Evelyn’s Ring Chapter 2
PLANUS EXARMATIO (1)
[Ignite]
The moment the incantation came out of Franz’s mouth, the scary forest covered in fallen leaves was set entirely ablaze. Before the fire died out, the monsters trapped in the fire burned and let out blood-curdling screams. Jeremy, who stood back the moment Franz began to look around, watched the raising fire and clicked his tongue aloud.
It looked like this guy doesn’t even know how to be subtle. If he was a mage with even a hint of sophistication, he would have only burned the monsters without forsaking the forest. But to Franz who solely competes with overflowing energy, it will be too much to demand such details. Of course, if we were to weigh the importance, more than conversing in the forest, killing an A-class monster that can open the gate is much more vital.
Still, it’s a fact that after Franz’s arrival we were more at ease even though his means are too extreme. Unfortunately, the dangerous areas where monsters frequently appear always suffered from insufficient manpower, and the possibility of those Archmages who receive great reception even in the capital city to be appointed to this foreign countryside-like place is extremely rare. So everyone felt bewildered when they heard that a 7th circle Mage came to Amaretti, the place which was avoided by all.
-Its kinda feels weird…. he wasn’t driven out after making some big trouble, right?
-What sort of a big crime can drive a 7th circle Mage to such backwoods? Can it be that he accidentally killed someone during a mission?
It was quite a reasonable doubt. But unlike what everyone thought when someone asked Franz why he came to Amaretti as his first appointed member, his reply was very simple ‘It’s too bothersome with many people, so I volunteered to stay in a place with the least people.’ Even before a week had passed, his remarks were all the truth and without any pretense, it was proved to all.
-Beep. Beep.
-What is that sound?
-Twice, the sound is high and the length is short, repeats three times with an interval of three seconds…. A bird-type B-class monster. Though it’s small if a flock is encountered even a person will be eaten within a breath. Hey, man! Where are you heading alone?!
As soon as he figured out the situation, he understood that even if there were hundreds of birds, once their wings are wet they won’t be able to fly. Suddenly, Franz drew up almost half of the lake water and the birds were buried in it. It was an abrupt magic spell and no one could avoid the bolt of water. They opened their mouths full of water. At that moment everyone understood why he was annoyed with people. He should be lucky since there were only employees of the Ministry of magic there. If this happened in the capital, then you will be overwhelmed with a storm of protest and complaints.
“Jeremy!”
Whatever it was, at least the casting range is damn big. Even counting through high and mighty mages of capital, there would not have been anyone who could cover this much area. Jeremy slightly relaxed after seeing almost all the Monsters burned to death. Just when his thoughts wandered, someone, a colleague, called out his name he couldn’t make it at once.
“Jeremy Rex!”
“.… Huh? What?”
“2 O’clock! Restrict their movements!”
[Quiescent] [E/N: just stop]
As soon as he heard the yell of a fellow Mage, he reflexively cast the spell. A monster with a terrifying jumping power leaped out from the fire and avoided his spell with ease as it started to run away. With a blue and tired face, Jeremy used all his power to chase after it to the point of breathlessness. All he found was his trail and catching it was almost impossible. As expected, spells with a smaller casting range couldn’t even touch the monster.
Meanwhile, the monster who pulled away and secured its distance quickly opened the gate and jumped in. God Damn it! Though his insides raged, his legs got heavier and heavier, so it was impossible to increase the speed anymore. He lost sight of it. Jeremy felt so devastated that he bit his lips so hard it started to bleed.
At that moment, something went ahead of him in a flash. It was Franz- who ran like a racehorse, passed Jeremy in an instant and squeezed his hands into the gate which almost shrunk to the size of a fist. Then it was an onslaught of near-cursive attacks.
Ugh, this crazy bastard! Completely astonished, Jeremy gathered all his strength and ran like crazy to get hold of Franz’s legs. As soon as Franz’s fingers left the gate, the gate closed at the same time. Seeing Franz’s sleeve cleanly cut off as if it was cut by a sharp knife, Jeremy’s lips trembled. Maybe he was too shocked, his heart beat so hard that it felt like it was about to jump out of his body.
“You- you- are you crazy? Where do you think you just inserted your hands!”
“.…..”
“Hey, You crazy jerk! Your hands were almost cut off, you know?!”
“Aah…”
The A-class Monster that escaped to who knows where was of course a big problem, but it’s absolutely impossible to damage the body of an Archmage just to prevent a single monster from escaping. But Franz just stood there with his usual indifferent “I don’t care” expression. Jeremy, who was looking at a face devoid of any tension or nervousness, felt dizzy
This bastard… Is he insane? He knew that Franz was not someone who diligently thought about his future…
By the way, where would that gate lead to? It would be better if it leads to a sparsely populated place. Better yet, lead to a place where mages reside… It won’t be near the capital right? Damn it. If that happens how many written apologies will I need to write?
“Kyren.”
The man who sat on the outdoor terrace of the cafeteria was dressed up in a body-fitting refined suit and elegantly drank tea. A smile bloomed as he heard his friend’s call. He lifted his gaze. Ian dazedly stared at the extremely beautiful face, even the eyelashes were perfect. He slightly chuckled. Ian could even bet his whole asset that this guy just raised his head in a specific angle to highlight his looks.
