Chapter 83

I froze, staring intently at Mihana. In my mind, I chewed over the meaning of the words she had just spat at me.

“…………”

Behind me, I sensed Alice subtly putting some distance between us. She must have detected some kind of danger. As usual, my partner had sharp instincts.

Meanwhile, Mihana stood there with her hands on her hips. She pointed a finger at me with a condescending air.

“Are you kidding me? You lost to me. Watch your mouth and know your place.”

“Hahaha, don’t be so cold. Even I have feelings, you know.”

“——!”

When I responded mildly, Mihana’s face turned bright red. She pulled her hand back, winding up for a massive swing. I deliberately did nothing, remaining as still as a post.

Mihana’s hand followed through and struck my cheek. It was a full-swing slap. Despite the loud sound it made, it didn’t hurt at all.

“Ow…”

Instead, it was Mihana who was clutching her hand. Her form had been poor. It might also be because my defense stats were too high due to my level modifiers.

I leaned down slightly to meet Mihana’s eyes.

“Oops, you alright? You shouldn’t resort to violence if you’re not used to it, you know.”

“Shut up!”

Mihana tried to punch me with her uninjured hand. I tilted my head to dodge it. It would be a pity to let her ruin both her hands.

“Tch.”

Mihana clicked her tongue audibly, then looked up while cradling her hand. Taking a shallow breath, she opened her eyes wide and screamed.

“—Don’t you dare… get cocky with me! You! Twice! You tried to kill me twice! You crazy Bomber… I absolutely loathe you!”

Having laid her emotions bare, Mihana piled on the insults exactly as her heart desired. Her attitude was incredibly aggressive. It was likely because she knew that, due to the contract, I couldn’t kill her. During the duel, her cowardly and insecure behavior had been prominent, but this was apparently her true personality. Quite the little spitfire.

Eventually, Mihana grabbed my collar and made a show of stomping on my foot. Dirt and scuffs marred my custom-made shoes. They were “sneaker-esque” footwear I’d had a local craftsman make for me a while back. I liked them for their fit and lightness. Unaware of such things, Mihana continued to pour out words filled with malice.

“Enjoy your confidence while it lasts. Just you wait. I’m going to work you like a dog now that you’re a loser. You can’t defy me because of the contract… You really are a stupid, pathetic—”

In an instant, my arm moved on its own. My clenched fist caught Mihana square in the face, sending her slender body flying. Mihana flipped backward and slammed into the office door. Several small white objects skittered across the floor.

They were teeth. Specifically, her front teeth. Stained red at the roots, they lay lonely upon the carpet.

“Ha… h-haueh… ah, ugh…”

Sitting on the floor, Mihana let out a pathetic groan. She covered her face with her hands. A large amount of blood leaked through the gaps in her fingers. A nosebleed, most likely. Judging by the sensation when I hit her, her nose was probably broken. Tears began to stream down Mihana’s face.

Silently, I walked toward her. Mihana staggered as she stood up.

“Y-You, what do you think you’re—”

I cut her off with a kick to the stomach. Mihana collapsed, curling up like a caterpillar as she began to convulse. I’d held back, so her internal organs likely weren’t crushed. It just hurt like absolute hell.

“What do you think you are doing… Have you forgotten the contract!?”

The Sage was furious. His countenance was terrifying. It seemed he found my act of violence utterly inexcusable. Chains of magic shot from his hand, binding me in an instant. When I tried to move my arms, the chains groaned and creaked. The sheer weight of the multiple layers wrapped tightly around me revealed the Sage was truly serious.

In that state, I laughed.

“Don’t get so worked up. What I’m forbidden from doing is ‘intentionally killing’ Mihana. I have no intention of killing her. I simply punched her in the face and kicked her in the gut. That’s not a breach of contract.”

In other words, violence without lethal intent was possible. This was one of the loopholes in the contract. A contract that is too specific leaves no room for gray zones.

Which was exactly why I could get away with this.

Mihana apparently hadn’t considered that possibility. She was a remarkably shallow woman. For someone so shortsighted, she certainly had an audacious attitude.

“The fact that my soul hasn’t been enslaved is the best proof, isn’t it? I’m honoring the contract. Now that you understand, hurry up and release me.”

