[EN] Episode 9 - Assassin VS Mage

“Hmph. Two little sidekicks...”


The man who appeared to be the leader of the assassins stepped forward and gestured for the two male students to move aside.


“......!”
"Don't make me laugh! I am the third son of the prestigious Seiz family! I won't bow down to scum like you!“


This is exactly when he goes and puts his pride on the line for nothing.
Wingester quietly positioned himself behind Seiz, preparing to use him as a human shield to help the princess escape.


”Hey, hey. Kids. Our target is that lady over there. Get lost quietly."


Wingester sensed something off about the assassin's concise manner of assessing the situation.


If an assassin group of this caliber had broken through the encirclement, they could have killed the princess and her two young escorts in an instant and moved on.


But to go out of their way to shoo Wingester's group aside like that...
A faint smile touched Wingester's lips.


“Gah...! I will never yield! An assassination in broad daylight! Have you no shame?!”
“......”


The assassin's expression crumpled beneath the mask.


The client had already imposed such tight conditions that he'd resorted to a daylight ambush he'd normally avoid. And now he was being held back by this wet-behind-the-ears brat...


Swish.


Slowly drawing his curved blade, he flaunted its sharp edge by swinging it through the air several times, then took a step toward Romulus.


“Step aside. Or... die.”
“……!”


Feeling the murderous intent in the assassin's eyes, Romulus flinched momentarily. But he had felt that kind of intent before.
It was the same feeling he had sensed in Wingester's eyes.


Click.


Gritting his teeth and summoning his courage, Romulus finished his incantation and thrust his staff forward.


“You're the one who should back off! I am a mage of a noble house. Do you know what that means?”
“……?”
“...This is exactly what it means.”


With a confident expression, Romulus forcefully slammed his staff into the ground to cast the new magic he had recently learned.


“Shock Ground-!”
“?!”


Violent lightning spread across the ground, radiating out from Romulus. Wingester immediately grabbed the princess and leaped onto a pile of grain sacks stacked beside a nearby shop building.


“Fifth Circle?! This brat!?”


The assassins staggered, weakened by the paralysis effect of the lightning flowing across the ground in an instant.


“Now! Let's get out of here!”


At Romulus's shout, Wingester immediately grabbed the princess and sprinted away without looking back.
Of course, when Romulus also turned his back to flee, the assassins' eyes blazed with fury.


“Those damn brats! Grrr...!”
“Captain!”
“It doesn't matter! Our target is the princess alone! Those insolent meddlers deserve to die!”
“Understood!”


Originally, they should have abducted the princess swiftly and without bloodshed if possible. But the audacity of these two meddlers completely changed the assassination squad captain's mind.


“We will...! We will kill those insolent bastards!”


Though they were running hard, the princess and Romulus were, after all, ordinary mages. After running for a while, their stamina depleted and they began to fall behind.


The assassins easily caught up, leaping effortlessly over the shop buildings.


Before they knew it, the group was surrounded again.
This time, the assassins seemed to have changed their tactics too, charging forward with their curved blades thrusting openly.
Seeing them rush in clearly intent on killing, Romulus cast his magic once more.


“Shock Ground-!”
“Foolish!”


As if waiting for it, the assassins lightly leapt upward, evading the magic.
Instead, they used the momentum of their leap to charge at the princess and Romulus.


“...Hmph! Wind Blow!”
“Spell Chain?! Impossible!”


The assassins were blown backward by the explosive wind pressure.
Even as he was pushed back, the assassination squad leader desperately threw a dagger from his cloak, striking Romulus's shoulder.


“Gah!”
“That brat…!”


The princess hurriedly checked Romulus's condition.
The dagger must have been poisoned; a suspicious blue light spread from the blade into Romulus's shoulder.


“…An antidote spell…!”
“That's enough, princess.”


The assassination squad leader, who had already subdued Wingester by pressing a curved blade to his throat, stopped the princess from casting the antidote spell.


“Wingester!”
“If you don't want to see this brat's head roll, you'd better come quietly.”
“......”
“...Understood...”
“Let's see if I'm really a greenhorn or not.”


He deliberately aimed the barrel of the Barrett Staff, hidden in his coat, at the blade of the curved blade pressed against his neck, firing it to knock the blade upward.


Thwack!


“What?!”
“Take this and grow up!”


He immediately spun around and smashed the butt of the Barrett Staff into the head of the assassination squad leader.


“Guh!?”


Seeing the squad leader stagger backward from the unexpected blow, the other assassins immediately lunged forward to seize the princess.


“Get out of the way!”


He activated the gauntlets he wore and unleashed a fist at the assassins.
The enchanted shockwave magic he wielded sent two assassins flying, but two others had already grabbed the princess's arms.


“Princess!”
“...Let go of me!”
“...We're withdrawing!”


True to their professional assassin nature, they boldly attempted to escape with their target, the princess, leaving their comrades behind.
But there was one crucial fact they had overlooked.


The royal family of the Magic Kingdom was the most exceptional family of mages among all the mages of the Magic Kingdom.


“...Gravity Press!”
“...?!”


Kuuung-!


In the blink of an eye, the two assassins felt immense pressure and were flattened to the ground.
Not only that, but a gravity so intense it made standing nearly impossible began to bear down on all the assassins.


“……!”
“…I'd prefer to avoid using magic in combat if possible… but it seems unavoidable.”


At her gesture, tree trunks burst through the ground, powerfully wrapping around and pinning the assassins down.


“My apologies. If someone comes later, ask them to release you.”
“Guh…!”
“Wingester. What is Romulus's condition?”
“…He's been detoxified.”
"…Oh my.”


The princess was slightly surprised to see Wingester had already completed the antidote, but she quickly regained her composure and decided to take him away from the scene.


*


The group barely made it back to their lodgings before they could finally relax.
The faculty, already briefed by the Arcane Veils were on high alert, maintaining combat readiness.


“Your Highness, are you all right?”
“Ah, yes. Thanks to these two working so hard...”
“Oh no, Lord Romulus is injured...! This way!”


The moment the tension eased, the princess's legs gave way and she collapsed. Wingester instinctively caught her from the side.


“Save the collapsing for your room.”
“…….”
“…….”


Wingester grumbled as he escorted her to her room, then headed to where Romulus lay.
No matter how irritating the boy was, it would be troublesome if he died.


“Is Romulus all right?”
“Looks like he got good first aid. The wound isn't deep; he'll be up tomorrow.”
“…….”


Only after confirming Romulus was in good condition did Wingester's return to his room and collapse onto his bed.


“So much trouble...”


He shuddered at the lingering chill of the blade against his neck and gritted his teeth.
This time, luck was on his side, but what about next time?


“...I'm prepared for it, but...”


Wingester's expression crumpled as he pulled back the cloth to check the Barrett Staff's condition.
Perhaps from detonating the magic bullet near the blade itself, the barrel section was cracked.


“Ugh...”


Even with a metal frame, it ended up like this. It seemed more research into the manufacturing method was definitely needed.
There would surely be times it needed to be used at close range, but if it broke like this every time, it was unusable.


“How should I make this...?”


Sighing, he wrapped it back in cloth and hid it well, then checked himself for injuries.
Fortunately, aside from still feeling the blade's touch on his neck, he had no wounds.


“Is this good luck... or bad luck...?”


If things continued like this, it was certain the princess's presence would keep bringing threats.
It was only a matter of time before the field trip was cut short.
Wingester briefly considered packing his things simply, then fell asleep.


*


The faculty's mood was grave.
They had anticipated it to some extent, but the princess had indeed been attacked.


“We cannot continue the field trip under these circumstances.”
“...Guh.”
“Shortening the schedule...”
“...is the right course until His Majesty the King's instructions arrive.”
“What if something happens to the princess while we wait...!”
“Guh!”


All eyes focused on the one who cleared his throat, and the next moment, relief washed over the faculty's faces.


Koch the Master of Rapid Casting.
Famous as a Grand Mage, the eldest and most powerful among the faculty, he was one of the accompanying professors.


“Professor Koch…!”
“I will take charge of escorting the Princess. For now, let us proceed with the schedule until His Majesty's instructions arrive. This field trip is a once-in-eight-years opportunity for the students to broaden their horizons.”
“...Thank you!”
“Then, it shall be so...”


After the meeting ended, only Professor Koch remained seated, deep in thought.


“The Third Princess's existence as a student should have been thoroughly concealed even within the country... Where on earth did that information leak from...?”


While the Third Princess's existence itself was known both domestically and internationally, her whereabouts and activities were classified as top secret.
Externally, it was only known that she resided in a detached palace to the left of the main palace where the King lived.


In reality, she was relatively free to act as a registered student at the academy, but it was now certain that this fact had leaked to the Maritime Kingdom.


“I never imagined the Maritime Kingdom's intelligence capabilities were this advanced...”


Koch murmured, his voice heavy with worry for the kingdom's future.
The king's authority hadn't weakened, but the kingdom needed a breath of fresh air.
The competition between the two princes must be resolved swiftly, and a crown prince designated.


The next day.
Wingester and his group were roaming the streets, with Koch trailing behind them.
Despite the faculty's insistence that he rest due to his dagger wound, Romulus had adamantly insisted on accompanying them.


“Are you truly alright, Lord Romulus?”
“Of course! For a man, to be stopped by a mere scratch like this...!”


Though he was genuinely in pain, Romulus was desperate. He knew if he didn't seize this moment, he might never again be this close to the princess.
Wingester watched him, inwardly chuckling.


“Young Master Romulus is surprisingly strong-willed, isn't he?”
“Ah, well... I bear the weight of my family! Unlike someone else...!”


Romulus glared at Wingester, chuckling, then flashed a sly grin.
But Wingester's merely shook his head and chuckled softly.
That bastard... Romulus gritted his teeth inwardly, enduring the pain.


“How about we go finish yesterday's meal, Princess?”


Accepting Koch's suggestion, the princess led the group toward the restaurant.


-To be continued-