TN: Changed name Lindegoa to Lindegaard
Lucius, who had turned around at the violent sound that had shaken the air, looked at the pillar of fire which had risen towards the night sky and gasped.
「…Hey, what, is that…?」
Taking off his hat which was adorned with birds-of-paradise plumes, the Crown Prince said so as if groaning.
The Crown Prince and his guards had already moved to a location that was distant from the camping site and were arranging their formation. Although the majority of them were children of nobles who were inexperienced in combat, soldiers who possessed both magic and swordsmanship at a high level in the true sense of the word, such as Lucius, weren’t few either. If they got out of the momentary confusion, it was easy to repel the surprise attack of the ex-bandits which lacked measures.
However, the pillar of fire that extended intermittently towards the sky made the party, which had finally started to feel relieved, fall into wild excitement again.
Lucius calmed his horse, which had become frightened and neighed, down and surveyed the members who were surrounding and protecting the Crown Prince’s riding horse and Shakira’s carriage and then spoke to the adjutant of First Squad, of which he took direct command.
「Lindegaard-kyou, please take command in my stead. Please assemble a battle formation in columns of fours with His Highness and Her Eminence placed in the centre of the ranks and evacuate into the forest at a slow march like that」
「Understood! But what about you, Vice-Leader…?」
The older adjutant, Lindegaard, was an honest young man who served Lucius without prejudice. Lucius didn’t feel uneasy about entrusting the rest to him at all.
「I’ll go look at the situation of the members who still haven’t linked up with us」
「No way…! Please order me to do that!」
「No, if I assign such a role to you, I’ll be made into a villain again in the future」
Lucius held Lindegaard back and then galloped his horse to the Crown Prince’s location.
Rebuking the members who had become restless, Lucius spoke to Isaac in a low voice.
「—Your Highness, I’ll return to the camping site and look at the situation. Please advance like this together with Her Eminence, Your Highness. I’ve entrusted the entire command to Lindegaard-kyou」
「Hey, are you seriously saying that, Lucius?」
Putting on his hat again, Isaac knitted his brows.
「We don’t know what happened, but no matter how you think about it, it’s dangerous, you know? Why do you have to specially—」
「There are still people who haven’t linked up with us. Though it seems that they’re in the midst of moving here, we can’t leave them behind」
Lucius didn’t say that Dimitar was mixed in among them. He didn’t want it to be interpreted as mixing work and private matters.
However, it seemed that Isaac had already seen through the mind of such Lucius.
「…Ma, it can’t be helped」
After surveying his surroundings, Isaac nodded.
「Quite a bit of wounded people had appeared already, not to mention the big problem it will become if dead people appear. Sorry, but I’m counting on you, Lucius-kun」
「Certainly」
Lucius bowed lightly and turned his horse around.
That pillar of fire couldn’t be seen in the night sky any more. It had been rising intermittently since just now; however, it was obvious that it wasn’t due to the deed of the ex-bandits.
「Vice-Leader…!」
「Are you all right!?」
Lucius encountered the apprentice members who had come from the direction of the pillar of fire and felt a slight disappointment knowing that Dimitar’s figure wasn’t among them.
「What in the world happened!? What’s that?」
「I, I don’t know! We, simply came chasing the main force anyway—」
「Are there still people remaining at that place?」
「That’s…」
The members were looking at each other and speaking ambiguously, seemingly embarrassed for some reason.
「What’s the matter? Speak clearly!」
「Um… Richternach-kyou told us to escape first—」
「…I see」
Inhaling deeply and quietly, Lucius nodded.
「Does that mean he’s still there?」
「M, most likely yes—」
「I understand. All of you head for the forest without delay. Link up with the main force and protect His Highness and Her Eminence」
「What will Vice-Leader do?」
「Never mind that, go quickly!」
Lucius ordered as if shouting and kicked his horse’s abdomen.
「Dii…」
Although Dimitar was still an apprentice so that the other members wouldn’t say that Lucius was favouring him, he possessed real ability where it wouldn’t be strange even if he was appointed as a formal member immediately. Therefore, even if he was surrounded by the thieves in the middle of the melee, he should have been able to cut his way through and run away by his own efforts at least.
