ushernet Chapter 248 : Chapter 248
Chapter 248 : Chapter 248
The mage discriminationist who had sent the threat letter to Armandywas not acting alone.
“Did they leave?”
“No. Not yet.”
There was more than one—two or more.
They exchanged whispered words in secret, keeping watch on the Academy trainees’ movements.
“Then what are they doing now?”
“Watching the Lizardmen. Same as yesterday.”
“Didn’t they see the threat letter?”
“They might’ve seen it and ignored it.”
The mage discriminationists’ faces twisted.
“Tch. Damn annoying mages.”
After glaring at the Academy trainees going about their business as usual, they sent a signal to their comrades.
“We need to tell the boss.”
When they took out a shard of mirror and flashed a signal, a glint of reflected light sparkled in the distance—acknowledgment.
The signal spread swiftly through their companions hidden across the desert, eventually reaching the leader of the mage discriminationists, who clutched a single sword tightly.
“So there’s still no sign of them leaving?”
“That’s right, boss.”
“Didn’t you say you cracked one of them over the back of the head yesterday?”
“I picked the most obnoxious one and hit him.”
The leader snorted in disbelief. He had tried to end this cleanly, but the mages were as insolent as expected.
“We gave them a final chance. Didn’t we?”
“We did, but… you never know. We told them to leave by tonight.”
“Do those idiots look like they’ll leave by evening?”
“No.”
When the leader asked, his subordinate shook his head sharply.
After days of observation, it was clear—the Academy mages were anything but ordinary.
First, they had handed shovels to Lizardmen and worked them mercilessly.
No one knew what they were doing at first—turns out they were just digging.
And somehow, they had even talked the Horizon Knights’ commander into allowing this madness to continue.
“If we get rid of the mages, won’t the commander get angry?”
“Why would he?”
“Well, he’s always saying the Horizon Knights need a mage.”
The leader chuckled.
“He’ll like it better. Weaklings aren’t needed. In the desert, only those who survive are strong.”
“True. If they die out here, that just means they were weak. Mages who are weak on top of that…”
“Completely useless.”
The leader’s eyes gleamed sharply.
“We strike tonight.”
***
Once the sun set, the desert grew bitterly cold.
No matter how accustomed they were to desert life, even the Horizon Knights finished setting up camp before nightfall or retreated into their tents.
Darkness had fallen over the Academy trainees’ lodging as well.
Armandy, wrapped in a black robe, hurried toward his tent. He wanted to get inside before the sun fully set.
Perhaps because he had been attacked the night before, he kept scanning his surroundings nervously.
But the ambush had already begun.
Whiiist—
The sound of a whistle cut through the air.
Armandy stopped in his tracks.
Had he imagined it?
Maybe it was just the wind slipping through the desert.
Just as he was about to move again, someone burst out of the darkness and slashed forward with a dagger.
Clang!
The attack was blocked.
“…Blocked?”
The mage discriminationist’s eyes widened.
To stop that strike—and the feedback through his hand told him the opponent was wielding a blade.
Why does a mage have a sword?
Before he could think further, he blew a sharp whistle—
the signal that the ambush had failed.
Whiiist!
But something was wrong.
The sound didn’t carry far.
It was as if it were trapped inside a small enclosed space.
Magic!
He realized it then—this was a trap.
And there was no retreat.
Clenching his dagger, he lunged straight into the mage’s chest. Even if the first strike had been blocked, close-range combat should overwhelm a mage.
Clang!
Another exchange.
Thanks to the speed of the clash, the hood slipped back, revealing the face beneath.
It was Radel.
That’s not the scrawny mage!
The mage discriminationist froze for a heartbeat—then forced himself to calm down.
So what? He was still just a mage who waved a staff around.
There was no way he could match someone trained in swordsmanship by the Horizon Knights.
If he could just keep him from grabbing his staff—
Bang!
Clatter.
When the dagger slipped from his hand, all hope shattered.
That single strike was far too clean to be a fluke.
***
“What? He’s just a kid?”
Inette stared wide-eyed at the mage discriminationist Radel had captured.
She had assumed the culprit would be a full-fledged member of the Horizon Knights.
