Chapter 87: Battle of Wits (2)
XhbArin had been starving for three days. Consequently, Canis had not eaten anything for twenty days.kPDlhv
gKu“Huff! Huff! I did it! I got it! The bread!”kiM
OCrCanis ran frantically through the alleyways. After losing his pursuers, he leaned against a wall to catch his breath.tPF2uA
JICA3ltHis consciousness was fading; all he felt was hunger. He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he last ate.oAK
BER1FTZThen, he spotted a piece of bread.iFBq
yo8OcV7Canis swallowed hard, his eyes wild with hunger.g4Jt
RprfHe wanted it. He wanted to put it in his mouth.rPc
hVIgU4J“Yeah, I need to be strong for Arin. I can eat this. Arin can last a few more days.”sFO1X
UzIvThis thought seemed remarkably rational.KEH
xh8Was there a more logical decision? Eat this and use the remaining strength to find more food.irX
eHlF5Canis opened his mouth to eat the bread. His mouth watered, and his hands trembled.INH
0AYC8“Ugh!”kPh
2yMBut then Canis clenched his eyes shut and placed the bread in his pocket. It was all a lie. What strength could he gain from such a piece of bread?uOfSb
c1Sw5“I must endure. It doesn’t matter if my body breaks down, but if my mind does, it’s over.”duefcn
7U6VjCanis looked around like a madman, ready to fill his stomach with stones if necessary.UOl6oW
UUlatRHe crawled towards some feces discarded in a corner and, without a second thought, shoved it into his mouth.grEOMrE
ennaG“Ugh! Ugh!”DaQzz2
h16cL9Every part of his body rejected it, but Canis swallowed it.lYuLGdL
0Q5XCHbBetter than a stone.Toc2
YHOFeces were better than a stone.RbC3O
NTSWWaReturning to their hiding place, Canis felt sick but managed a smile when he saw Arin and presented her with the bread.4KOoAOY
jYt0“Arin, look! I got this.”4Yi
A4sKV4“Really? Wow, that’s great.”zEOY3
oPJL9“Haha, I’ve got the knack for it. I’ll get more in the future. Eat up.”A5qM
Dep1Arin looked at the bread with sad eyes. She wanted to help find food, but stepping outside as a girl in Radum was suicidal.S7Cmous
xGbkhqShe never talked to anyone but Canis. Social phobia developed, but what did it matter? At least she wasn’t someone’s food.MdZLLd
TZ6“Let’s eat together, Canis.”udGzh
2IpLAB“I’m fine. I found stuff while roaming. I even ate a big centipede for nutrition. You can’t eat that, so you should eat this.”CYx
0zvMAr“I can eat it too. Stop treating me like a child.”BpFS
VYI2MQbCanis gripped Arin’s shoulder tenderly.NzPldSe
x0zJZnH“Arin, I know you’re brave. But you shouldn’t. Do you understand? The only reason I can endure this hellish Radum is that I can feed you like a human. If you become like me, you might go mad. So, eat.”nzX8o
iFbv3ezArin usually pretended to be defeated and bit the bread. But this time was different.rYLU0xe
9CrAydShe looked at Canis’s mouth, noticing something stuck there with a stench.KxMrME
Kie“Canis, what did you eat?”1KS4M
uTXCanis panicked.TpOt
uX0“Oh? Haha! It’s cake. I licked some cream off it, maybe it’s stuck. Sorry, I was so hungry…!”n8tpz6
OYBvfcSlap!enwB
AU3CwnCanis’s face swung violently. He’d been hit countless times in back alleys, but never had he felt such a painful slap.GH043C6
xzZBY“Arin…”cdsWq07
5IKArin looked at him with a frightening expression he had never seen before.j5eZ
ExZL“You bastard… How could you do this to me! Am I livestock? Are you raising me? Then you give me this to eat? What am I to you!”neh2
1Hg9“Arin, it’s not like that! This is punishment for me! It has nothing to do with you!”T3g
ebI“I don’t need this!”Vjuu
p2s28kArin threw the bread away. Watching it roll in the dust, Canis turned angrily.xyDGb0
nwfWUUU“Arin! What are you doing! Do you know how hard I worked to get this…!”40FK
RgrGHSArin pulled Canis’s face to hers and kissed him. She licked something off his lips, tears streaming from her eyes.iRgC
jvBdkIt wasn’t a sweet kiss. Not a beautiful exchange of emotions between humans. Just two creatures, born as sinners, sympathizing with each other.9mE58
MoLNVCanis finally realized what he had eaten. For the first time, tears flowed. A lifetime of suppressed sadness burst out.xH2x3
oSJpXK“Sob! Sob!”NOGwaz2
cHteP“Don’t ever do that again. If you do, I can’t stay with you anymore.”tUvqqEK
kDLDa“I’m sorry, Arin. Don’t leave. You’re my only family, my reason to live.”RqmEg16
BXokIm“Okay. Let’s live, Canis. We must survive.”aaMC
j8ek2Overwhelmed with sorrow, Canis couldn’t respond and just nodded. But Arin didn’t forgive him. That day, she didn’t eat until Canis had eaten every bit of the bread from the ground.NkD
soUO8Canis recounted his past as if narrating someone else’s life.fM5
byR“We lived in hell. But our master saved us there. He gave us food, gave me the power to protect Arin, and even bestowed upon us the essence of dark magic, Harvest.”G17
W8YPeople’s gazes turned towards Harvest, who usually was talkative but remained silent this time.dxokr
MmxPG“I get it,” Shirone said, “I understand the life you’ve led. But that doesn’t justify killing people. Just because you had a harder life doesn’t make doing bad things right.”9Fdk
q5zPb“Don’t be mistaken. I’m not defending myself, I’m teaching you. Your so-called justice is shallow, and the world you live in is hypocritical. It wasn’t your kind of justice that saved me and Arin. I just act on what I believe in.”lBO