Nevertheless, the fact that Dimitar still hadn’t linked up with the main force meant that Lucius should probably assume that some accident had happened to him.
Moreover, he was bothered by the fact that he hadn’t seen the figures of Michel’s party, it wouldn’t be strange even if they ran away first if there was an enemy attack, the whole time.
「—O-i, Lucius-kun!」
Unexpectedly hearing a girl’s carefree voice which could be called out-of-place, Lucius looked up at the sky behind him.
「Your Eminence!?」
Lucius instantly stretched out his arms to catch Shakira Babel who had flown down together with the wind, her tabard fluttering.
「Nice, nice, if I have to be held in the arms by someone, a pretty boy or a handsome young man is the best as expected. Right?!」
「Your Eminence… why in the world—」
「Ah, that, I’m also going together with you」
「You mustn’t!」
Stopping his horse hurriedly, Lucius spoke.
「Please go back! We don’t know what’s happening… it’s too dangerous!」
「Huh, you don’t know? Then as expected, you have to take me with you」
「What do you mean, Your Eminence?」
「That’s probably magic power being out of control」
「Out of control?」
「Anyway, Dii-kun will be in danger if we don’t hurry」
「…Understood」
Properly speaking, Lucius should give top priority to Shakira’s safety and turn back, but if she said that she was going to move forward, he had no way to stop her. In fact, Shakira rode upon the winds she had personally created and came here by herself. If he couldn’t get Shakira to change her mind, he could only protect her by her side.
「…You said “out of control”, do you mean Dimitar’s magic power?」
「Do you have an idea?」
Shakira, who was clinging to Lucius’s back, asked a question in return with a voice containing a smile.
「……」
「He’s the son of Orvieto’s cousin—right?」
「Yes」
「Good grief… that might be due to his Richternach House’s lineage then」
「What is?」
「I feel that there’s something in that child that is different from ordinary people」
「Do you mean that… he has talent?」
「Of course he has talent. …However, that child possesses something even more troublesome. You might not have noticed it, but Orvieto must have noticed it. Even I sensed it, after all」
「Mother did…?」
When Lucius was ruminating on it quizzically, he was hit on the back of his head suddenly.
「Enough of chattering! Hora, hurry up!」
「I’m sorry, but there’s the possibility that the horse will become frightened from here on and not listen to what I say, so—」
Leaving a few words like that, Lucius kicked the stirrup and leapt. Holding the left glove in his mouth and smoothly pulling it off, he drew a magic circle with the magic crest that had emerged on the back of his hand.
「I’ll speed up」
Getting off the horse, Lucius started running like that at the same time he landed. His leg strength raised by magic, Lucius accelerated steadily.
「Is this magic carefully created by the chivalric order? It’s good for people with strong physique」
「It’s an honour to receive your praise, Your Eminence」
When Lucius, who had carried Shakira on his back and ran in the night even faster than riding the horse, arrived at the camping site which was mercilessly burnt to the ground, he narrowed his eyes at the hot wind and was stupefied.
Dimitar was squatting down on the ground, surrounded by a tent that was burnt down and bushes.
「Dii—」
「Wait, Lucius-kun!」
Shakira restrained Lucius who had tried to run up to Dimitar.
Immediately after that, flames spouted from the left hand that Dimitar had held up high, became a new pillar of fire and disappeared into the sky.
「Dii!?」
「As expected, his magic power is out of control」
Shakira pulled his long hair, restraining Lucius, who had unconsciously tried to take a step forward, again.
「—If you approach him carelessly, even you will get charred, you know?」
「Ridiculous…!」
「Hora hora, try to survey your surroundings with your usual calmness」
When he was urged by Shakira and observed his surroundings, someone had collapsed a short distance away. Although they had become limp, they seemed to be still barely breathing and were moving slightly.
「…Michel…?」
「Ma, leave those profligate sons to me; you, that, do something about Dii-kun. …But be fully careful, all right?」
「Yes!」
Lucius lowered Shakira from his back and ran up to Dimitar.
「Are you all right, Dii!?」
「Lucius…?」
Dimitar raised his face with an agonised look.
「What happened!?」
「Ma, various things happened—」
From that hoarse voice of his, one could gather how irritated Dimitar was. Lucius squatted down beside Dimitar, looked at his hideously burnt left arm and frowned.
