Chapter 48 : A Dangerous Approach
“My apologies. I was foolishly wasting my attention elsewhere when the real treasure was right in front of me.”
Oscar quickly stood and attempted to kiss the back of Iris’s hand.
But just before his lips could touch her skin, Iris smoothly withdrew her hand.
No one else noticed the subtle rejection, but Oscar, who had instinctively sensed something off, was momentarily bewildered.
“What? Is she just shy?”
Normally, even if a woman outright rejected him with words, he would fail to grasp the message.
Unless his pride was completely trampled, like Aracila had done, he would continue to see the person as a woman—until his ego was wounded enough to make him detest and resent her.
“I have actually been eager to meet you, Lady Hugo. At my brother’s wedding, I was so dazzled by your presence that I could hardly see straight. And now, you still shine as radiantly as ever.”
Oscar’s words flowed like butter, smooth and shameless.
“No woman dislikes being complimented on her beauty!”
Pouring out flattery as if his life depended on it, he showered Iris with praise.
But Iris was not one of those women.
She never particularly enjoyed compliments about her appearance.
From childhood, people had constantly compared her looks to her sister’s, encouraging an unwanted competition between them.
However, when she expressed discomfort about it, others would accuse her of being overly sensitive to such nice words.
So, over time, she had learned to handle such situations with diplomatic flexibility.
“Thank you for your kind words, my lord. You must be busy with the hunting festival—perhaps you should return to your duties.”
Forcing a polite smile, Iris subtly attempted to send him away.
But Oscar wasn’t so easily deterred.
“It’s quite alright. In fact, I am the one who has been hunted this time.”
“Pardon? What do you mean…?”
“A certain enchanting lady has shot an arrow straight into my heart.”
Oscar winked.
For the first time, Iris struggled to maintain her composure.
Still, she couldn’t outright humiliate him in front of others—after all, he was her brother-in-law.
A refined noblewoman would never do such a thing.
Yet, as Iris fought to maintain her patience, Oscar’s mouth showed no sign of stopping.
“Lady Hugo, do you happen to have a suitor at the moment?”
“…No.”
“Haha! Then it must be fate. I, too, am currently unattached—no lover, no fiancée.”
Oscar stepped closer, his eyes gleaming with an ominous light.
Instinctively, Iris flinched and took a step back.
Oscar, amused by her reaction, looked down at her with a satisfied smirk.
Now was the time to retreat.
It was good to talk at length, but sometimes, leaving after just a few teasing remarks made the other person more intrigued.
Oscar never entered a game of seduction at a disadvantage—he had already begun his power play.
“Unfortunately, I must leave for now. What a shame that we couldn’t talk longer. Until next time, Lady Hugo.”
“…Goodbye, my lord.”
Watching Oscar stride away, Iris felt uneasy.
Something was wrong.
Her instincts were warning her.
—
The assassins never revealed themselves.
They attacked solely through arrows and magic, as if they fully understood that facing their targets head-on would only end in their defeat.
Aracila attempted to use tracking magic to locate them within the trees, but their mage was blocking her spells.
“If they can deflect my magic, they’re no ordinary opponent.”
Moreover, her magic felt weaker than usual, which was troubling.
Still, since the enemy seemed to be on par with high-ranking mages, she followed the strategy she had discussed with Damian beforehand—she would handle long-range attacks while he dealt with close combat.
The problem was…
“My lady! Have you lost your mind, attacking me?!”
“Ugh, sorry! But you’re the one who suddenly stepped in front of my spell!”
Aracila’s mistimed magic narrowly grazed Damian.
“Damian! Why are you attacking me?!”
“Apologies. You were standing in an inconvenient spot.”
Damian’s wide swing nearly clipped Aracila.
Their coordination was a disaster.
Ironically, they kept attacking the same targets at the exact same time—so their efforts only ended up interfering with each other.
“This isn’t working.”
“We need to change tactics. I’ll take over the attacks. You focus on defense.”
“Alright, this time I’ll make sure to stay behind you at all times.”
After a quick reassessment, they resumed the battle.
Damian charged toward the enemy, cutting down attacks with his sword, while Aracila created defensive barriers around him, blocking incoming arrows and spells.
With their teamwork finally in sync, it didn’t take long to pinpoint the assassins’ locations.
“Damn it, everyone move forward!”
“It’s an all-out battle now!”
The masked assassins burst out from their hiding spots and rushed at Damian.
There were at least ten of them.
Even so, Damian remained unfazed.
With cold precision, he swiftly began cutting them down, one by one.
“Never Let Your Guard Down”
“My lady, never let your guard down.”
“I know, just focus on the fight.”
Even in the midst of battle, Damian never missed a chance to lecture her. Aracila responded with exasperation.
She was well aware that he kept glancing at her, checking on her safety.
But considering who had put up the barriers protecting him, his concern was unnecessary.
While Damian displayed the skills worthy of the youngest Swordmaster in history, the assassins failed to land even a single blow on him and collapsed one by one.
Of course, he was strong—but more than that, Aracila’s barriers were so impenetrable that they couldn’t even reach him.
“Damn it! None of our attacks are landing!”
“Break the barrier! Take down the mage!”
