Chapter 250

“…….”

Center of the event grounds, an Italian restaurant.

Even though it was late, past midnight, people were gathered here and there, eating and chatting.

No, they were until five minutes ago.

Until five minutes ago, the numerous people here were all talking about how the Pleroma Askanian had ended up here, how good that Pleroma was for the imperial family to have taken him in, and whether he had ever actually drunk blood. This was nothing. Countless vulgar topics that one would never utter in a one-on-one conversation were being exchanged.

But now, it was all over.

In the frozen air, as if it had never happened, no one opened their mouths.

Only Askanian’s voice could be heard from the screens and newspapers.

[Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you….]

My eyes met Askanian’s through the camera lens.

[Bless those who curse you.]

He lightly brought two fingers to his lips. While he kissed his hand, his gaze was fixed on the audience, and because he didn’t blink once, the sight was very unsettling. It was a gaze that was a little far from ‘loving your enemies’.

Soon, he lowered his head and looked at the player on the floor. His hand pressed gently on the center of the player’s forehead.

[Pray for those who mistreat you.]

[…!]

Beeeeep—!

[The match is over.]

[The finalist is Lukas Askanian of the German Empire.]

“…….”

The restaurant was silent.

I don’t know why, but I felt a little cheated.

But, more than that, the crimson world they had seen was more shocking. In this world, pink magic does not exist. It is a color that is impossible to achieve other than by artificially dyeing magic.

Originally, a person’s magic color is the color they are naturally born with, that is, the color of their irises. Therefore, the magic of that Pleroma Askanian, whose color was unusual, had the ability to capture one’s attention with just a single shot.

Moreover, that color was so varied, as if it contained all the spectrums that could be produced from red, and because it really moved like fire, it made one want to hold it in their hands at least once. I already knew that much. In the first place, the magic of the Askanian family was considered the most ideal magic that everyone dreamed of.

But today, it didn’t stop there. Askanian had dyed the vast space entirely red, had brought down the magic pouring down on him, and had defeated a mage with a much more splendid career than himself.

[…Wooooow!]

[What was that? What did I just see?]

[Is it real fire…?]

[Huh….]

The radiance that belatedly began to be heard from the street outside broke the silence inside.

The magic he showed today stimulated anxiety rather than being beautiful, as was characteristic of the Askanian family. Though they themselves did not believe they were feeling fear. Someone, trying to ignore that fact, cleared their throat and opened their mouth.

“Amazing.”

From then on, some people, who had been holding their breath, let it out and made a clattering sound by hitting their forks against their plates.

A person, drunk on beer, asked the people around them.

“…I just saw this, is it over?”

“You mean this player’s part? After the next match in the semifinals, he’ll be in the finals again.”

“Oh, that’s a relief.”

Someone glanced at them.

“…….”

There were two mages in this restaurant, listening to the conversations of the people.

They were wearing large robes to hide their imperial uniforms.

One mage, who was constantly wiping away a nosebleed, saw the face of the person sitting in front of him and smiled.

“You were acting like you were going to send someone off all this time~?”

“…….”

At Narce’s words, Leo wiped the smile from his face and cleared his throat.

That was when people were talking about whether Lukas had drunk his brother’s or father’s blood, or whether the imperial family paid their salaries in blood—I really wanted to go and ask them if they were serious.

Now, that bad feeling had completely disappeared.

No one who had seen his achievement could now speak recklessly about him. It was an achievement accomplished by Leo himself teaching him. No, this was Lukas’s achievement for following the lessons well, and it was thanks to his talent, his perseverance, and his intellect. But it was natural to be happy about the success of a friend he had helped.

Narce speared an olive with his fork and looked around.

“Good. I’m glad this place has calmed down a bit… and I’m glad Lukas seems to be genuinely enjoying himself.”

“Isn’t he in a state of being one-third crazy?”

“Exactly~ right down to that one-third part.”

Narce said, snapping his fingers.

