Watashi wa Teki ni Narimasen! Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Magician’s Last Moments

“He’s supposedly a magician, but he doesn’t seem any different than an ordinary person……”

Hearing the voice of Madam Beatrice, Margrave Vain looked up towards the stairs and responded.

“So you also came to look, it’s nothing particularly interesting. Besides it seems he’s not an official magician, although there seems to be some kind of circ.u.mstances, I brought him here because it could cause trouble for the people around him.”

“In that case, isn’t it dangerous to put him in the castle?”

While listening to the conversation of the two people, the tightness in my chest increased.

Apparently Alan seems to have also heard of the news as he appeared from a nearby door. After glancing towards the rare magician he noticed that I was also there. He then approached me and began urging me to return back up the stairs.

“Kiara, what are you doing so near such a dangerous person? Get back, it wouldn’t be funny if something were to happen……what’s wrong?”

Alan appears to have noticed my unusual non-responsiveness.
Meanwhile, Margrave Vain resumed the transfer of the magician.

“With the magician being in such a bad condition, there’s no other choice but to isolate him for now. We learned from the previous generations it’s best not to stimulate them, so in the dungeon…..”

At that moment, the barely standing magician was hoisted up, but suddenly he lifted his head.
His gaze is directed straight at me for some reason. Why!?

“H-Help……ughh”

The male magician then collapsed.
There was something dark on the gray stone floor……blood?
The moment I thought that, I began feeling nauseated. Why was he vomiting blood?
The soldiers holding his arms also gestured as if frightened. But they maintained their grip on him, it’s quite impressive. If it were me I would perhaps run away after seeing someone vomiting blood.

“Is he hurt?”

“No…..it’s not that, you two lifted him up too fast. Hurry up and bring this man to the dungeons”

Following the orders of Margrave Vain, the soldiers tried escorting the magician. However the initially fairly obedient magician began appealing in a quiet voice.

Towards me.

“Please, help me. I don’t want to die like thi-…..aaahhhh!”

The magician began screaming and nearly collapsed as the strength in his legs gave away. But since the soldiers were holding him he didn’t fall and instead sunk to the ground.
Even so, the magician continued wailing while his arms were being held.

I couldn’t bear to watch on.
Although I felt scared, I kept my eyes fixed onto the magician.
But in turn, the soldiers instead had released the magician’s arms in fear.  His arms dropped and made a loud thud impossible for a human body as they struck the stone floor. Then the magician crumpled right onto his face. A sound like striking stone sounded out at that moment.

“Huh?!”

Someone gasped.
My chest was raging with pain and I also felt like collapsing on the spot. But Alan supported my back.

“You, really what’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?”

Alan tried moving the unresponsive me away to somewhere else.
But a situation arose before he could.

The magician’s cloak ripped apart as a sharp pyramid-shaped stone emerged from it. Then more blade-like stones began bursting out one after another.
A nearby soldier started screaming and ran away. Madam Beatrice also became speechless a

s she brought her hand to her mouth.
Reggie stared at the magician with a grim expression, Alan was completely quiet but the hand supporting my back was trembling slightly.

Eventually, even the cries of the magician ceased――and his figure broke apart like sand.
His clothes began deflating as the body inside crumbled apart and an ash-like sand flowed out from his collar and sleeves.
I couldn’t even tell that he used to be a person.

At the same time, I felt the pain in my chest disappear. And strength returning to my legs.
But my mind was currently in disarray.
Why did those abnormalities appear in my body? Why did the magician look towards me?
Why and how did the magician die just now? Do all magicians…..become sand when they die?
And why was the magician suffering so much to begin with?

I was stunned, but fortunately it was not just me. It seems I didn’t stand out because everyone was also in the same state as me, until Magrave Vain then began ordering everyone to dissolve.
It would also be strange for me to remain here so I tried returning to Madam Beatrice.

“Are you alright now?”

Alan who had noticed my unusual behavior asked me.

