A Death Row Convict Teaches at a School of Magic - Chapter 86

Chapter 86: Second Basement Level (2)

“I had assumed that as he aged, his skill may have diminished somewhat… but his skill is as dimensional as ever.”

“Oh, it’s not so much the magical power, it’s the control. This is not the level of excellence or anything like that. Damn, if things have progressed this far, wars are worthless.”

Gato looked up at the ceiling, which had been thoroughly restored, and spat out a curse. This was when he heard the sound of multiple footsteps descending the stairs, and finally, Gato’s demeanor lost some of its reserves.

“Tsk… Mira, stand back. I will transform until I come back.”

“―I know.”

“…Mu.”

The wrinkles at the corners of Anblaus’ eyes deepened as Gato’s body began to expand again.

His physique, formerly the size of a large man, swelled even more, reaching proportions that would be classified as utterly non-human, and as his scapula rose, even wings sprouted.

“Oh… so your Cryptid Transformation has reached this level huh…”

“GRRRRRREEEEEAAAA!”

Gato’s figure, which had let out a roar that hardly seemed human, suddenly vanished.

In the subsequent flash, Anblaus, who had hastily set up a barrier, was blasted away to the wall at a monstrous speed.

“Master Anblaus!?”

The wall, which was constructed of concrete, was effortlessly gouged out, and Anblaus was propelled into the wall with his barrier in place. The newly arrived guards burst into a collective squeal. For those who were utterly oblivious to what had transpired, they could only assume that Gato had employed some kind of magic, which was not the case. What happened just now was merely a lunge, utilizing the physical capabilities of a cryptic creature. The serious Gato, aside from this physical prowess, can unleash magic and even fly, which would make him one of the top five S-rated combatants of all time. And even against such a Gato, Anblaus still had the luxury of taking care of the books of magic around him, causing Mira not only to be amazed but also to be flabbergasted. If I were to get embroiled in a battle between these two, even I would die, that thought flashed through Mira’s mind.

“GRRRRRREEEEEAAAA!”

Having driven Anblaus into the wall with one hand, Gato, who had shoved the entire barrier into the wall with the other arm, proceeded to tear down the barrier with his other arm. However, except for a few surface ripples, the barrier surrounding Anblaus remained stationary.

“‘Windlance’!”

“!?”

Exasperated, Gato attempted to swing his claws a second time, when a multitude of wind-magic lances projected from Anblaus’ barrier and penetrated Gato’s heavily covered scales. Reddish-black blood dripped from Gato’s receding body as he flapped his wings. This was the very first time Mira had ever caught sight of Gato in this state of injury.

“That was a rather intense magic… but those scales of yours are much more sturdy than they look.”

“GRR…!”

As if in realization that he was no match for the old man in front of him even though he had transformed into a cryptic beast up to this point, Gato swept his red eyes to the surroundings, which halted at the guards. Mira was able to decipher Gato’s intention even in the absence of words.

“‘Psychokinesis’!”

“Muh!”

While Psychokinesis applied to Anblaus was soon counteracted by anti-magical power, it bought sufficient time for Gato’s initial move to be unobstructed.

The guards, who were still spectators and mesmerized by the battle, finally registered their predicament after witnessing their colleague next to them being ripped apart by Gato.

“…You monster!”

Mira and Gato were naive in their outlook for expecting the guards to cower in fear here. After all, this was the largest magical library in the Kingdom. How could the magicians guarding it be made up of small fry?

The unexpected counterattack, while not directly damaging, brought about a brief pause in Gato’s movement, which reverberated from the wounds inflicted by Anblaus earlier.

Right after, this time, Gato’s body was subjected to “Psychokinesis,” and was slammed against the wall with a phenomenal force.

“―I am back.”

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Greater than ever, the earth rumbled.

Approximately five minutes had gone by since Mira had reported on the arrival of Anblaus. The guards should have gathered by now, and it was time to move on.

Neglecting the messenger demon that had been disguised as a book and gnawing off my arm, I scanned the fifty-fourth bookshelf. While skimming through the titles of the books, a particular title attracted my interest.

“Decomposition Magic, ‘The End of the World’―Forbidden Designation―”

My pulse accelerated.

