Chapter 33: The Tamed Beast (3) |
Just now.
A very short period of time, but this was the conclusion I came to after observing Arthur.
Currently, Arthur is only reacting to someone's aggression.
'That is, when I am holding the gun.'
Clearly, at that moment, Arthur's focus was on me, not Theodore. Although he promised to use magic if needed, Theodore clearly had no intention of attacking.
But I approached Arthur with the gun in my hand right from the start.
Arthur never took his eyes off me the entire time I was holding the gun. In other words, what remained was an instinctive response, akin to that of a wild animal.
And I began to explain.
"Uh? That is true, but..."
"And if I pull the gun, look, he is staring at me again."
Things are different now than a little while ago, when I was really planning to shoot if I was in a dangerous situation.
I didn't have any intention to attack now.
Maybe that is why Arthur's eyes followed my gun, but it didn't seem as dangerous as before.
"Huk, huk..."
"Arma Cruz, if you rile him up..."
Arthur shrugged off Theodore's hand from his shoulder.
Theodore placed his hand on Arthur's shoulder and began to apply pressure.
'Still, at this level, there is a chance.'
Theodore exerted his strength to subdue Arthur, who seemed ready to charge at me at any moment.
Yet, the difference in weight couldn't be overcome. If Arthur chose to, he could reach me.
Taking out the bullet and pretending to put it back, I said, "Luckily, he doesn't react to anything I say."
"..."
Even though Theodore was in a hurry, he still wore an expression of uncertainty.
Of course, I wasn't sure of my plan either.
No, I think this is a reckless method close to failure.
Still, I just thought it would be better to try.
'Theodore... trust you... not to leave me to die here.'
Hoping that Theodore would have the strength to restrain a sword master, even for a moment, I said, "All cadets with magical aptitude have some form of anti-magic engraving, right? There are cases where you have jewels engraved in you, but this wasn't the case with Enoch Clark."
"Arma Cruz, what is this situation..."
"From now on, don't speak, just listen."
It was a question he asked without much thought until then, but the story had stirred me up. I shook my head at the nape and said,
"Enoch's engraving was near the neck. Onto the skin."
Click!
Arthur was still not in his right mind. However, since he wasn't fully coherent when responding to Theodore, it would be challenging for him to comprehend Theodore's words and actions.
I loaded the empty guns with balls and pointed them at Arthur.
'So creepy.'
Arthur continued to watch us with sharp eyes, like a beast eyeing its prey.
"... Phew..."
I had already wondered what this half-insane sword master would do, but since Arthur didn't have much time, he could do anything.
Fortunately, training myself to stay calm while holding a gun proved helpful. My pounding heart calmed down, and at times like this, I often thought of serene ponds.
Clack.
The gun clacked, but since I hadn't loaded anything, there should be no significant sound. However, the noise I heard seemed enough to make the mountains tremble, and the gun's muzzle gleamed so brightly that it felt unreal.
"Euk!"
Thud!
And a launch and an impact occurred simultaneously. Theodore must have realized my intention, and I could feel the burning pain at the back of my neck.
While I concentrated on the pain, the world seemed to flip, and the twisted agony of my arm almost being broken consumed me.
"It hurts! It hurts! Let go!"
"Arthur!"
It all happened in a blur.
The moment I fired the empty gun, Arthur, like a predatory creature, lunged at me, twisting my arm to point the gun downward.
The reason my arm wasn't broken was that, in that very moment, Theodore completed his role, protecting Arthur by suppressing him with magic.
"The engraving?"
Even though Arthur was affected by Theodore's magic, he didn't release his grip on my arm.
We tumbled to the ground simultaneously. Arthur still seemed agitated, but he halted when he noticed the 'scar' on my neck from Theodore's magic.
'Enough....'
It hurts so bad.
If my arm were broken, I contemplated hitting the bewildered Arthur just to release my frustration.
As the pain surpassed the limit I could endure, tears began to flow, and Arthur slowly began to relax the force he exerted on me.
"Arthur, I apologize."
Theodore continued to apologize to him. I lay on the ground, crushed, unable to see what was happening behind my back.
'Did he bring the injection!?'
Then there would be no need for any of this.
The moment I thought that.
-Puak!
