Chapter 43: Summoning of the Council of Elders -3
“…What did you just say, Professor Anastasia?”
The special forces commander, who had even stopped using honorifics.
At this, I tried to manage my expression and composed my voice.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
“I asked what you just said, warlock.”
The man’s face, openly contorted with anger.
He glared at me as if he were about to eat me alive, his eyes flashing menacingly.
“You’re just a country bumpkin who crawled out of a backwater in the Northeast, and you dare to insult the Magic Tower’s special forces and the great magician who received a constellation?”
“No, it was a slip of the tongue. You don’t have to worry about it…”
“Shut up, girl. Do you take us for fools?”
The special forces commander took a step forward and threatened.
He revealed his hostility towards me, his temples throbbing with anger.
“I’ve heard rumors that warlocks are arrogant. But I never imagined there would be someone so ignorant of the world as to be arrogant towards the Council of Elders and the special forces.”
“…”
“We warned you verbally first, warlock. We conveyed the will of the elders and tried to escort you to the Magic Tower as politely as possible. It was you who ignored that and acted recklessly.”
Fwoosh-!
His rough palms, calloused like a warrior’s despite being a magician.
He threatened, burning a reddish flame on them.
“So don’t resent our actions. It’s all your own doing. I’ll show you what happens when you mess with the honor of the special forces.”
“No, wait… just a moment, Professor!”
The atmosphere was gradually turning hostile.
Anxious, Antiopea, who was glancing back and forth between me and the special forces, leaned towards me.
She reprimanded me with a flustered expression, her voice low.
“How can you disrespect a magician who has received a constellation? Of course, you might be stronger, Professor, but from the Magic Tower’s perspective, this is an unbearable humiliation!”
“Is that so?”
“Of course! It’s a title given only to a select few recognized by the leadership! It’s the same as treating a saint canonized by the Holy See as some heretic!”
Was Nathaniel’s status that high?
I knew he was revered as a genius who had awakened a unique spell, but coming to the academy, I truly felt his influence.
Certainly, if he was still being talked about after his death, he must have been greatly revered in his lifetime.
Even though he was just a guy who picked a fight with me and died.
“Everyone, calm down! Are you going to fight among magicians just a few minutes after dealing with the Magic Eater?”
Antiopea quickly stepped between us and shouted resolutely.
She hid me behind her back as if protecting a child and reached for the hilt of her sword, as if she were about to draw it at any moment.
“I have come here to formally observe Klomes under the orders of His Holiness the Pope! If you try to harm an academy faculty member, I will not stand by and watch!”
“As you wish, Your Highness. Whether you do or not, we intend to drag that woman before the Council of Elders.”
Glance. At the commander’s glance, the magicians who were surrounding us slowly formed a formation.
After confirming his subordinates’ movements, he gritted his right molar and began to threaten Antiopea as well.
“Just as Your Highness represents the Holy See, we represent the Magic Tower’s Council of Elders. If you wish to officially clash with the Magic Tower, then continue to protect that impertinent country bumpkin. But Your Highness must also be prepared to take the corresponding responsibility.”
“…Are you saying we should go all the way?”
Antiopea’s voice suddenly turned cold.
A sharp frost appeared in her sea-blue eyes, which were usually full of kindness.
It was a sharp coldness that even made the special forces commander, who had maintained his composure until now, flinch.
“Then I will play along as you wish. In the name of the 14th Saintess, personally consecrated by His Holiness the Pope.”
Finally, grip, her black-gloved hand gripped the hilt of her holy sword.
A tense standoff where she was about to draw her greatsword and settle things with the special forces.
“It’s alright, Saintess.”
It was at that moment that I intervened in the situation.
“I’ll take care of it, so please step back.”
“…Professor Anastasia?”
Antiopea frowned at my sudden intervention.
But since I was also serious, I repeated what I had said.
“Step back, Saintess. This is my problem as a professor of the academy. There is no need for you to get involved.”
“But…”
“I appreciate you trying to help me. But if you get hurt because of me, I will feel uncomfortable. So please step back so I can resolve this myself.”
Silence. Antiopea, who was staring at me with a strange expression, soon took her hand off her holy sword and distanced herself from me and the special forces.
As she passed me, she whispered something.
“…Just don’t get hurt.”
“I won’t.”
