Magic Is Not About Circles but Real Combat (1)
"Ugh! You brat!"
Ziko raised both hands high. After all, he was still a 4th-circle dark mage.
In another territory, his skills would be sufficient to become a court mage. He had no intention of just standing by and taking the hit.
Paaak!
Black energy suddenly burst from Ziko's hands and struck Ghislain's face. The black energy flared and spread wildly around the area.
Those who witnessed it were horrified.
"The mage got hit!"
"Quick, save him!"
"Surround the area!"
People shouted urgently, and three of his companions drew their swords and rushed forward.
"Khhaha, you arrogant fool! How does it taste? A mage like you trying to engage in close combat?"
Ziko laughed maniacally, convinced he had inflicted a critical injury on Ghislain.
But his body wouldn't move. Ghislain's grip on his neck remained firm.
As the black smoke dissipated, Ghislain's face reappeared—completely unscathed.
Ziko's eyes widened in disbelief.
"How... how is that possible?"
Even after taking a direct hit from his magic, the mage was unharmed! He had never heard of such a durable mage.
Ghislain raised a fist with an emotionless expression.
"Because of you, I became a criminal in history."
"What?"
Ziko had no idea what he meant. How could someone talk so grandiosely about history in a situation like this?
Before Ziko could process it, Ghislain's fist smashed into his face.
Bang!
"Ugh!"
Ziko's face was crushed in an instant. Ghislain had restrained his strength just enough to avoid killing him outright.
Even after landing one punch, Ghislain's anger didn't subside. He began pummeling Ziko, ensuring he wouldn't die but leaving no part of him unscathed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Urgh! Argh! W-Wait!"
Chimeras weren't entirely devoid of pain. As living creatures, they had nerves and senses.
Only certain replaced parts or areas sustained by magic were insensitive to pain.
But Ziko, being struck by fists imbued with mana, felt immense agony.
Bang! Bang! Boom!
"Aaaargh!"
The onlookers, who had initially rushed to help, froze in their tracks. Ghislain was mercilessly beating Ziko while remaining perfectly unscathed himself.
Some hesitated, intrigued by the unexpected spectacle.
"Do mages nowadays fight with their fists?"
"I mean, he was throwing fireballs earlier..."
"Maybe he's just a mage who's also good at physical combat?"
While Ghislain could now use magic, he still preferred fighting physically. It was more effective and far more satisfying.
To him, magic was just a tool to diversify his fighting style and increase convenience.
After turning Ziko's face into a bloody pulp, Ghislain stopped his fists.
"Now, shall we have a little chat?"
"Ugh... ugh… what..."
"Why did you cause all this trouble?"
"Khhaha... kill me..."
"You've got quite the guts for a mage."
Most mages were weak to pain and quick to confess when beaten to this extent.
But Ziko was a dark mage. Knowing he'd die anyway, he decided to hold out till the end.
After all, it was the only way to further irritate his opponent.
But Ghislain had dealt with such stubborn enemies countless times before.
"Fine, let's get a bit more serious."
Ghislain extended his hand, and a sword from a knight's waist flew into his grasp.
Crack!
The sword shattered in an instant, scattering sharp fragments.
Ghislain was well-versed in torture. He had practiced it often in his past life while interrogating the Duke's subordinates.
Even after his regression, he had used it briefly on those who tried to kill Elena.
"I'm quite the artist when it comes to this."
Pa-pa-pa-pak!
With lightning-fast movements, Ghislain embedded the fragments into Ziko's body.
"Aaaaargh!"
Ziko screamed in agony.
Even as a chimera capable of withstanding most torture, he felt an overwhelming surge of pain throughout his body.
It seemed as though the fragments were embedded precisely in his most sensitive nerve clusters.
"Gah, w-wait..."
The excruciating pain made Ziko feel as if he were about to lose his mind.
Most mages had weak mental fortitude, and dark mages who enjoyed others' suffering were especially fragile.
Ziko had only acted boldly because he was a chimera.
As Ziko trembled, Ghislain smiled coldly.
"This should be enough, but... since we've started, let's try something more."
Ghislain moved swiftly, embedding the fragments deeper, intensifying Ziko's agony.
"Aaaaaargh!"
Ziko's entire body convulsed, his screams echoing loudly.
In that moment, Ghislain grabbed Ziko's shattered jaw and forced him to meet his gaze.
"Look into my eyes."
Zing–!
Ghislain's pupils glowed with a purple hue, and Ziko's eyes began to mirror the same color.
In seconds, Ziko's expression went blank, his pain seemingly forgotten.
Ghislain spoke in a low voice.
"We're very close friends, without secrets between us. Isn't that right?"
"Y-Yes... best friends..."
Remarkably, Ziko succumbed to mind control. Ghislain had expertly exploited the gap in Ziko's psyche caused by his agony.
While Ghislain's magic prowess wasn't enough to maintain control for long, it was sufficient to extract the truth.
"Friend, why are you here?"
"On Master's orders... to take over this territory..."
"Take over the territory? How?"
Dark mages weren't nobles and had no legitimate claim to a territory.
Even in these chaotic times, if word spread that a dark mage had seized a land, neighboring territories and kingdoms would retaliate.
But the dark mages seemed to have their plans.
"If this subjugation fails... Master will disguise himself as the territory's court mage... gradually taking control of the lord's mind over time..."
"What about the widely known subjugation effort? How would you cover that up?"
"I would disguise myself as Master... Master would pretend to defeat me... That way, he'd slowly gain the lord's trust..."
