Failed To Abandon the Villain

“… Ah, no.”

After a long silence, someone spoke disapproving words in a trembling voice.

“It’s just not something that everyone can accept!”

Just as Reinhardt’s eyebrows were about to go up, he heard an exasperated voice from the crowd.

A magician in a gray robe broke through the crowd in the hall where the magicians were gathered.

“The Lord is not amusing, however, we have a complaint.”

The man in the gray robe, who showed up, added.

Reinhardt did not know, but the man who spoke was one of those who were complaining about Reihardt in the library where Valletta was in.

“Complaint?”

“Honestly, a lot of people questioned whether the Lord has the qualification to be the Magic Tower’s Master. We heard a rumor that you have sold your body as a slave to a Sokor.”

Caspelius just stood still, despite his master being humiliated.

He was just a bystander and a manager.

He served only the Tower Master, but that did not mean he was loyal enough to move his body without the Tower Master’s command. That was because what he loved was the Magic Tower that he and his eleven companions had built together, not the Magic Tower’s Master.

“My body? To whom?”

Reinhardt smirked and said.

“Who cares. Is it important that there’s a story like that? If you want to be our King, we want you to properly prove your abilities.”

Reinhardt burst out laughing at the blatant, insincere reply.

The sound of laughter was so refreshing that everyone in the room had a blank expression on their faces for a moment.

“Your king? I have no intention of becoming the king of insects.”

“What insects…”

“I just don’t want to look weak next to her so I need a moderate amount of power. There is nothing great about being the king of a place filled with insects?”

“You dare disregard magicians…”

The moment the gray robed man fiercely glared towards Reinhardt, he had no choice but to stiffen.

It was because he felt a huge amount of energy from somewhere pressing down on him.

Reinhardt grinned.

At the same time, the man in a gray robe, who had stopped breathing, exhaled.

‘Is it an… illusion?’

He blankly raised his head.

“What a shame, it was your chance to get an answer right.”

Reinhardt spoke very clearly.

Even though the corners of his mouth were curled up, his eyes were cold.

No one really noticed the strange sight that his eyes were not actually smiling. Everyone was just blinded by Reinhardt’s smile.

“Ah, I will correct you.”

Reinhardt’s words reminded them of their surroundings.

“‘It was your last chance to survive.’ That would be more accurate.”

They did not even know what his moving red lips were saying. Reinhardt snapped his fingers. The robed man hadn’t even comprehended the conversation yet, but he lost the chance to think anymore.

He soon grabbed his neck and started to make choking noises.

“Keuk. Kuk~! Saa…”

The magician in the gray robe, who stepped forward gaudily, rolled over on the floor while holding his neck as he was suffocating.

His face, which had been dyed red, soon turned blue and began to turn white.

He must have been in pain as he held out his fingernails and scratched his neck.

At the sound of laughter that was heard in the midst of everyone’s astonishment, the eyes of the magicians turned towards the source.

Other magicians flocked to the magician in gray robe and casted Dispel (* Nullification Magic) to dispel the magic, but it was impossible for them to disperse Reinhardt’s magic in the first place.

“W-what are you doing right now! Lord!”

Another young magician stood in front of Reinhardt.

“Hmm.”

Reinhardt smiled softly with a refreshing expression on his face and flicked his fingers in the air.

At the same time, the gray robe magician began to breathe heavily again.

Reinhardt, who saw him gasping for oxygen, snapped his fingers again.

“Gaaah!”

This time, a huge ice spear pierced through the magician’s shoulder, who questioned Reinhardt, and pierced the wall as well.

The magician, who collided with the wall in the hall, was hanging on the wall with both his shoulders pierced.

“Aah! Heuk! It hurts!”

He screamed while being hanged by ice spears.

Reinhardt burst into laughter when blood dripped onto the floor, creating a puddle in an instant.

He walked slowly and stood before the wizard in his gray robes.

“Get up.”

Reinhardt had always lowered himself in front of Valletta, but right now, his back was straight, proving that his consideration was only limited to her.

