Near the Fenris estate's lord's castle, construction was in full swing. Workers bustled around, hauling materials and laying building foundations.
However, there was one peculiar section of the construction site that remained strangely untouched, with hardly anyone entering or leaving.
"Hey, life's not too bad these days, huh?"
Alpoi muttered lazily, sprawled on the ground in a ragged robe.
The other mages scattered around him, dressed in equally shabby robes, all nodded in agreement.
Their appearance was far removed from the dignified image of tower mages—more like overworked laborers at a construction site.
Alpoi lay on his back, chewing on grass, looking every bit the slacker.
"I wish the lord would never come back."
He grumbled, and the other mages, grinning, nodded again.
"You're not wrong about that."
Life was peaceful and comfortable without the lord around. While they had grown relatively skilled at helping with construction work, it didn't make it any less tiresome.
The mages hoped this fleeting sense of happiness would last as long as possible, laughing among themselves.
"Maybe he caused some trouble in the capital."
"Right? With that personality, he's bound to have gotten into it with some high-ranking noble."
"Maybe his head's already been chopped off."
"Wow, just thinking about it makes me happy."
They even started discussing how they'd escape if word ever came that the lord was dead.
Not that they really believed it—it was more wishful thinking, a way to pass the time in the barren and uneventful estate.
"Hey, we're bored. How about a game?"
"Sure, why not?"
Alpoi's suggestion brightened the mages' faces, and they quickly sat up.
They hadn't known the first thing about gambling until they lost a bet and started hanging out with Claude. Now, it has become a daily pastime.
One of the more level-headed mages hesitantly spoke up.
"Uh, I heard the acting head butler was grumbling about the construction delays… Maybe we should actually do some work today?"
"Who does he think he is, bossing us around? We've barely been here that long. Tell him I'll handle it when I feel like it. What are you afraid of?"
Alpoi scoffed confidently.
While Lowell, the acting head butler, had authority over the estate, he couldn't push Alpoi around. Alpoi was, after all, the heir of the Magic Tower and head of the Fenris tower branch.
No one but the lord himself could easily discipline him.
"So, what's the game today? Odd or even?"
"Yeah, let's keep it simple with odds and evens."
"Alright, I'll start."
As everyone agreed, Alpoi pulled out four coins. He shook them in his hands, clenched his fists, and extended one hand.
"Place your bets. Odd or even?"
One of the mages hesitated before answering.
"Even."
"Even?"
"Yes, even."
Alpoi smirked.
"Hey, when someone starts with four coins, most people go with odd. That's the logical choice. But you're going with even?"
"Y-yeah. So, let's just check already…"
"Wait a minute. Let me finish talking. Are you sure you don't want to change your mind?"
"No, I'll stick with even."
"Come on, I'm giving you a chance to change your mind! You idiot!"
As Alpoi shouted, the mage looked troubled.
'Damn it... Here we go again. This guy loses it sometimes.'
The coins were money he'd painstakingly saved by helping the villagers from time to time.
As unpaid workers, they barely had any money, and losing what little he had was not an option.
'If I lose this, I won't even have money for drinks! No way!'
The two glared at each other, trying to find a crack in the other's resolve.
At that moment, the mage on lookout duty came running frantically.
"The lord's back!"
The mages froze for a moment before collectively slumping in defeat.
Their little happiness was over. It was time to get back to hard labor.
Alpoi stood with a solemn expression.
"Let's get to work. Move it, quickly!"
The mages scrambled to their feet as Alpoi discreetly slipped the coins back into his robe.
Then it happened.
Boom!
"Mother of—! What was that?"
A deafening explosion rocked the area, and flames shot up from the direction of the lord's castle.
Startled, Alpoi squinted toward the source and muttered.
"Wait… isn't that Vanessa's lab?"
Black smoke and flames began to consume the surrounding area.
***
The villagers, who had been cheering moments ago, turned toward the castle in shock.
What kind of accident could happen on such a joyous day?
Ghislain, too, turned pale as he realized the location of the explosion.
"Vanessa!"
The explosion had come from the magic lab near the lord's castle, which had been set up for Vanessa's training.
"The Rune Stones! I moved them there!"
He had placed Rune Stones around the lab to help Vanessa, who lacked sufficient mana, use them during her spells.
"Damn it, run!"
Spurring his horse, Ghislain raced toward the castle.
The level of mana emanating from the explosion was no joke. The Rune Stones must have been activated.
If all that mana exploded at once, the area around the castle would be devastated.
Others, though confused by the sudden incident, quickly followed Ghislain.
When they arrived at the scene, chaos had already ensued.
Vanessa's lab, a central building surrounded by auxiliary structures, had caught fire.
The flames, which had seemed to subside briefly, spread to the surrounding buildings and grew even larger.
People ran around desperately, trying to put out the fire.
"Get an axe! Chop it down!"
"Everyone else, bring water and sand!"
