"'The Doll Master,' 'The Dark Evangel,' 'The Immortal Mage'... Evangeline," the man replied. His voice was calm, almost bored. "A terrifying vampire, indeed. How many have you preyed upon for the sake of your power and beauty? I don't know what you're planning by targeting me, but give it up. No matter how many times you try, you cannot defeat me."
As he spoke, his hood shifted, revealing locks of red hair and a profile that looked exactly like an older Negi.
"Whoa... that's him. The Thousand Master. My dad..." Negi's face lit up with pure, unadulterated joy. "He's so cool! He's exactly like I imagined! The strongest mage ever!"
"What can a mage do without a partner? Go, Chachazero!"
"Aye-aye, Master!"
Eva and the doll lunged at the Thousand Master. In response, the man didn't weave a complex spell; he simply took a tiny, calculated step to the side.
Adjustment? I felt a flicker of cognitive dissonance. Beside me, Negi was leaning forward, expecting a clash of titans, a symphony of high-level sorcery.
"Wah!"
Just as Eva reached him, the ground beneath her feet vanished. She and Chachazero plummeted into a hole.
"W-What is this?!"
"It's a pitfall, Master!" Chachazero's muffled voice drifted up.
"I can see that!"
The rest was... painful to watch. The pit was filled with water, pinning Eva down. The Thousand Master then proceeded to dump massive armfuls of garlic and green leeks into the hole, stirring them in as if he were making a giant stew. I understood the garlic, but why the leeks?
As the "battle" continued, the tall, regal Eva began to shrink, reverting into the ten-year-old girl I knew. Apparently, her adult form had been an illusion maintained by magic. She screamed at him to fight her with real magic, only for the Thousand Master to boast—with a straight face—that he was a magic school dropout who only knew five or six spells.
The 'Thousand Master' who only knew ten spells... it was a bit of a letdown.
Eva asked him what he hated about her, but he just brushed her off, calling her either a brat or a hag. In a fit of absolute rage, she channeled a massive amount of mana—by my estimation, well over 100 SP—to trigger the School Attendance Curse. The sheer skill required to vent that much power into a functional curse without blowing herself up was, admittedly, worthy of a hero.
"...Gah?!"
The beach vanished. My vision refocused on Eva's mismatched bedroom.
"Axel?"
"You're awake," I noted.
"Yeah... wait. The brat?" Eva sat up, noticing Negi facedown on the edge of her bed, fast asleep. "Why is he here?"
"Chachamaru asked us to look after you."
"Chachamaru did? And you agreed?"
I laughed at her suspicious glare. "To be fair, Negi did 90% of the work. I mostly just handled the curtains."
"Hmph. Sounds like you. ...Oh? He's waking up."
Negi stirred, rubbing his eyes. "Mnn... gah! Oh no, I fell asleep! Are you okay, Evangeline-san?!"
"I'm fine," she said, turning her head away. "I suppose you were of some use, so I'll let you go for today. My fever is gone. Get out."
Her cheeks were dusted with a clear, embarrassed pink. Negi, either oblivious or just relieved, tucked his challenge letter back into his pocket.
"I'll take my leave then. I'll save the challenge for another day. Goodbye!"
Negi bowed and turned to scramble out the door, but his frantic energy caught Eva's eye. She watched him like a hawk.
"...Hey. You. Why were you clutching your staff while you were asleep?"
Negi froze, his entire body trembling. That reaction was all Eva needed. Her brow twitched.
"Don't tell me... you... my dream?"
A terrifying aura of mana began to bleed into the room.
"What did you see?! How much did you see?! Speak, you little brat!"
"N-Nothing! Really!"
"Liar! You're just like your father! I'll kill you! I'll kill you right now!"
"Uhyeee!"
I watched the chaos unfold and let out a long, weary sigh. "Good grief."
"...Axel," Eva growled, her eyes snapping to me like a predator. "I hope you don't think you're getting off scot-free either?"
And so, Negi and I spent the rest of the afternoon running for our lives until Chachamaru finally returned with the medicine.
Character Status: Axel Almar
LV: 38
PP: 625
Kills: 376
Terrain: Air S / Land S / Water S / Space S
Spirit Commands:
Accel (4)
Effort (8)
Focus (16)
Strike (30)
Awaken (32)
Love (48)
Skills:
EXP Up / SP Boost / Psychokinesis L10 / Attacker
Gunfight L9 / In-fight L9 / Morale Limit Break
Geass (Gray) / Magic (Fire, Shadow, Summon)
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