Although she had an insincere and materialistic side, she was a woman with a rather kind heart.
If it weren’t for the fatal identity of being a witch, I might have become a little closer to her emotionally.
So if she got into trouble because of me, the aftertaste would be unpleasant.
Of course, it wasn’t just out of concern for her that I had excluded the Saintess.
‘Nathaniel of Sagittarius, my ass.’
What on earth do they believe in, to be so cocky in front of the current Sword Saint?
It’s fine if they think that about me, since nothing is known about me other than being a black mage, but Antiopea’s immense power must be a well-known fact.
It was unclear whether they were overconfident in their own skills or in the ‘backing’ of the Council of Elders.
‘It would be troublesome if the Saintess got angry and beat them all up.’
Antiopea Zarq was a distinguished guest who had come from outside.
If she assaulted a member of the Magic Tower on my behalf? Then there’s a high probability that all sorts of sparks will fly towards me.
Just like with the Magic Eater, the conflict with the special forces had to be ended at my level.
“You said you’d show me what happens when I mess with the honor of the special forces, right? Then show me.”
I habitually rummaged through my pockets and sighed, remembering that the cotton candy-flavored candy I had eaten earlier was the last one.
“I’m going back to buy more candy.”
You impudent, impertinent b*tch!
Dietrich gritted his teeth, looking at the warlock’s defiant attitude.
Not only did she ignore the dignity of the Council of Elders, but she also insulted a great senior who had been granted a constellation by the Magic Tower with her baseless words.
‘Do you think having strong black magic is everything, you barbarian?’
I’ll show you a hell specialized for arrogant criminals like you!
“Special forces!”
Dietrich shouted, burning a hot flame on his palm.
“Subdue the criminal! After putting on the restraints, take her to the underground prison of the Magic Tower!”
“As you command!”
At the commander’s order, the soldiers of the special forces scattered to their respective positions.
Some began to chant for an attack, while others prepared for arrest with the magic tools they had brought to counter black magic.
Meanwhile, the academy professor in question just stood there, her yellow eyes gleaming like an owl’s.
“Put the handcuffs on first! Make sure she can’t gather her magic power!”
“Throw the restraining shackles! Don’t let her counterattack!”
The ones who had taken out the magic tools shouted, aiming at the warlock.
Whoosh! Click!
The orichalcum restraints flew through the air towards the warlock girl.
The moment they touched her wrist, they emitted a reddish glow and bound her wrist like a crab’s pincer.
“Done!”
“The prisoner is restrained!”
What they had just used was a magic tool for subduing magicians, produced at the Irminsul workshop under the Magic Tower.
It automatically restrains the target, disrupting the rhythm of their magic power and preventing them from using magic.
It was the latest weapon designed by the gnome craftsmen, who were skilled in magic engineering, to capture criminals who resisted the Magic Tower.
“The warlock can no longer use mana! All units, attack!”
At Dietrich’s command, the special forces members who had finished chanting extended their arms and aimed at the warlock.
Zap, zap, offensive spells were fired from their fingertips, creating a barrage.
“…”
A merciless barrage of colorful magic bullets pouring down in front of her.
Perhaps terrified, the warlock did not even try to dodge and froze in place.
‘It must be a new experience for a country bumpkin.’
Dietrich sneered inwardly at this.
A short-sighted fool who had been arrogant, believing only in her powerful black magic.
How terrified must she be now that she realized she was just a frog in a well?
And that she couldn’t even counterattack now that she couldn’t use her mana?
‘But it’s too late to regret it, you insolent thing!’
Blame your own foolishness in the prison of the Magic Tower!
Boom! Boom!
Then, with a loud roar, a thick smoke enveloped the spot where the warlock had been standing.
“Cease fire!”
“Subjugation complete! Check her condition and prepare for transport!”
The orderly attack of the special forces, which an ordinary person would not have survived.
Dietrich scoffed, looking at the black mage who had been defeated without even putting up a fight.
‘The true strength of the special forces comes from the group!’
In terms of individual strength, Anastasia might be stronger than them.
After all, there was no one among the members who could defeat a top-class combat golem in a single blow.
But an army is at its most efficient through the solidarity of a united elite, not a single hero.
Although a single strong man cannot catch a tiger, if many gather, it is possible to hunt it.
‘I’ll make an example of you, you barbarian.”
It was a well-known fact that the upper echelons of the magician society looked down on warlocks.
A rogue faction that refused to belong to the Magic Tower, yet freely practiced black magic, which was strictly forbidden by the Magic Tower.
Weren’t they on the same level as the rogues who were considered criminals?
A black mage who, despite having gotten a job at the academy, still couldn’t break her old habits and acted arrogantly towards the Magic Tower.
He intended to crush her properly and once again imprint that the Magic Tower stood at the pinnacle of the magician society.
It was at that moment.
Swish-!!
Suddenly, countless black shadow tentacles shot out from the dust.
“Kuh?!”
“Kyaaak!!”
Then, they immediately struck and bound the surrounding special forces members, causing a commotion.
It was a sight reminiscent of the eight arms of a squid snatching a school of sardines.
“Aaaah, it hurts! What is this!”
“H-help! My arm! My leg! My muscles won’t move!”
Moreover, the members who were caught or pierced by the tentacles all fell to the ground and began to cry out in pain.
They were showing symptoms of pain and paralysis, as if they had been poisoned by a powerful neurotoxin.
“W-what on earth is this?!”
The warlock should have been unable to use her mana, right?
“Is this all you can do?”
Dietrich, who had been startled, took a step back.
The surprisingly unscathed warlock emerged from the dust.
Anastasia, who had knocked down more than half of the special forces in an instant. She sneered, glancing at Dietrich and the remaining members.
“You shouldn’t be using Nathaniel’s name if this is all you can do.”
“…What are you doing! “
Startled for a moment, Dietrich, filled with anger, turned to the remaining members and shouted.
“Keep attacking! Use the shock magic tools!”
“H-yes, sir!”
“As you command!”
The subordinates, who had finally come to their senses, took out round magic tools from their pockets.
The magic tools, which left their hands in a line, flew towards Anastasia like balls thrown in a sports game.
Zap, zap-!!
Then, a crackling sound came from the magic tools, and a bolt of lightning struck, covering the warlock.
‘I don’t know what kind of trick she pulled, but…!’
Dietrich clenched his fists, glaring at the girl who had been instantly turned into a roasted chicken.
‘This time, you won’t stand a chance, you barbarian!’
What they had used this time was a magic tool for subduing people, called ‘Mrikak’.
It temporarily shoots a current stronger than ordinary magic, neutralizing the target by electrocuting them at once.
Mrikak was also a weapon created while studying the giant sea eel, which, like the Magic Eater, was known as the natural enemy of a magician.
Wasn’t it a crystallization of power that was completely at odds with a magician, thoroughly shaking and extinguishing the mana it came into contact with?
But Dietrich’s confidence was shattered once again.
“…!?”
As the lightning from the Mrikak subsided, Anastasia once again revealed her unscathed form.
She had protected herself by wrapping her body with the shadow tentacles writhing at her feet.
‘H-how!’
How did Mrikak not work?
As long as she used ordinary magic power, it should have been scattered by Mrikak’s lightning.
Surely, all the black mages who had been defeated by the special forces until now, without a single exception…
“You said you were personally trained by Nathaniel of Sagittarius.”
Startled for a moment at her blocking the magic tool with just a basic spell.
Anastasia looked at him with a look of pity and sneered.
“Then shouldn’t you not rely on such trivial tricks instead of magic? At least Nathaniel was a person who fought his enemies with pure magic skills.”
Dietrich, his pride thoroughly crushed, bit his lip and let out a groan.
After glaring at his opponent for a moment, he gave an order in a low voice.
“…Form a formation! Attack with the dragon’s breath!”
“D-dragon’s breath?”
“But Captain! Our mission is to escort, not to kill…”
“What’s in your heads, you idiots! Don’t you understand the situation yet?”
Dietrich shouted, reprimanding his subordinates, bursting with anger.
“It’s a dangerous individual that neither the mana restraints nor the Mrikak work on! To subdue it, we have no choice but to use all our power! So hurry up and form a formation!”
At the commander’s command, the members formed a line, although they were exchanging glances.
Meanwhile, Dietrich muttered, watching Anastasia with a tense expression.
‘Trivial tricks?’
The magic tools given to the special forces are all specialized for subduing magicians and magical creatures.
According to the will of the great magician Medea, it is the result of learning that has been passed down since the time of the first Hero.