“I’m fine, thank you very much Alan-sama. I think I was just surprised.”

After the satisfactory excuse, I began heading back up the stairs with Alan. And joined back together with Reggie who had remained there.

“Kiara, you look rather pale?”

Reggie pointed that out but I just shook my head.

“It’s alright Your Highness, I think it’s just because of the unexpected shock.”

Reggie was also convinced with that excuse. However, with what just happened it would appear he’s still in thought.

“So the Thorn Princess……will also turn into sand in the end?”

Reggie directed his gaze down the stairs. Margrave Vain was ordering a soldier to sweep up the sand into a hemp bag and for someone to also bring along the clothes.

I wonder if all magicians will become like that in the end.
There wasn’t such a description in the game.
But even so that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen. Even now, I’m still just realizing how much depictions or background information the game is omitting for the sake of focusing enjoyment on the fighting.
For example, whether Kiara Credius is stabbed by a sword or whether she’ll turn into sand, none of those matter for the progress of the game.

After considering that, for a second I imagined myself turning into sand.
…….As expected it’s a bit disturbing. s.h.i.+vers were traveling down my spine.
At this rate will it really be alright to become a magician? I am worried whether I’m actually truly fine with becoming one myself.
During those lingering afterthoughts, Margrave Vain came up the stairs.

“His Highness, and even Alan too……”

“I apologize, I just have become a little interested in magic due to the other day. Even though I already met a magician, I still wanted to see this since it was such a rare chance.”

Margrave Vain nodded in response to Reggie’s words.

“It’s true that magicians are not something we can meet so easily,  but even so do you understand……the reason why they’re such a rare existence?”

I held my breath when I heard Margrave Vain’s words.
Was he possibly going to say something like because all magicians will die like that in the future?

“Particularly for those that forcibly try to acquire magic, even if they are able to slightly utilize magic their power will still be exhausted almost immediately and it seems they will usually disappear like that.”

……..Apparently, it seems not all magicians will die in such a manner. I was a bit relieved.
So in other words, if I don’t push myself too hard it should be fine.

“Apparently there are very few people who can fully utilize magic. Furthermore it seems it’s also difficult to tell just who is actually suitable. So even if a magician takes ten or twenty people as apprentices, there are only one or two who can truly become magicians. And if one isn’t suitable, they would have to deal with the fear of dying like that. Moreover, even if one does become a magician, supposedly there is still a possibility of dying in the manner if one uses magic that exceeds their own power.”

Both Reggie and Alan are completely silent.
So was I.
I thought it would be easier to become a magician. I thought it would be something more along the lines of finding a master and raising your level as you practice.
But it appears that isn’t the case.

“That’s why if there is a magician on the same side as you it’s best to be respectful, this is what my father the previous Margrave taught me. Take great caution if one is your enemy, the way they shave off their own life force to bring down an enemy is truly horrendous. But those who are incompatible with magic can only die without ever using the art. If your at least able to calm yourself down, I’ve heard that it’s possible to postpone the disintegration……but it didn’t go so well.”

Margrave Vain heaved a sigh.

I endured the fear welling up from the bottom of my stomach.
Since I used magic in the game I’m certain that I should be suitable. So I should’ve cleared the condition of rarity.
But even if I become a magician, there are possibilities that I may die depending on how I use magic.
So now once again…..I am scared of becoming a magician.

The game’s Kiara perhaps wasn’t scared of her own death due to her situation. But so far the current me hasn’t been chased.
The reason I’m doing this is due to my desire of wanting to save my friends.
But in order to save Reggie, everyone will also find out that I am a magician. After that, in order to regain the kingdom everyone will surely throw themselves into battle. And they would also then wish for my help.

I might even have to shave off my own life to protect my own side if we were to fight together.
However, if I told them I didn’t like war and remained holed up in this castle, I will regret it if Reggie dies.
But I am also afraid of dying myself.
Filled with confusion and fear, I naturally began biting my own lip.