Chapter 50: Berserker

Leave a Comment / Level 999 / By IX

“Shoes, huh?”

“Yeah. I want a pair of athletic shoes for the competition I’ll be participating in. It involves a lot of running around.”

On the day the events for the Starry blossom Festival were determined, I decided to go shopping with Mil.

We headed to the commercial district of Blossom, the capital city.

It was an area with numerous commercial establishments, and students from the School of Magic often frequented the shops and cafes after school.

It was undoubtedly the most bustling place in the capital, where traveling merchants would often visit, offering various rare items and treasures.

From magical catalysts to athletic shoes, they had a wide variety of goods.

There was no reason not to take advantage of this opportunity.

As we arrived at the commercial district, we were greeted by the usual crowds and commotion.

Despite that, we continued through the commercial district.

“Mil, why don’t you get something for the Starry blossom Festival too? Like magical catalysts.”

“You’re right, it might be a good idea to be prepared. I don’t want to inconvenience our classmates during the festival. However, for me…”

Mil smiled as she took out a small wand adorned with a blue gemstone from her pocket.

“I received ‘this’ from Muska-san, so I don’t really need to get a new one.”

“Oh, that’s right. I forgot about that.”

The girl with wavy green hair and various flashy accessories had left a strong impression. Later, we learned her name was Muska Fermanthe. Apparently, she had clashed with Mil during the final exams. As an apology for that incident, Muska-san, who belonged to the Catalyst Research Club, gave Mil the small wand.

It seemed to be quite a high-quality item, so it was indeed unnecessary to procure a new catalyst.

“As for the athletic shoes, I guess I don’t particularly need to get new ones. The events I’ll be participating in don’t involve intense running around.”

“Alright, so this time it’s just my shopping then. Sorry for dragging you along without asking.”

“No, it’s fine. Let’s go to a cafe later and have some sweets together.”

As we chatted like that and continued through the commercial district, we enjoyed our shopping and detours.

Then, as we passed by a catalyst shop, Mil suddenly asked me.

“By the way, Sachi-san, don’t you have a catalyst?”

“Huh? Me?”

“When you use magic, you always do it barehanded, right? I used to do the same until recently, but that was only because of financial reasons…”

Now that I had income from school requests, I had some savings.

She seemed curious as to why I still didn’t have a catalyst.

“Well, I guess I don’t really need one. In simple terms, a catalyst is something that boosts your magical power and strengthens your spells, right?”

“It is said that the magical essence within our bodies reacts to the gemstones, causing an increase in magical power. According to one theory, magical essence seems to be fond of shiny objects like gemstones, and when they are nearby, it gets excited and expands within our bodies.”

“It’s like magical essence is a girl who likes gemstones or something.”

Well, there are boys who like gemstones too.

Setting that aside, magical power is determined by the size of the magical essence.

So when the magical essence expands, the magical power increases, and the potency of the magic we use also rises.

However…

“Oh, in Sachi-san’s case…”

“That’s right. The magic I mainly use is ‘Probability Magic,’ which relies on luck instead of magical power. So I don’t need a catalyst. Even if I, with a magical power of 1, were to use a catalyst now, I wouldn’t be able to perform any significant magic. So I guess I won’t be needing a catalyst in the future either.”

“I see. I understand now.”

Well, speaking in terms of appearance, I do have a desire to try holding one since it makes me look more like a proper magician. I mean, I really admire magicians who skillfully manipulate magic by waving their catalysts.

But in my case, it would just be a superficial decoration, a fashion item. So, I guess I won’t be carrying one after all.

“Oh, but if there were a catalyst that increases luck, I might want it a little.”

“What do you plan to achieve by raising your luck even more…? Actually, if such a thing exists, I would want it myself.”

And so, the unlucky girl Mil looked up at the sky, longing for the luck-boosting catalyst I casually mentioned.

“Scream!!”

“――Huh!?”

While having such a casual conversation and walking through the commercial district, we suddenly heard a woman’s scream from somewhere.

Immediately, a large crowd of people came rushing from further down the street, and Mil and I were swept away by the crowd.

“Hey, run away quickly!”

“Don’t push me!”

“Is everyone going in that direction?”

Amidst the chaos, we were bewildered, listening to the commotion.

“What’s happening? What’s the situation?”

“Did something happen on the other side of the street?”

Holding hands with Mil to not get separated, we somehow managed to navigate through the crowd…

And eventually, an empty street came into view.

