She Professed Herself The Pupil Of The Wiseman (LN) - Volume 8 - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

LOOKING BACK, Mira had first encountered Isaac the night before at the Melville Compound in Roslein’s capital, Irene. That was far from Sentopoli. It only took her two to three hours by Pegasus, but if one was to make the journey by land, travel would easily take over half a day.

Yet here Isaac was. That must mean he had some mode of transportation that could rival Pegasus’s speed.

This one isn’t to be underestimated. But what an opportunity! She could only assume that Isaac was related to Melville Commerce, which meant that the organization very likely had their dirty hands in this auction as well. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to hypothesize that the mysterious host of the auction was Melville Commerce itself.

If Mira was careful in her investigation, she might just find decisive evidence. The summoner knew that this could be a valuable clue, so she cautiously followed Isaac.

***

Isaac conversed with a few other personnel as he circled the underground premises. But they mostly discussed the order of sales, fees, and other management-related issues. Mira’s eavesdropping yielded no useful information on Chimera Clausen or Melville Commerce, but she did glean from these exchanges that this Isaac fellow was high up among the management.

After an hour of walking around, Isaac began climbing the stairs. He arrived at a metal door, which he opened and continued through. The door led to a craggy part of the wasteland. It seemed there were several hidden exits from this underground facility. This one led out to a jagged stretch of land north-northeast of Sentopoli, with rocky mounds reaching up like a miniature mountain range.

Isaac continued along a valley road without hesitation. The path was far from even, so Mira followed about twenty meters back to conceal the sound of her footsteps.

Another hour later, the hills had decreased in number yet grown taller in height. Suddenly, Isaac shouted, “I know you’re there. Show yourself!”

Mira froze up and stared directly forward, ready for a fight. She’d hoarded her precious moments of total concealment, instead opting for optical camouflage to trick his sense of sight. However, it would not be surprising if someone with sharp senses had sniffed her out.

Hrmm… This won’t be easy. If he knew she was there, then there was nothing else for it; she’d have to drag the information out of him by force. But just as Mira thought so, a man’s voice floated down from atop a hill.

“So…you’re not a small fry as I was told.”

The man was tall yet slender, wearing a long, amaranth robe. On his hip were a slender sword and a crossbow. His most striking features were his red-rimmed elliptical glasses, silver hair, and gray eyes.

Wait… I know that guy! Mira recognized this individual. He was the Skyfolk man she’d met in the Citadel of Scales.

Isaac turned and glared at the man atop the hill. “Hmph. Who wouldn’t sense such obvious malice?”

It seemed Mira was still in the clear. She stayed concealed and began moving slowly to avoid detection.

“I have many questions for you,” the amaranth-robed Skyfolk man replied, “and you will answer them.” He readied his crossbow.

“Questions? Even knowing that I’m only Layton Knox, a diplomat representing Sentopoli?” Isaac smirked back at him; he didn’t seem very scared at all.

Layton? Diplomat representing Sentopoli? What is he going on about? This man’s name was Isaac. Mira was confused, but luckily, the answer to her questions was quickly revealed.

“Wrong. I have business with Chimera Clausen’s deputy head of development, Isaac Meyer,” the Skyfolk man said.

Isaac raised an eyebrow, apparently shocked. But his shock lasted only a moment. His tone was calm as he said, “Then you’ve got the wrong guy. My name is Layton Knox. Sorry, but I’ve never heard of this Isaac person you’re looking for.”

Mira quickly surmised that Layton Knox, Sentopoli diplomat, was a cover identity.

“Don’t play dumb with me. I’ve already gotten testimony from your three subordinates.” The robed man whipped out his sword as well, pointed the tip at Isaac, and grinned slightly. It wasn’t the triumphant smile of a detective cornering a criminal, however; it was the twisted look of a man who’d just found justification for murder.

“Three… Ah, so you’re the reason they stopped answering my messages. I can tell you’re willing to kill…but you’re not with Isuzu. You’re too impure. Who the hell are you?” Isaac frowned; he must have realized his ruse was futile. He ceased trying to deceive the man, took the short staff from his hip, and pointed it at his foe.

“That isn’t for you to know,” the amaranth-robed man replied, his voice as cold as ice. He pulled the trigger, and his crossbow bolt flew straight for Isaac’s brow.

But before it could strike, it was enveloped in flames and burned to a crisp.

That was magic; Isaac’s short staff had sent fire flying at the bolt. Even if he was her enemy, Mira had to admire the skill of his technique. She decided to continue to watch from afar for now.

Isaac fired off a second fireball without hesitation, and the Skyfolk man shot back blue flames. Mira knew instantly that this was an exorcist’s fire. Red and blue collided, bursting outward as flames.

The battle had begun.

The fight between Isaac and the Skyfolk man was a true spectacle. As a sorcerer, Isaac had a slight advantage at long distances. He toyed with the Skyfolk man with the varied spells at his disposal. Worse, Isaac held a weapon made with black mist ore. According to the documents Johan had given Mira, this wouldn’t just devour spirits; it could even exhibit certain special effects based on how it had been made. Isaac’s weapon was a black dagger, twisted into a spiral shape. Each time he swung it, black mist emerged, deflecting all of the Skyfolk man’s attacks. Thus, Mira easily guessed its special effect: attack deflection.

