Chapter 153

And so, neither the spirit nor the Silent Witch took the time to chant as they rapidly traded blows. Again and again, the wind blades slammed down. Again and again, Monica put up her next barrier the instant her existing one broke. While it might have seemed like an even fight, Monica—a human—would be the first to run out of mana. “Come on, Rynny, wait a second! We’re here to save you from that bad mage!” “It won’t be any use, Mister Bartholomeus,” Monica quietly cut in. Bartholomeus knew the Gem Mage had invented a magical item that used spirits as a source of energy, but he didn’t know about the ancient magical item that controlled them. If Monica explained the situation, she would have to keep that part secret. She chose her next words very carefully. “I believe…that Miss Ryn is under someone else’s control.” “Wait. What?!” Bartholomeus glanced between Monica and Ryn in shock. The modern magecraft repertoire did not contain any spells that could force a spirit to do one’s bidding. Monica couldn’t blame him for not understanding right away. Another one of her barriers shattered, and she put up a new one. Ryn was under the control of an ancient magical item called Galanis, the Flute of the False King. That item was currently held by Emanuel Darwin, the Gem Mage. Monica was supposed to buy time for her allies to destroy it, but they’d grossly underestimated how difficult that would be. I’ll have to attack her almost to the point of dissipation or put a sealing barrier on her… Louis, Ryn’s master, had told Monica that she was free to beat the spirit to a pulp. He’d even said he would understand if she accidentally wound up destroying her completely. But over the course of her undercover mission at Serendia Academy, Ryn had helped Monica out many times, and she’d rather disable her with a sealing barrier if she could. Unfortunately, because high spirits were so adept at controlling their mana, it was difficult to affect them with human magecraft. If Ryn seriously resisted, even Monica would struggle to execute a perfect seal. But because she’s under someone else’s control, her attacks are straightforward and easy to read… As long as I make the seal complicated, it should keep her busy for a while, at least. Monica began to think up a suitable magecraft formula. “Hey, kid. Can your magecraft save Rynny?” Bartholomeus asked. “If I can trip her up, then…yes. I should be able to disable her with a sealing barrier.” Sealing barriers were difficult to use at a distance. Monica would need to get closer. She could only maintain two spells simultaneously, and she was already using one to keep up the barriers protecting her from Ryn’s wind blades. She’d have to use the other to close the distance. But how? “…I don’t know if it’ll work, but I have a plan,” Bartholomeus suggested quietly. “Can you buy me a little time?” Monica blinked and looked up at him. The man was no mage. She’d never considered relying on his help. “Oh… Um. Uhhh…” Was it okay to involve him? Could she count on him? She wasn’t sure. Bartholomeus slapped her on the back. “This is my chance to look good in front of her, kid. So help me out, would you?” “Um, all right. Then, uh, go ahead!” “Ha-ha! Good answer!” As Monica dispelled her barrier, Bartholomeus ran back along the route they’d come. Ryn aimed a slender finger at him as she stood atop the tree. Apparently, she’d been ordered to finish off any stragglers. “…No, you don’t,” muttered Monica. Ryn let her wind blade loose, but before it could reach Bartholomeus, the Silent Witch put up another barrier. The mana-dense blade easily destroyed it, but Monica instantly put up another. The lethal gusts were just like physical weapons, except they were invisible. They came slashing down, intending to cut their target apart. Yet Monica showed no fear as she faced them. “My barriers may not be as good as Mister Louis’s, but…” She calmly erected more barriers, carefully calculating the scope, duration, and how much mana she would need, making sure to keep everything to a minimum. She was good at this kind of thing. Monica was far more comfortable scrupulously controlling her mana consumption than she was quickly unleashing flashy, high-powered spells. “…Um, well, I think I’m pretty good at stalling.” The Silent Witch absorbed herself in her calculations, never yielding an inch to the high spirit and her immense stores of mana.