Some of the assassins turned their attention to Aracila.
If they could eliminate her, the protective shield around Damian would disappear as well.
“Target the mage!”
“She’s weaker than him! Take her out first!”
Arrows now flew in Aracila’s direction.
But she had already erected a barrier around herself, easily deflecting all the weapons aimed at her.
“Say that properly—I’m not weaker than him.”
She shot them a sharp glare, feeling her pride take a hit.
She and Damian had ended up clashing earlier simply because their attacks had been perfectly synchronized.
If she were truly so much weaker than him, would she have come out unscathed after colliding with his strikes?
It was absurd how people always assumed she was weak just because she was a mage.
“Where’s our mage?! Take her down now!”
Panicked, the assassins called for their own mage.
A hooded figure slowly emerged from behind the trees.
Aracila immediately raised her guard.
She was curious to see just who had been blocking her magic earlier.
Wait… this energy…
The moment she sensed the ominous aura emanating from her opponent, her expression shifted in shock.
“A dark mage?!”
No wonder their magic had felt wrong from the start.
Without hesitation, Aracila fired an attack spell.
But the dark mage countered effortlessly, his black magic swallowing her attack whole.
A mage’s mana could take on different hues depending on their nature.
And black mana… only dark mages possessed it.
“Damn it, I’m at a disadvantage.”
Dark mages were entirely different from ordinary magic users.
Their corrupt and unnatural power was several times stronger than normal magic.
Even if this dark mage wasn’t as skilled as Aracila, his magic alone could put him on par with her.
“Damian, be careful! The barrier is breaking!”
The moment she shouted, her defensive shield shattered.
Black mana, thick and oppressive, coiled around her like a living entity.
The glow of her violet magic dimmed.
She could feel it—her mana was being suppressed.
Aracila cursed under her breath.
“Damn it, a dark mage!”
If her mana was being blocked, that meant she couldn’t use magic at all.
She gripped her staff tightly and took a step back.
At the same time, the dark mage raised his voice.
“She won’t be able to use magic for a while! Now’s your chance!”
“Attack her!”
Armed assassins rushed at Aracila.
She clenched her jaw and gripped her staff even tighter.
“My lady!”
Damian cut down an assassin in front of him and turned to Aracila in alarm.
One of the assassins had already gotten too close to her.
It was too late for him to reach her in time.
“No, she’s going to get hit!”
A memory flashed through Damian’s mind.
Not everyone had abandoned him after his mother’s death.
A handful of people—those who had remained loyal to the first duchess—had tried to help him.
But in the end, they had all disappeared, either killed in retaliation or erased without a trace.
If Aracila also fell here, he would never forgive himself.
Thud!
“ARGH!”
A sharp impact rang out, followed by a scream.
The assassin who had lunged at Aracila was now sprawled on the ground.
She had whacked him across the head with her staff.
“I do have a weapon, you know.”
Her voice was calm despite the slight flush on her face.
Her gloved hands tightened around her staff.
Honestly, she had always thought her staff was long, sturdy, and solid enough to be used like a club.
Of course, back then, she had imagined using it to smack her annoying colleagues at the Mage Tower.
But this worked just as well.
“And besides—your ‘moment’ is over.”
“…?!”
Aracila smirked.
The black magic that had been binding her unraveled and dissipated.
Then, with a burst of power, her violet mana flared back to life, radiating in all directions.
The assassins froze, belatedly realizing their mistake.
Instead of standing around, they should have attacked her while she was vulnerable.
But it was too late.
Mana surged into the gemstone of her staff.
Her counterattack was ready.
“The best defense is offense.”
A massive sphere of magic formed at the tip of her staff—then hurtled toward the assassins.
“Ugh!”
“Gahh!”
The assassins collapsed, rolling across the ground as the force of her spell slammed into them.
Panicked, the dark mage attempted to retaliate.
But—
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“—!”
Aracila was faster.
Before he could react, she bound his limbs with magic, completely immobilizing him.
Then, she sealed his mana—just as he had done to her earlier.
“You do know what happens to dark mages under imperial law, don’t you?”
Her voice was casual, but her eyes were sharp.
“I’ll make sure every last bit of dirt on you gets exposed.”
In Setron Empire, dark magic was forbidden.
Anyone caught practicing it faced severe punishment.
And as a mage of the Mage Tower, it was her duty to apprehend them.
As she casually scanned the area for more enemies, her eyes landed on Damian.
He was staring at her—completely stunned.
Aracila blinked, startled.
“Damian, behind you!”
“…?”
Her shout jolted Damian back to his senses.
A shadow loomed over him—an assassin had raised his sword high, ready to strike.
It was a foolish mistake.
He should have immediately resumed fighting after confirming Aracila was safe.
He had warned her not to let her guard down—yet here he was, distracted.
“Idiot! Why were you just standing there staring at me?!”
Aracila quickly tried to cast a protective barrier around him.
But she had already spent a significant amount of mana restraining the dark mage.
If she used any more magic, the dark mage might break free—and retaliate.
That would be catastrophic.
“…Screw it, whatever!”
Frustrated, unable to think of a better option—
Aracila hurled her staff.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ───
thanks for the chapter