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Chapter 33: The Butler’s Teaching
At a time when even the plants and trees were asleep, three men wearing black hoods ran stealthily in the dark night.
Their refined running style hardly made any sound.
“We need to do a final check. This magical tool inhibits the magical energy in a specific space, but its effect can only last for about five minutes. After that, it will self-destruct to prevent information leaks…apparently.”
“So, basically, failure is not an option, right?”
“…”
“That’s right. We need to neutralize the ‘Darkness’ and capture the target with the ‘Magic-Sealing Shackles’ before the time limit.”
“Got it!”
“Understood.”
Their destination was the dormitory annexed to the Aslan Magic Academy.
Normally, the dormitory would have been heavily guarded by numerous magical tools, but strangely, none of them reacted to the presence of the intruders.
The men arrived at the dormitory and went around to the back of it.
When they put their hands on the door, it easily opened.
“──Just as the intel said.”
“Wow, they’re really letting their guard down.”
“Quiet! Stay focused. We can’t afford to fail.”
“Okay, okay. Sorry about that.”
After reprimanding his comrades for joking around, the man continued speaking.
“So far, everything is going according to plan. However, in case of unexpected events, activate this magical tool immediately upon entering the dormitory. Got it?”
“…Understood.”
“Got it! Five minutes from there, right on time. Piece of cake.”
“…Understood.”
“…You really only say that, don’t you?”
“Alright then, let’s go.”
The man in charge took the lead and opened the door. They entered and activated the magical tool as planned.
The three men immediately sprang into action. Their first stop was the cafeteria.
In the hallway leading to the cafeteria, two men who appeared to be security guards were lying down in an unnatural position. They seemed to be breathing, so they were probably not dead.
“…”
The men showed no surprise at the sight and continued on to their destination without hesitation, as if they knew the layout of the dormitory shrouded in darkness.
“…”
Eventually, they stopped in front of a certain room and exchanged glances.
This was it. The door was locked, but the man easily picked the lock with his practiced hands.
After another nod, the man quietly opened the door.
“Oh, welcome.”
“──Ha!?”
Although it was something small, the man let out a surprised shout. This was because, for the first time, an unexpected event had occurred.
There was already a small light lit up. Its form became clear: a beautiful woman with silver hair sitting calmly on the bed.
Confusion lasted only a moment, and the man’s next action was quick. If he screamed, then failure would be certain.
And so he had to kill her. He didn’t know who she was, but he had to get her to her last breath immediately.
The stiletto that was already in his right hand was aimed at the silver-haired woman with a clear intent to kill… and then he dropped it with a “clink.”
“Hmm, so you’re an enemy after all. That’s all I needed to know.”
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“…Hmm, what is it?”
Luke woke up with an undeniable sense of discomfort. But the true nature of that discomfort was soon revealed: for some reason, all the magic he constantly used was not functioning.
That became an intense feeling of discomfort, and Luke woke up.
“…Ha?”
And then, he realized that he couldn’t use any magic. It was clearly an abnormal situation.
Magic cannot be used. However, he can sense magic power. In the case of Luke, who has linked his sensing ability with magic and has been using it constantly, it is terribly extensive and precise.
Therefore, it was easy to know that someone was coming towards him.
(…s**t)
Recently, Luke had been feeling stressed a lot. It was also the reason why Alice was sleeping next to him right now.
Despite knowing it was not good, the number of times he had invited Alice to his room had increased. However, Luke’s invitation was more like an order.
Luke’s feelings of disappointment and resignation, as well as the pain in his stomach, were filled with a sense of “No, not this again.”
However, even as he sighed, his thoughts accelerated in a calm manner to deal with this unexpected situation.
“Hey, wake up, Alice.”
“…Hm, what’s wrong, Luke? Haha, don’t tell me you want to…?”
“Shut up and just answer my question. Can you use magic?”
“Huh, that’s… Oh, I can’t use it…”
At this point, Alice also recognized that something abnormal was happening.
“I see. At least it’s not just me. Well, whatever.”
Luke got up and opened a drawer. Inside was a real short sword that he received from Alfred when he enrolled in this academy.
With a cruel smile on his face, Luke remembered Alfred’s teachings.
“Master Luke. The secret of the hidden weapon lies in ‘striking unexpectedly.'”
It was a technique taught by Alfred for killing enemies.
At the time, Luke was puzzled by the inhumane teaching, but now even that was nostalgic.
(I can never thank you enough, Alfred-san.)
I pull out the short sword. Although he had not touched it for a while, Luke’s body remembered how to handle it.
“You should understand by now, right? Someone is coming towards us.”
“…Yes, it seems so.”
“We don’t know if they’re an enemy or an ally in this situation. You’re in the way. Go hide somewhere.”
“Wait. Is there nothing I can do?”
“What can you do if you can’t use magic?”
“…I could be a decoy.”
