I Captured the Enemy Who Tried to Kill Me - Chapter 28
Time flew by like an arrow.
Now, only a month remained until the magic duel and demonstration.
And today of all days.
“I told you! This is an absurd slander! Do you Awakened Ones have dung instead of brains in your heads!”
It was so loud my eardrums might fall off.
“Ah, it seems magicians have been burying suspicious things lately, and shouldn’t the Duke explain what this means?”
I was just getting used to the terrible meeting room scenes of the Deharock Empire.
‘The fighting is getting worse.’
Why does it seem more intense than before?
I thought glumly to myself.
Either reveal the truth through a sudden quest to stop their fighting and unlock magic.
‘Or I need to collect 99 guiding points to unlock magic directly.’
Although a month remained, I needed practice time to use magic skillfully after obtaining it.
‘Am I doing well?’
My heart grew tighter with each passing day.
And another thing creating discord in my heart.
‘Kaisis, that man!’
For the past few days, I visited him every night to diligently accumulate guiding points.
Every time I met Kaisis during those visits, he was so gentle and tender.
He must have asked for my name about 98 times and held my hand around 120 times.
Not to mention other contact.
Due to the stingy system giving points in tiny increments, I hadn’t filled my points yet, but judging by the frequency of contact, I would likely reach 99 points soon.
‘But the Emperor during the day.’
He was my enemy.
Somehow his gaze seemed filled with more venom than usual, or was that my imagination?
Seeing how he always asked about my relationship with the Duke at night, he seemed to harbor some petty suspicion, but I was afraid to ask what it was.
I wanted to look away, but couldn’t.
When his eyes were full of spite, it always ended in conflict.
“Why does the Duke keep his mouth tightly shut?”
Like now!
“My clever and dear knights must have asked you.”
Unbelievable.
That Emperor, coldly glaring at Duke Ariel like he’s catching a mouse, was the same person who clung to me last night, tenderly asking for my name.
‘Such a split personality.’
The feeling of seeing someone who had looked at me so affectionately just hours ago now glaring so fiercely wasn’t pleasant.
It felt unfair.
Perhaps it would have been better if that man couldn’t remember.
‘No. Think of it as fortunate.’
Without those knowing eyes, when his real match, the sunshine female protagonist, appears, he’ll be mistaken just the same.
Then I can pass it off.
‘It’s good. Of course it’s good.’
I comforted myself, shaking off the uncomfortable feeling.
So I must find the original female protagonist who disappeared without a trace and present her to that man.
I will definitely do that.
But…
Why do I feel so bad?
I sneered with a fierce expression no less intense than the Emperor’s.
“Well, Your Majesty. I don’t know where these clever knights are, but I certainly told you. I said there seems to be incomprehensible movement at the root of these rumors.”
My cold gaze turned to the Emperor’s right-hand man, the Awakened One, who had his plants torn apart by me before.
“Yet. It seems someone still fails to understand such a simple explanation.”
“…!”
The one who had barked like a mad wolf at the magicians now rolled his eyes before my gaze, which wasn’t even amusing.
“How regrettable for someone called Your Majesty’s right hand.”
The Awakened One flared up.
“D-Duke! What did you just say!”
After mocking his fluttering, rising plants, I spoke with grinding deliberation.
“Use the correct title. What was your noble rank again? Count, was it?”
“Now, that, why is that coming up!”
“I meant I don’t want to mix words with you. Didn’t you understand?”
“Eek! Y-Your Majesty!”
Watching him call out to the Emperor as if calling for his mother, I smirked.
“It would be more ridiculous for Your Majesty, the Emperor, to intervene at this point. I trust you won’t do so.”
The magicians were now looking at me with sparkling eyes.
I bit my tongue inwardly.
Ah, damn. Somehow, I’d grown fond of that crazy group and stood up for them without realizing.
And even picked a fight with the Emperor again.
This X-rated possessed life!
But what could I do?
This was my busy daily life that wouldn’t end unless I found the Emperor’s new Guide hiding somewhere.
***
Several more days passed like that.
Noble meetings during the day, teaching magic formulas I barely understood to Luias.
At night, accumulating points by guiding someone who might discover me at any moment.
Enduring this suffocating schedule, finally, today.
“At last!”
99 guiding points.
I reached that first target.
Somehow, I felt like crying.
I opened my eyes wide.
It was a very important moment.
“I won’t make the same mistake as the first time. I’ve read carefully, and it’s not random! Good. I just need to press it, right?”
With trembling fingertips, I opened the magic unlock window.
Movement magic, attack magic, and defense magic.
I swallowed hard.
The fat cat sleeping soundly at this crucial moment was quite annoying!
‘Honestly, I want one of each, but that’s greedy.’
It would be nice to have another chance, but this might be the only moment to unlock before the magic demonstration.
So I had to be careful.
‘Obviously, attack magic should come first?’
Movement magic or defense magic could be unlocked by steadily accumulating points, or by resolving the sudden quest about the fight between magicians and Awakened Ones.
Haha, attack magic. Me activating attack magic worthy of an Archmage!
I could finally become a proper mentor to show something to Luias.
With a satisfied heart, just as I was about to press the status window.
“Definitely attack mag… Aaaaah!”
The cat’s hind leg struck my arm.
And slip.
“….”
Seeing what I had pressed, I screamed. No, this is crazy!
“Hey, you crazy fat cat!”
“Meow?”
“Why are you kicking and making a fuss…!”
I looked at the hopelessly sparkling status window.
[Congratulations!]
Don’t congratulate me.
[Using 99 points.
Designated magic unlock complete!
Unlocked magic: Movement magic.
→The highest level of movement magic used by the greatest living Archmage. You can move anywhere you wish. However, there are precautions. If you don’t use it with a precisely constructed image, you might open strange coordinates… [View all]]
‘Haha, sh*t…’
Somehow, a tear seemed to form and roll down.
“I’m ruined.”
With just under a month left until the magic demonstration.
I ended up unlocking movement magic.
An Archmage who keeps fleeing with movement magic during the duel?
An Archmage who only showcases movement magic, running far away from the Gate during the magic demonstration?
My head will now be chopped off.
“My life is nearly over! Because of you! You crazy fat cat, aaargh!”
Fortunately, all the magicians from the magic tower had gone out for research today, so I could scream freely.
If not for that, I would have truly gone mad.
“Yaaawn. What’s the problem with that, meow?”
“Is it so hard to say sorry once? Are you really my guide? How can you be so excessively unhelpful since last time!”
Looking at his indifferent face despite my fury that could breathe fire only fueled my anger more.
How can he be so shameless?
That stare after knocking over the water bowl is exactly the same as this!
“Just solve it, meow. Calm down, meow. Look, don’t you have another quest, meow? And you can unlock two more times with guiding points!”
My anger was cut off abruptly.
Wiping away my sniffling tears, I chewed on my desire to survive.
I will live. I will do whatever it takes and live happily, regardless of means or purpose.
“Tell me. Tell me anything.”
“First, aim for the designated magic unlock, meow.”
With bloodshot eyes, I called up the previous quest.
Yes, this one. The one I tried to solve several times.
[Sudden quest occurred!
You are the spiritual pillar of all magicians, the source of their faith.
The magicians respect and love you.
But if you don’t resolve their grievances, the roots of that faith might rot!
Identify the source of rumors spreading between magicians and Awakened Ones.
And mediate the fight between magicians and Awakened Ones!
Success: Designated magic unlock
Failure: Loss of magicians’ faith]
“I succeeded in maintaining the magicians’ faith. I had them move and investigate the situation. But.”
Fighting is not done alone.