The bustling shopping street that was lively just moments ago was now filled with partially destroyed stalls and scattered debris.

As we stared at the scene in astonishment…

“Hmm?”

We spotted “a man” in the distance.

The man was swinging a “flaming sword” while letting out a growl, randomly destroying everything in his path.

“Whoa, there’s a dangerous person over there.”

“Why would someone do something like that?”

It was evident that the man was the cause of the disturbance. The flaming sword he wielded was most likely a form of magic. Even from a distance, you could feel the faint heat radiating from it, and it was only natural that chaos would ensue when someone started swinging it around in the middle of town. Though his motives were unclear, it wouldn’t be long before national sorcerers or guards involved in maintaining public order would arrive, making his capture only a matter of time.

For now, let’s make sure we don’t get caught up in it. Just as I was about to call out to Mil, in that instant—

An unbelievable sight came into view.

“Help… someone, please!”

“――Huh!?”

Near the rampaging man, a woman sat on the ground, clutching her injured leg. Judging from the sound of her voice, it seemed she was the one who had screamed earlier. Perhaps she had been unfortunate enough to get caught up in the chaos and was now seeking help, unable to stand.

Upon witnessing that scene, Mil and I exchanged glances in an instant.

If we stayed like this, we might end up getting caught in the man’s rampage.

“We have to help.” Conveying our intentions through just our gazes, Mil and I simultaneously chanted:

“【The time of awakening has come――Inner brute strength――Become the key to overcome adversity】!”

“【Filled with clamor――The breath of the azure dragon――Bring rest and tranquility to this land】!”

With our voices overlapping, we activated our magic precisely.

“【Fool’s Strength, Gran Deal】!”

“【Frigid Land, Niflheim】!”

I enhanced my body with strengthening magic, and ice emerged from beneath Mil’s feet, running parallel to the street.

I arrived at the scene first, carefully watching the rampaging man, and immediately leaped to the injured woman who was sitting on the ground. I swiftly lifted her up, kicking off the ground to remove her from the dangerous area.

Shortly after, Mil’s ice reached the scene, immobilizing the rampaging man by freezing his legs.

During this brief interval of about three seconds, those who had been watching from a distance were left speechless by the swift turn of events. The rampaging man also seemed unable to react to our swift movements and looked down at his frozen legs in delay.

He shouldn’t be able to move anymore.

Or so I thought, but…

“Ugh, gaaaah!”

“――Huh!?”

Letting out a roar, the man stabbed his flaming sword into the ground, shattering the ice. Instantly, a burst of intense heat reached us, causing me to instinctively shield my face. To effortlessly break Mil’s ice magic like that, his fire magic must possess significant power.

Upon closer inspection, rather than destroying the ice, it seemed like he melted it at an incredibly fast rate. If he could use fire magic of that magnitude, it would suggest he had considerable magical power. Furthermore, the color of his magical essence was red, and if his expertise lay in fire-based magic, it would make sense. However, if he possessed such a high magical power, it would be strange for him not to be known as a skilled sorcerer with some renown. There were no signs of him carrying a high-quality catalyst either, and given his original magical power, it wouldn’t be surprising if he held the qualifications of a national sorcerer.

But he was someone I had never seen before.

“All of you… you dare to mock me…!”

The man continued to vent his anger on lampposts and pillars in the vicinity, slashing at them with his flaming sword.

His eyes were bloodshot, saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth, and his body occasionally twitched and convulsed.

Clearly disturbed, I couldn’t help but tilt my head in confusion. The woman I had helped trembled as she provided me with information.

“T-That person suddenly started rampaging in the middle of the street… He was saying something and attacking people nearby…”

“…What a nuisance.”

The woman had also been caught up in it and had burned her leg.

Since she seemed capable of walking on her own, I let her escape and turned my gaze towards the man.

There was no sign of national sorcerers or guards arriving yet.

The man continued to rampage, slashing at anything that caught his eye.

Aside from the woman I had helped, there were still a few people who had been unable to escape and remained near the nearby shops. There was a high possibility that they would be caught up in the man’s rampage if nothing was done.

“…I only came here to go shopping.”

Sighing, I approached the rampaging man.

It would be best to wait quietly for national sorcerers or guards to arrive, but…

“I’ll make him regret interfering with our shopping.”

In order to prevent any further unnecessary damage, I decided to stop him.