「How terrible…」
「G, get away from me, Lucius—even I, can’t suppress it well」
「You have to suppress it. …You’ll die if you continue to use magic like this, you know?」
Magic wasn’t created from nothing. If one used magic, one would pay the price for it in the form of fatigue. Normally, one couldn’t continue to use magic beyond one’s limits, but in the case of the current Dimitar whose magic power was out of control regardless of the will of the person himself, it was clear that he’d exceed his limit eventually.
「Before that, your arm might become charcoal」
Lucius jokingly created cold air between both hands. However, the ice that had frozen there, without cooling Dimitar’s left arm sufficiently, turned into steam in an instant and just choked the two people.
「Pu—」
「That’s enough already, Lucius… take that meddling Eminence and run away quickly…」
「Don’t speak!」
When Lucius produced cold air between both hands again, he grasped Dimitar’s left arm with those hands.
「Lucius!」
At the same time hot steam rose up, Dimitar’s voice broke in falsetto.
「Stop, stop it! Get away from me, Lucius!」
「If that’s the case, you have to stop your magic power from being out of control first…!」
Enduring the pain of his skin being burnt, Lucius spoke.
「—If I’m going to abandon you so easily here, Haha-ue and I, wouldn’t have adopted you, at that time…!」
「Lucius…!」
Even while they were like this, the block of ice Lucius had created turned into steam in an instant. Lucius stared at the magic crest that had emerged on Dimitar’s arm and furrowed his brow.
「Why…? Even though the skin is inflamed this much, why won’t the magic crest disappear…?」
Magic manifested by means of a magic circle that magic power, which had flowed into the magic crest, drew. One couldn’t use magic unless one had a magic crest, and even if just a part of it was damaged, it was bound to interfere with the use of magic. That was exactly why an occupational category called “Hiera Glaphicos” existed to restore a magic crest that was damaged because of injury.
However, the magic crest on Dimitar’s left arm, with no relation to the injury on the skin—and also with no relation to his will—, was causing magic to manifest.
「Gu, u—!」
Dimitar thrust Lucius away and pointed his left hand towards the sky. That pillar of fire, together with a roaring sound, was shot from there again.The enormous magic power had probably run about inside Dimitar’s body and, searching for a place to escape, became a flame and spouted out from his left hand.
Lucius got up immediately, grasping Dimitar’s left arm.
「I’m telling you to stop, right, Lucius!?」
The sleeve of Lucius’s uniform became dry in an instant and began burning with a flame.
「…!」
Lucius stifled a groan of agony and tried to suppress the scorching heat that was burning their skins with the ice his left hand had created. However, Lucius’s cold air merely turned into hot steam and couldn’t repress the heat Dimitar had created.
Dimitar’s face, where traces of burns remained, stiffened and he shouted.
「It’s impossible! Stop!」
「Before telling me to stop, how about you make an effort too…?」
Lucius narrowed his eyes, stared at Dimitar and smiled wryly. During that time, an intense pain attacked him.
「Will the two of us be burnt to death like this, or will you repress it with your willpower—this depends on you, Dii…」
「You’re so unfair, you know—」
Dimitar bit his lip and shut his eyes. A deep wrinkle was carved on his brow, and he was probably concentrating his mind. The flickering of the magic crest on his left arm gradually became faster.
「…Oi」
Dimitar opened one of his eyes and spoke in a low voice.
「…Sorry. It’s probably impossible」
「I know that it’s impossible! But it’s your body, right!?」
「What’s impossible is impossible—get away from me already! Even you will be blown off…!」
「Suppress it!」
「—!」
Dimitar suddenly stretched his right hand and pulled out the sword on Lucius’s waist.
「!? Stop!」
Seeing Dimitar raised the sword overhead, Lucius immediately comprehended his real intention. If it couldn’t be suppressed even if he tried to, he was going to cut off his left arm, including the magic crest that wouldn’t disappear even if the skin was burnt.
However, even without Lucius risking his life to protect him, Dimitar didn’t swing the sword downwards.
「Are you guys idiots?」
「…Huh?」
When Dimitar dropped the sword and fell forward greatly, Shakira was standing behind him and holding a stone as big as an infant’s head in her arms.
