Genius Wizard Hides His Sword Skills [EN]: Chapter 44

44. Herald

‘This wasn’t part of the plan.’

I hadn’t expected to face Raka Bellier so soon. It was all because of the Moonba brothers’ attack, a situation gone awry.

“W-What are these people?”

“……What do we do?”

I heard Drew and Cleio’s worried voices.

“U-Uh, uh…”

The Aiteo trio, unable to even speak properly, were frozen stiff. The situation was far from optimistic.

“I asked what your purpose is in coming here.”

Raka Bellier’s gaze swept over our frozen group.

“We have no purpose. We’re just passing through, so clear the path.”

“After leaving these guys like this, you’re just going to leave?”

Raka Bellier pointed to the fallen Moonba and Moonbo.

“They attacked first, so a fight broke out. They’re not even your subordinates, are they? Just ignore it and move aside.”

After all, the Moonba brothers were mercenaries hired by Raka. There was no reason for Raka Bellier to antagonize us.

‘First, we retreat and come back later to teach them a lesson.’

We needed to get out of here first.

“If you lay a hand on me or my friends, you won’t be safe either.”

“Ha, you’re an interesting one.”

His gaze swept over the children one by one.

“Indeed, if we mess with Delema and the children of prestigious families, it will be difficult for us to live in the future.”

Then, he looked up at the sky and let out a burst of laughter.

“But what should I do?”

The corner of his mouth twitched strangely.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m already marked by Delema. I’m already a fugitive because of your family.”

The emotion in his eyes was murderous.

[This is getting twisted again.]

‘……Why does Delema have so many bad connections?’

Mana began to surge at Raka Bellier’s fingertips.

“I’ll have to catch you and vent my anger!”

Kuuuu……!

The flow of mana was so intense that even the hem of his robe fluttered.

‘At least a 6-star… no, it must be a 7-star [referring to his magical power level].’

There seemed to be no way to escape from him. No matter what method I used, the gap couldn’t be closed. Moreover, my mana was already depleted.

‘Ha, I had other uses for this.’

I had no choice but to reach for the Necklace of Protection. It was a waste to summon a spirit, but nothing was more important than my life right now.

[Alright. Now that it’s come to this, let’s get the Ratatosk egg for sure.]

If I summoned the spirit, I could defeat him and get the egg. That was the best option for now.

I was about to pour mana into the necklace when.

“Kuaaaak!”

A scream suddenly rang out.

‘What?’

Everyone’s gaze turned to the back of Raka Bellier.

“S-Save me……! Keheok!”

A man collapsed on the ground, vomiting blood. One of Raka Bellier’s men was struggling on the ground.

“Who is it!”

Raka Bellier was furious. But the attack didn’t stop there.

‘This is a scene I’ve seen before.’

Following that, magic spells embroidered the sky. People’s faces were dyed in various colors.

A scene similar to the Magic Tower terror incident by the Central Council.

‘Punk. You came just in the nick of time.’

I withdrew the mana I was about to pour into the necklace.

* * *

“How dare they!”

Admun couldn’t contain his excitement. Because of the thugs surrounding his lord.

‘Are those the guys who stole the artifact!’

There was no need to assess the situation. No matter who the opponent was, he couldn’t forgive anyone who touched Ain.

“That boy is the Herald of Angelos…?”

Fortunately, the man next to him seemed to read Admun’s thoughts and quickly took action.

A man wearing a black mask. Five people were instantly killed by the magic barrage fired from his fingertips. They were thugs who couldn’t come to their senses from the sudden attack.

“That’s right. It’s him.”

“……If you’ve lied, you’ll have to be prepared.”

As Ain said, the Central Council’s base was found in a general store next to the cathedral. When he delivered Ain’s story along with the Central Council’s insignia, the man immediately followed him.

“First, we need to save that person to determine whether it’s true or not.”

“You’re a bold child.”

The man muttered quietly. He walked out with the four subordinates he had brought with him. The thugs they had to face numbered nearly twenty, but they weren’t intimidated at all.

‘Three mages and two knights…….’

The members of the Central Council each had an extraordinary aura.

‘It seems they’re not just some pathetic terrorist group, as Ain said.’

Admun couldn’t even gauge the level of the people in masks. Moreover, the man standing in the center. The man he had just spoken to was definitely special.

‘How can a mage have so many scars on his hands?’

It was proof that he had been in many battles.

‘I don’t know much about magic, but he’s the strongest person I’ve ever seen.’

Hadn’t the magic that flew from his fingertips already devastated their camp?

It was an unheard-of skill. It wasn’t simultaneous casting, but the way he instantly created new magic was almost miraculous.

‘Whether it’s Raka Bellier or whatever, he’ll definitely win.’

With a sense of relief, Admun clenched his fist.

‘……I have to become that strong too, so I can protect Ain.’

He was a man who resolved to double his training from today.

* * *

[It’s the Central Council.]

After the magic bombardment, six figures appeared through the dust.

One was Admun’s, and the other five were wearing black masks.

“W-The Central Council?”

“Why are they here again!”

Drew and Cleio were the first to recognize them. They were the guys who had seen the black masks before.

