Chapter 29 - First Floor — Garden (2)

Even though the vanguard swordsman's head was half-shattered and sprawled on the ground, they didn't run away.

Instead, they calmly prepared their magic, readying for battle.

"These guys seem to be habitual offenders."

"Stay back."

"I can also..."

"In case of emergency, protecting the trainee is the instructor's duty."

Mea stepped forward resolutely, pushing me back as she spoke.

"Second rule. Devil Sorcerers shouldn't fight recklessly."

That's... true.

But I was the exception among exceptions.

I was probably the only Devil Sorcerer in this world who could truly say, "I can do this all day," without a single empty word.

"And especially if the opponent is a theurge."

"Theurge?"

Theurge.

It meant divine magic user.

A being completely opposite to us Devil Sorcerers.

Demonic mana was nothing but a sand castle before the light they wielded, scattering like shadows fleeing from light.

Mea's judgment was accurate.

"Judgment!"

Along with the mage's shout, pure white light poured down on us from above.

While we were talking, they must have prepared their magic too.

They probably couldn't prepare when approaching for fear of being detected by the flow of mana.

Is this divine magic?

The extreme incompatibility with Devil magic I'd only heard about.

I could feel the mana I had accumulated in my bones for physical enhancement, as Rei had taught me, gradually dissipating as if decomposing.

But this...

It was surprisingly not much?

My body felt a bit heavy, but not to the extent that I couldn't use magic.

I was confident I could use Blink right now to escape.

But their attack wasn't just the theurge's light.

An arrow flew simultaneously with a fireball cast by the other mage.

They sealed Devil magic with the theurge's spell, and then the other two finished it off?

Not a bad combination.

But we weren't going to just take it lying down.

"Thou named Eclipto. As per our pact, shield my front now."

As soon as Mea's chant ended.

Crack!

A chunk of the theurge's light was torn away.

It was as if a giant wolf had bitten off a pillar of light.

"Oh..."

Keoong!

Following the invisible wolf that had bitten the air, a wolf made of black shadows also leaped in with a fierce howl.

"Bark! Block it!"

The archer temporarily stood as the vanguard to be a meat shield, but it was meaningless.

From the moment the theurge's magic failed to fulfill its role, Mea's counterattack became an unstoppable tidal wave.

Crunch!

"Aaaaagh!"

The wolf bit through the poorly held shield, arm and all.

"Do, do something! Aren't Devil Sorcerers supposed to be pushovers!!"

"H-Holy Arrow!"

An arrow made of divine power hit the wolf.

However, the arrow only managed to strip away the shadow covering the wolf, revealing the real fur underneath, but that was it.

"Damn it! What kind of Devil is this!"

As if it had only provoked the wolf's anger, the wolf violently shook its jaws clamped on the archer's arm, tearing it apart.

"W-wait! I surrender! I'll surrender! Just spare my life!!"

"Bark, you idiot!"

"Just burn it all to ashes!"

A fireball, now twice as large as before, blazed up.

Do they not care about their comrade?

As if intending to incinerate both their comrade and the wolf at once, the mage poured even more mana into the fireball, increasing its firepower.

"Flame Burst!"

The firepower was quite substantial, more than I expected.

Mea told me not to intervene, but I should probably prepare to step in soon.

Blink is still a bit...

The sense of responsibility she just showed as an instructor was certainly admirable.

But it was questionable whether the trust built between Mea and me was at a level where I could show her Blink.

If Blink is difficult, there's only one option left.

Excluding basic magic, I had only two spells.

If Blink wasn't an option, there was only one choice left.

In a different place from Seir's pact seal on my back.

I drew up mana like a pump from the second pact seal on the back of my hand.

Leraje, befitting a high-ranking devil, possessed various authorities like Seir.

However, the one that symbolized Leraje the most was hunting.

Why did Seir arrange for me to form a pact with Leraje among the plethora of Devils?

It must be because Leraje was the Devil that best suited my fighting style.

And the effect brought by my pact with Leraje was dramatic.

My attacks have evolved one step in every aspect.

It's like Gear 2, no, Devil 2!

But Mea had no openings.

"Swallow it, Solargarmr."

The wolf that had sprung from the swordsman's shadow now appeared from Mea's shadow.

And the second wolf immediately carried out the order given to it.

