“FINALLY got the signal. Was about to think I came all this way for nothing,” muttered Zack Trigger when he received the Message. He was a cleaner who’d been dispatched from abroad.
Zack had infiltrated the capital of Ronaudia after casting Perception Block and Invisibility. Being as cautious as he was, he’d skillfully hidden his mana so that even if someone did detect him with Scan, they would think he was a normal person.
With Perception Block and Invisibility still active, Zack took a magic item shaped like a long, thin rod from his Inventory. It was close to seven feet long and made of a metal that gleamed darkly, called a magic gun that fired bullets of mana. It was thanks to this magic gun that Zack had been able to work as a top cleaner for many years. You could call it his partner in crime.
Zack cast Fly and rose into the air, where he looked through the scope on the magic gun to find his mark: First Prince of Ronaudia, Eric Stallion.
He was over a mile from the Academy’s arena where Eric was, but the magic gun’s bullets weren’t affected by the wind, so he was still within range. The further away from his target he was, the less power the shot had, but Zack had enough mana to kill an A-rank adventurer from this distance easily.
His opening was the moment the final match ended. If Eric lost, his Special Barrier would be down, and most people would be distracted immediately afterward. On top of that, Zack had received inexplicable information that Eric was sure to lose the match. Even if that information was incorrect, he could target Eric the moment he left the arena, where there was no Special Barrier.
From the moment Zack received the Message to when he lined up his shot was about two minutes. Moving quickly meant he could be certain to take out his mark. Zack was also well aware that it was essential to make his escape after his job was complete.
The information had been correct; Eric lost the match. Thinking how easy this job was, Zack pulled the trigger.
✦ ✦ ✦
IT was faster than the speed of sound, discharging sparks into the air as it flew toward Eric. Like I’d let it hit him!
I moved as fast as I could, standing between him and the bullet, then used my sword to shatter the mass of mana.
There were very few people who reacted instantly to what was happening. Those people included Eric himself and the people from the Intelligence Ministry lying in wait.
Eric immediately cast Short Teleport, while the people from the Ministry cast several layers of defensive spells where he had been.
Darius was in the VIP booths, so I decided he could handle things here without me. I cast Perception Block and Invisibility, then rushed into the sky where the mana bullet had come from. It would have been faster to cast Short Teleport to get there, but that meant there was nothing to block another bullet’s path for the moment I was teleporting.
Right before the attack came at us, my Scan detected a powerful source of mana that appeared out of nowhere. We’d expected an attack, but not for it to come from over a mile away.
I arrived at the attacker’s location in a few seconds. I already knew from my Scan that the attacker was no longer there. If they’d escaped using Teleport, there was nothing I could do. And considering the mana had appeared suddenly in my Scan, it was highly likely the attacker was very skilled at concealing their mana. But I could see through the Perception Block of someone at a lower level than me, and I’d already seen their mana once using Scan, so I knew what color it was.
I use “color” as a metaphor. Each person’s mana was a little different. If you bumped your Scan up to the highest possible level, you could tell not just how powerful someone’s mana was, but also all the slight variations between different people’s mana.
The attacker had moved about a half a mile away from where they’d taken their shot. Attacking made your Perception Block and Invisibility drop, but they’d already recast it and were skillfully concealing their mana. They were planning their escape.
Even as I closed in, they didn’t notice me. Still hidden, I knocked them out cold.
“You seem to think you’ve done well, but I’m sorry to say you haven’t,” I told the unconscious man.
Even though he had tried to kill Eric, I needed him as evidence of the crime.
There was one other thing bothering me about the situation, but my first priority was taking care of this attempt. I returned to the Academy carrying the attacker.
Back in the arena, the teachers led the students inside to safety. King Albert and the nobles in the VIP booths remained there, surrounded by guards. They’d likely decided that was the safest move as the booths were protected with magic items that created barriers, and moving could expose them. The people still on the arena grounds were those from the Ministry and the people giving them orders, which were Darius and Eric. The two of them came running up to me when I returned with the attacker.
“Arius, is that the attacker?” Darius asked.
“Yeah. He concealed his mana and tried to run, but I managed to catch him. He wasn’t holding a weapon, so he probably stashed it in his Inventory.”
I looked at Duke Jordan, who was in the VIP booths. He didn’t really react, but he knew reacting would be the same as admitting he was the one behind this, and Duke Jordan wasn’t that big an idiot.
“I’ll let the Intelligence Ministry get information out of this guy,” I continued. “You can tell everyone it’s safe.”
Darius went to the VIP booths to update King Albert on the situation.
“I knew you’d take care of this,” Eric said. “The people from the Intelligence Ministry also detected the attacker’s mana in the air, but it immediately disappeared afterward, and they lost sight of him.”
So, Eric also knew what the attacker was doing. He probably had people from the Intelligence Ministry stationed around the city because he was on alert for an attack.
“That was very close. You saved my life, Arius. Thank you, I mean it.”
“You would have managed something. You evaded the shot with Short Teleport.”
“That was only me reacting to you shouting.”
“Sure, let’s say that’s the case. Anyway, I’m glad you’re safe.”
After Darius told King Albert the attacker had been apprehended, the teachers and students soon heard the news too, and the air of tension began to fade.
But I kept myself on high alert for now, just in case. The Intelligence Ministry and teachers were capable of guarding the Academy.