“Haa. Even the Central Council has appeared…….”

Noah also sighed and looked around. He must be looking for a chance to escape.

But for me, their appearance was like a ray of light.

‘Admun, you’ve worked hard.’

The appearance of reinforcements who could resolve this situation without the Necklace of Protection.

[Can the Central Council beat these guys?]

‘Well. But they don’t seem ordinary, do they?’

The guys who had disabled five people with one attack. They were outnumbered, but their gait was full of confidence.

“……Who are you guys?”

Raka Bellier frowned at their appearance. He had hastily deployed a shield using the mana he had gathered to attack us.

“You must be Raka Bellier.”

Among the five figures wearing black masks, the one in the center stepped forward. Raka Bellier recognized his identity upon seeing his mask.

“You guys, are you with the Central Council?”

The mocking voice of the thug spread across the wasteland.

“Haa. Fucking hell. Now even lowly bastards are running around. How dare you backstab me knowing my name? You’re just a crude terrorist group, so you haven’t heard of my skills!”

But the man in the black mask stared at him without moving.

“Raka Bellier. You’re just hastening your own demise.”

“……What?”

Raka Bellier’s expression crumpled at the indifferent voice coming from behind the mask.

“We were going to deal with you guys anyway because you’re making too much noise. We don’t welcome other forces’ attention being drawn to this kingdom because of you minnows.”

Since the Central Council’s base was also here, it was burdensome to have too much attention focused on it. If forces like Raka Bellier emerged and accumulated power, it was natural for the world’s attention to be drawn to them.

‘Especially since this city has so many criminals.’

It was possible that the Central Council would be affected.

“Ha, this crazy bastard. He’s just spouting nonsense with that hole he calls a mouth. Alright. I’ll kill you first.”

Raka Bellier’s patience didn’t last long. Mana soon gathered at his fingertips.

Pazzzik!

A huge electric current erupted.

‘As expected, he was a 7-star [referring to his magical power level].’

The yellow light illuminated the surroundings. It was a lightning-based wide-area magic, Thunderstorm.

“Heop!”

The children gasped at the high-level magic that appeared from the start. But the appearance of high-level magic didn’t end there.

Around the time Thunderstorm was spreading.

Poohwaak!

The ground violently erupted.

‘……Ground Fence [a defensive earth magic].’

Another 7-star magic. The appearance of a wide-range defensive magic. A huge wall of earth was widely surrounding Raka Bellier.

‘To use this kind of wide-range magic so quickly?’

[He must be an 8-star.]

Kuuuu……!

In the end, the Thunderstorm that erupted from the pile of dirt disappeared without reaching anyone.

“You son of a bitch!”

Raka Bellier came out of the dust and spat out curses.

“Attack, everyone!”

At his words, his subordinates began a full-scale attack. While the mages prepared attack magic, the close combatants rushed towards the Central Council with various swords and weapons.

But the men in black masks remained calm. The three mages slowly began to chant magic.

‘Oh, those guys’ movements are quite something.’

The remaining two swordsmen began to deal with the approaching thugs.

Seogeok! Pook!

There was no need to evaluate. It was as if they were playing with children, moving lightly.

[They’ve built a good foundation.]

Each time they swung their swords, Raka Bellier’s subordinates fell. It was a one-sided massacre.

“Y-You bastards!”

Along with Raka Bellier’s curses, the mages’ bombardment began.

More than a dozen spells, regardless of fire, water, or lightning, were fired. Magic of 4-star or higher was fired solely at the five people.

But all that magic couldn’t even touch the Central Council’s clothes.

Kuoong!

The Ground Fence reappeared. The huge earth barrier was repelling all the magic.

“Are you saying you’re going to kill me with this kind of shabby magic?”

Only a mocking voice could be heard from beyond the solid wall.

“Then, you don’t have anything else to show, do you?”

With the following words, the barrier scattered. Instead, more than a dozen Magic Arrows replaced it.

Pieeng! Piiing!

The volleys of arrows were fired at the mages.

“Keok!”

“Kkuaaak!”

They began to accurately pierce the chests of Raka Bellier’s subordinates.

‘Is there even homing magic on them?’

Moreover, this wasn’t even the magic performed by the leader of the Central Council. It was just done by the other two mages he brought.

“Y-You guys!”

Raka Bellier was the only one who wasn’t attacked, and he was panicking. It wasn’t because he blocked or dodged the Magic Arrows. It was just that the Central Council’s attack wasn’t directed at him.

“I’ll spare you for now.”

The fingertips of the man who appeared to be the leader were directed at him.

Poohwak!

A sharp stone pillar shot up from the ground as his finger flicked.

“Kkuaaaak!”

It pierced Raka Bellier’s left arm. But the gesture didn’t stop there. Subsequently, the stone pillars continued to rise.

Pook! Pook!

The Central Council’s attack stopped only after four stone pillars pierced the thug’s limbs.

“Y-You son of a bitch!”

Raka Bellier was still breathing. But the Central Council’s man didn’t even care.

However, his head turned towards us. The eyes behind the mask were looking directly at me.

‘Hoo. Is it my turn to talk again?’