## Chapter 190 – 190. Zenis Carl Huerencia
#190. Zenis Carl Huerencia
As I’ve said before, just because it’s another world doesn’t mean everyone is exceptionally good-looking.
In fact, most people were quite ordinary.
But the man before me was beyond the word “gorgeous.”
Purple hair and eyes reminiscent of expensive wine, and an androgynous appearance like a pretty boy.
At first glance, I thought he was a woman. But judging by the prominent Adam’s apple, he was definitely a man.
‘Why is a mage popping up in the borderlands?’
Not that I’m one to talk.
I never expected to meet a mage who had reached a higher level than me in a place like this.
‘Probably around 5th Circle.’
I wish he’d just go his way, but the man’s mana was rough, as if he was itching for a fight.
No matter how I looked at it, he didn’t seem to have any intention of backing down nicely.
He didn’t even try to hide his mana, and the surrounding air became noticeably heavier.
I raised my own mana to prevent it from affecting Iris and Amelia.
“Unless you want your head blown off, take back your mana right now.”
I had no intention of acting high and mighty in front of a mage whose intentions I couldn’t read.
As I warned him, I spread my mana around.
I wanted to blast him with magic, but I didn’t want to deal with a 5th Circle mage when I had a long way to go.
I kept a close eye on the man, never letting my guard down.
I had to respond differently depending on how the other party reacted.
But the man’s reaction that followed easily exceeded my expectations.
“How old are you?”
“…What?”
“Answer me.”
My mind went blank for a moment.
Not only did he start a fight out of nowhere, but now he’s taking a census?
Only then did I realize the true nature of the emotion contained in that unsettling gaze directed at me.
It was curiosity and longing.
“Thirty-five.”
“…? You look younger than that.”
“I get that a lot.”
Sylvia, hearing my lie, gave me a look that said, “What nonsense are you spouting?”
But it couldn’t be helped if I wanted to avoid troublesome situations.
If the other party was a mage who had reached a high level at a young age like me, there was a high probability that he was struggling with similar concerns.
‘He’s probably trying to find a clue to ascend from me.’
That was something I agreed with.
I had always thought that if I met someone of a similar age and level, they might be able to fill what I lacked.
But talent that allowed someone to reach the 4th Circle in their 20s was not easy to find.
And if you limited it to the early 20s, the number became even smaller. It was an impossible feat unless you were a genius born with the talent to become the master of a magic tower.
“I’d appreciate it if you could quickly state your business and scram.”
“How testy.”
“I have a habit of not being polite to crazy bastards who threaten people with mana at first meeting.”
“I agree.”
“…?”
What?
I was momentarily stunned by the man’s attitude of naturally excluding himself.
I was dumbfounded by his shameless attitude, as if he firmly believed he had never done such a thing.
“You said business?”
But soon, all the senses in my body sharpened, and my instincts began to sound the alarm.
The lax attitude disappeared without a trace, and what remained was a storm of mana swirling around the man.
“Sparring.”
The man’s mana exploded in all directions.
There was no physical threat. It was a procedure to establish space, the most important thing in a battle between mages.
To build one’s own domain so that one can deploy magic quickly and powerfully without being constrained by the opponent’s mana.
It was the most important thing in a battle between mages.
‘…Should I have said I was in my forties?’
0.01 seconds.
That was the time it took to raise my mana to respond to his domain.
Even so, I instinctively felt that it was already too late.
[Thought Acceleration]
Everything except me slows down drastically.
Thanks to this, I was able to calmly observe the surrounding situation.
‘When did he take out his staff?’
The man was holding his staff as if to show off.
Well, he’s a 5th Circle mage.
It wouldn’t be strange if he had an artifact that could store weapons.
While the magic stone of the staff was glowing, dozens of spells were flying towards me.
It was an unbelievable calculation speed, even without the Thought Acceleration skill.
‘…This is a 5th Circle mage.’
Of course, strictly speaking, he was merely deploying spells that had been calculated in advance.
Memorize, a common 5th Circle spell.