“What are you doing here? The weather is still chilly.”
“As you can see, I am selling my handsome face.”
Unlike the dazzling smile on his face, his low voice was sharp and biting. Ian who was familiar with this contrast could only laugh.
“Who doesn’t know your handsome face even in college?”
“The freshers came in. Every citizen of Berine has the right to vote at 18, so instilling a good impression on the voters is more important to the electors. There are only nine months left until the elections. So my most powerful weapon right now is this perfect face.”
That’s very correct. Ian, who knew how treacherous his friend’s mind was, unwittingly nodded his head. His face had amazing persuasive power. Kyren took a sip from his teacup in order to hide the smile on his lips (because Ian nodded his head. It’s like luring him to agree with him). A female student looked straight at him and when Kyren greeted her with his eyes, a scream was heard.
If one looked carefully at his slightly raised eyes and his excessively smooth jawline, all these revealed his rough character. But he very much knew how to carry himself to seem more gentle. Thanks to it, there was almost no one who noticed his extremely aggressive and calculative disposition yet.
“So how long are you planning to sit here?”
“Class at 3 on that building. <Ancient Magic Incantations>.”
“Are you really going to attend it? It’s tailored for Archmages that even those who are majoring in magic, it’s hella difficult. What’s the use in learning those ancient spells that won’t even be used in your lifetime?”
“Because I am not going to really listen to the class. Anyway, for me, this or <Basics of Magic> are all the same. What is important is the fact that Professor Nathan is the most likely to become the next Minister of Magic. He is a maestro of his field which is completely unrelated to his father. It will be difficult to gain such contact once I graduate from the college, so I need to make him an acquaintance now.”
Though the government of Berine was mostly composed of focusing on talents and abilities, the higher one climbs, it will be difficult to overcome the status of a commoner. In the whole history of Berine, the number of common-born Ministers can be counted in one hand. Even so, there are barely any situations where the interests of the nobles opposed. In most cases, they are left to serve as scarecrows in order to keep the hostile families in check. Of course, their period of service won’t be that long.
Even before graduating from college, he passed the Bureaucracy Examination with top scores. Though he was the successor of the Knight known to possess the most wealth in Berine, in the classes of Society, Kyren who is not a blue blood (noble) became a Cabinet Member, so taking small steps is almost like a miracle. The only way to pass through the small gate of the Cabinet of Ministers, where the nobles looked out for each other’s backs and advocated for each other was to be elected as the Prime Minister through a referendum.
One day I will make all of you bow in front of me. Since the 8-year-old boy who just entered preschool made this decision, it has never once changed.
“Heard that Marquis Schilz will be elected this time.”
“If there won’t be anything unexpected. He has been the Minister for quite a long time by choosing only the wealthy Buddhas (Buddha here means powerful men/nobles) and among the nobles, he is the most friendly. If he can keep up this image, even a re-election is also possible. My aim is the next election. So in the next 14 years, I must at least climb up to Vice-Minister.”
So until the election of my target, I must diligently engage in public service, erect some remarkable achievements, steadily run for the Prime Minister election, and gain recognition. Fortunately, I passed the Bureaucracy exam with excellent grades before graduation and possess enough or if not more wealth not to be worried about the election expenses. Until now everything is going smoothly.
“Ah wait, since we are already talking about it, the youngest person to pass the Bureaucracy exam is also among the freshers.”
Hearing Ian’s words, Kyren slightly frowned. He already knew about it. There were two big highlights in the Bureaucracy exam of this time, The first was Kyren Knight who passed with an unprecedented record of scoring 320 (with additional points) out of 300. The second was the youngest student to pass the exam while being in the Academy.
For Kyren who wanted to be the most eye-catching in any way possible, it was unpleasant. There was no crack in his perfectly molded mask-like expression but still, his voice slightly trembled.
“I can also pass while in the Academy as much as I want. I was just waiting for the timing. If I am to pass too early, it will be completely buried by the time I will be appointed. I am aiming for the optimal effect.”
Among being the youngest to pass the exam or being the most excellent or top scorer, I choose the latter
“So it’s a really unfortunate thing because even if you pass the exam while in the Academy you won’t get the title of Youngest to pass is that Agassi only turned 18 two weeks before the Bureaucracy exam. She had yet to turn adult at the time of filing the application, so the judges had to rummage through the regulations and stipulations. When they looked they found that the eligibility criteria is ‘Adult by the day of Exam’ and she was able to barely take the exam.”
“You seem to know her quite well?”
“Enough to greet when meeting on the streets. We have had a friendship with the Lehils since the time of my Great-grandfather.”
“Lehil…”
From a family with deep bones. Kyren who stayed silent slightly lowered his gaze. Thanks to it, the light in his eyes was seen by none but Ian knew that he was silently displeased. In this hopeless society with a class system, from a very young age, he couldn’t receive the treatment respective of his abilities. It took literally bloody efforts to develop skills to the best which can’t be done by everyone.
“Major?”
“Magic.”
“Well.”
Being the youngest to pass the Bureaucracy exam is already an eyesore, an aristocratic Mage on top of that… You got all the conditions to be annoying. Kyren slightly twisted his lips but soon he regained his usual expression. Managing his facial expression had been a part of his life, so it was not that difficult.
“And an 8th Circle Mage at that.”