kQmLW0o“Harming others won’t get you anything. If you don’t try to understand others first, your past will never receive the solace it needs.”9WQ
6uCc“Ha! Solace? You’re spouting nonsense until the end. Want to know the situation now? Our master is going to obliterate this entire school. That includes your friends.”QrYJU9m
lWZDWJ“No. You can’t hurt anyone. Except yourself.”sVYZhp
KJsdpOShirone raised a photon above his hand, and Harvest extended his broad palm to shield Canis. Seeing it wasn’t enough, he stretched his other arm around Canis.WM8
ECv“What are you doing, Harvest? There’s no need to be scared.”CBq5
kQoCVVI“It’s dangerous. There’s something off about his energy.”8zIqw
3VPAACanis scoffed, already having measured Shirone’s strength in the forest. He was a decent talent for a magic academy student but still just a greenhouse flower.rKv47Lg
bRv“Hmph. To me, it’s just…”e0Ldc2
BBicQCanis’s expression went blank. The photon cannon hovering above Shirone’s palm vibrated frighteningly. More powerful than the one cast in the forest. But Canis couldn’t have been holding back, considering the severity of his injuries.WL6Oyu
u9G‘What’s going on? He has this ability and still…’ZgspS
0RD3NqoWhat Canis and Harvest overlooked was the fact that Shirone was an Unlocker, having opened the realm of the infinite.kCXSuY
0geRNI0“This is your last chance. Release the mind control.”kV58kP
9X2rAgCanis frowned, his pride hurt by the realization he couldn’t underestimate Shirone.Lh8eGN
UwR8“What a joke. Even if I die, I’ll follow my master’s will. I can’t break my belief.”kA4y
gduvqShirone’s eyes turned cold. The power of the Immortal Function enhanced the photon cannon, making it unlike anything before.iz0c
XwF“I don’t want to hurt people. But if you try to harm the students, I have no choice.”Qo0
ZG3YWK“Release their memories, or…”YETJ
8gHThe photon cannon burst into light, transforming into a chillingly cold sphere of white light.xrCvjL
FqdRQ“I’ll have to harm you.”FeIiWB
0SgJqNcThadd’s forehead was drenched with cold sweat as he tried to counteract Viltor Arcane’s magic, trying photonization magic on Alpheas’s head. “Phew. Such powerful mind control. Even in today’s age, it would be effective.”rOV5Y
BmKmHfAt first, Thadd underestimated it. Even with the title of Archmage, 40 years had passed. Magic had evolved over several generations, and dark magic had become obsolete.2OSTx
mXGBut Abyss Nova was a complex spell beyond Thadd’s analysis, even as a beneficiary of cutting-edge magic.3HQ2I
RfIxA1oAfter 20 minutes, the light’s energy finally penetrated the core of darkness. Then Thadd pushed the light with all his mental strength. The darkness lifted, and Alpheas’s memories started unfolding along the stream of light.sOK2
ETF40 years ago in Bashuka, Thormia Kingdom.gVB
DNOYA magic craze unlike any before swept through the kingdom. King Adolph XII, unlike his military-obsessed predecessor, was full of intellect and kindness.xAktrX
bQsAOUpon his coronation, he separated the magic department, previously limited to military, and gathered numerous talents.a65uv
8bDStudents from provinces and other countries came to study in Bashuka, turning the capital’s streets into daily hubs of intellectual conversation.AYwcHOf
9YtvYoung mages fresh from magic school gathered in pubs for debates, a common sight.22n1
XsEVividly colored gypsy-style clothing was in vogue.Uhp
PCV1rFor women, short hair revealing the neck was a symbol of intellect, while men wore their hair down to the waist.lyFNEz
TZ5cZThe pubs were scenes of intellectual clashes and factional fights, leading to arrests by the guards.A1l3
Oz4IThe most famous pub was “Homeland of the Ancient Gods,” with a large hall and over 200 tables. People frequently ascended the central podium to express their magical views.AEbj
2IP2VThe place was a hub of magic debates and real-time gossip among nobles.el9d1
XbeUthIt was a romantic era.QUjNI7Y
VjL8S9Alpheas reminisced about his golden youth.ZoPP
Qb6QNJT“Hey, girls! Look who’s here! Alpheas is coming!”jlLQo4v
8h24nA woman’s excitement at the pub entrance drew the ladies’ attention to the door.90b
84s“Hello, ladies! Always so lively here!”8TlDNV
IEKtBlond-haired Alpheas, his hair reaching his waist, entered the “Homeland of the Ancient Gods.” With him was Klumph Ogent, sporting an out-of-fashion buzz cut.CBrZI39
9bHfmypDespite being invisible to the ladies, Klumph, a swordsman, was ignored as they flocked to Alpheas.93mW
EBdRDZl“We waited for you, Alpheas! What magic will you teach us today?”ZleWa
KAnD“First, let’s quench my throat. My tongue stiffens up without alcohol.”MIB
LT37vF“Ha ha! So funny, Alpheas. You’re truly entertaining.”0TT
K6rXP7Alpheas would have been ridiculed by his current students, but back then, he was a popular figure, charming in any conversation.uwVEwMa
vcXHe was the scion of a first-class family, valedictorian of the magic school, with good looks and refinement. Perhaps no woman disliked him?lDI
WniMen, however, viewed Alpheas with disdain. Even those not petty enough to be jealous harbored unkind thoughts towards him, reflecting the resentment he faced from men.eKp3kd6
EGRwdCThe light of the Myrhe family.kbOV1rT
UiKorqeThat was Alpheas’s official title at the time, but those who knew him had another nickname for him.MbN
ttW3AgfProud Alpheas.fml
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