Episode 157: The Genius Sorcerer

(Activating high-level magic without chanting? So all that before was just for show? —Impossible!)

Ignas-Zeo Grave inwardly denied Siegfried’s words. As if to interrupt his thoughts, a crimson slash of blood came hurtling toward him.

(This is… the spell Siegfried called ‘Crimson Blade Rift Falx Sanguinis’ earlier…!)

And it had been unleashed without any chant.

“—!”

Ignas-Zeo Grave hastily rebuilt the formula barrier that had been shattered before. A wall of light expanded around him, blocking the blood slash.

But there was no time to feel relieved. Now, countless chains appeared from all directions—up, down, left, right—and lunged at him, trying to capture him.

“Guh… damn it!”

He darted through the air, evading the chains. The ones he couldn’t avoid, he defended against with the formula barrier once more.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to cast any spells?”

Siegfried’s voice echoed coldly. Immediately after, countless blood thorns appeared in the air and swarmed toward Ignas-Zeo Grave.

(In a situation like this… how am I supposed to cast a spell!)

Ignas-Zeo Grave screamed inwardly.

Continuous activation of high-level magic without chanting—Siegfried’s attacks were far too swift and ruthless.

Ignas-Zeo Grave wasn’t even given a chance to chant a counterattack spell.

“Next, this one.”

Blood welled up from Siegfried’s feet, forming the shape of a massive wolf. It then kicked off the ground with force and pounced at Ignas-Zeo Grave.

“Eek…!”

Ignas-Zeo Grave deployed his formula barrier with all his might and barely managed to defend against the attack once again. But his actions had now been completely forced into pure defense.

(This is bad—if this keeps up—it’s bad!)

To win in a magical battle, attacking from your side is essential. Even if you can block the opponent’s attacks with a formula barrier, that’s nothing more than hunkering down in defense.

Without turning to counterattack, there was no chance of victory.

(I have to somehow cast a spell and reverse the situation…!)

The moment he resolved himself to that—Ignas-Zeo Grave’s vision shook violently.

Realizing the cause sent a shiver of dread through his heart.

(…My mana is running out!?)

On top of the barrage of high-level spells earlier, he’d poured mana into the formula barrier. Ignas-Zeo Grave’s exhaustion was already nearing its limit.

Normally, he would have noticed the signs of mana depletion much sooner.

But at the start of the battle, he’d been complacent, thinking he had complete control.

Then came the sudden reversal and the relentless attacks. By then, he no longer had the leeway to keep track of his remaining mana.

“Joseph! Give me your mana… hand it over to meeee!”

“M-Master Ignas… any more than this…!”

Joseph and the others were already on the verge of mana exhaustion themselves.

But ignoring that, Ignas-Zeo Grave forcefully extracted mana from the court sorcerers through the magic circle.

In that instant, what came flying toward Ignas-Zeo Grave were—a blood slash, chains, thorns, and spears.

He somehow managed to block the onslaught of killing intent that came one after another.

But that was where his limit arrived.

“Hah… haa…!”

With his mana depleted, his vision blurred, and sweat poured from his entire body.

His glasses slipped down, but he didn’t even have the strength to fix them.

And then—.

“Ah… aah…”

Having lost even the mana to fly, Ignas-Zeo Grave’s body was pulled by gravity and fell helplessly to the ground.

“Guh… ugh…”

Ignas-Zeo Grave lay collapsed on the ground. The steady sound of footsteps approached him coldly.

“It’s over, Ignas-Zeo Grave.”

Siegfried’s blue eyes looked down mercilessly on the head court sorcerer, the Grand Caster.

“W-Wait! Please, just wait!”

Ignas-Zeo Grave raised one hand, desperately pleading.

“I-I’ll admit it. It’s… my loss. You’re better than me.”

For the prideful Ignas-Zeo Grave, uttering those words was like carving away at his soul in agony. Still—it was better than dying.

“I’ll submit to you… p-please, forgive me…!”

