[V5C20] The Standoff Between the Two You Don’t Want to Piss Off
Translated by Jodas 5: The Magic BattleWhen Tia was disguised as a human, her mana organs were altered in order to prevent her from being discovered by the mana evaluation. Functionally, someone had made mock mana organs for her.
Therefore, even though her outward mana reserves appeared to be average for a human, she was hiding the power of a Monster deeper within.
She had the feeling that Eurydice, the Cackling Foam had sniffed out that truth.
There was no conclusive evidence. Regardless, the fact was that numerous bubbles were now flying towards Tia.
“KYAHAHAHA! KYAAAAAHAHAHAHA!!”
Frederik winced as he heard the Ancient Magical Artifact’s shrill laughing. He grumbled under his breath.
“Dammit… You noticed me, Helena…”
It seemed that Frederik was under the impression that the reason those bubbles were heading towards them was because Helena had noticed Frederik’s presence.
Frederik wasted no time and started chanting an incantation. He let loose wind magic with next to no power, but a wide area of effect. The wind popped one bubble after another.
The stronger the magecraft, the more damage the bubbles would do when they popped. Therefore, low-power, wide area magic was best for intercepting the bubbles.
They were classmates, after all, he was used to dealing with her.
With several of the bubbles dealt with, they could catch a glimpse of Helena standing on the opposite side. Helena still had her face buried in her hands as she continued to weep.
“It’s so sad… I’m so sad… Ah, I’m not angry at all, though? It’s true? After all, I’m a Saint. I’d never do something so crude like letting my anger take over and go on a rampage, I’m not angry at all. I said, I’m just sad… Ah… I’m so sad… By the way, Frederik, you scumbag.”
Through the gaps in her fingers, Helena’s eyes shifted to glare at Frederik.
“You launched wind at me to fold up my clothes and get a look at my underwear, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t see anything, so what does it matter?”
“You humiliated me in front of everyone, didn’t you?”
“I’d say you’re humiliating yourself even more at the moment.”
“God has spoken to me thusly: enact judgement on this irredeemably perverted man.”
As Frederik stood still, tia and Wren dashed towards Oliver.
Running ahead, Wren made an expression of exasperation.
“It’s suddenly turned into a hell of a slap fight… Are we sure those two are on the same team?”
“Wren, what’s per-vert-ed?”
“Ask Sevil to tell you later.”
Some of the bubbles from Eurydice, the Cackling Foam headed for Frederik, while others flew towards Tia.
Helena was clearly, consciously, trying to target Frederik.
However, the bubbles that weren’t under Helena’s control responded to Tia’s mana, so she couldn’t afford to let her guard down.
Frederik chanted, sending forth another gust. The bubbles enveloped his mana-powered wind and popped one after another.
“Honestly, you, a member of the Extermination Office, getting pissed off just because you took one hit? I’d thought you wouldn’t normally go wild with only that much, but… Ah… I see why now… Huh…”
Frederik dipped his head and muttered to himself, but eventually he lifted his head slowly and smiled. He wore a calm, gentle smile.
“I see, I suppose I must apologize, then…”
Frederik blew air out of his nose, then placed a hand on his cheek.
“I apologize for allowing the Apprentices to see my peer’s discomforting appearance.”
Tiny bubbles started to float up from around Helena’s feet.
As they arose, the Ancient Magical Artifact let out a shrill cackling voice.
“Ah, I am so, so sad… To think I have such a worthless piece of shit for a teammate who doesn’t even know how to repent… Oh, woe is me.”
“*KYAHAHAHA!! DIEDIEDIEDIE!!”
Frederik discarded his typical, friendly smile.
As he manipulated the winds to send the bubbles flying, he clicked his tongue and complained.
“Why do I have to be accused of peeking at Helena, of all people? Ah, this is really getting on my nerves…”
Frederik chanted, activating his flight magic.
Helena used Eurydice, the Cackling Foam to generate a large wave of bubbles.
Tension hung in the air as the two best of the Extermination Office faced off against each other.
“This is going to hurt, you know?”
“Fools incur the wrath of God!”
A howling wind blew, attacking the bubbles. Bubbles popped one after another.
A magic battle where fearsome attacks flew back and forth, entirely unlike the ones they used against the Apprentices.
As Tia hurriedly waddled, she whispered to Wren.
“Wren, actually. I think those bubbles might be reacting to me, maybe.”
“…Damn, really?”
Wren was clever enough to deduce what it was that Tia was trying to say.
The Ancient Magical Artifact ‘Eurydice, the Cackling Foam’ was reacting to Tia, the Monster. If they handled this wrong, Tia’s true identity might be exposed.
Wren deliberated for a second, then glanced at the Magical Leaping Device on Tia’s back.