It’s a spell that allows you to store spells that have been calculated in advance and use them whenever you want.
Of course, you can’t store all spells, but even the spells unfolding before my eyes were all 2nd Circle or higher.
Even if I blocked them with a barrier, it was clear that I wouldn’t last long.
‘I could dodge, but…’
There was something I wanted to try.
I have a skill that’s like a burden to me.
[Weakness Detection]
Rank: Epic
Allows you to identify weaknesses.]
It’s an Epic rank skill, but I use it far less frequently than other skills.
In the first place, the weaknesses of living things are predetermined, such as the neck, heart, and brain, which you don’t need someone to tell you.
Of course, there are magical beasts that require special strategies, but I rarely encounter such magical beasts, so it’s a skill that doesn’t have a proper use.
But what if the opponent isn’t a living thing?
The skill description doesn’t limit the target to living things.
‘…I see it.’
Basically, magic has security to prevent other mages from interfering, and taking control of the magic by breaking through that security is called reverse calculation.
But there aren’t many mages who attempt reverse calculation. No, it’s safe to say there are very few.
The reason is simple. It’s more advantageous to dodge or counterattack in that time.
Reverse calculation is a task that consumes a lot of brain resources, finding the ‘core’ that is the center of security.
Unless there’s a big difference in skill, reverse calculation is said to be the same as suicide.
But what if you know the location of the core from the beginning?
Clang!!
The magic circles that filled the sky shattered like glass shards.
The misfired magic became small fragments and disappeared.
“…Huh?”
Perhaps because it was an unexpected sight, the man stared blankly into the air.
There was no change in his expression, but the fluctuation of mana surrounding him was representing his emotions.
Bewilderment, confusion, denial, and disbelief.
Mages, who lack physical senses compared to hunters or knights, are finished once their concentration is broken.
[Haste]
He didn’t even realize I was approaching.
There was no special technique.
I was just punching him, adjusting my strength so that he wouldn’t die.
Pow!
“Cough?!”
The fist was lodged right in the man’s solar plexus.
Of course, it was an ordinary fist that didn’t contain any ki or even mana.
Thud-
Nevertheless, perhaps because he had allowed the attack in an unguarded state, the man fell to the ground without much resistance.
I stared intently at the man sprawled on the ground.
I poked him with my foot, but the man didn’t even flinch.
At first glance, it looked like he had fainted, but since this was the first time I had adjusted my strength, I wasn’t sure.
“…He’s not pretending to be unconscious, is he?”
I suddenly wondered if he was pretending to be unconscious in order to launch a counterattack.
But I couldn’t exactly finish him off to make sure.
“Haa…”
I had no choice but to place my hand on the man’s left chest.
It was where the mana circuit was located, and for a mage, it was a vital spot that he would have immediately gotten up and knocked my hand away if he hadn’t fainted.
But in the end, the man didn’t get up.
The first battle with a mage of equal skill ended like that.
It was a disappointing ending that left me drained.
“…Is he dead?”
Amelia, who was behind Sylvia, peeked her head out.
“I didn’t kill him.”
I don’t particularly enjoy killing, and I try not to kill people if I can help it.
Besides, there was a reason why I bothered to adjust my strength.
‘A 5th Circle mage, there’s no way he doesn’t belong to an organization.’
Whether it was the Continental Magic Association I heard about last time, some noble family, or even a country, it didn’t matter.
I already have a long way to go.
I didn’t want to create any more situations that would cause resentment.
Above all, there were already many groups chasing me.
Pelledia, who would chase us on a national scale once they found out about Iris’s escape, and the noble allied forces who were still searching for Amelia with their eyes burning.
Grip-
While I was distracted by other thoughts, someone grabbed my sleeve.
“Hyunwoo-nim, what was that just now…?”
Iris, with wide eyes, was looking at me.
A strong curiosity could be seen in her expression, which seemed full of embarrassment.
“Are you talking about the reverse calculation?”
Iris nodded vigorously.