「Well, let’s forget about Dii-kun. After all, his magic power is out of control with no relation to his will, and he had been desperately trying to do something about it. —But even you panic together with him; what are you going to do then?」
Shakira tossed the stone aside and thrust her finger at the tip of the nose of Lucius, who was dumbfounded.
「I know that you’re worried about this child, but you mustn’t be swallowed up by the atmosphere, Lucius-kun. I don’t want to see your game of make-believe friendship! —Good grief, it’s really ridiculous!」
Shakira squatted down beside Dimitar while complaining and held her hand up over his head. A pale light dwelt in the small palm of her hand and illuminated the profile of Dimitar, who had lost consciousness.
「—Eh!?」
At that moment, Lucius noticed for the first time that the rampage of Dimitar’s magic power had subsided and that he was shedding blood from the back of the head.
「Ah! D, don’t tell me… Your Eminence hit Dii with that stone!?」
「…That’s right. That’s because you won’t do it」
Shakira pouted her lips and glared at Lucius.
「Me telling you to do something about Dii-kun means making him stop using magic even if you have to hit him hard, you know? Do you not understand unless I say so clearly? In that case, I’m at fault for not saying that then」
「N, no, such a thing is… out of the question」
Lucius held his right hand, which had sustained a terrible burn, in his arms, sat up straight and bowed to Shakira.
Now that she mentioned it, it was certainly like that.
As one would expect, cases with destructive power were so far rare, but people who weren’t accustomed to the handling of magic causing their magic powers to go out of control was something that happened often. In such cases, one should first damage the said person’s magic crest to stop the flow of magic power; when even that didn’t resolve things, make the person themself lose consciousness—Lucius remembered that he was taught so by his mother when he just started receiving introduction to magic.
Lucius was angry with himself for not being able to remember such an important thing in this critical situation.
「—Never mind that, you heal your arm first」
When Shakira sighed lightly and stood up, she took light steps and extended both hands towards the sky.
「—」
Making clear rustling sounds, small fragments of ice began to fall like a sudden shower. It seemed that with Shakira’s power, making an out-of-season hail fall was simple.
「…The smouldering fire around there will mostly be put out with this, I guess」
Shakira looked back at Lucius and tilted her head to the side with a 「N?」.
「What’s the matter? You can’t use healing magic?」
「Ah, no, I can use it. More or less though」
「Then heal your arm quickly. It hurts, right?」
「This much pain is nothing special」
「Mine feels painful just from looking at it」
Shakira smiled slightly and squatted down beside Dimitar again. This time, she held her hand up over his hideously burnt left arm and started to heal the wound with that soothing light.
「—Is this child, that, I wonder; is he influenced by what happened when he was a child, after all?」
「…The double suicide disturbance?」
「Un」
「The person himself said that he didn’t care about that though」
「Has his magic power ever gone out of control so far?」
「No, it didn’t. At the very least, it didn’t, as far as I know」
「In that case, what became the trigger for it, I wonder?」
「…Could the cause of it be someone trying to kill him?」
Lucius, who had cursorily healed the burn on his right hand, stared at Michel’s party and curled his lip.
They had backbitten Dimitar and played boring tricks on him many times until now, but as one would expect, they had never tried to kill him. That Michel’s party, all three people, were dying here meant that they had most likely tried to take advantage of the confused state of affairs to kill Dimitar but were killed by their intended victim instead.
When Dimitar felt that death was close at hand, he recalled the memory of his childhood where he was about to be killed by his mother, and with that as a start, his magic power went out of control—it was by no means too much of a jump to think that. The torrent of uncontrollable flames even coincided with the cruel experience Dimitar had gone through.
「…In any case, it might be dangerous to let Dii-kun use magic like this」
Naturally, such a topic would be brought up.
Of course, that was if Dimitar could enrol in the chivalric order like this.
「……」
Lucius looked down at the young men who had lost consciousness haphazardly.
It was a consolation that Michel’s party didn’t die. Thanks to Shakira’s healing magic, serious after-effects might not even remain. But nevertheless, Michel probably wouldn’t forgive Dimitar.
After tonight, the centre of Michel’s anger might shift from Lucius to Dimitar.
Beneath the hail that was raining incessantly, Lucius stood stock-still quietly.