But the fire refused to be tamed and continued to grow.
"Lowell!"
Ghislain leapt from his horse, shouting.
"My lord!"
Lowell, who had been anxiously directing people, brightened at the sight of him.
"What the hell happened?"
"I don't know! There was suddenly an explosion in Lady Vanessa's lab."
"Where's Vanessa?"
"I think she's still inside."
"No injuries?"
"There shouldn't be. No one but Lady Vanessa was allowed near the area."
Relieved by the news, Ghislain let out a breath.
"Where are the mages?"
"They should be at the construction site."
"Bring them here immediately! Hurry!"
Without proper firefighting equipment, the fire was too large to handle manually. Magic was their best bet.
Crash!
Vanessa's lab, now reduced to its skeleton, spewed flames as it began to collapse.
"I'll go in and get Vanessa."
Ghislain shrugged off his cumbersome coat and prepared to enter the crumbling building.
Then a panicked voice echoed from within.
"W-Wind Blast!"
Whoosh!
Falling debris was blown outward by a gust of wind, scattering in all directions.
"Ahhh! Watch out!"
"What the hell?!"
"Why is it flying this way?!"
The gathered crowd ducked and cowered as the debris rained down.
Ghislain and his men deflected the flying fragments to protect the people.
After the chaos subsided, another shout came from inside the building.
"Water Strike!"
Crash!
This time, massive columns of water erupted everywhere.
The idea of dousing the fire was good, but the execution left much to be desired. The water pillars were enormous, and the resulting destruction sent debris flying again.
"Block it!" Ghislain shouted.
The villagers retreated to a safe distance while Ghislain's mercenaries worked hard to shield them from the debris.
"Ahhh! What do I do?!"
The person casting the spells inside seemed to panic as well, screaming.
"D-Dispel!"
Swoosh…
With a final cry, the water columns gradually dissipated.
The fire that had consumed several buildings was finally extinguished, leaving behind only soaked, collapsed debris.
Hiss…
Water pooled and sloshed around, extinguishing the remaining embers with faint hissing sounds.
"…"
Ghislain and his group stood there, soaking wet, exchanging glances.
They looked like drowned rats, too stunned to speak.
From the rubble of the collapsed building, a woman crawled out on all fours.
"Waaahhh, I'm sorry! I've committed a grave sin!"
Covered in soot and tears, the woman was a complete mess.
Her hair, drenched and matted like seaweed, clung to her soot-smeared face. Her tattered clothes dangled with fragments of shattered Rune Stones clinking together.
Ghislain squinted at her, trying to identify her, and asked hesitantly.
"…Vanessa?"
"Uwaahhh, I'm sorry! I've caused so much trouble. Waaahhh…"
Despite his question, the woman simply bowed her head, crying uncontrollably.
Ghislain, now perplexed, asked again.
"Are you really Vanessa?"
"Yes, I'm Vanessa! Waaahhh, I'm the worst! Waaahhh…"
"…Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm fine. I'm fine. But I'm so sorry. Waaahhh…"
Vanessa, genuinely remorseful, lay prostrate, weeping inconsolably. She didn't even seem to register who was speaking to her.
Considering how timid she was, it made sense that such a huge accident had left her completely overwhelmed.
"It's okay. Calm down and tell me what happened."
Through her sobs, Vanessa explained in a trembling voice.
"I… I couldn't control the mana properly and made a mistake. I'm sorry. Waaahhh…"
"You couldn't control it?"
Ghislain tilted his head in confusion.
Vanessa might lack mana, but her expertise in magic theory was unmatched. Hadn't she successfully cast a massive trap spell that even a grand mage would struggle with?
It was hard to believe she could make such a catastrophic mistake.
"How did you mess up? Don't cry. Just explain it slowly."
After a few sniffles, Vanessa steadied her voice and began explaining seriously.
"This spell was my first attempt, so I used a lot of Rune Stones to make sure it worked. I layered the magic to adjust the mana waves, reversed the structural dynamics, and manipulated the spatial coordinates to… mumble mumble… eventually succeeded in a 6th-circle spell…"
"…"
As expected of a mage, her explanation was incomprehensible. But one word caught Ghislain's attention.
"6th-circle?!"
Ghislain exclaimed in shock.
To reach the 6th circle so quickly—it was nothing short of astonishing.
"Hahaha! A 6th-circle spell! Incredible!"
The incident and the destroyed buildings vanished from Ghislain's mind as he laughed loudly in excitement.
Still sniffling, Vanessa finally noticed something was off. She had been answering automatically but hadn't paid attention to who was speaking.
'Wait… Whose voice is that?'
Slowly, she raised her head, rubbed her blurry eyes, and looked up to see a familiar face.
"My lord!"
Ghislain, soaked to the skin, was beaming from ear to ear, looking as though he'd just won the world.
[T/L: Please support me and read extra chapters here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]