Leo looked around. He wanted to grab anyone and discuss the magic Lukas had shown for 100 or 200 minutes, but he couldn’t right now. Blue crosses were shining on people’s palms. They hadn’t shrunk at all yet.

“So, Narce, what do you think about the book code? It shouldn’t be taking this long. I think the plan might have changed.”

“No, they’re also debating whether to send it or not right now. They’re probably thinking it would be better not to send it at all.”

Narce said, holding his forehead.

A few seconds later, blood dripped from his nose. Leo narrowed his eyes and said.

“I didn’t ask you to use your ability to find out.”

“Haha~”

“…Never mind, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you anything. Stop talking now.”

Narce nodded and closed his eyes. A short while later, his eyes, which had opened, were bloodshot. At a glance, his sclera looked red.

“Stop using your ability.”

“Ah~ I know. You don’t have to tell me again. Leo, you’re so kind to me.”

“Kind or not, who wouldn’t say this after seeing your eyes right now.”

Narce didn’t answer that and said something else.

“You were so blunt at first. Remember? We, the month I came as an exchange student, we went to the suburban park for the end-of-month exam. Back then, when I suddenly became friends with Lukas, you looked at me with such… suspicious eyes. It was really scary~”

“You would have been suspicious too if you were me.”

“That’s true. It’s just that seeing you say this reminds me of that time.”

“…….”

Even so, they couldn’t be called completely close yet. If Lukas didn’t hang out with Narce, Leo wouldn’t necessarily spend time with him. Even when the four of them were together, the two of them didn’t talk to each other often.

For Leo, who had a slightly sensitive disposition, Narce, who had many questionable points, was not particularly comfortable.

But, in the end, he was a friend.

He was a classmate, and at least when it came to team activities, and the safety of the subjects, he was a reliable and dependable colleague. He was still not trustworthy when it came to Lukas, but that was just Leo’s own suspicion, and looking back, Narce had always been helpful.

Even now, he was bleeding because he was pushing his foresight and insight abilities beyond their limits for the sake of the subjects.

Therefore, he couldn’t just stand by and watch him suffer. For now.

“Aren’t you going to use healing magic on me?”

Narce said, pointing to his face.

Of course, even if he couldn’t just stand by, he couldn’t listen to such words. Leo looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.

“…….”

“Haha~ how embarrassing.”

“I’d like to, but I’m sorry, I can’t. It only works on Lukas.”

“Hmm, that’s a shame.”

Leo carefully opened his clutch so that others couldn’t see, took out an elixir, and took out a pill package from inside his jacket.

He broke a pill capsule in half, poured the powder into the elixir, and handed it to Narce.

“Drink.”

“Isn’t a capsule supposed to be eaten as a capsule?”

“Well, you can eat it differently depending on the situation. You need the medicine to take effect quickly right now, so let’s just break it open this one time.”

“Oh, thank you~”

Narce smiled and drank the elixir.

When Leo waved his hand to signal that they should start cleaning up and leave, Narce shook his head.

“Let’s stay a little longer. It’ll be safe to stay a little longer.”

“…….”

“We came here to check the situation anyway. We were also trying to see if the book code would appear somewhere.”

Right.

Since we can watch both the inside and outside reactions from here, there’s no harm in watching a little longer.

The government wasn’t calling us anyway, and since Lukas had already jumped into the match without a solution, there was nothing we could do.

As they sat down again, Narce cast a soundproofing spell and opened his mouth.

“Now Italy and Qing will face off, and Italy will win.”

Leo was at a loss for words again and looked at him.

“…Patriotism…?”

“It’s not like that. Tell Lukas, Leo.”

Narce leaned closer and lowered his voice.

“Whatever he’s thinking, it’s better to end it quickly. It would be better to forfeit.”

Why would he say such a thing all of a sudden.

Leo asked in a low voice.

“Is that person stronger than you?”

“Hey, comparing me~ I’m not even as good as you or Elias.”

Narce smiled and waved his hand. Leo said coolly, without changing his expression.