“I didn’t do it. It’s thanks to the skill. Besides, it was only possible because the other party didn’t pay much attention to security.”
Above all, if the other party hadn’t been flustered by my reverse calculation and had responded calmly, the battle would have lasted much longer.
Of course, I wouldn’t have lost.
If it seemed like I was really losing, I could just ask Sylvia for help.
“What are you going to do with this person?”
Amelia, who was poking the man with a twig she had picked up nearby, said.
“I guess we can just leave him here.”
“Yes? Is that okay…?”
“He’ll wake up soon anyway. A 5th Circle mage isn’t going to be crippled just from fainting.”
I didn’t want to get involved with a madman who suddenly cast magic at me at first meeting.
“We need to hurry if we want to arrange a carriage for tomorrow.”
“…Do we have to ride a carriage again?”
“Of course, how wide do you think the Gallian Mountains are? A carriage is essential to get out of here.”
“”…””
Iris and Amelia were silent.
Ignoring the gazes of the two people who were desperately looking at me, I silently moved towards the next city.
***
Not long after Kang Hyunwoo and his party left.
“Master.”
A Nogin woman who appeared out of nowhere poked Zenis’s cheek, who was sprawled on the ground.
Fortunately, it was a finger, not a twig.
“Did he perhaps pass away?”
Contrary to her wishes, Zenis slowly opened her eyes.
“…Where is he?”
“He left a long time ago.”
Zenis, covered in dirt, washed her face with magic and straightened her hair, then slowly got up from her seat.
Zenis, staring blankly at the sky, thought.
How many years has it been since I rolled around on the ground like this?
“Master, Master.”
“Quiet, my head is pounding.”
Zenis glared at the Nogin woman with a scowl on her face at the voice that repeatedly called her.
But the woman smiled as if it was a familiar occurrence and continued to speak.
“The magic, it’s undone.”
Purple hair, shining even more brilliantly in the sunlight, fluttered in the wind that blew in at that moment.
While sweeping back her hair, which was long enough to reach her waist, her body with its flowing curves was revealed as it was.
The androgynous appearance had disappeared without a trace, and what remained was a beauty with a sharp impression.
“…I know, so give me the hair tie.”
Zenis Carl Huerencia.
The eldest daughter of the Huerencia family and one of the candidates for the next chairman of the Magic Association, the reason she hid her gender with magic was simple.
She was disgusted by the gazes and attention of men.
Born into the Huerencia family, which possessed overwhelming power that even flying birds would bow their heads to, she was even born with overwhelming magical talent reminiscent of the founding head of the family.
Naturally, Zenis developed a sense of superiority and no longer saw humans who were not mages as the same as herself.
“…You’re not going to chase after that man, are you?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
As if she had no lingering feelings, Zenis turned her body and headed towards the checkpoint.
But she soon stopped walking.
The Nogin woman instinctively became uneasy at the sight.
“Liz, you know what?”
“…No, I don’t want to know.”
“Shut up and listen.”
“…”
Liz’s efforts to block the pointless talk in advance were shattered.
Only then did she realize when she looked into her master’s eyes.
“There’s something called responsibility for men.”
“Responsibility…?”
“Yes.”
That her master was out of her mind right now.
“He touched my chest while I was lying defenseless. What do you think that means?”
That’s right.
She had pretended to be unconscious even though she had never fainted.
Even in a situation where someone else was touching her left chest, which was a vital spot for a mage, she didn’t even flinch.
It was something that other mages would have lamented a hundred times over, saying she was crazy.
“…Sexual harassment?”
“No.”
A smile suddenly spread across Zenis’s lips, who had briefly stopped walking towards the checkpoint.
“It means that he has a responsibility to marry me, since he carelessly touched a maiden’s body.”
It was madness.
Zenis Carl Huerencia.
She was a notorious madwoman who, even though she was scheduled to be engaged to the Second Prince, slapped the Prince on the cheek on the day of the engagement and refused the engagement because he was not a mage.
“There’s no need to chase after him recklessly. I’m going to find him once this is over anyway.”
