The Sword and The Shadow

Myth-rank Magus

The middle-aged man stared at the Stokian guards and shook his head with frustration.

Since it was your failing, bear the consequences for your mistake! thought the man before he turned around and vanished from the wall.

......

"This mission went surprisingly well."

Leguna was rather tired, but he was quite excited on the way back. He had finished his mission without mistake and everything go right for once was quite enjoyable.

Annelotte kept quiet. The glacial girl's face was gloomy, a trace of rage in her eyes.

"Eh? What's wrong?" Leguna asked.

Didn't the mission go well? Why was she mad? Her mood swung faster than the shortest pendulum!

"It's about time for payback," she said after a silent pause.

"Huh? Did something happen?"

[You took her into a male toilet,] Gahrona said gleefully.

[How petty can she get?!] "Uhm... It couldn't be helped. Don't be mad, Annie..."

"I don't think you couldn't have checked the situation out first. I also don't believe you were forced in there," Annelotte barked, "You definitely did it on purpose!"

"I didn't!" Leguna lamented.

He really didn't do it on purpose. Who wanted to wait for her in such a stinky place?

[I think running is a better choice~] Gahrona advised cheerfully.

Annelotte was already dictating a magic missile.

{Don't bully me!] Leguna shouted as he started running again.

"Don't run!" Annelotte shouted as a volley of magic missiles left her hands.

She kept on waving her hands and dictating at the same time, utilizing mobile dictation for the sake of getting back at Leguna.

Leguna evaded the ice bolts and other projectiles she fired from behind. Given his speed, putting some distance between himself and Annelotte would be really easy. She wouldn't use her blink spell just to catch up to him.

But he didn't dare to run that far. He couldn't just leave his sweetheart out in the wilderness, could he? It wasn't something he was capable of doing. So, she chased him for five whole kilometers, during which she didn't stop shooting at him. Leguna on the other hand carefully regulated his speed and haggardly avoided the spells.

That was why when the middle-aged man jumped out and saw Annelotte, he was shocked. Mobile dictation? She is still able to dictate even when breathing unevenly like that? Looks like I underestimated her.

"Huff, puff!" Though Leguna breathed heavily, he paid careful attention to the middle-aged man. That fellow gave him an odd feeling. He couldn't feel the slightest energy wave from that man's body, yet he knew from instinct that he was a dangerous fellow.

"You-- Ow! Ouch! Hey!" Just as he was about to speak, three of Annelotte's magic missiles struck his calf, rear end and back.

They caused him to fall back. The poor fellow was completely flattened on the ground and he was dazed from the fall.

As such, he wasn't able to notice the fourth magic missile that was heading for the middle-aged man disappearing in mid air one meter before contact.

"Be careful!" Annelotte, however, didn't miss that detail. She stood in front of Leguna and got into a defensive stance.

"You say it like you didn't throw those magic missiles," complained Leguna as he dusted his buttocks off.

Annelotte couldn't be bothered to squabble. She looked at the person in front alertly and asked, "Who's that person?"

"I have no idea. He popped in front of me all of a sudden. I wanted to ask him who he was before I got done in by you."

She continued to ignore him and looked at that man, intent on reading him from his expression. Fortunately, the man didn't appear to want to hide his intent at all. They were all written on his face, but she wasn't sure why he looked that way.

The middle-aged man's expression carried hints of doubt, yearning, surprise, and a kind of... warmth. It was like he knew Leguna and Annelotte really well. But she was certain that she hadn't met that man before ever since she could remember. Leguna also appeared to have no clue whatsoever about him. Who in the world was he?

"Who might you be, Sir?" Annelotte asked carefully.

"I am a magus," replied the man.

"Stop kidding me!" Leguna mocked, "A magus? I might not know magic, but I can sense a mana wave or two. There isn't a single trace on you. I think magus apprentices would be stronger than you!"

"You can try me if you doubt me," said the man with a smile.

Leguna was just about to toss two throwing knives his way when Annelotte stopped him.

"Don't be rash!" she hissed.

"This fellow--"

She interjected and said, "You have the feeling that he isn't someone normal, don't you?"

"That's why I was about to make sure." Leguna was still amped about testing the man who made him feel rather uncomfortable. He wanted to see whether the man was truly worthy of fear.

"If my guess is correct, you must be a myth-rank magus, right?" Annelotte asked in a low voice.

"A myth-rank magus?!" Leguna started. He thought that the man was more than he appeared to be, but he didn't imagine him to be someone that powerful. Myth-rank magi were held with even higher prestige than saint-ranked impetus users!

"That's right," the man freely admitted.

"Are you Stokian?" Leguna asked the key question.

"Nope."

"Phew." Both Leguna and Annelotte couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he wasn't their enemy, or their lives would end there.

"But I am currently doing something for Stok," the man said, putting the other two back on their guard, "I designed those magic cannons."

The two were completely shocked. They didn't think that they would meet the creator of those cannons an hour after they wrecked them. More importantly, a myth-rank magus was on Stok's side!

"I'll hold him back. You leave." Leguna drew Lighteater.

"You're not his match. Let me do it," Annelotte said.

"Damn it, don't fight me over this at a time like this!" Leguna's eyes were bloodshot. "No matter your reasoning, you'll listen to me today!"

Annelotte was taken aback. It was the first time he was so hard on her. Perhaps he was affected by Kurdak and Vera's capture by the Eye.

"Alright, calm down. I'm not planning to do anything against you," the man lazily said, "I only couldn't stand my curiosity and wanted to ask you something."

"What do you want to know?" Leguna said carefully.

"I don't have any questions for you." The middle-aged man wasn't interested in Leguna at all. He looked at Annelotte keenly instead.

[Teacher, what should I do now?] Leguna grew more nervous at the sight of the dangerous man eyeing Annelotte. He had no choice but to ask Gahrona for help.

But she didn't respond in the slightest. It was as if she was in deep sleep. Even with their mental link, Leguna could only barely sense her after focusing intensely.

"What would you like to know?" Annelotte tried her best to relax. She knew that her attitude would be key at a moment like this. Being too anxious would only ruin everything.

"Have you seen those magic cannons before?" the middle-aged man asked, "You should know how laughable it is to lie to a myth-rank magus, given your understanding in magic."

"I haven't," she replied honestly.

"That means you only managed to figure out the construction of those cannons today?"

"That's right." She nodded affirmatively.

A look of admiration and regret flashed across the man's face. He sighed. "Looks like I made the wrong choice, hehe..."

"What do you mean?" Leguna had no idea what he was talking about at all.

"Alright, that's all the questions I have." The man ignored Leguna and shook his head, as if he wanted to end the conversation there.

"Wait!" Annelotte called.

"What is it?"

Annelotte kept silent.

"If you want to ask about the cannons, I can tell you right now that I was aware about what you did to them. Your work today was beautiful to behold." He more or less guessed what she wanted to say.