It opened its jaws, filled with sharp teeth, wide and swallowed the falling fireball aimed at its twin.

"W-what is this...!"

"The Flame Burst...?"

The theurge and fire mage were astonished.

And it wasn't just those two who felt this way.

I, too, was staring blankly, forgetting about the spell I was about to cast, as I watched the wolf gulp down the fireball as if it were a snack.

However, even if our astonishment was similar, there was a big difference between those two and me.

They must have felt the fear of death and utter despair looking at that wolf.

But I was genuinely amazed by the wolf's fire-eating show.

The fighting spirit of the two mages broke here.

The vanguard, who might be dead or alive, and the sub-vanguard archer, who had finally fainted.

With only the two of them left, a Devil Sorcerer who somehow blocked the light of divine magic, and a familiar-like wolf that swallowed fire magic.

It must feel like playing chess after losing all your pieces, including the king, queen, and pawns.

Perhaps having lost interest after realizing the battle was already over?

The two wolves Mea had summoned approached her with leisurely steps and stood guard on either side of her.

A dark elf girl escorted by two shadow-cloaked wolves.

It was like a scene plucked straight out of a movie or animation.

Is this what a Devil Sorcerer is?

Then what what do I know?

Overwhelming power incomparable to that Male-something who was said to be quite skilled for a Devil Sorcerer.

And the exploding coolness that made even that forgettable...

This is a Devil Sorcerer.

I'm envious.

I want such a familiar for myself as well...

"Sola, Mana. Clean up."

Grrrr.

Awooo.

As the two wolves let out a howl, the two guys who couldn't overcome their fear finally collapsed to the ground.

We shouldn't kill them.

I opened my mouth to tell Mea to spare their lives.

I was about to call Mea's name.

I would have done so if those wolves hadn't just leaped into Mea's shadow instead of walking forward before my eyes.

Ah, I see.

There was no way those wolves went into Mea's shadow to clean up.

Of course, they jumped into the shadow to appear from those guys' shadows, like before.

As I witnessed the two wolves emerging from the mages' shadows, I immediately spread the mana of Leraje that I had been holding back.

Leraje's mana had an even more unusual quality than Seir's.

There was an inherent toxicity in her mana, even without using any special magic.

Along with hunting, Leraje's authority also lied in poison.

Even without borrowing the authority separately, that power was in the mana itself, poisoning the prey.

The wolves, perceiving with their beastly instincts that they, once predators and hunters, had become prey, immediately switched their target to me.

"Stop! That's enough."

The wolves' eyes, which had been glaring at me with fierce anger, softened at that one word.

They really do obey their master well.

Instead, I had to face the glare of the wolves' master, Mea.

"What are you doing?"

I answered calmly to Mea's emotionless question, "It's a bit troublesome if we kill them."

"...Have you never killed before?"

Unlike her first cold words, there was a faint hint of concern in her voice.

Mea continued, "...Don't feel sympathy. If we had been weaker, they would have taken your life. Remember, half-hearted compassion is poison."

"It's neither sympathy nor compassion. It's not that I've never killed anyone before."

"Then why?"

"There are some things I need to ask them."

After that, well, I don't care if they're killed or not.

If we took them to the main base, they'd be executed according to procedure, but that was too bothersome.

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

"So..."

Mea's eyes trembled.

The thought, “Did I say something wrong?” briefly crossed my mind.

For the first time, I faced an angry Mea.

"You're saying you used enough mana to stop my familiars just for that?"

"Well... it's quite an important question, not just 'that'."

"Fine. I'll listen. Go ahead."

Her attitude suggested she wouldn't let it slide if it turned out to be an insignificant question.

She crossed her arms tightly as if to say she'd be watching closely.

Under Mea's fierce gaze, I approached the mages and said, "This isn't your first time doing this, is it?"

"W-what?"

"I'm asking if you've done this to others besides us."

"That's..."

It seems they still haven't grasped the situation.

Crunch!

I gently stepped on their fingers with my iron-reinforced boots.

"Aaaagh!"

"Answer."

If you don't answer my questions obediently, you won't get off easy.

"Y-yes, we have!"

"It's the third time!"

"As I thought, habitual offenders."

These guys are professional newbie hunters.

"Among the people you've attacked, was there a half-elf?"

If there was, know that you won't die peacefully even if you answer well.