Chapter 44 - Application, Not Abuse

The members of the Blue Flames muttered in disbelief, staring foolishly at their captain. Their surprise was to be expected; transformation spells were rarely used and few were capable of even casting it. Not all support mages could use the same spell unless they were a pro at their branch of magic like I was. At a loss about what they should do next, the Blue Flames’ unease made their weapons shake in their grips. Eventually, they lowered their arms to the ground.

“K-kargh!” Wipera dropped his dagger, unable to bear the pain of his arm being twisted, and the clang of metal against stone rang sharply throughout the air.

“In any case… Having figured out this much should be enough to convict them of their crimes.” Mayer flung away Wipera’s arm and, despite his hefty weight, the man was sent rolling away like a fluttering leaf. The arm brace was crushed, showing just how powerful Mayer’s grip had been. The sight made me flinch. I’d been shaking hands with him all this time? Good Lord! I repeatedly swore to myself to take care of how I acted around Mayer from now on.

Wipera looked between me and Mayer with a deathly pale complexion, his expression a contrast of great despair and small hope as he began squeezing out words with difficulty. “Kegh… N-now that it’s come to this…” Having grasped the situation, Wipera’s eyes glinted ominously. He understood what was going on, yet he didn’t make a wise choice here; instead of begging for Mayer’s mercy, he made the worst decision. Pointing at me, he cried out, “S-seize that shrew! If I can gain power by killing that woman, I-I can defeat even Mayer!”

So… he thought that killing me and doubling his power would make him a match for Mayer? What a joke.

Since I knew Wipera’s stats, the response of the Blue Flames only looked like suicide to me. Not even having proper knowledge of their own superior’s capability… was pathetically absurd. Mayer too seemed incredulous as he let out a low laugh.

Despite giving the command himself, Wipera seemed anxious as his body shook noticeably. His unease infected his team members, rendering them hesitant to act first. Believing it was too late to ask for Mayer’s forgiveness, he gritted his teeth and screamed even louder than before. “M-Mayer Knox is a human as well! He’s not even armed properly right now. You just have to kill that sow! At this rate, we’ll all be screwed!”

The man’s thoughts were obvious, like a cornered rat biting at a cat—thinking that Mayer was off his guard, the rat thought he could defeat his captain. Clearly, the over-secretion of endorphins in the face of imminent death had paralyzed his mind.

Wipera’s desperate resistance made me sigh. To think of picking a fight with Mayer… he must’ve thought there was still hope. Yes, that had to be it. Then shouldn’t I let him taste a little more despair? I gestured for Mayer to pause and picked up the dagger Wipera had dropped. Twitching the point of the blade at its owner, I drawled, “So you think you can defeat Mayer Knox by killing me?”

Anger and hate sparked in Wipera’s eyes. “You sly wench! Playing innocent despite bringing Mayer with you! I swear on my life that I will bring you down with me!”

No sooner had he finished vowing that, I made a long cut on my forearm with his dagger, a wide smile on my lips.

“Jun Karentia!” Mayer bellowed furiously, his voice ringing through the dungeon. He strode over with astonished eyes to grab my injured arm. Contrary to his large and rough hand, his grip was as gentle as one would caress a withering flower.

“I’m fine,” I reassured him, “I’m telling you, I’m fine.”

“Fine?! Give me your ar—Wait. The injury…” Mayer trailed off in the middle as he looked at my forearm with confusion; the slashed cloth that covered my forearm showed perfectly intact skin. “What in the world…” he murmured in bafflement.

Suddenly, a groan of pain burst from Wipera’s mouth. “Gah! Yargh?” Blood dripped down his left arm from the exact spot where I had cut myself and he spluttered confusedly, “W-what the! W-why am I…!”

Everyone, including Wipera, looked at me, stupefied. With a wide grin, I said, “You’re not the only one with that kind of ability.” Having predicted what would happen, I had cast ‘Divine Devotion’ earlier on when I sensed things were going wrong.

[The designated party member takes the damage suffered by a party member instead.]

This spell—which was, in a sense, a warding charm—was the secret card up my sleeve which I had prepared in the case of a mutiny. Although I ended up using it faster than I had expected, it had worked. The effects of support magic prioritized the first spell cast. In other words, Wipera would receive damage even if I was attacked, and because I didn’t receive damage, Wipera’s power wouldn’t increase.

“Blast it, Jun Karentia you witch…!” Wipera cursed. Perhaps because he was also a support mage, he was the first one to understand what had happened. Had he realized that it was impossible to overcome his plight? Wipera howled wildly as he shot a burning glare at me, his eyes alarmingly bloodshot.

I laughed out loud at his despair and bared a winning smile as I reminded him, “Application, not abuse, right? Your words exactly.”