Chapter 74
I spun the Holy Light hammer idly, then hid it behind my back.
“I’m just a maid.”
Er… my legs are still tied. Saying something like this in this posture isn’t cool at all. Ahem, alright! I pointed at her and asked— “I should be asking who you are! Your strength is basically cheating in this Magic Academy, okay?”
Furthermore, this person’s combat instincts are incredibly sharp. To be able to sense the danger signal in the millisecond of an attack and then avoid it… she must have been tempered by hundreds or thousands of battles to have such instincts.
I saw her wipe the cold sweat from her face.
“Hehe… Interesting. It’s only fair to tell an opponent I respect. I am one of the Demon King’s Holy Twelve Mages, ‘Flower-Gathering’ Miramini.”
“Ah???”
“Hehe! Scared, aren’t you! Most people piss their pants in fear when they hear the Demon King’s name.”
I was stunned. ‘That Person’ has female subordinates? No! I have to get this straight.
“What proof do you have that you’re the Demon King’s subordinate?”
“You still need proof???”
“There are a lot of people committing crimes under the Demon King’s name these days. How do I know you’re not a fake?”
“Heh. Have you not heard of the Holy Twelve Mages?”
“Holy Twelve?”
“That’s right. The Holy Twelve is an organization led by the Demon King. Its members, like me, have all gathered by the Demon King’s side to serve her out of admiration.”
Huh…? To think that mass-murdering great demon lord actually has admirers? I’m fuming.
“…So you’re close with the Demon King?”
“N-Not really. The Demon King is very busy. Even the number of times she meets with the organization’s high-level cadres can be counted on one hand, let alone me—” As she spoke, her expression suddenly changed, and she roared at me angrily, “Damn it! Why am I telling you all this!?”
It seems what she’s saying is true. After all, she’s a fifth-rank archmage. In the entire Magic Academy, probably only Headmaster Aijieliya is her match. The boss behind her can only be ‘That Person.’
“Then what is your purpose in infiltrating the Magic Academy disguised as a maid?” I asked.
Miramini smiled faintly. “It’s fine to tell you. Simply put, the Demon King wishes for magic technology to stagnate.”
“Huh…? What did you say?”
‘That Person’ destroyed the Magic Tower, killed all the teachers, and then hunted outstanding mages and top-tier adventurers all over the world. We all thought she had lost her mind after falling into the abyss of magic. This is the first time I’m hearing this explanation, and I’m shocked! So it was all for this?
But? Why?
Why would ‘That person’ do this?
I asked her— “The Demon King wants magic technology to stagnate? Why?”
“How could you or I possibly fathom the Demon King’s thoughts? As a subordinate, I don’t dare to ask why; I just have to do as I’m told. The Magic Academy is a cradle that nurtures outstanding mages. If we want to stagnate magic technology, it’s the first target. But, even if we destroy the Magic Academy, you’ll just rebuild it again. The seeds of magic will just bloom everywhere instead. The Demon King finds that very tiring and entrusted this glorious mission to me. Tell me, how could I not do my utmost? And so, I thought of a brilliant idea: to corrupt the Magic Academy from within!”
“Corrupt from within?”
“Yes, that’s right! I used Allen Oniste as a puppet to form the student council, gathered all those dandies together, and had them do anything and everything—eating, drinking, whoring, gambling—as long as it could ruin the Magic Academy’s conduct. The purpose was to corrupt the Magic Academy from within! Think about it: when the time comes, the mages cultivated by the Academy will be nothing but a bunch of trash. The future of magic will naturally stagnate.”
She spread her hands, speaking smugly, as if she were doing something truly great.
So that’s how it is. To think there was an even deeper conspiracy behind the student council turning the Magic Academy into a mess!
“You actually went to such lengths to poison the students of the Magic Academy? Let me tell you, your plan will not succeed! I’ll tell the Headmaster about this!”
“Aijieliya is about to watch as I destroy the fruits of her labor right before her eyes!”
“You won’t get your wish. I’m going back to the match right now.”
“Hehe! You think you can really leave here alive? In front of me, one of the Holy Twelve Mages—”
She swung her leaf blade violently at the ceiling. With a rumble! the magic imbued in the blade split the ceiling open, revealing a large hole. As rubble rained down, bright sunlight poured in, illuminating her like a pillar of light.
She bathed in the pillar of light, and four petals unfurled from her back like wings, lifting her into the air!
“I don’t want to fight you up close. I’ll just use a long-range magic to finish you in one blow!”
“Oh? Well, you’re pretty smart, aren’t you?”
It’s true. She’s flying so high, far out of my attack range. Plus, the ropes on my legs haven’t been untied yet, so my mobility is greatly reduced. I can’t reach her at all.
I looked up and saw the four petals on her back absorbing sunlight, charging up. They grew brighter and brighter, and the dazzling light stung my eyes.
“Anyone who dares obstruct the Demon King’s plan, die! Sunlight Burst Flame!”
A laser beam shot toward me with the force to destroy everything.
I dismissed the Holy Light hammer, licked my finger, dabbed it in Holy Light, and then—BOOM!!! The light engulfed me.
Amidst the light, I heard her laughing smugly— “Hahaha! This is what happens when you make an enemy of the Demon King!”
Hmph!
I endowed the Holy Light with the property of rubber, forming a net between my two hands, and caught her Sunlight Burst Flame completely.
“What magic is that!?” She was astonished to see the light being caught in the net made of Holy Light.
Due to the impact, the rubber-like Holy Light was stretched very, very long. But that’s fine. The longer it stretches, the more powerful it will be when I return it to her!
“You dared to lay a hand on Sister’s school. It’s your bad luck you ran into me!”
I said coldly.
“Give it back!”
The energy wave bounced back!
“It bounced back!? Impossible!!! Who in the world are you!?! Ahhh—!!”
She was hit by the reflected beam of light and fell to the ground like a broken doll.
Phew. I let out a breath of relief. That was really dangerous.
“I’m sorry… Demon King… I’ve failed your trust…”
She’s still alive? She really is strong. I glanced at her. She was lying on the ground, staring at the sky, muttering.
“Hmph. Don’t worry. A person like her doesn’t trust anyone.”
After all, a person like her doesn’t care about anything.
“What—” She was so angered by my words that she spat out a mouthful of blood and fell unconscious.
Thanks to her, I now know the Demon King’s plan. Something about wanting to stagnate magic? Hmph. I won’t let her succeed.
And now, I have to get back to Lian Qi’s side as soon as possible.