“You think such a convenient story will fly?”

“Ugh… I-I know it’s asking too much. B-But… I-I’m someone who should be useful to you too!”

Even though he’d lost to Siegfried, it was an undeniable fact that Ignas-Zeo Grave’s magical talent was exceptional.

“Sure, I couldn’t beat you. But still—my talent should be appealing to you. Right!? So…!”

“I don’t need it. Your talent holds no value to me. You called yourself a genius and looked down on others as mediocrities—but I have no intention of being swayed by such worthless standards.”

Siegfried declared coldly.

“What matters to me is whether someone is a villain or not. And how to make that villain shine—that’s all. A evil like you is unnecessary in my ranks.”

Even if Ignas-Zeo Grave possessed power enough to annihilate armies of ten thousand—if he wouldn’t shine as one of his subordinates, it meant nothing to Siegfried.

He slowly raised his palm and aimed it at Ignas-Zeo Grave.

“W-Wait!”

Ignas-Zeo Grave rubbed his head against the ground, desperately begging.

“Please, forgive me… I beg you…!”

“Fine, I’ll forgive you.”

“Eh…?”

Ignas-Zeo Grave lifted his face in a daze.

“What did you just…?”

“I said I’ll forgive you. You’re unnecessary in my ranks—but there’s no point in me going out of my way to kill you now that you’ve lost your mana and are groveling on the ground. I’ll let you off, Ignas-Zeo Grave.”

Siegfried patted the groveling Ignas-Zeo Grave on the shoulder. And then… with the clack clack of his footsteps echoing, he slowly walked away.

“I-I’m saved…?”

As he watched Siegfried’s retreating back, Ignas-Zeo Grave muttered.

“Ha… haha… Y-Yeah. I’m a genius… an existence the world needs. Yes, I’m someone who deserves to survive…!”

His vision was hazy from mana depletion, and the frustration of defeat smoldered deep in his chest. Even so—the joy of having his life spared enveloped his heart.

But then, a cold voice rang out, as if dousing that with water.

“—Master Ignas.”

His shoulders jerked in surprise, and he turned toward the source of the voice. Standing there were soldiers from the Kirchhen Kingdom.

Seeing them, Ignas-Zeo Grave let out a sigh of relief.

“Ah… it’s you guys. Perfect timing. Get me to a safe place…”

“—Seize him.”

The moment the captain gave the order, several soldiers rushed over to Ignas-Zeo Grave and pinned his limbs to the ground.

“Wh-What are you doing!?”

Ignas-Zeo Grave shouted in open anger.

But in that instant, he finally realized. The soldiers harbored anger in their eyes that surpassed his own.

“Head Court Sorcerer, Grand Caster Ignas-Zeo Grave. Your life ends here.”

With those words, one soldier drew his sword and thrust it into Ignas-Zeo Grave’s back.

“Gah… Aaaaaah! Y-You bastard! Why are you doing this!”

“—We are soldiers of the capital guard. We’re merely fulfilling our duty.”

“What are you talking about!? If you’re soldiers, obey my orders! I’m the kingdom’s top executive, the head court sorcerer, the Grand Caster!”

“It’s true that obeying orders is a soldier’s duty. But above that, what we must protect is—the lives and peace of the citizens.”

“Wh… What…?”

“Master Ignas. Earlier, you tried to incinerate us.”

“Guh… Th-That’s true. But that was necessary to defeat the enemy—”

“We are soldiers too. If it were truly necessary, we’d be prepared to sacrifice ourselves. However… your initial attack that tried to burn us along with the enemy—was it really necessary? The Serodonia soldiers had a unique mana signature. You should have been able to detect only that and limit the targets to the enemies alone. —After all, you’re a ‘genius.’”

“That was…!”

“On top of that, you tried to involve unrelated people.”

Ignas-Zeo Grave had attacked the surrounding buildings without hesitation, not caring if people were inside.

No, rather—he hadn’t even tried to hide the pleasure he seemed to take in eliminating those he looked down on as mediocrities.