As if snatching it up, I pulled it out and flipped through the pages.

Halfway through the pages, there was a page that contained a key magic formula, the left half of which―-the latter half of the formula―had been ripped out by someone.

I knew that person had torn it out of this book…

I put the book immediately into my ring, a magical tool for storage at once. With this, my actual goal has been attained.

The two individuals who were working so diligently up there would not keep silent, though, if I were to depart in this manner. Risking one’s life for work must be rewarded correspondingly. Even elementary school students would learn this in history class.

“―I found it!”

It was at this juncture that I was truly glad that I had brought Felt to Windell. If she asked me to marry her now, I was positive that I would say yes without hesitation.

“Really!?”

“Yes, this is it!?”

She ran over to me holding a book with the title “List of Forbidden Superlative-class Magic” in it.

A distressing voice from Mira arrived through “Message” at that same timing.

[Gato has been defeated! I can’t handle this on my own! I am coming over to you!]

“I understand! We have obtained what we came for, so we are withdrawing!”

[I get it!]

The Message was unilaterally terminated. They must certainly be in such a tight spot for Mira to do this.

Felt then asked me impatiently, “By the way, Kanaki, I hope you have prepared a means of escape! There is no exit here, and the only one we have made is the one that the chief magician is coming from!? How in the world are we supposed to flee!”

“? Isn’t that obvious?”

With that said, I drew out the magic crystal stone and Felt was taken aback as if heaven and earth had been overturned. Her eyes were wide open as if her eyeballs were about to burst out of their sockets.

“Are you insane!? That hole will never get us above ground, and we will be captured before then!?”

“No worries. Today, I will give you a big discount.”

The three magic crystal stones I pulled out were each held between my fingers.

“Wait, didn’t you say before that shattering two is your limit!?”

“Oh, are you feeling concerned for me?”

“I am worried about people other than you, Kanaki!”

“Well, of course you are… hmm?”

“Sorry to keep you waiting!”

Felt’s words made me feel slightly disconcerted, but then Mira fell out of the hole above me. On her back was Gato, who was gravely wounded from the looks of it. Oh, the chief magician was exceptionally tender, wasn’t he?

Mira promptly cast an unfamiliar magic on the hole in the ceiling. Could it be a barrier? Even so, that type of magic was unusual…

“I’ll explain this magic to you when we get back! Now, let’s get the hell out of here!”

“Oh, pardon me.”

Yelled by Mira, I made a short run for a suitable wall. This room had no windows, of course, but I remembered the direction before entering. All that remained was to create an exit at a point slightly outside the city.

I shattered three magic stones in one go after which a gale of magical power surged through the room.

“Argh!”

“This is!”

Felt uttered an unusually girlish cry, and Mira glanced at me while shielding her face with her fan.

Since I was just barely able to crush two of them, I was almost in a completely out-of-control state when I shattered three of them. Hence, I had to forcefully suppress the amount with my body. Doing so inevitably destroyed my body. Blood vessels were shredded, my right eye suddenly ruptured, and even my fingers snapped off in all sorts of unpredictable directions. It was truly a big service for them.

It hurt like hell, obviously, but this would be the last time. With that book stored in the ring, the disadvantage of this magic’s low fuel efficiency would be overcome.

My lungs ached when I inhaled deeply. While spitting out the blood that was gushing from my throat, I invoked the magic.

“‘Destruction’.”

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“We finally made it out…”

Today was overcast, but from our point of view, it was much brighter here after spending so much time underneath.

Turning our backs, the Royal Library of Magic, from which we had escaped, lay far ahead. They were undoubtedly searching for us right now, their eyes bloodshot.

“At any rate, it’s a relief that we managed to escape safely, but why didn’t they pursue us?”

“Oh, it’s thanks to Ms. Felt.”

Felt who was suddenly mentioned looked at me in stupefaction.

“This time, she brought a device that, when activated, would temporarily prohibit any magic in the vicinity from being employed. So once I blocked the entrance to the hole I had made, I simply activated it and was able to hold them back. We would have undeniably been trapped without it, to be honest.”