Ziko obediently revealed their entire scheme.
To Ghislain, it seemed like a plausible plan. If executed well, they could earn the lord's trust and gradually take over the territory.
"What's the purpose? Does your Master want to become a lord?"
"That... I don't know... I just do what the Master orders..."
"Do you have any guesses?"
"No... after all... mages are whimsical beings..."
"Think harder. Even the smallest clue will do."
Ziko paused, then spoke slowly.
"A year ago... someone visited Master... After that... some time later... this plan began... But I'm not certain it's related..."
"Who was it? What did they talk about?"
"I don't know... They spoke privately and disappeared... I thought it was just a discussion about magic..."
"What did they look like?"
"They were completely covered in a robe... I couldn't tell... But they looked strong... even the Master didn't act recklessly..."
"What circle does your master have?"
"6th-circle..."
At those words, Andrew and the others gasped. A 6th-circle mage had enough power to become the head of a magic tower.
Trying to capture someone like that with the military force of a small barony would result in catastrophic losses.
Several mercenaries exchanged uneasy glances, clearly wanting to back out of their contracts.
They had agreed to face a dark mage they assumed to be around 5th-circle.
Of course, they might still be able to overpower the mage with sheer force, but no dark mage would fight head-on.
"Didn't they just fire spells from hiding last time too?"
"If they were the type to fight openly, we would have succeeded in subjugating them already."
"As expected of a dark mage—cunning and sly. That's why all the previous attempts to defeat them failed."
The enemy was hiding deep in the mountains. They initially thought a 5th-circle mage was manageable with enough pressure.
But facing a 6th-circle mage changed everything. They would likely be picked off one by one.
While the others began murmuring nervously, Ghislain ignored them and kept asking questions.
"6th-circle? Are you sure?"
"Yeah..."
"Does your master have a lot of magic books?"
"Quite a few... But you need his permission to see them..."
"Are they all dark magic?"
"No... There are a few other kinds too..."
Mages typically specialized in one school of magic, but most learned general spells as well.
Vanessa, who came from the Scarlet Flame Magic Tower, was the same—her specialty was fire magic, but she hadn't neglected learning other widely-used spells.
So it wasn't surprising that a dark mage owned a variety of magic books.
"You don't have any of them right now?"
"I have one... Hidden under my bed in my quarters..."
"Good. Where is your master hiding? Are there any more allies? Any traps?"
Ghislain nodded in satisfaction and quickly fired off more questions.
Ziko, still dazed, obediently answered everything—his master's location, the traps set up, and the absence of other allies.
After extracting most of the information he wanted, Ghislain asked one last question out of curiosity.
"How old are you really?"
"Thirty-four..."
"...How did you manage to pass as a child?"
"I guess... I just have a baby face..."
"....."
Ziko's response was genuine—spoken under mind control.
"No one found it suspicious?"
"Some did... But I used a small spell to lower their perception... and only worked in the trash pits and sewers... so I didn't meet many people..."
"...I see."
Apparently, Ziko had disguised himself as an orphan and gotten hired for menial work a few months ago.
Despite speaking and working unusually well for a child, he had insisted he was young, and people let it slide.
With the territory in chaos and workers hard to come by, no one questioned him too deeply. After all, he was just handling dirty jobs.
As their conversation neared its end, the violet hue in Ziko's eyes faded, and his focus returned.
Ghislain, lacking the mana to sustain the spell, had reached his limit.
"Urgh! J-just kill me!"
Ziko grimaced in pain, still unaware that he had just been under mind control.
To him, it had felt like only a fleeting moment.
Ziko shouted desperately, "I am a dark mage who feeds on fear! Do you think I would live in humiliation? I can't tell you anything—just kill me already!"
The fate of a dark mage was always the same—tortured and then executed.
And right now, he was already being tortured. For Ziko, it seemed better to die quickly than endure further suffering.
Ghislain pulled back his fist.
"Alright, just die already."
"W-Wait! Aren't you going to ask me something else? Maybe we can make a deal! I can help you take down my master! I'd be useful!"
True to form, Ziko had no loyalty to his master.
Despite acting fearless earlier, now that death was imminent, his survival instincts kicked in.
But Ghislain remained firm.
"I don't need you."
Boom!
Ziko's head was crushed by Ghislain's punch. Not even a chimera could survive a shattered skull.
"Tsk, this got more complicated than I expected..."
Ghislain clicked his tongue and stood up.
Had he simply inspected the workers earlier, he could have found Ziko without all this trouble.
Instead, he had wasted time and ended up becoming the center of strange rumors.
The people, unaware of Ghislain's inner frustration, cheered for him.
"Yeahhhh!"
"The mage defeated the dark mage's disciple!"
"Truly amazing!"
No one knew why a mage fought with his fists, but he had shown impressive magic, and that was enough to impress them.
He had also captured the villain hiding in the territory, which made everyone ecstatic.
Especially the lord, Andrew.
"Truly incredible! To catch him so quickly! Using ducks to track him down—I never would've thought of that! Your wisdom is beyond ordinary men!"
"…Right."
"We are so fortunate! The goddess must have sent you to save our territory!"
"…It's not that dramatic."
While Andrew showered him with praise, his face eventually darkened.
"But... I didn't expect the dark mage to be 6th-circle. We'll have to come up with a new plan."
A 5th-circle mage could not defeat a 6th-circle mage. That was common knowledge.
At Andrew's words, the previously excited crowd grew anxious.
Only Ghislain, thinking about the magic books he could obtain, grinned to himself.
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