As Ignas-Zeo Grave twisted his face in pain, a young soldier stepped forward.

“The captain said he’s just fulfilling a soldier’s duty… but for me, it’s a bit different. Your attack nearly caught my little sister in the mansion. I—will never forgive you.”

If they let this man live, countless innocent lives would be taken in the future.

The soldiers were convinced of that.

“So… die here.”

The young soldier thrust his sword from Ignas-Zeo Grave’s back through to his chest without hesitation.

“Gaha…!”

At that moment—the formula cast on Ignas-Zeo Grave’s body activated.

Upon receiving a fatal wound, it squeezed out mana from the depths of his soul to sustain his life activities—the final spell.

However, for Ignas-Zeo Grave now, that spell was not salvation but equivalent to a curse. It merely prolonged the pain.

“…Still not dead?”

Another soldier thrust his sword without mercy. Then yet another. Blades rained down one after another.

“Giii… Ah! Gah… Aaaaaaah!”

Screams of despair and agony.

“Guah… Gah…! J-Joseph…! H-Help me! Save… me…!”

“…As for the court sorcerers, we’ve confirmed them collapsed in that alley over there.”

As a result of Ignas-Zeo Grave forcefully draining their mana, some had fainted from mana depletion. Others had even lost the mana necessary for life and perished.

“No way…!”

—This can’t be.

(Impossible! Impossible… this can’t… happen!)

Shedding tears of despair and agony, Ignas-Zeo Grave screamed.

“I… am, ah…! A genius! To be killed by these… mediocrities… there’s no way!”

If it had to be this way, being killed by Siegfried—by someone with that overwhelming talent—would have been more salvaging.

Compared to the humiliation of being killed by the hands of those without the sparkle of talent whom he’d always looked down on.

“Dance wildly, raging storm’s flash fire Ruzal Neriva Flade—‘Flame Light Annihilation Spira Fulguor’!

Ignas-Zeo Grave shouted. But with his mana depleted now, the spell didn’t activate.

“‘Flame Star Fall Meteor Blaze’! ‘Scorching Serpent Waltz Flammeus Nexus’! ‘Crimson Flower Meteor Solis Fractus’! ‘Flame Spear Divine Strike Ignis Impetus’…!”

Shouting spell names one after another, he was no longer the head court sorcerer, the Grand Caster. His appearance was no different from a madman clinging to nonexistent miraculous magic.

—Thud, thud.

Countless blades pierced into Ignas-Zeo Grave’s body.

The body restoration spell had reached its limit, and his life was on the verge of ending.

At that moment, a voice reached his ears. A cold voice, and somehow amused—.

“Too bad, Ignas-Zeo Grave. I forgave you… but the soldiers wouldn’t.”

There was no need to say who the voice belonged to. It was Siegfried.

Whether he’d returned to the scene or was using magic to transmit only his words from afar. Ignas-Zeo Grave couldn’t even tell that now.

“However, this is fitting to conclude your end. —A villain who proclaimed himself a genius and looked down on those around him as mediocrities, killed by those very mediocrities… a fine curtain call.”

(So that’s… it…!)

In that instant, Ignas-Zeo Grave finally understood. Everything—had been calculated.

The magical exchange that lured him into depleting his mana.

Siegfried deliberately saving the soldiers—all for this conclusion.

“I don’t want this…”

Ignas-Zeo Grave muttered in a voice so hoarse it could barely be called one.

“To be killed by these… mediocrities… by those without… the sparkle of talent… No. And my… death… would be a… loss… to the world…”

“No need to worry, Ignas-Zeo Grave.”

Siegfried’s voice sounded gentle… yet cruel.

“The world doesn’t need someone of your caliber. Shine as a villain here, and die pathetically in brilliance.”

“Ah… A, aaaaaaah…”

His dying scream leaked out faintly.

He who proclaimed himself a genius and continued to look down on those around him as mediocrities—met his end by the blades of those very ones he’d despised.