Chapter 53: Cedric’s Defeat
Rest and Cedric had arrived at the forest where they once trained to battle monsters. It was also the place where Cedric had taken the Rosemary Sisters out, putting them in danger.
“Uoooooohhh!”
With a roar like a beast, Cedric charged at Rest, using Body Enhancement.
“Too slow. It’s almost laughable.”
“Guh!?”
Rest also amplified his strength with magic and delivered a punch to Cedric’s face. Cedric’s Body Enhancement was impressive enough; though he had failed the exam, it was clear he was hailed as a genius for a reason.
“But… your fighting sense and experience in interpersonal combat are utterly lacking. You’re worse than I was before I became a disciple of my teacher.”
“Y-you…!”
“If you have time to groan, then get your stance ready. Also, your Body Enhancement has worn off.”
As he spoke, Rest executed a low kick to Cedric’s shin.
“Damn…!?”
“Here’s another one for your face.”
Grabbing Cedric’s hair, he pulled him in and drove his knee into Cedric’s face. Blood gushed from his nose, and fragments of broken teeth flew out. Next, Rest seized Cedric by the collar and slammed him down onto the ground.
“Guguh…!”
“Having studied interpersonal combat, I realize again just how weak you truly are, Cedric.”
Though he was rumored to possess the highest magical talent among his peers, that was all there was to it. His martial arts skills were non-existent, and his spellcasting speed was slow. Honestly, the gap in their abilities was so vast that Rest felt he could win just by relying on Body Enhancement alone.
“Y-you… filthy trash…!”
“Heal.”
“Wha…!?”
Rest cast healing magic on Cedric, mending his injuries. Cedric, unable to comprehend Rest’s actions, furrowed his brow and shouted with a snarl.
“You… don’t think you can pity me! A failure like you has no right to feel sorry for me!”
“Pity? No, you’re mistaken.”
Rest smirked coldly and unleashed his next spell, a Fireball, at Cedric.
“Gah!”
“This isn’t mercy. If I were to repay everything you’ve done to me, you’d probably die right away. So, I’m just healing you.”
Casting healing magic again, Rest restored Cedric’s condition.
“Repay… what…?”
“Seventy-five… do you know what that number means, Cedric?”
“……?”
A question mark appeared on Cedric’s face. As expected, he didn’t understand.
“Since being taken in by the Evern Honorary Viscount House until serving the Rosemary Marquis House… in those four years, that’s the number of different spells you’ve cast at me.”
And it was also the number of spell types Cedric had taught him. Thanks to experimenting with magic every time he learned something new, Rest had significantly expanded his repertoire.
“Wha…!”
“I don’t remember how many times I was attacked with each spell, but… I’m surprisingly the type to hold a grudge. I’ll make sure to repay everything you’ve done.”
“Guhuh!”
Next, Rest struck Cedric’s abdomen with the Sand Ball spell. Cedric doubled over, coughing up the contents of his stomach. Rest healed him again, preparing for the next spell.
“Now, get up. There are still seventy-three types left. Let’s finish this before dawn.”
“Stop…!”
“Water Ball!”
“Gueh!”
After that, Rest attacked Cedric with magic as long as time allowed.
Fireball
Sand Ball
Water Ball
Wind Ball
Thunder Ball
Poison Ball
Fire Blade
Water Blade
Wind Cutter
Earth Blade
Fire Spear
Wind Spear
Earth Thorn
Water Spear
Explosion
Blast
Wind Manipulation
Stone Bullet
Water Burial
Poisoning
Magic Bullet
Mud Bullet
…
By the time Cedric had become nothing more than a puppet, writhing in agony, the attacks from seventy-five types of magic finally came to an end.
“…I must say, revenge isn’t as refreshing as I thought it would be. Honestly, it became tedious halfway through.”
Though he had repaid everything he had suffered, it hadn’t been enjoyable at all. There was nothing to gain from bullying someone weak. It had turned into a mere task, and he had been casting spells at Cedric mechanically.
“Well, perhaps it wasn’t a farewell ritual for that house. Thanks to this, I can forget about the Evern Honorary Viscount House and move forward as a new person. You were useful for scraping off the rust. Thank you.”
“……Eh?”
“……Huh?”
“I won’t forgive you… absolutely… no matter what, I will take my revenge…”
“…………”
Even while rolling on the ground, Cedric glared at Rest with a look of hatred. Despite having been beaten so badly, he still had the energy to voice his grievances… in a way, it was commendable how deranged he was.
“It’s not just you… those women who abandoned me will pay too…”
“Those women… you mean Viola and Primula?”
