord of Halim.

Before Ferda could respond to the greeting, Ahmad dropped to his knees.

“On behalf of Halim, I sincerely thank you for calming this incident.”

Everyone was startled by Ahmad’s actions.

“My goodness… The lord of Halim knelt….”

“They say that man kept his back straight even when the emperor of the Empire came….”

It was characteristic of the southern lords never to kneel carelessly, not even before a king.

The fact that Ahmad had knelt before everyone raised Ferda’s standing even further.

Not a bad result.

“I merely fulfilled my duty as a noble.”

“Who else would risk his life to resolve an incident on another person’s land? Rather than stand here, allow me to escort you to the castle. We can treat your wounds and talk some more.”

Only then did Ferda remember that his throat had been pierced.

The bleeding had stopped, but it throbbed with pain.

‘It will certainly scar.’

He needed a topic of conversation to discuss with Valdrova, but he did not want to begin with this scar.

“Can you heal it cleanly?”

“Of course. I will summon the finest healer and make sure not a single scar remains.”

Ferda headed to the lord’s castle with Ahmad.