“That’s not true.”

“…….”

Narce tilted his head.

“What’s not true?”

“Why are you less than me or Elias? That’s not true.”

“Did you forget? I was always after you guys in any exam….”

“I wonder. We don’t know the truth.”

At Leo’s words, Narce just smiled and remained silent. Narce quickly changed the subject.

“That Italian player will use Divine Power now.”

“He didn’t use it in the round of 8.”

“He’ll use it now.”

Someone who hasn’t used Divine Power until now would make a point of using it in the next stage?

I don’t know about Lukas or Narce, who use Divine Power like water, but usually Divine Power is more difficult to manage than magic power, so it’s not used often.

Even if that Italian player could use Divine Power, it was only natural that he didn’t use it in the previous match. He must have focused on the magic power that came most easily to him in the match.

Of course, it’s hard to accept, but if Narce says so, I can believe that part.

Leo shook his head and said.

“Lukas also uses Divine Power, so it’s fine. Though he can’t use it here.”

“Of course, he has resistance to Divine Power. I can tell from the fact that my mind control magic didn’t work on him right away. And now… it’s not that he drank it for the tournament, but Lukas had already taken an elixir in that field, so an attack with Divine Power will be even less effective.”

That’s probably true.

After returning from experiencing the future, Lukas had asked me to get him a potion that could build resistance to mind control magic, and since then he had been taking the potion every hour.

It was definitely not for the tournament. He didn’t seem to have expected that at all.

Leo thought that far and asked Narce.

“You know everything so well. So what’s the problem.”

“…….”

“Lukas is not someone who would forfeit, Narce. It seems you still don’t know Lukas.”

He acts like he knows everything.

Leo swallowed those words.

Narce, as if thinking Leo’s words were not wrong, instead of retorting, looked out the window and said.

“I can at least let him choose. …I don’t want Lukas to get involved with that player.”

“…….”

Leo tapped his artifact and contacted Lukas. After briefly granting Narce’s request and cutting off the connection, the people around them shouted and jumped up from their seats.

“Oh!”

“It’s starting!”

The magic screen on one side of the restaurant, which had been cut off after the match, was flickering.

Now, the next match of the semifinals would begin. It was also the last match of the semifinals.

The excitement now was much stronger than when the round of 8 matches were held.

Leo looked out the window. The people who had been walking on the street were now sitting in front of a place with a magic screen, as if a performance had started, and were waiting for the match. On other streets, people had their eyes fixed on the front page of the Imperial newspaper.

It was a perfect situation for a terrorist to use. Of course, since the terrorist’s plan had already succeeded, they wouldn’t waste their energy on a strange place again.

[3, 2, 1.]

[Begin.]

Leo listened to the starting sign that sounded like background music and looked down at the untouched plate of spaghetti. It didn’t matter since neither he nor Narce had come to eat, but only to grasp the situation.

Bang—!

A sound of impact was heard from the screen and from all over the restaurant.

It was time to assume the flag-bearer’s stance, so what was that sound of impact? Leo raised his head.

“…!”

The mage from the Qing Empire was in a defensive stance with a dumbfounded expression.

The mage from Italy had attacked his opponent out of the blue. The sound of a whistle signaling a foul was heard.

The Italian mage remained expressionless, and as soon as the sign to resume the match was heard, he chanted a spell.

[―If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish.]

[These three cannot be fathomed, so they are mixed and become one―.]

The opponent, with a hardened face, immediately chanted a spell.

At least I could understand Italian. I had heard that the mages belonging to the imperial family of the Qing Empire mainly recited the Tao Te Ching, but since I didn’t know the language of the Qing Empire, it was a shame that I couldn’t understand the meaning of both of their spells.

Instead, the golden magic of the Qing Empire mage, with the size of a giant dragon, writhed and seemed to roar with its sound of breaking through the air, and then rushed at the Italian mage.

Booooom—

A strong wind blew and the camera shook. The Italian mage bought time with a simple defensive formula, changed his wand to a staff, and chanted the same spell as before.