“….Ha?”
At this moment, Luke was a little surprised at himself. He realized that he had unconsciously ruled out the option of using Alice as a decoy.
(…Certainly, if Alice were a decoy, it would be easier to strike a surprise attack. But why am I…. no, never mind. This is not something to think about now.)
His thoughts were spinning. He removed his emotions and calmly searched for the optimal solution in this situation.
(Assuming there are multiple enemies and they all are coming straight towards me, either way, their aim is probably me. But the information is too unclear and I can’t use magic in this situation. They could have an unknown power or technology. Either way, if I cannot win, it will be the end of me.)
In that case, Luke thought.
He would use Alice as bait and catch one of them off guard to kill them for sure.
That would be the action that would increase his chances of winning the most.
(… When did I become so naive, at all)
There was a part of him that hesitated to use Alice as bait with his cold, calculated thinking.
“It’s okay,”
At that moment, Alice spoke in a small voice.
“I trust you, Luke.”
“…”
Luke looked at Alice. In her eyes, there was truly pure trust without any mix of doubt.
(…What a fool, huh.)
While thinking about that, Luke laughed.
“All right. I’m counting on you.”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
Luke hid in the shadows and focused his consciousness on sensing magical power.
It reacted to three silhouettes, steadily approaching.
He was convinced that they were headed towards to the room.
He listened to the ground.
There were three people.
They were fast, and their footsteps were small and efficient.
—They were skilled.
However, Luke’s mind was very calm.
He believed in his own power to the point of arrogance, even if there was a possibility of facing a powerful enemy, he didn’t feel endangered.
(…This level of danger is nothing.)
Luke held the short sword he had received from Alfred and smiled a little.
(It was a gift for my enrollment, and a proof of mastering it… right? Kuku, it’s unexpected that it would be useful in this way.)
He then switched his consciousness.
Only a cold heart remained.
And then—
“Oh, welcome.”
” —Ha!?”
I knew it, Luke thought.
The confusion was evidence that these people were after Luke.
The situation accelerated from there.
Luke keenly sensed the man’s clear killing intent. He drew his stiletto and pointed it at Alice in that moment—
“Hmm, so they’re enemies after all. That’s all we need to know.”
In the blink of an eye. Luke jumped out from behind cover and sliced the man’s throat with his short sword.
Blood flew through the air, staining Alice red.
The man fell to the ground, groaning inaudibly.
(Killing people. It’s the first time, but surprisingly easy. Next.)
Luke caught the remaining two with a sideways glance. He quickly kicked the ground and closed the distance between them.
“────!”
The man intercepted in silence. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t shaken by the loss of his comrade in such an anticlimactic way.
However, years of training moved his body reflexively.
He aimed for Luke’s right eye and thrust his weapon forward.
But Luke evaded with a minimal movement of his head.
Another impact. Unbelievable. These were clearly not the movements of an amateur. This was different from the information they had.
That thought became the man’s last.
Luke made a precise thrust towards the man’s left shoulder.
His arm no longer moved, and he dropped the stiletto he was holding.
Despite that, Luke’s attacks continued, piercing his throat and finally striking his vulnerable heart.
It was a terrifyingly refined and flowing three-hit combo of thrusts.
“… Gah!”
The second man fell to the ground.
“I didn’t hear… anything like this…”
The remaining third man steps back. At that moment, a choice briefly crossed Luke’s mind: “restrain and extract information”.
But he quickly dismissed the idea.
Because the enemy had unknown power or technology.
“Stay vigilant. Be careful and thorough when they’re cornered,” Alfred’s teachings came back to him, and Luke made his decision: to kill.
And just as the man reached for something in his pocket, a short sword was thrust into his head.
It was a merciless throw. He didn’t even have time to let out a final scream before he died instantly.
“…”
Luke quietly exhaled.
And then, he stood there motionless, looking down at the dead body that lay on the red-stained ground.
“Luke, are you okay? Luke!!”
Alice rushed over and shouted loudly.
It was understandable.
Suddenly, Luke had fallen to both knees as if collapsing. He remained there, even placing both hands on the ground.
It was clearly not normal.
“Poison!? Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it…”
There were no noticeable external injuries.
Therefore, Alice concluded that Luke’s abnormality must have been caused by some kind of poison. However–
“Why…why would they attack us like this… in the middle of the night… these guys…”
Luke spoke up.
While relieved that he did not seem to be affected by poison, Alice listened carefully.
“Suddenly attacking us like that!!!”
It was a scream from Luke’s soul, as if he was releasing all the stress that had accumulated until now.
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Luke’s soul scream easily woke up all the dormitory students, and this unprecedented attack incident came to light.
This was the first major incident since the founding of the Aslan Magic Academy, and it had a big impact on the people of the kingdom.
And—
“Hurry up and bring out the carriage.”
Luke’s father, Claude, was furious.