“Tia, whatever you do, don’t take off that Magical Leaping Device. If someone says anything, just say the bubbles were attracted by your magical device. It doesn’t look like that Ancient Magical Artifact is capable of communicating that kind of stuff anyways.”
“Oh, I see! Wren, you’re so clever! A brainy pretty boy!”
“Of course!”
When both of them arrived at Oliver’s location, they next had to consider how they would carry him.
First of all, Tia was the stronger of the two, so she should probably lift the side with his head.
Tia rolled the unconscious Oliver over so he was laying on his back, walked around to his head, and inserted both of her arms under his armpits.
Then, with a “hmph!” she lifted his upper body off of the ground.
“Wren, hold his feet, okay?”
“Tch. You know pretty boys aren’t cut out for manual labor… I’ll make sure that Oliver gives me all the thanks I deserve… That’s it! I’ll make him sing the pretty boy song for me later!”
“You’re gonna sing? Sounds fun! I wanna sing too!”
“Then let’s have you and Oliver sing the pretty boy song at our afterparty! Yep, it’s decided!”
Despite his casual banter, Wren’s expression was tense, and sweat dripped all over his face.
Trying to evacuate an ally to a safe place while bubbles from an Ancient Magical Artifact flew all around them, not knowing what would happen if they were to be hit — it was a mentally taxing activity.
Tia was starting to get an idea as to why Wren always ran his mouth at times like this.
To prevent his mind from being paralyzed in fear; to keep his thoughts going.
(If I could return to my original form, I would have sang a song to drive away his fear… But then the bubbles would just come after me, wouldn’t they? Would those bubbles react to a mana-infused song?)
At least, she should try to reduce the strain on Wren. As Tia put more strength into her arms, lifting Oliver up, she saw something.
A single bubble was approaching from behind Wren. The bubble was probably headed for Tia, but Wren was standing in the way.
These bubbles didn’t make complex maneuvers to avoid obstacles. It would surely run straight into Wren.
“Pevu…”
Faster than she could think, her body was already moving.
Tia suddenly let go of Oliver, letting his upper body flop onto the ground. Wren’s body hunched over, pulled by the sudden weight.
“Hey, Tia!?”
Wren tried to complain, but Tia jumped on top of him.
Then, unconsciously, she opened her mouth. Just as she would when she was in Harpy form, she infused mana into her voice — her song.
“—LuuaaaaaAAAAA!!”
Dammer, who had been watching the proceedings using his far-sight magic, waited for the right moment with his hand on one of the stakes that maintained the magic battle barrier.
Helena and Frederik were going wild slinging bubbles and wind at each other.
Behind them, two of the Apprentices tried to sneak away, carrying something. Most likely, they came to retrieve the unconscious body of Frederik’s little brother.
One of the bubbles drifted towards the Apprentices. The white-haired girl threw her body on top to cover the others.
Dammer put his strength into the hand holding the stake.
“Now…!”
“Not so fast. I can’t be having that kid die so soon.”
He heard a voice behind him. At the same time, a sweet fragrance tickled his nose.
By the time Dammer noticed the intoxication he felt from the sweet smell of concentrated nectar, he’d already fell to his knees.
As Dammer continued to crumple on the ground, he used what little strength he had remaining to twist his neck.
Looking down on him, he saw a blond young man wearing ornate clothing. On his head, he wore a wide-brimmed hat with a flower pinned to it.
The brim of his hat blocked his expression from view, but he could tell that this man wore bandages all over.
Dammer’s consciousness grew dimmer. The man was speaking, but he couldn’t tell what about.
Only, as his consciousness faded, Dammer noticed one last thing.
(This smell…… Is it… Roses?)
Confirming that the man with the scar on his face had fully lost consciousness, the man with the hat took a knee and started an incantation.
This incantation was for a type of magecraft that would make this person forget everything that just happened.
It was mental interference magic, of the Classical variety.
Under modern laws, he was under the impression that mental interference magic was considered a forbidden art, but he was not the sort of man to care about such things.
“I’d honestly rather grind you up and turn you into fertilizer, but… I think it would be more fun to leave you alive. Besides, it wouldn’t be good for me to take that kid’s prey.”
He whispered quietly, his eyes falling on the necklace the man with the scarred face wore around his neck.
This necklace was made using a Monster’s fang. It seemed this human not only wanted attention; he was the kind of person who desperately sought proof of his exploits.
But that sort of thing was the height of foolishness.
That wolf would only be incensed by seeing that fang, and its remaining fangs were still plenty sharp enough.
“That said, this scar on his face… Haha, what a farce.”
The man with the hat cackled until he suddenly realized something, his laughter trailing off.
“Oh, right. He must have tried to kill Tia because she already noticed.”
The man took off his hat, placing it against his chest with the flower ornament facing upwards.
Then, he whispered, as if speaking to the crimson rose on his hat.
“Behold, O Great Witch. To hide his sins, he only commits more sins. How comical… How human of him.”