[―If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish.]

Amplification magic formula.

A familiar magic. But nothing happened. The people around also seemed to find it strange, and questions were heard.

“Huh?”

“Why is there no reaction?”

Thud— Creak—

Bang! Boom—

The Italian mage was just barely blocking the attacks of the Qing Empire mage with the same output of normal magic as before.

[The softest thing in the world overcomes the hardest thing in the world.]

The attacks of the Qing Empire mage were sharp yet gentle. The Italian mage, without expression, continued to retreat, avoiding the opponent’s magic that was seeping through his barrier. And, he aimed his wand at the opponent and calmly opened his mouth.

[―Whoever listens to you listens to me.]

The Qing Empire mage raised an eyebrow.

The Italian mage continued to wipe his face with his hand. The opponent’s magic, which had naturally seeped into the air, was clearly attacking his skin. He was probably feeling the damage to his lungs as he breathed.

[―Whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.]

At that moment, the Qing Empire mage looked at his wand with a surprised expression. No matter how much he thrust his arm forward, he couldn’t send out any magic.

Narce, who was watching this, bit his lip.

‘That….’

It was the spell Narce had used to stop Auguste’s unique ability during the third exam.

Magic and Divine Power share many formulas, but sometimes there are magic formulas that can only be used with Divine Power. This was one of them. In fact, it was a magic I didn’t even know existed until Narce used it.

Bang—!

[Gah…!]

Having failed to defend at some point, the Qing Empire mage, crushed by the Italian mage’s magic, collapsed to the floor. His shocked eyes were reflected directly on the screen.

The Italian mage approached him and, without a moment’s hesitation, stepped on the Qing Empire mage’s heart.

Bang!

[Aaargh!]

“…!”

“What is this person?!”

“I-is this okay?”

It wasn’t just Leo who was surprised, as gasps were heard from all over the restaurant.

[10.]

Less than three minutes had passed since the start, and the countdown had already begun. When that guy had faced Britain in the round of 8, it had taken him six minutes to finish the match.

Was the skill of the opponent mage he faced this time ridiculously lacking?

No.

Both the Ottoman and Qing from the round of 8 had to go through stricter standards than our country to be appointed to the imperial family. Since their populations were large, their number of mages was also large, making the competition even fiercer. And yet, he was completely unable to use magic because of one of his opponent’s spells?

Let’s set that point aside for now.

Then why didn’t that Italian mage use such a high-level magic when he could have? In the first place, why didn’t he, when he knew how to use Divine Power so easily?

Was it because he thought that if he won too easily, it would violate the principle of the game as entertainment? It’s a bit deceptive, but it’s certainly possible. But why did a person who knew that finish the match in three minutes this time?

‘…Don’t tell me….’

The Italian mage put force into the heel of his shoe and brought the decoration at the end of his staff to the Qing Empire mage’s forehead.

The Qing Empire mage seemed more shocked by why magic wasn’t coming out of him than by being stepped on by someone else.

[8.]

[―The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven….]

[4.]

[―I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy.]

The Italian mage raised his head as if waiting for something else.

He didn’t care whether the Qing mage grabbed his foot and tried to pull it off, whether his opponent’s ribs were broken, or whether his opponent let out a scream of pain. Everyone beyond the screen could feel that his attention was not here, but somewhere else.

His dry voice was heard.

[―Nothing will harm you.]

[1.]

Beeeeep—

“Narce.”

Leo took his eyes off the screen and looked at his friend.

Narce looked at Leo. It was not a good expression. It must be because of the Italian mage who had fought the match without any sportsmanship. Leo was the same.

Soon, that guy would face Lukas. And Lukas was already distracted by the terror and the tournament.

Even if it was just for entertainment, he couldn’t just stand by and watch, but in a situation like this, he was not an opponent he could just let go of.

“What do you know about that person?”

[The match is over.]

[The finalist is Gabriele Farnese of the Italian Federation.]

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep