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“Now that I can see you, it’s over. Your little water tricks end here.”
“Impossible—Gah!”
“And enough with that amplification spell. It’s grating on the ears.”

There was a heavy thud as Master’s air bullet slammed into Mr. Cassini’s stomach. It was a direct hit, without a doubt. He should have been sent flying backward, but he didn’t move.

A closer look revealed that his feet were buried up to the ankles in frozen mud. Master, you’re ruthless.

“If you have the guts to leave your legs behind, feel free to escape. I’ll take your life while I’m at it, though.”
“Heh, heh… You’re harsh, my lady. I suppose it’s my loss for underestimating your power…”
“If you say any more nonsense, I’ll put a hole through you. I won’t give you time to plan a way out.”
“Master, you can’t kill him!”
“Indeed, you must want me alive for something, don’t you? Despite my name Charming Cassini, I am a master at clinging to life. Let’s negotiate.”
“…Hmph. You should be grateful to Momo.”

The cold aura that had surrounded Master faded, but the ice restraining Mr. Cassini’s legs climbed up past his knees. The thick, solid ice wouldn’t let him escape easily. It seemed Master had no intention of letting him go.

“Hand over the medicinal herbs you’re holding. It’s too much to simply dispose of, so you must be storing them somewhere.”
“…Hand over? For free?”
“If you refuse, I’ll keep hitting you in the face until you say yes.”
“I’ll comply willingly. Even I felt guilty about poisoning a delicate lady.”

“Ha, what a funny joke. Go ahead, Momo, you get one hit.”
“Wait, wait, we can talk this out!”
“Wow! That’s funny coming from you!”
“Hold on, hold on, wait, no, please staghhp—!!”

With Master’s permission, I slapped Mr. Cassini across the cheek. The sharp crack echoed, and his cheek quickly swelled up, turning red in the shape of my hand.

Killing him wasn’t an option. But this wasn’t nearly enough to make up for him targeting Stell’s life and poisoning her with the Magic Crystallization Syndrome.

“Agggh… My beautiful face…!”
“Hold off, Momo, no second hit just yet. There’s something I need to ask him while he can still talk.”
“Hurry up, I’ll be warming up my shoulder in the meantime!”
“So there you have it. You’d better appease her quickly, or you’ll lose your head.”
“I-I understand…”

“Now, tell me—was your attack on Stell under Syntu’s orders?”
“Yes, it was to secure the rights held by the Umravolf family…”
“That’s what I’m not getting. Sure, the Umravolf family’s assets are valuable, but are they really worth all this trouble?”
“…You mean to tell me you don’t know anything?”
“What…?”

Mr. Cassini’s expression was genuinely bewildered. It wasn’t an act; it was a genuine reaction of surprise. It was clear that he knew something that Master wanted to find out.

“Explain in detail, or else… Momo.”
“Ready whenever you are!!”
“Hold! I’ll talk, just hold it! It’s ‘the sea.’ The Umravolf family controls the sea, and we want that right!”
“The sea? What do you mea—”
“Master!!?”

In that instant, it was as if the ground swallowed Master whole, pulling her body down into the earth.

――――――――…………
――――……
――…

“Master!!”
“Tsk―!!”

I deliberately caused an explosion of a wind spell to propel myself upward, avoiding being swallowed by the ground. Pain was a minor expense; if I had been consumed, I would have lost my life. The real issue was that we had been attacked.

“H-Hey, wait! It wasn’t me who—Gah!?”

The man’s words rang true. The sensation felt more like ‘falling’ into the mud than ‘sinking’ into it.

I hit the flustered man’s jaw with an air bullet, shaking his brain and rendering him unconscious. Even in the worst-case scenario, care was crucial.

“Is everything okay Master? He’s not dead, is he…?”
“Don’t worry. He’s just unconscious. Momo, you need to take Stell and retreat. I can’t pinpoint the identity of the attacker.”
“I under—”
“…? Momo?”

When I turned around in response to the unsettling silence, Momo was nowhere to be seen. No matter how hard I searched for signs of her, she was gone. The frozen meadow, now eerily quiet, only echoed the sound of a gentle breeze.

“―――…”

I had not neglected my vigilance. In this open space with almost no cover, I should have noticed anyone approaching. But now, both Momo and Stell had vanished, and I couldn’t even track their whereabouts, let alone identify the culprit.

I had been completely outmaneuvered and had the two of them stolen right before my eyes.

“…You’ve really done it now.”

The bubbling anger within me naturally gave way to curses aimed at the unseen enemy.

If I were overflowing with talent as a sorcerer, my feelings might have been dark enough to curse everyone who heard me. But as a half-baked wizard, with no curses or miracles at my disposal, I had to accomplish everything with my own hands.

“…Wake up――root everything out!!”

I unleashed my magic power with all the emotion I felt, causing the ground to heave up as far as I could reach.

It was a crude display of power, devoid of skill or control, a technique that anyone with the slightest knowledge would scoff at. But such concerns were irrelevant now. It didn’t matter where the enemy was hiding. How dare they take my apprentice from me?

“Momo, if you’re alive, respond! Quickly!!”

The open meadow offered little cover, except for the ground itself. I had turned over as much of it as I could. If the culprit hadn’t escaped, they would have to reveal themselves.

Just a moment. Even though I had no certainty about the enemy’s identity, if they showed any vulnerability…

“………M….Master……!”
“――There, huh?”

That foolish apprentice of mine would always leave behind a clue.