TN: Changed name Lindegoa to Lindegaard
Lucius, who had turned around at the violent sound that had shaken the air, looked at the pillar of fire which had risen towards the night sky and gasped.
「…Hey, what, is that…?」
Taking off his hat which was adorned with birds-of-paradise plumes, the Crown Prince said so as if groaning.
The Crown Prince and his guards had already moved to a location that was distant from the camping site and were arranging their formation. Although the majority of them were children of nobles who were inexperienced in combat, soldiers who possessed both magic and swordsmanship at a high level in the true sense of the word, such as Lucius, weren’t few either. If they got out of the momentary confusion, it was easy to repel the surprise attack of the ex-bandits which lacked measures.
However, the pillar of fire that extended intermittently towards the sky made the party, which had finally started to feel relieved, fall into wild excitement again.
Lucius calmed his horse, which had become frightened and neighed, down and surveyed the members who were surrounding and protecting the Crown Prince’s riding horse and Shakira’s carriage and then spoke to the adjutant of First Squad, of which he took direct command.
「Lindegaard-kyou, please take command in my stead. Please assemble a battle formation in columns of fours with His Highness and Her Eminence placed in the centre of the ranks and evacuate into the forest at a slow march like that」
「Understood! But what about you, Vice-Leader…?」
The older adjutant, Lindegaard, was an honest young man who served Lucius without prejudice. Lucius didn’t feel uneasy about entrusting the rest to him at all.
「I’ll go look at the situation of the members who still haven’t linked up with us」
「No way…! Please order me to do that!」
「No, if I assign such a role to you, I’ll be made into a villain again in the future」
Lucius held Lindegaard back and then galloped his horse to the Crown Prince’s location.
Rebuking the members who had become restless, Lucius spoke to Isaac in a low voice.
「—Your Highness, I’ll return to the camping site and look at the situation. Please advance like this together with Her Eminence, Your Highness. I’ve entrusted the entire command to Lindegaard-kyou」
「Hey, are you seriously saying that, Lucius?」
Putting on his hat again, Isaac knitted his brows.
「We don’t know what happened, but no matter how you think about it, it’s dangerous, you know? Why do you have to specially—」
「There are still people who haven’t linked up with us. Though it seems that they’re in the midst of moving here, we can’t leave them behind」
Lucius didn’t say that Dimitar was mixed in among them. He didn’t want it to be interpreted as mixing work and private matters.
However, it seemed that Isaac had already seen through the mind of such Lucius.
「…Ma, it can’t be helped」
After surveying his surroundings, Isaac nodded.
「Quite a bit of wounded people had appeared already, not to mention the big problem it will become if dead people appear. Sorry, but I’m counting on you, Lucius-kun」
「Certainly」
Lucius bowed lightly and turned his horse around.
That pillar of fire couldn’t be seen in the night sky any more. It had been rising intermittently since just now; however, it was obvious that it wasn’t due to the deed of the ex-bandits.
「Vice-Leader…!」
「Are you all right!?」
Lucius encountered the apprentice members who had come from the direction of the pillar of fire and felt a slight disappointment knowing that Dimitar’s figure wasn’t among them.
「What in the world happened!? What’s that?」
「I, I don’t know! We, simply came chasing the main force anyway—」
「Are there still people remaining at that place?」
「That’s…」
The members were looking at each other and speaking ambiguously, seemingly embarrassed for some reason.
「What’s the matter? Speak clearly!」
「Um… Richternach-kyou told us to escape first—」
「…I see」
Inhaling deeply and quietly, Lucius nodded.
「Does that mean he’s still there?」
「M, most likely yes—」
「I understand. All of you head for the forest without delay. Link up with the main force and protect His Highness and Her Eminence」
「What will Vice-Leader do?」
「Never mind that, go quickly!」
Lucius ordered as if shouting and kicked his horse’s abdomen.
「Dii…」
Although Dimitar was still an apprentice so that the other members wouldn’t say that Lucius was favouring him, he possessed real ability where it wouldn’t be strange even if he was appointed as a formal member immediately. Therefore, even if he was surrounded by the thieves in the middle of the melee, he should have been able to cut his way through and run away by his own efforts at least.