Instead, standing before the Academy trainees was one of the children the Horizon Knights sheltered in the desert.
“Huh. I was expecting some big, burly old guy.”
Once she realized he was just a child, Inette felt all her steam drain away.
Armandy adjusted his disguise glasses sharply.
“He’s still a mage discriminationist. That doesn’t change. He needs to be taught a painful lesson.”
“What would a kid even know? The threat letter felt childish anyway.”
Armandy felt his chest tighten.
This wasn’t a kid!
He had watched the fight while helping Radel with a soundproofing spell—the boy had swung his blade with the intent to kill.
If it hadn’t been Radel standing there…
Armandy might have lost his head—literally.
Yet somehow, he was the only one taking this seriously.
“Gusto, give him a heal. He rolled around on the ground earlier.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The apprentice holy knight openly cast a healing spell, and even Shartea treated the child with unexpected leniency.
“Your dagger work was fairly solid. Did you learn it from the commander?”
“…I’ve got nothing to say to mages.”
That rude little brat—
speaking like that to an imperial princess?!
Armandy was seething internally when Radel stepped in.
“Then think of me as a swordsman. You just fought me, didn’t you?”
“Grr! That’s cheating! Why is a mage good with a sword?!”
The boy glared, clearly feeling tricked.
“I learned the sword before magic. So I’m more comfortable with a blade.”
“…You’re not a mage?”
“I am, but I’m also a swordsman.”
The boy looked utterly confused.
Radel casually pressed him.
“Then how about we ask your leader whether I’m a mage or a swordsman?”
“Y-you know our leader?”
Of course, Radel didn’t.
But from the boy’s behavior, it was obvious this wasn’t a solo operation.
The threat letter, the coordinated ambush—there was structure.
“I do. And now that you’ve been caught, your leader won’t leave you alone.”
“…That’s true.”
The boy’s shoulders drooped instantly.
That reaction alone said a lot about what kind of person their leader was.
“But they’ll come save me!”
The faith the boy had in his comrades was clear.
Radel deliberately put on a vicious smile.
“Will they, though?”
The boy’s face drained of color at Radel’s grin—
a smile more sinister than any of the rough-looking Horizon Knights.
***
Leo, the leader of the mage discriminationists, clenched his fists.
Their comrade Oliver had been taken by the Academy trainees.
Last night, Oliver had confidently gone alone, dagger in hand, to attack the mages—and never returned.
Young and small though he was, Oliver wasn’t someone who’d fail to take down a single frail mage.
And Leo had told him to signal immediately if things got dangerous.
But no signal ever came.
When their hidden companions rushed to the area, Oliver was already gone.
The children were furious.
“It’s the mages’ fault! They must’ve used some underhanded trick!”
“Boss, what do we do?”
Leo’s stubborn jaw twisted.
“What do we do? We take bloody revenge.”
At his words, every child nodded solemnly.
Night or day no longer mattered.
Having lost a comrade, they gathered near the Academy trainees’ area to avenge Oliver.
“Did you search their lodgings?”
“Yes. No one’s there.”
“Those bastards… what did they do to Oliver?”
While the mages were away, they had searched the lodging, but found no trace of him.
Leo raised an old spyglass to observe their movements.
In the distance, he could see the pit the Lizardmen were digging, with mages standing guard nearby.
“There they are.”
“Boss, should we strike now?”
“Wait. That griffin is nearby.”
Even children who had never seen a griffin before knew how dangerous it was.
The griffin brought by the blond mage was curled quietly beneath a tent.
Leo swallowed hard as he watched it through the spyglass.
A monster combining eagle and lion—
He hated mages, but honestly… the griffin was kind of cool.
“…!”
Then—
There, beside the griffin, was Oliver.
The same Oliver who had vanished.
And he was drenched in sweat, diligently brushing the griffin’s fur.
“Boss, do you see something?”
Leo stared in stunned silence before answering.
“…Oliver’s there.”
“Really? He’s alive?!”
Excited, the children took turns peering through the spyglass—and were struck speechless.
Oliver was grooming the griffin, wiping its feathers with a damp cloth.
And he was smiling.
He didn’t look distressed at all.
The children gaped.
He was touching a griffin.