“Oh, that kind of thing… as expected of Viper…”

“N-No… I am in awe that you would say such a thing, Ms. Mira.”

“Well, shall I send you a compliment?”

I was startled when Gato suddenly spoke. When did he regain consciousness?

“Oh my, you are alive.”

“You are a man that has a strong hold on life like weeds, aren’t you?”

On the other hand, the women’s reaction was nonchalant.

“Hah, how cold you guys are. So, did you find what you were after?”

“Yes, though someone got defeated too soon, so I didn’t get to see what was in it.”

“Hey, is that really all right?”

Gato voiced his concern, an uncharacteristic occurrence for him, but a pleasing look crossed his face when he saw the title of the book that Felt had taken out.

“What? It looks fine, doesn’t it? Let me take a look.”

“Wait, let me check to see if there are any traps. I have a bad feeling about this.”

Mira’s eyes lit up with a golden glow as she received the book from Felt. Perhaps that was the “Heavenly Eye” I had heard so much about.

“…As I thought. If this book is opened indiscreetly, the whole book will disappear.”

“What!? Then!”

Gato, who cried aloud, pressed his stomach as if he had touched a wound.

On the contrary, if Mira’s assertions proved to be genuine, then our efforts today were completely in vain.

“Can’t you do something about it?”

“The solution is simple. The magic in the book will not be triggered if you put on the magic ring that is worn only by a few people in the royal palace.”

“Heh… You know a lot about that.”

“Master Anblaus taught me a long time ago that such a book exists in a very limited number of places.”

It was a cause-and-effect thing because she was saved by his teachings after she defected from him.

But in that case, owning this book alone would be absolutely senseless. In order to read this, it would imply that I would have to further steal a magic ring or something like that from the royal palace…

“Stop it, stop it, stop it! What the heck is that! Mira, if you were aware of that story as well, you ought to have shared it with us first!”

“It can’t be helped. It was a story that even the royal court raised eyebrows about. And even if such a book existed, I wouldn’t expect it to be the one we are seeking. In case you were wondering, Master Anblaus, whom we previously met, is one of the individuals who possesses the magic ring.”

“Haha, you are kidding me!”

While watching the exchange between Mira and Gato, a sudden image of Karen’s face flooded my mind. She too was a direct descendent of the royal family and highly regarded as the next ruler. With her, she may have that ring or the like.

Well, as I hated to make people get their hopes up, I will simply keep my mouth shut here.

“Sigh… does that mean it is all for naught this time…”

“Looks like it. Well, for me at least, it was a reward for being able to deal with the chief magician in person.”

“I have just exposed myself for nothing… and my rate will go up again… I feel like dying.”

“H-Hey, cheer up, Ms. Mira! The only thing that counts is that you all returned one piece! Rejoice!”

“…You are a surprisingly positive person, Ms. Felt.”

“After traveling with a merchant for all these years, I have to stay optimistic, even if I don’t want to,” Felt said, feeling frustrated.

She may have been energizing the people around her when she was with Sasha and the others. Well, I ended up killing all the people she was invigorating, though.

“It is true that if you live for decades, you are bound to make mistakes like this. Let’s make the most of this experience and succeed the next time.”

“…Well, the war with you guys was certainly entertaining.”

“Hmm, if you need anything else, you can contact me. I will at least consider it.”

“Only consider?”

At my words, a bitter chuckle escaped Mira’s lips.

“I have been too conspicuous this time. For the time being, I will be living in seclusion. I might leave Windell at this point and go to… the west next time. What about you guys?”

Mira glanced at us.

“I am accompanying you, then. Without Mira, my life is going to be taken in a heartbeat.”

“I am…”

Felt then cast a glance at me. Eh, I won’t let you escape, you know?

“…I am going to head back to Seal like this. Come and meet me if you have a chance to drop by. Well, assuming you can find me.”

“That’s not a problem. I have this eye… So, what about you?”

Astonishment washed over me as she finally turned the subject to me.

“What? I will go back to the dormitory. I have a teaching job.”

“…You are the grandest of us all, aren’t you?”

Mira expressed her amazement, followed by a nod from Felt. Even Gato’s visage showed a hint of amusement at the facial spasm.