97 Wizard and Wizard

There is a common misconception among people who know nothing about magic.

That is, the misconception that wizards' battles would be dazzling and spectacular. The moment they witness one, such fantasies are instantly knocked from expectation down into the basement called daydreams.

Why is that?

There was no need to think too hard about it. In fact, wizard battles are neither flashy nor beautiful. If anything, they're closer to back-alley killers trading blows.

Wizards are, by nature, highly rational. Their emotions don't shift all that much, and they need flexible thinking to handle a variety of situations. Wizards who couldn't do that all died. Other wizards wouldn't leave them alone, and the Mysteries attached to them were just as relentless, so it was only natural.

The bodies that used the mysterious power called magic also seemed very attractive to the aberrations. These days, few wizards have their bodies or souls taken from them, but in the past it was more common than one might expect. Wizards without an overgrown sense of self made very good prey.

Thanks to that, the wizards left today were all the type to live for their own superiority—narcissists with egos so bloated they rivaled Everest.

Ian wasn't much different. He wasn't arrogant, but he wasn't humble either; he wasn't cruel, but he wasn't merciful either. So he couldn't find any reason to let go of, or spare, a loser who had challenged him and then tucked his tail between his legs and run.

No, he didn't look for one. The moment he first met Eddie's eyes, he decided to kill him. Eddie would be the same way. There was no need to agonize over morality.

‘Information is something you learn after killing them.’...