“Ugh… Even so…”

The Sage groaned, unable to find a retort. Beside him, Alice deployed her Magic Tools. The bracelets she wore split apart and rose into the air. Each piece manifested a translucent blade, floating in a massive formation with their tips pointed directly at the Sage.

With a cold expression, Alice addressed him. “Let him go.”

“…………”

The Sage remained silent. He seemed torn on how to proceed. Watching his indecision with a sneer, I tore through the chains myself. There was a slight sense of resistance, but as far as restraints went, they were pathetic. To give an analogy, they were about as tough as plastic. If I tried to move casually, they’d be a nuisance, but they broke with just a bit of effort.

I drew my handgun and looked down at Mihana.

“Don’t push your luck with the insults, alright? Even a man as mild-mannered and kind as me has a limit to his patience.”

I pressed the muzzle of the gun against Mihana’s ear. Immediately, a dull pain throbbed in the back of my head. I felt a tingling, stinging sensation in my heart. It was the warning for a breach of contract. Pulling the trigger would lead to her death. Any further than this, and the enslavement of my soul awaited. That would be a problem, so I tucked the handgun back into its holster.

I grabbed Mihana by the hair, dragged her away from the front of the door, and reached for the knob.

“We’ll take our leave for today. I’d feel bad taking up any more of a busy Headmaster’s time. We’ll enjoy some sightseeing in this city before we head home. Get in touch if you need anything else.”

“…………!”

The Sage gnashed his teeth. I expected him to throw out a parting shot, but he remained silent. He likely realized that letting us leave without trying to detain us would result in the least amount of damage. I knew enough of the Sage’s personality from our brief exchanges to bank on that.

I opened the door with an air of leisure. Alice, having retracted her Magic Tools, hurried over to join me. Together, we left the Headmaster’s office.

We walked down the hallway toward the edge of the grounds. Despite the commotion, no one came to intercept us. We moved through the quiet academy.

Following that incident, my relationship with the Sage had effectively fractured. From the perspective of urban development, it felt like a bit of a waste, but it couldn’t be helped. If he were willing to hand over Mihana, I could be his dearest best friend, but that seemed to be a difficult request for him to grant.

If the Sage interferes with me in the future, I’ll kill him. If not, I’ll maintain a strictly professional acquaintance. He isn’t a man I particularly dislike; it’s just that our policies happen to clash.

Aside from the matter of the Sage’s treatment, I had made a few pleasant discoveries.

First was Mihana’s personality. To put it mildly, she wasn’t exactly a paragon of virtue. I could understand her feelings, but she was quite the piece of trash. She enjoyed tormenting others from a safe position, yet possessed no power of her own. She was truly worth killing. The fact that she was prone to getting emotional and losing her cool was also a high point.

I also couldn’t overlook the fact that she didn’t counterattack even while suffering such humiliation and pain. She likely possesses no offensive capabilities. She harbors a grudge against me; if she had any means of retaliation, it would have been the perfect moment to use it.

And most importantly: my attack landed. Despite how she had evaded everything during our duel, I had easily struck and kicked her just now. There must be some kind of activation requirement for her skill. This was a massive hint toward finding a breakthrough. Regardless, I was now certain her ability wasn’t invincible.

Next was the Sage’s strength. He was a master of magic, but he wasn’t overwhelmingly powerful. I had confirmed that the magic he could use on the fly wasn’t enough to stop me. Depending on the type of attack, I could handle him well enough. I also had Alice with me to counter his magic. As a baseline, he was a man who had struggled against Dorgu. There was no way we, who had defeated Dorgu, couldn’t match him.

Of course, negligence was forbidden. I had failed in the previous duel precisely because of such hubris. Even if we fought, I would need to conduct a thorough preliminary investigation to expose their weaknesses. It’s not like there’s a time limit. I’ll take my time and move forward steadily.

After that, we left the academy grounds without further trouble. As we drove down the road in the Golem Car, the World Tree entered my field of vision. It was the symbol of this city.

‘…I might end up blowing that up eventually.’

A dangerous thought suddenly crossed my mind. Subconsciously, I began evaluating locations to plant bombs. I suppose this is why they call me the Bomber. Still, it was certainly how I truly felt. If the day comes when I become the Sage’s enemy, I’ll surely make it a reality. I’m actually looking forward to it a little.