SomaRead | The Incompetent Mage’s Infinite Regression

Chapter 10

"Did you know where my room was?"

"Yes."

"Then you didn't need me to guide you."

"That's how it was. ...Did you sense the presence in the room just now?"

"Yes."

"Thanks to Body Magic, your hearing opened up. Was it a mistake to treat you like an ordinary human mage..."

Ethan drew a dagger and turned around. And in a single motion, he threw it towards Moraiots.

-Clang!

Moraiots lightly deflected the dagger with the sword he had drawn.

Ethan also drew his sword to counter.

"Why are you resisting?"

"If I had carelessly entered the room, I would have been caught without being able to do anything. Anyone could predict that an unreasonable situation would occur."

Ethan added a word.

"...Especially if it's a Mazok trying to cause such a thing."

Moraiots nodded his head.

"Is that so. Because you humans fear us. ...If you don't resist further, you can be investigated without pain... No. ...I'll make sure the investigation is less painful."

"... ."

"Of course, I will use Mental Magic in parallel, but there will be parts you can answer with your free will. Hmm. Perhaps. ...Isn't it a good condition if you aren't a Black Mage? Since you can claim your innocence."

Ethan left the chattering Moraiots behind and started running backwards.

Some of the ancient mages thought there was a limit to using magic with a human body, and changed their bodies through self-modification. And not satisfied with just that self-modification, they changed their blood so that their descendants could reach the truth. This is called Madowon, and even though Mazok interact with present-day humans, they couldn't help but feel a sense of disconnect beyond just appearance when talking to them. Madowon, like Black Magic, is also forbidden in Damarat.

Moraiots pointed at Ethan with the tip of his blade and shouted.

"→Rokari, Madem..."

Ethan glanced back at Moraiots.

<That's Mazok magic!>

Ethan was running down a long corridor, and there was no space to avoid the magic.

"→Masara!"

Ethan felt a faint Magical Power beam flying towards him and stopped for a moment.

"...Huh?"

Ethan fumbled at his body and then looked at Moraiots.

Moraiots, now quite far away, stared at Ethan in a daze, alternating glances between the sword pointing at Ethan and Ethan himself.

Ethan started running again.

Magic failure happened often. Countless factors were involved in creating a single magic. It failed not only when used for the first time, but even if the magic had been used a few times if one wasn't familiar with it. Not only proficiency, but the environment could be a problem, and it also depended on the mage's mood. If possible, in practical combat, familiar and well-trained magic was used, but it could still happen anytime.

Ethan was sure Moraiots hadn't obtained Rebilton's consent. He had said he could be investigated as a reference, but he wouldn't have agreed to this method, at least. Therefore, Ethan judged that if Rebilton or another professor found them, Moraiots could be restrained.

"→Sasani, Bat. →Shon, Hwiret!"

Ethan had already passed through the corridor and was going down the stairs of the dormitory building, so he tried to ignore Moraiots's incantation.

But he soon realized he couldn't ignore it.

As Ethan passed through the 2nd floor hallway leading to the main building, Moraiots was running on the 'wall'. And his speed was also not ordinary. Ethan recognized the Magical Power wrapped around Moraiots's body.

Before Ethan could avoid it, Moraiots rushed onto the railing of the hallway, extended his hand, and brought it to Ethan's head.

"→Maraina, Masara!"

Powerful Magical Power poured from Moraiots's hand onto Ethan's forehead, where it made contact. The colorless Magical Power, unable to be contained all at once, found different paths and visibly surged up, then was guided by the reorganized meaning of the spellcaster back towards Ethan's head. Ethan couldn't fully understand it, but he knew it was powerful magic, not a gigantic Magical Power storm that he could see.

In reality, the time the magic occurred was merely the moment Moraiots put his hand on Ethan's forehead until Ethan collapsed.

But Ethan felt a tickling sensation on his forehead, and that was all.

"...?"

As Ethan lay on the floor and blinked, Moraiots also seemed quite flustered.

"...'Rima's Setting Sun' doesn't work?"

Ethan thought it was strange that a Mazok, a race created to use magic, would fail at magic twice in a row. But he had no intention of missing the opportunity before his eyes.

Furthermore, Ethan was at an advantage in a 'grappled state'.

<He'll chase after you, User.>

<...Right. His leg.>

While lying down, Ethan hooked Moraiots's right leg with his side and then pressed Moraiots's groin with both legs. Due to the unexpected method of attack, the difference in physique, and the strength enhanced by the Magical Power Ethan operated internally, Moraiots collapsed right there. Ethan knew the opportunity was brief. Ethan twisted Moraiots's right ankle outwards. A ripping sound of ligaments tearing and a crunching sound of cartilage breaking overlapped.

"Aaaak!"

Ethan thought.

Moraiots shouted.

"→Rokari Ku Aksha!"

Ethan immediately sprung up as if he had been ejected, strengthening his waist with Magical Power, and distanced himself from Moraiots.

Red thorns surged up where Ethan had been, then lost their form and disappeared. It was blood. Following the bloodstain, Ethan could see that Moraiots had slashed his own forearm to make it bleed.

<It's magic that allows him to move his own blood freely. It has a bad reputation among Mazok magic. It activates instantly, and it's hard to avoid.>

Moraiots tried to get up after Ethan but collapsed again.

Tears streamed down Moraiots's face, contorted with pain. Moraiots gasped for breath, swallowed, and said.

"...That just now was a warning."

Ethan pointed his sword at Moraiots.

Demi said.

In the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Ethan knew, a 'heel hook' caused enough pain to lose consciousness, but Moraiots endured it.

Moraiots said while remaining seated.

"Ugh, alright. Don't move, husk."

"Husk" is a derogatory term used by Mazok for humans.

"Why?"

"I don't want to kill you."

"Why?"

"Because I couldn't bring a Mazok skilled in Necromancy. And, ...Hah. If possible, I don't even want to injure you. Mental Magic doesn't work well if there's severe physical damage. But if I can just detain you, I won't care if you die or get hurt."

Demi said.

<Well, of course he would have been.>

Moraiots said.

"At this distance, I can kill you instantly. And if you move even one step, I will do that."

"You just said you didn't want to kill me."

"Because I'm not confident I can miss appropriately in this state. Blame yourself for twisting my ankle."

Ethan belatedly grasped the situation and found Moraiots's subordinates running towards them. He didn't think Moraiots was just bluffing. There wasn't much Ethan could do.

"'If you move even one step,' you said?"

"Yes."

Ethan sheathed his sword at his waist. Moraiots wouldn't use magic if Ethan didn't move his foot, as he had said. Ethan put his hand inside his coat, grasped the Glock 45. And from inside his coat, he aimed it at Moraiots.

As Ethan spread the hem of his coat, Moraiots looked at him strangely.

"What are you..."

-Bang!

A shell casing bounced on the floor, and Moraiots's upper body fell backward. He heard voices shouting from the distant Mazok.

As soon as Ethan turned his body, a familiar face was visible.

"...Ethan-kun?"

"Professor?"

Rebilton looked at Ethan with a stern expression.

But that wasn't the case.

Rebilton pointed at the Handgun Ethan was still holding in his hand and said.

"Put that away quickly. What if someone sees?"

"Huh? Oh, yes."

Rebilton took the lead and said.

"Let's get out of here first."