186 The Right Tool for the Job

“More importantly, what do you mean by these days? Has something happened among magicians lately?”

Ian asked. Eric paused for a moment before answering, searching his memory.

“It’s because hunting season is about to start. It’s not anything special this year, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

“Hunting season? Hunting what?”

“……Ah, damn it. Come to think of it, you said you hadn’t even been a magician for a year yet.”

Eric muttered that, then turned to Ian and kindly explained hunting season.

“Hunting season is basically an event where those involved with the supernatural track down and kill magicians.”

“……What?”

Ian’s face twisted at the completely unexpected answer. Eric, meanwhile, folded his arms and calmly descended the stairs.

“You know this already, but among those tied to the supernatural, magicians are the most valuable. Knights or martial artists? Those bastards just trained their bodies and learned breathing techniques. They can’t properly use the ether in the air, so they accumulate it in their bodies by other means. In the end, that way of using it ends with the body no longer able to withstand the ether it has accumulated and exploding at the last moment.”...