All of the amaranth-robed man’s long-range attacks were deflected back at him, neutralizing his crossbow entirely—or so one might think. He fired another bolt, and Isaac swung his spiral dagger again to create black mist. But the moment the bolt touched it, there was a spray of water.

“Gah!”

The water glowed faintly. This was a catalyst of exorcists: holy water. The amaranth-robed man had detonated his holy water-filled bolt right before it could be deflected. Holy water had no offensive properties on its own, but it was a potent catalyst for magic.

[Banished Commandment: Flames of Atonement]

The robed exorcist wove his spell and fire billowed up as if running along oil, wrapping Isaac instantly in blue flames.

“Damn it! You think you’re clever?!” Isaac tore off his burning overcoat and jumped back from his attacker.

Now the tip of the Skyfolk man’s slender sword stabbed toward Isaac. The man had closed the distance in the blink of an eye. The flame that had taken his foe by surprise was a mere distraction. The sword went for Isaac’s shoulder. Suddenly, there was a shrill, metallic sound.

“You’ve blocked even that, hm?” the amaranth-robed man muttered, perhaps slightly impressed. The tip of the sword hadn’t hit its mark; it had merely dug a notch into Isaac’s short staff, which he’d raised in the nick of time.

“Hmph. Too bad for you, huh?” Isaac used his spiral dagger to fend off the crossbow and cast magic at point-blank range. This spell created a violent wind, causing both men to be blown into the air. The combatants landed almost simultaneously, almost exactly in the positions in which they’d begun the battle. This was an ideal attack range for Isaac.

Out of all magical disciplines, sorcery was the one that had the most instantaneous firepower. One solid blow could heavily wound a target, but this time, Isaac had calibrated his power perfectly to escape from that disadvantageous point-blank range. This sorcerer knew his limits well.

Isaac’s sorcery fell ferociously upon his foe once again. Lightning flashed, icicles rained, and raging winds suppressed the amaranth-robed man’s motions. The Skyfolk man tried to approach again, but the barrage of attacks put him fully on the defensive. Still, he didn’t look concerned. His narrowed eyes remained fixed on Isaac like arrows, as if he were the hunter.

Isaac, meanwhile, was beginning to panic. After firing off so many spells, he was reaching the limits of his mana, yet his attacks were still failing to hit their mark. Isaac knew the tide was about to turn. But then he spotted the perfect opportunity: the lightning his foe had just evaded had shattered the ground at the man’s feet.

The amaranth-robed man stumbled. Isaac seized the opportunity; he promptly used the rest of his mana to fire off countless fireballs. “Die!”

With a roar like a cannon, flames struck one after another. Black smoke rose, and the ground shook slightly. This was the backbone of sorcery: overwhelming power. Even the toughest monsters could potentially be felled instantly by this.

Yet the target still stood, protected by a thin membrane.

“Impossible…”

It was a barrier. This one was [Veiled Arts: Fireproof Encampment], a type specially developed for occasions just like this. However, Isaac’s magic was strong. The barrier flickered as the unscathed Skyfolk man began to slowly walk toward him.

“Grr!” Isaac was at his limit. He didn’t have the mana to stop his foe, but he knew that all it would take to break the already weak barrier was something a little stronger than a fireball. He tossed his short staff aside and produced the trump card he’d carried in his pocket.

It was a dagger—but no ordinary dagger. This one had the power of a spirit inside.

Suddenly, a whirlwind of fire formed. It seemed to boom from the very depths of the earth, with heat that could vaporize its surroundings, whirling violently and sickeningly forward. A spirit’s stolen power, torn from the spirit and turned into hatred to attack the amaranth-robed man.

This incarnation of destruction was truly overwhelming, far beyond what a human body could withstand.

“Rest,” the amaranth-robed man said quietly. 

At once, the violent vortex dispersed as if nothing had happened at all.

“What?!” Isaac’s eyes went wide; he was certain that attack would do the trick. He stared off into nothingness and his shoulders trembled. All that remained was the scorched, hot air, which was soon carried away by the wind. It was an almighty blow, yet something beyond Isaac’s understanding had nullified it entirely. His shock was warranted, but it led to Isaac betraying a fatal opening.

The amaranth-robed man hadn’t looked away from Isaac for a second; he would not miss this momentary slip. Isaac’s surprise lasted less than a second, yet that second was ample time for a crossbow bolt to pierce the man’s undefended knee.

A scream was wrung out from his throat as he fell. A second bolt pierced him, punching through his elbow. The spirit dagger in his hand clattered to the ground.

“You’ve failed.” The Skyfolk man had hampered his mobility, deprived him of means to attack, and now knocked his weapon away using his own slender sword.

Isaac looked up at him bitterly and used his paltry remaining mana to cast Flame. It was elementary magic, but it couldn’t be underestimated when used by a master. The attack was fired off from point-blank range, but the amaranth-robed man cut it down swiftly.

Yet Isaac did not end his struggle there. With his remaining hand, he threw the spiral dagger. It flew out, hidden amid the mess of embers from Isaac’s spell. But the amaranth-robed man saw it too, and fired his crossbow to deflect it, aiming for Isaac’s other elbow at the same time. The bolt passed through the joint, and Isaac screamed in agony once again.

The Skyfolk man’s reaction time was so incredible that Mira had to wonder if somebody was by his side helping him. The man aimed his crossbow at the center of Isaac’s brow and demanded coldly, “Answer me. There should be a man named Zell Schedal among your ilk. Where is he?”