Chapter 70

The Cockatrice was glaring this way. My Mind Control spell had definitely worn off…
“You should run! Once a Cockatrice marks you as an enemy, it won’t stop until you’re stone!”

“By the way… is running actually going to work…?”

“……Since Cockatrices can’t fly, they are fast runners. The probability of being caught is high.”

Well, then we’re stuck.

“So, I’ll be the decoy. Run while you have the chance. A Cockatrice can’t chase two people at once.”

Alienor’s face was deadly serious. She wasn’t joking.

“This was my mistake. As a direct descendant of the Carlyle family of Morco Woods, I take responsibility for my own errors.”

At that moment, I realized this girl really had a sense of professional pride.

“Alienor, you’ve already passed this training in my book. You’ve got the guts of a pro.”

“Hmph! As if I’d let you decide—”

“But, throwing your life away is a bit much! I’ll be the one to take it down!”

The Cockatrice edged closer. Since we weren’t running, it seemed to be staying cautious, but the distance between us was shrinking steadily.

I immediately began tracing a magic circle in the dirt with my foot.

Make it in time, please make it in time!

“Rocks! Throw as many pebbles as you can at the Cockatrice!”

“What are you saying?! Look, it’s closing in! It’ll be too late!”

“Rocks! The rocks! I’m counting on you!”

The Cockatrice shifted its weight, ready to pounce. At worst, I’d have to fight it with just a short knife…

However, before it could leap, a series of thwacks echoed as pebbles began pelting the Cockatrice’s head.

The Cockatrice spun around.

There was nothing behind it, but the assault was coming from above.

I had summoned an Imp and ordered it to pelt the bird with stones. Shouting “Rocks! Rocks!” was my way of making sure it understood my command the moment it manifested. It was a close-call gamble…

“Is this good enough for ya?”

“Thanks! Since you’re at it, keep ’em coming!”

“Gyuwaaaa! Gyahhhhh!”

The barrage of pebbles made the Cockatrice screech in irritation. If the Imp had been right in front of it, the bird would have tried to bite, but since the Imp was floating and keeping its distance, the Cockatrice was momentarily confused.

Nice! That created an opening!

I gripped my knife and lunged at the Cockatrice.

Weaving through the rain of pebbles.

“Take this!”

I landed a solid strike on the Cockatrice’s neck.

The bird instinctively tried to counter-attack, but—

“Don’t you move!”

After a second strike, it finally fell silent.

“Phew… that was way too close…”

I collapsed onto the ground, my legs feeling like jelly. It was a high-risk gamble, but it paid off. I don’t want to think about what would have happened if I’d tried to go in alone without the Imp.

I am a black mage, after all. I have to resolve situations using black magic whenever possible. My logic held up this time.

“Hey, hey! Don’t just sit there space-out! This is why city mages are so hopeless!”

Alienor grabbed her own knife, snatched up the fallen Cockatrice, and began butchering it on the spot with intense vigor.

“Wait, you’re doing it right here…?”

“Freshness is everything for this! You have to turn it into meat as quickly as possible!”

Watching Alienor’s expert knife skills, I started wondering if she was actually a mountain hunter rather than a black mage.

She packed all the meat into bags.

“Mmph. High-quality meat. Good firm texture. Franz, we’re heading back!”

She sure changed her tune quickly. I thought about asking for a bit more appreciation since it was my kill too, but—

Alienor had such a genuine smile on her face that I decided not to sweat the small stuff.

In the end, only our pair and Mary’s pair successfully brought back a Cockatrice.

The other group was supposed to eat hard bread, but the instructors took pity on them and shared a bit of the Cockatrice meat they had hunted themselves.

I shared some meat with my familiar, Cerulia.
“Wow, this is absolutely delicious!”

“I know, right? It makes every other chicken I’ve eaten feel like an imitation.”

Cockatrice barbecue was truly amazing. Especially after putting my life on the line and eating it grilled over an open flame outdoors. There was no way it wouldn’t be good.

Alienor wouldn’t give a straight compliment, muttering, “This isn’t as good as the ones back home,” but she still looked pretty satisfied.

However, we couldn’t quite close the distance between us beyond that.

Alienor ate her portion in silence (she didn’t give much to her crow familiar—probably revenge for it calling her an idiot), and I could still feel a bit of a wall between us.

We had accomplished something pretty intense as a team, but as for becoming friends… it felt difficult.

Mary came over munching on a skewer. She was mostly eating the neck and tail meat. She even mentioned that sashimi would be good and ate some raw, but I couldn’t bring myself to eat raw poultry.

“How was it for you, Franz?”

“It was a close call, but I managed to take it down. You?”

“I killed the Cockatrice and made it back seventy-six seconds after the hunt started.”

Is that a world record…?

“Anyway, tomorrow we head back to the capital.”

“Yeah, come to think of it, you’re right. It was a strange time—felt both long and short.”

It was less than two weeks, but I wonder if I’ve grown a little.

Afterward, I did a quick exchange of contact info before parting with the other trainees. I think building these lateral connections is important, but I didn’t get to have that talk with Alienor. Well, I guess that’s just how it goes.

Once the barbecue wrapped up safely, I returned to my room.

A dark, ominous-looking message card was wedged in the door crack.

<Notice of Final Orientation: A Trainees’ Sabbat will be held behind the building. Come at 2:00 AM, the hour when the night is deepest. However, please do not bring your familiars.>

This part of the industry is definitely “Black Magic-esque.”

Well, since it’s the last night, I might as well go. I feel bad for not being able to bring Cerulia, but since a familiar in human form is a rarity, it can’t be helped.

In the middle of the night, I slipped out of bed and went to the Sabbat location.

“You actually came.”

A voice spoke from behind me. I turned around to find Alienor.