It was the sound of something that shouldn't be broken, breaking. Eventually, Arthur, who had regained consciousness, fell from my back.
-tak.
Then, a rock the size of two fists was thrown, landing just a bit away from my head.
"I knocked him out."
"..."
What can I say?
Theodore's composed madness shines again and again today. I fainted, slowly closing my eyes, feeling the weight of Arthur becoming heavier against my body.
'This body...'
After that, Theodore rushed around busily. The first thing he did was push down Arthur, who had fainted, with his foot, and then he lifted me up.
"Ah, it hurts!"
"It looks like your shoulder has slipped a bit. Excuse me-"
"Why are you apologizing!? No! What if I get stoned to death? I will die; I am a weakling!"
"... Uh?"
Perhaps because what happened a little while ago was shocking, I got goosebumps when Theodore apologized.
He frowned slightly, as if he were listening to everything I said. His expression was clear as he put my bent arm on my chest before touching my shoulder.
"What should I do about the burn on the neck?"
"Leave it alone; we need to come to terms before the student council does something."
Luckily, Arthur escaped being in trouble. Instead, I might have turned into a fool, but if you think about it as giving up something small to protect something big, it wouldn't be much of a loss.
"I am glad you noticed that quickly. I thought it would be less effective if I explained in detail, and Arthur realized it."
"Actually, I didn't notice it until you pointed the empty gun at me. It wasn't until I heard about the engraving on the neck that I understood."
"I survived all thanks to you."
Unconsciously, I rubbed the back of my neck and looked at Theodore, who had once again destroyed the engraved bracelet using magic.
"Ah, that."
"I couldn't control my strength; if I had noticed a bit sooner, I wouldn't have used magic that would cause burns."
The moment I fired at Arthur, Theodore placed an illusion spell over the gun hole, making it appear like I had actually fired it. At the same time, he burned the nape of my neck, resembling Enoch Clark, making it look like I broke the ban.
"I am actually glad that guy was not sober. If he were sober, he wouldn't have fallen into the trap."
"..."
Theodore remained silent for a while, looking at me and Arthur. Then he put himself under Arthur's arm and said,
"Thank you."
"Forget it. I just made sure that he didn't turn into a bad person, so what is the next plan? You want to try hypnosis one more time?"
"No, it will be fine now. Mental oppression is a terrible curse, but it has the characteristic feature of being released once the suggestion falls through. It will be fine until used again."
I watched for a moment as Theodore moved Arthur, who was 10 cm taller than him, whining, and put his head under the arm of Arthur.
'I want to just throw him here if I can.'
Although it wasn't his intention, Arthur not only tried to kill me but also attempted to dislocate my arm. It wasn't a grave injury that would lead to dislocation, but as a well-bred young master, I would hold a grudge.
'... Just abandon?'
I felt anger rise. But as I remembered the story of Arthur I heard just 10 minutes ago, my anger eased a bit.
-Ethan died.
-I killed him.
Arthur's younger brother, Ethan, likely died in an accident involving Theodore.
Whatever the truth was, Arthur felt a great deal of grief, and when he attacked me, a non-mage, that pent-up frustration and trauma affected him.
Unintentionally, I ended up touching his trauma, and I felt resentful that I would have to apologize to him, even though it wasn't intentional.
"Theodore."
"Yes."
"When Arthur gets up and seems to be better, will you come to my room?"
"Let us do that."
And then we staggered along the forest path, which felt even longer with Arthur on us.
Caw! caw!
Meanwhile, a crow, which seemed unusually sensitive, continued to fly low around us, threatening.
While we swatted away numerous crows that came at our faces, I had a good idea.
And as a result, I talked to Theodore.
The story went roughly like this: a sensitive crow attacked Theodore, so I shook it to save him. Excited, the crow then lunged at me, and Theodore eventually killed it with magic.
"This explains both the gunshot sound and the fact that your ban was broken."
"But the reason Arthur fell..."
"Isn't it better to throw him away?"
"..."
Honestly, if he stays intact even after being exposed to the elements for several days, the conclusion would be that Arthur is the strongest of all.
I took heavy steps, trying to suppress my desire to abandon him and go back to the dorms.
What condition will Arthur be in when he opens his eyes?