Nevertheless, the fact that Dimitar still hadn’t linked up with the main force meant that Lucius should probably assume that some accident had happened to him.
Moreover, he was bothered by the fact that he hadn’t seen the figures of Michel’s party, it wouldn’t be strange even if they ran away first if there was an enemy attack, the whole time.
「—O-i, Lucius-kun!」
Unexpectedly hearing a girl’s carefree voice which could be called out-of-place, Lucius looked up at the sky behind him.
「Your Eminence!?」
Lucius instantly stretched out his arms to catch Shakira Babel who had flown down together with the wind, her tabard fluttering.
「Nice, nice, if I have to be held in the arms by someone, a pretty boy or a handsome young man is the best as expected. Right?!」
「Your Eminence… why in the world—」
「Ah, that, I’m also going together with you」
「You mustn’t!」
Stopping his horse hurriedly, Lucius spoke.
「Please go back! We don’t know what’s happening… it’s too dangerous!」
「Huh, you don’t know? Then as expected, you have to take me with you」
「What do you mean, Your Eminence?」
「That’s probably magic power being out of control」
「Out of control?」
「Anyway, Dii-kun will be in danger if we don’t hurry」
「…Understood」
Properly speaking, Lucius should give top priority to Shakira’s safety and turn back, but if she said that she was going to move forward, he had no way to stop her. In fact, Shakira rode upon the winds she had personally created and came here by herself. If he couldn’t get Shakira to change her mind, he could only protect her by her side.
「…You said “out of control”, do you mean Dimitar’s magic power?」
「Do you have an idea?」
Shakira, who was clinging to Lucius’s back, asked a question in return with a voice containing a smile.
「……」
「He’s the son of Orvieto’s cousin—right?」
「Yes」
「Good grief… that might be due to his Richternach House’s lineage then」
「What is?」
「I feel that there’s something in that child that is different from ordinary people」
「Do you mean that… he has talent?」
「Of course he has talent. …However, that child possesses something even more troublesome. You might not have noticed it, but Orvieto must have noticed it. Even I sensed it, after all」
「Mother did…?」
When Lucius was ruminating on it quizzically, he was hit on the back of his head suddenly.
「Enough of chattering! Hora, hurry up!」
「I’m sorry, but there’s the possibility that the horse will become frightened from here on and not listen to what I say, so—」
Leaving a few words like that, Lucius kicked the stirrup and leapt. Holding the left glove in his mouth and smoothly pulling it off, he drew a magic circle with the magic crest that had emerged on the back of his hand.
「I’ll speed up」
Getting off the horse, Lucius started running like that at the same time he landed. His leg strength raised by magic, Lucius accelerated steadily.
「Is this magic carefully created by the chivalric order? It’s good for people with strong physique」
「It’s an honour to receive your praise, Your Eminence」
When Lucius, who had carried Shakira on his back and ran in the night even faster than riding the horse, arrived at the camping site which was mercilessly burnt to the ground, he narrowed his eyes at the hot wind and was stupefied.
Dimitar was squatting down on the ground, surrounded by a tent that was burnt down and bushes.
「Dii—」
「Wait, Lucius-kun!」
Shakira restrained Lucius who had tried to run up to Dimitar.
Immediately after that, flames spouted from the left hand that Dimitar had held up high, became a new pillar of fire and disappeared into the sky.
「Dii!?」
「As expected, his magic power is out of control」
Shakira pulled his long hair, restraining Lucius, who had unconsciously tried to take a step forward, again.
「—If you approach him carelessly, even you will get charred, you know?」
「Ridiculous…!」
「Hora hora, try to survey your surroundings with your usual calmness」
When he was urged by Shakira and observed his surroundings, someone had collapsed a short distance away. Although they had become limp, they seemed to be still barely breathing and were moving slightly.
「…Michel…?」
「Ma, leave those profligate sons to me; you, that, do something about Dii-kun. …But be fully careful, all right?」
「Yes!」
Lucius lowered Shakira from his back and ran up to Dimitar.
「Are you all right, Dii!?」
「Lucius…?」
Dimitar raised his face with an agonised look.
「What happened!?」
「Ma, various things happened—」
From that hoarse voice of his, one could gather how irritated Dimitar was. Lucius squatted down beside Dimitar, looked at his hideously burnt left arm and frowned.