To treat such weapons with contempt and neutralize them, he couldn’t even guess how strong she was.
‘But it doesn’t matter.’
What they were about to show now was the ultimate technique of the special forces, and an ultimate offensive spell that would cleanly ‘clean up’ anything.
It was a magic that was used only when the order to kill a high-risk individual like the Magic Eater was given.
No matter how strong the warlock was, she wouldn’t be as unscathed as before after being hit by this.
“Prepare to cast the spell!”
As he shouted that and urgently activated the ring-shaped magic tool on his index finger, his subordinates also followed suit and did the same.
Then, woong, a light emanated from the rings and began to envelop their hands.
“Mana sharing is complete, Captain!”
At the report of the subordinate who had finished checking the status, Dietrich glared at Anastasia and took a deep breath.
Then, he raised his arm towards her and gave a loud command.
“Fire the dragon’s breath!”
FWOOSH-!!!
The next moment, a fierce flame shot out from the hands of everyone who was aiming at Anastasia.
But it was by no means an ordinary fire-type magic.
Literally resembling a dragon’s breath, a super-hot flame that burned fiercely with a bluish hue.
It was a joint operation where all the members present shared their magic power at once and unleashed a fierce onslaught at a single point.
‘Even a fire spirit like a salamander would be cooler than this, warlock!’
A hellfire that could melt not only hard rocks but also super metals like adamantite.
Dietrich snorted, pouring out the fire with the intention of turning her into pulp.
‘This is a spell we practiced to defeat the witch and the demon army of the demonic realm who will one day return, not you…’
Given the circumstances, he would be forgiven for misusing it on a prisoner who had resisted the orders of the Magic Tower.
What was truly important was to show the academy professor who had not followed when he was being nice.
But the very next moment.
“Ugh? Wh-what!”
“Kyaak! H-help! Let me go now!”
As if to mock Dietrich’s confident declaration, the magic suddenly stopped, and screams erupted from all over.
All the remaining members who were firing the dragon’s breath, except for Dietrich.
They were all caught by the ankles by shadow tentacles and were dangling in the air.
Their feet, which they had not paid attention to while pouring out the dragon’s breath.
Shadows had shot out from them and had snatched the members in an instant.
Then, poke, poke, as the sharp ends of the tentacles pierced their heels.
“Kuh-heuk?!”
“Heuk, m-my body…!”
They too began to convulse, showing the same symptoms as their fallen comrades.
Only then did Dietrich realize what trick the warlock had pulled.
‘The flow of mana… she twisted it?’
She had injected a foreign and contaminated magic power into the magicians’ bodies, causing their mana to flow backwards and making them collapse.
Although it was a theoretically possible technique, he had never dreamed that she could do it with such a simple manipulation.
However, there was no time to be amazed at the warlock’s excellent skills.
“Now it’s just you.”
The warlock, who was emitting a cold and menacing aura.
She was striding towards Dietrich, who had lost his will to fight.
“D-damn it!”
Gasping for breath, Dietrich ended up stepping back.
He was a man who had a reputation for being rigid and brave even within the Magic Tower’s special forces.
He had never shown any hesitation in any mission, nor had he ever turned his back on an enemy.
But when he faced the reality that even his trump card, the dragon’s breath, was useless.
‘An out-of-spec monster!’
Finally, a sense of crisis began to grow within him and eat away at his heart.
“What are you doing, Commander of the special forces? You said you were going to arrest me and imprison me in the underground prison, didn’t you?”
“W-wait! Stop right now! Listen to me, Professor Anastasia!”
The warlock, sneering as she advanced with her tentacles writhing like living creatures.
At the sight of her, as if she were about to stab him like his members, Dietrich reflexively waved his arms.
“We are an elite force dispatched from the Magic Tower. Therefore, to touch us is no different from declaring war on the Magic Tower! If you are a sane person, you wouldn’t make an enemy of the entire Magic Tower…”
“I’m not declaring war.”
“What?”
“I’m saying this is not a declaration of war, but self-defense. So shut up and be quiet, you so-called junior of Nathaniel of Sagittarius.”
A terrifying gaze he had never encountered in his life.
Anastasia said indifferently, looking down at Dietrich with a expression like a cat that had crushed a mouse.
“It was you who touched me first, who is not even affiliated with the Magic Tower.”