'As long as he shatters the barrier, we'll be able to hit him—' the thought raced through the leader's mind as Rusk released the arrow.
The arrow whistled through the air, striking the barrier precisely where the cracks had formed, causing them to spread even further. It seemed that the barrier was just a single hit away from shattering.
Seeing this, Rusk quickly drew another arrow, preparing to launch a second shot, but it was already too late. Arlo had reached the end of the second spell he had been chanting.
"Intermediate Class Wind Magic: Wind Bullet."
[MP: 64% -> 63%]
A green magic circle manifested in front of Arlo's outstretched finger, aimed directly at the thugs. The surrounding air began to gather and compress into three small spheres. Fear clouded the expressions of the leader and Burlo as they called out to their archer.
"Rusk!"
Bang!
There was no saving them. The compressed wind spheres shot out, resembling bullets, and crashed against each of the thugs' foreheads. The impact caused their bodies to bend backward, slamming into the ground with a sickening thud.
[Quest Complete.]
"Haa... for a second there, I thought I was a goner..." Arlo sighed, staring at the quest complete screen. "It was my first time in this sort of situation, so I got scared and forgot to reinforce my barrier. I went straight to chanting instead," he continued with a frightened smile, examining the nearly shattered state of his barrier.
Taking the experience as a lesson to learn from, Arlo walked over to the three unconscious thugs. After confirming that they were knocked out cold, he opened his book in search of a spell.
"Now then, how shall I deal with them..." he muttered.
-
A minute had passed, and the three thugs were secured to the wall by earthen ropes, while their legs were bound to the floor by similar constraints. Arlo had used an earth binding spell to immobilize them, ensuring that they are unable to retaliate after waking up.
'Alright, this should serve as some punishment,' Arlo thought to himself, surveying his handiwork. 'These guys are probably going to harbor some resentment towards me when they wake up, so killing them would probably be the safest bet. But that could bring a lot of complications...'
For starters, Arlo knew little to nothing about the laws of this kingdom. One thing that was very likely, however, was that murder was a crime, especially in the middle of the city. In this case, killing them might've been considered self-defense, but it wasn't guaranteed. Arlo wasn't sure if the laws in this kingdom would see it that way.
While there was no one around to witness him killing the three thugs, Arlo couldn't help but wonder what would happen if someone found out. Would it cause him more problems in the long run?
Having just arrived in this other world, the last thing he wanted was to be chased down as a criminal. It was like that feeling of traveling to a foreign country and wanting to avoid causing any issues as a foreigner.
'Besides, even if that's not the case, I'd rather not have to kill anyone, if it can be avoided. I'm already dealing with enough nightmares as is.' Arlo reasoned. 'Not to mention, I'm a little grateful. Thanks to them, I was able to complete another quest, gain some combat experience.'
Coming to that conclusion, Arlo decided that the best punishment for them would be to leave them stuck and bound to the wall. It would serve as a lesson and a reminder of the consequences of their actions.
"Let's hope they don't try anything after this, for their own good…" Arlo muttered, opening the grimoire and flipping it to the first page. "Time to head back..."
He began chanting the spell that had been previously interrupted, his voice steady as he focused his magic. The unconscious figures of the trio he had knocked out remained slumped against the wall, oblivious to the powerful magic being cast mere feet away from them.
"Heed My Call... Divine-Class Dimension Magic: World Transportation"
The moment he finished the chant, the golden magic circle beneath him let out a bright glow, and in the next instant, his figure faded without leaving any trace of him behind in the alley.
Meanwhile, Vielle, who had been spectating the entire scene while seated on the roof of a house in the far distance, suddenly stood up. A nervous smile played on her lips as she stared at the area where Arlo had been standing just moments ago.
"D-Did he say Divine-Class Magic? One of the highest tiers of magic a person can achieve..." Vielle muttered, her voice quivering with a mixture of awe and disbelief. "You're telling me he can use a spell like that, without even possessing a mana core...?"
She took a deep breath to calm herself, her mind racing with the implications of what she had just witnessed. Vielle looked over at the spot where Arlo had vanished, trying to make sense of the extraordinary display of magic.
"And that incantation... just what was that?" she wondered aloud. "That wasn't 'silent casting.' I could hear the words he said clearly, but I couldn't understand a single word from the chant. I could understand the chants for all of his other spells clearly, but not this one... how is that possible?"
And that wasn't the only thing that baffled her. She had overheard another crucial word.
'World transportation... I'm certain he said that. His presence completely vanished from the area... Since it involves dimensions, could it mean exactly what the name implies and involve transporting him through worlds?'
Vielle's eyes began to sparkle, her mind and heart racing as she continued to stare in the direction where Arlo had disappeared.
'Another world... does something like that really exist?' She wondered, the wind gentle tousling her silver hair as she stood on the roof's edge. 'If... If it does then... I would like to see it.'