「How terrible…」
「G, get away from me, Lucius—even I, can’t suppress it well」
「You have to suppress it. …You’ll die if you continue to use magic like this, you know?」
Magic wasn’t created from nothing. If one used magic, one would pay the price for it in the form of fatigue. Normally, one couldn’t continue to use magic beyond one’s limits, but in the case of the current Dimitar whose magic power was out of control regardless of the will of the person himself, it was clear that he’d exceed his limit eventually.
「Before that, your arm might become charcoal」
Lucius jokingly created cold air between both hands. However, the ice that had frozen there, without cooling Dimitar’s left arm sufficiently, turned into steam in an instant and just choked the two people.
「Pu—」
「That’s enough already, Lucius… take that meddling Eminence and run away quickly…」
「Don’t speak!」
When Lucius produced cold air between both hands again, he grasped Dimitar’s left arm with those hands.
「Lucius!」
At the same time hot steam rose up, Dimitar’s voice broke in falsetto.
「Stop, stop it! Get away from me, Lucius!」
「If that’s the case, you have to stop your magic power from being out of control first…!」
Enduring the pain of his skin being burnt, Lucius spoke.
「—If I’m going to abandon you so easily here, Haha-ue and I, wouldn’t have adopted you, at that time…!」
「Lucius…!」
Even while they were like this, the block of ice Lucius had created turned into steam in an instant. Lucius stared at the magic crest that had emerged on Dimitar’s arm and furrowed his brow.
「Why…? Even though the skin is inflamed this much, why won’t the magic crest disappear…?」
Magic manifested by means of a magic circle that magic power, which had flowed into the magic crest, drew. One couldn’t use magic unless one had a magic crest, and even if just a part of it was damaged, it was bound to interfere with the use of magic. That was exactly why an occupational category called “Hiera Glaphicos” existed to restore a magic crest that was damaged because of injury.
However, the magic crest on Dimitar’s left arm, with no relation to the injury on the skin—and also with no relation to his will—, was causing magic to manifest.
「Gu, u—!」
Dimitar thrust Lucius away and pointed his left hand towards the sky. That pillar of fire, together with a roaring sound, was shot from there again.The enormous magic power had probably run about inside Dimitar’s body and, searching for a place to escape, became a flame and spouted out from his left hand.
Lucius got up immediately, grasping Dimitar’s left arm.
「I’m telling you to stop, right, Lucius!?」
The sleeve of Lucius’s uniform became dry in an instant and began burning with a flame.
「…!」
Lucius stifled a groan of agony and tried to suppress the scorching heat that was burning their skins with the ice his left hand had created. However, Lucius’s cold air merely turned into hot steam and couldn’t repress the heat Dimitar had created.
Dimitar’s face, where traces of burns remained, stiffened and he shouted.
「It’s impossible! Stop!」
「Before telling me to stop, how about you make an effort too…?」
Lucius narrowed his eyes, stared at Dimitar and smiled wryly. During that time, an intense pain attacked him.
「Will the two of us be burnt to death like this, or will you repress it with your willpower—this depends on you, Dii…」
「You’re so unfair, you know—」
Dimitar bit his lip and shut his eyes. A deep wrinkle was carved on his brow, and he was probably concentrating his mind. The flickering of the magic crest on his left arm gradually became faster.
「…Oi」
Dimitar opened one of his eyes and spoke in a low voice.
「…Sorry. It’s probably impossible」
「I know that it’s impossible! But it’s your body, right!?」
「What’s impossible is impossible—get away from me already! Even you will be blown off…!」
「Suppress it!」
「—!」
Dimitar suddenly stretched his right hand and pulled out the sword on Lucius’s waist.
「!? Stop!」
Seeing Dimitar raised the sword overhead, Lucius immediately comprehended his real intention. If it couldn’t be suppressed even if he tried to, he was going to cut off his left arm, including the magic crest that wouldn’t disappear even if the skin was burnt.
However, even without Lucius risking his life to protect him, Dimitar didn’t swing the sword downwards.
「Are you guys idiots?」
「…Huh?」
When Dimitar dropped the sword and fell forward greatly, Shakira was standing behind him and holding a stone as big as an infant’s head in her arms.