Upon confirmation, Cedric grinned wickedly, his swollen face contorting grotesquely.
“Those women… I’ll kidnap them and trample them… I won’t allow them to be happy… I’ll violate them until they’re nothing but rags…!”
“…………”
“No matter how much you try to protect them, it’s useless… I will definitely violate them… It’s all your fault, you failure…!”
“…Enough. Be quiet.”
“Ugh…!”
Rest splashed water he had conjured onto Cedric’s face, forcibly silencing him. Truly… it was astonishing how he could be called a genius.
“To be able to make me feel this disgust is a natural talent of yours… the desire to let you off the hook has completely vanished.”
In the first place, Rest had felt relieved the moment Cedric failed the entrance exam. If Cedric hadn’t attacked him, he wouldn’t have had to go this far in punishing him.
“But… you mentioned Viola and Primula. You’re trying to drag them into our issues…!”
It wasn’t a matter of whether Cedric’s revenge would succeed or not. Mentioning the Rosemary Sisters in front of Rest was a crime worthy of death.
“Hyahhyahhyah… just wait and see… tremble and sleep…!”
“You’re the one who will.”
“Huh…?”
Rest raised his right hand. A black sphere appeared at the tip of his palm. It was a sphere that reflected no light, a pitch-black orb. It resembled dark matter materialized, a dark star that was endlessly deep and murky.
“W-what is that… what kind of magic is…!”
Before the dark star, which evoked bottomless terror, Cedric’s face twisted in fear. He tried to crawl away, but of course, Rest had no intention of letting him escape.
“Bind.”
“Hygiih!”
With magical chains, Rest bound Cedric, keeping him in place. Then… he looked up at the dark star floating at the tip of his right hand.
“Do you know what the highest honor for a magician is, Cedric?”
“W-what…?”
“If you don’t know, I’ll tell you. It’s not being appointed as a court magician, nor is it becoming a noble… the highest honor for a magician is ‘the development of new magic.’”
Rest stated calmly to Cedric, whose face was contorted in fear.
“There are one thousand and seven spells officially recognized in this world, and the names of their developers are recorded in the History of Magic alongside the spells.”
In this world, there existed an organization known as the Council of Sages. It was a transnational, extra-legal group, consisting entirely of powerful magicians capable of moving nations. Creating new magic that is recognized as ‘new magic’ by the Council of Sages is the ultimate honor for a magician.
“If you can create new magic, the king will grant you a status higher than that of a viscount, perhaps even an earl… though, such a level of magician hasn’t appeared in this country for over a decade.”
Even the most powerful magicians, the court magicians, found it difficult to develop new magic. While they could create countless mediocre spells, producing a new spell that surpassed existing ones was nearly impossible. Globally, a new magic recognized by the Council of Sages would appear only once every five years or so.
“But, well… it’s something to aspire to. After all. So… after being taken in by the Rosemary Marquis House, I tried to see if I could create new magic.”
“……!”
“And… what I created is this.”
Rest looked up at the dark star, a sardonic smile on his face.
“I managed to create a spell that has the effects I envisioned, but to be frank, it’s a defective product. Maintaining it consumes an enormous amount of magical power. Its efficiency is horrendous.”
This magic would never be recognized by the Council of Sages, nor would it be recorded in the Magic Encyclopedia. It was a clumsy, defective spell that required a thousand units of magical power to produce a single effect. Without Rest’s boundless, infinite magical power, even a group of court magicians would find it impossible to activate.
“The name of the spell is Star Eater.”
A spell that suited Rest, who had been called a failure with no magical power. Its effect was… the annihilation of all things. This black sphere… the Dark Star could erase anything that came into contact with it, wiping it from existence.
“It’s a spell that only I can use… but now, I can finally choose what to erase. If I’m not careful, I might erase the atmosphere or space itself. As the name suggests, I could end up devouring stars.”
“No way… someone like you could create new magic…”
“Exactly, it’s a defective failure… well, it’s more than enough magic to deal with someone like you.”
No matter how much magical power he expended, his infinite magical power would never run out… but still, having his magical power drained by the dark star was not a pleasant feeling.
“Well then, goodbye.”
“Wha…?”
“Star Eater!”
Rest brought the dark star down upon Cedric, who was rolling on the ground. Cedric’s body was engulfed by the black sphere.
“This is the end… forever.”
At that moment, the enmity with Cedric, his brother-in-law, came to a close. Cedric could no longer harm Rest or take anything from him. He had become a body that could never again do so… for all eternity.