The gray robed wizard trembled. It was because he recognized Reinhardt’s magic a little too late.

“You’re not getting up?”

“Ha, ugh, I’m getting up…”

His throat was in pain because he was choking and scratched by his own nails, but the man in a gray robe got up hurriedly and stood in front of Reinhardt.

Reinhardt’s face was tinged with tenderness when he saw the man breathed heavily.

“As expected, just giving one chance is too severe.”

The corner of Reinhardt’s lips rose as he approached the man till he was close to his nose.

But this time, the man was not deceived. Reinhardt was not truly smiling. His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were not.

It was then when the man realized this fact.

“So, to whom did you say I sold my body to?”

“Heuk, I-I made a mistake… I made a mistake.”

Reinhardt’s eyes narrowed.

The corners of his raised lips came down slowly, and eventually became straight.

As he waved his hand, a spear of ice appeared in the air and pierced the man’s limbs at the same time.

“Wrong.”

The man in the gray robe was thrown against the wall without even having the chance to scream.

Seeing their limbs spread out and hanging by ice spears, the magicians who gathered were trembling in fear. Reinhardt smiled.

“N-no matter how much they said, Lord, this is too…! Keuk!”

After that, a couple more magicians came out and complained to Reinhardt, but every one of them was struck by an ice spear and hung on the wall. After that, everyone shut their mouth and stepped back.

As the people gathered in the hall became quiet, Reinhardt slowly turned his eyes and looked around again.

Blood dripped from Reinhardt’s cheek and fell to the floor.

“You’re not going to block me anymore?”

As Reinhardt asked, tilting his head, the magicians swallowed their breath.

So, did he do all of these things just because they were blocking him?

As many as five wizards were stuck to the wall and bleeding.

They seemed to still be breathing, but the pool of blood they had made was significant.

“Hand.”

Reinhardt spread his palms out and said. The eyes of the magicians were filled with wonder. The answer was heard from behind.

“… Yes, Lord.”

A second later, Caspelius answered and placed a hand on Reinhardt’s palm.

The magicians’ mouths opened wide. No matter how much they call him a watchdog, this was the first time they saw the caretaker act this way.

“That’s right, good boy. Do you know the answer to my question?”

“… Are you talking about the person in the Sky Room?”

As soon as Caspelius finished answering, Reinhardt reached out and stroked Caspelius’ hooded head.

His hand, which was gently stroking the dog as if praising it, retreated.

Caspelius’ eyes widened.

“As expected, dogs that listen well are better than insects. I thought it was pretty easy, but they missed the chance to live.”

The magicians, who listened to Reinhardt’s words, could tear their hearts out from injustice.

What easy. They know that there is someone in the Sky Room, but they did not know whether the Tower’s Master had sold his body to that person!

“The day we first met, what did you introduce yourself as?”

Reinhardt asked Caspelius.

“I explained I was the Tower’s caretaker and the watchdog that guards this place.”

“That’s right. Aren’t you a house dog? You have to manage it properly so that the insects you keep at home don’t go wild.”

It was a metaphoric explanation, but Reinhardt fully recognized Caspellius as a dog.

“I apologize.”

Caspellius apologized in an emotionless voice.

“I made a mistake…”

Reinhardt clenched his fist slightly. His gaze slowly scanned the magicians.

“Tsk, if they exploded…”

Reinhardt’s hand spread wide. Goosebumps swelled up all over the magicians’ bodies at those actions and tone.

“It’s going to be troublesome. Don’t you think so?”

Reinhardt seemed to be talking to Caspelius, but his gaze was directed at the magicians gathered there.

No one was relieved by Reinhardt’s grinning face. Everyone shivered nervously.

They could not feel Reinhardt’s mana. If he was the Master of the Tower, of course he should have a feeling of strong mana, and yet he didn’t have one. There was a reason why the magicians ignored him.

However, it wasn’t something that he didn’t have, it was something that he was hiding. Just as a giant beast hides its claws and fangs, and holds its breath, so did he.

The magicians realized this belatedly and they sighed inwardly.

***