「Well, let’s forget about Dii-kun. After all, his magic power is out of control with no relation to his will, and he had been desperately trying to do something about it. —But even you panic together with him; what are you going to do then?」
Shakira tossed the stone aside and thrust her finger at the tip of the nose of Lucius, who was dumbfounded.
「I know that you’re worried about this child, but you mustn’t be swallowed up by the atmosphere, Lucius-kun. I don’t want to see your game of make-believe friendship! —Good grief, it’s really ridiculous!」
Shakira squatted down beside Dimitar while complaining and held her hand up over his head. A pale light dwelt in the small palm of her hand and illuminated the profile of Dimitar, who had lost consciousness.
「—Eh!?」
At that moment, Lucius noticed for the first time that the rampage of Dimitar’s magic power had subsided and that he was shedding blood from the back of the head.
「Ah! D, don’t tell me… Your Eminence hit Dii with that stone!?」
「…That’s right. That’s because you won’t do it」
Shakira pouted her lips and glared at Lucius.
「Me telling you to do something about Dii-kun means making him stop using magic even if you have to hit him hard, you know? Do you not understand unless I say so clearly? In that case, I’m at fault for not saying that then」
「N, no, such a thing is… out of the question」
Lucius held his right hand, which had sustained a terrible burn, in his arms, sat up straight and bowed to Shakira.
Now that she mentioned it, it was certainly like that.
As one would expect, cases with destructive power were so far rare, but people who weren’t accustomed to the handling of magic causing their magic powers to go out of control was something that happened often. In such cases, one should first damage the said person’s magic crest to stop the flow of magic power; when even that didn’t resolve things, make the person themself lose consciousness—Lucius remembered that he was taught so by his mother when he just started receiving introduction to magic.
Lucius was angry with himself for not being able to remember such an important thing in this critical situation.
「—Never mind that, you heal your arm first」
When Shakira sighed lightly and stood up, she took light steps and extended both hands towards the sky.
「—」
Making clear rustling sounds, small fragments of ice began to fall like a sudden shower. It seemed that with Shakira’s power, making an out-of-season hail fall was simple.
「…The smouldering fire around there will mostly be put out with this, I guess」
Shakira looked back at Lucius and tilted her head to the side with a 「N?」.
「What’s the matter? You can’t use healing magic?」
「Ah, no, I can use it. More or less though」
「Then heal your arm quickly. It hurts, right?」
「This much pain is nothing special」
「Mine feels painful just from looking at it」
Shakira smiled slightly and squatted down beside Dimitar again. This time, she held her hand up over his hideously burnt left arm and started to heal the wound with that soothing light.
「—Is this child, that, I wonder; is he influenced by what happened when he was a child, after all?」
「…The double suicide disturbance?」
「Un」
「The person himself said that he didn’t care about that though」
「Has his magic power ever gone out of control so far?」
「No, it didn’t. At the very least, it didn’t, as far as I know」
「In that case, what became the trigger for it, I wonder?」
「…Could the cause of it be someone trying to kill him?」
Lucius, who had cursorily healed the burn on his right hand, stared at Michel’s party and curled his lip.
They had backbitten Dimitar and played boring tricks on him many times until now, but as one would expect, they had never tried to kill him. That Michel’s party, all three people, were dying here meant that they had most likely tried to take advantage of the confused state of affairs to kill Dimitar but were killed by their intended victim instead.
When Dimitar felt that death was close at hand, he recalled the memory of his childhood where he was about to be killed by his mother, and with that as a start, his magic power went out of control—it was by no means too much of a jump to think that. The torrent of uncontrollable flames even coincided with the cruel experience Dimitar had gone through.
「…In any case, it might be dangerous to let Dii-kun use magic like this」
Naturally, such a topic would be brought up.
Of course, that was if Dimitar could enrol in the chivalric order like this.
「……」
Lucius looked down at the young men who had lost consciousness haphazardly.
It was a consolation that Michel’s party didn’t die. Thanks to Shakira’s healing magic, serious after-effects might not even remain. But nevertheless, Michel probably wouldn’t forgive Dimitar.
After tonight, the centre of Michel’s anger might shift from Lucius to Dimitar.
Beneath the hail that was raining incessantly, Lucius stood stock-still quietly.
