novel
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The Coming of the Crown Prince (4)
"Who... are you?"
Fully alert, Cecelia asked him.
Hiding emotions was the most basic of the basics for a Coldwalker.
However, at this moment, she couldn't hide her emotions.
"That name. How do you.... . ?"
"I know it very well."
Of course, he knew
The man who caught the tail of the Coldwalkers in the empire,
The man who almost destroyed the entire operation.
That man was Ian in his former life.
"If you want, I can list your agents, what kind of operations you guys are running at the moment."
"Bull shi.... ."
"Yol, The horse keeper of the house of Molten. Robin, Royal secretary."
Suddenly, Ian started to recite some names and their operations.
"Aerio, The 9th border defense force soldier. Isabel, the chief maid of the detached royal palace. Ah, she shouldn't have become a chief, yet."
Coldwalkers that Ian found in former life and still remembered.
He called specific names of Coldwalkers who may be on their mission at this moment.
"The common thing between these people, Can you have a guess? I think I know the answer."
He listed their names and operation barely.
"What on earth.... ."
Cecelia completely lost her emotional balance like a ship wrecked by a storm.
The confusion exceeded her mental capacity.
"Don't worry, though. I am the only one who knows this, yet."
To Cecelia, Ian said this full of confidence.
"And I don't want to tell others about it."
"What do you mean?"
"You guys are, hmm what should I say.... ."
Ian paused shortly to find a good expression.
"Emergency food."
"....... ?"
"I am going to arrest them one by one whenever I need to."
Coldwalkers who were undercover in the empire, or who will come into the empire.
To Ian, they were just one of the tools to increase his merit.
The merits that he could use whenever he needed.
This era was still unstable and war could occupy the country at any moment.
Arresting a spy during the war. Such exceptional merit.
The analogy of emergency food quite suited them.
'Just who is he?'
Cecelia chewed her lips.
What a mysterious man he is.
The man who knew the list of Coldwalkers clearly.
Furthermore, The man who was most likely the enemy of her country
She couldn't calm herself down.
Nevertheless, she must do something.
The situation didn't allow her to communicate with her home country.
She must do something herself.
'I must decide. '
As her country ordered to her, this boy must be suppressed alive.
The order was an order, and the boy was such a threat.
Right after she finishes this situation, she would send an emergency message to her country straight away.
To inform that there is a high chance that the identity of all Coldwalkers was compromised.
Fortunately, this area was connected to the border.
There was a chance to sneak out.
'If things go ugly, '
In that case, he must be assassinated.
The primary mission objective was kidnapping, the secondary was murder.
She had no time for testing. She had to do her best.
"I have no clue how you know the names, "
Around Cecelia, fire spheres lit up.
Six spheres as big as a human's head.
It must be much more destructive than magic missile.
"But you shouldn't speak it out, Young boy."
Just after she finished her word, fire spheres flew to Ian quickly.
All six spheres were targeting Ian's body.
With a shield magic like he just cast before, he wouldn't able to protect himself from it.
"Mana Barrier."
However, Ian's response was simple and amazing.
Mana Barrier, It was the next level of Shield magic.
Its wall could absorb much more damage than shield magic.
'Did he just used a Mana Barrier?'
Her reaction was natural.
Mana Barrier was 3rd class magic.
Which means that kid's magical skill level was the same as hers, at least.
The report of the conducted mage wasn't a rumor, indeed.
Actually, it seemed he was underestimated.
*BAANG! BAANG! BAAAAANG!*
Fire spheres ruthlessly smashed Ian's mana barrier.
The giant explosion noise was echoed in the gymnasium.
Since the area was quiet, the noise was sounded louder than usual.
People might come to check the gymnasium.
By any means necessary, she must finish her job quickly.
'I need to find a way to draw him out from the barrier first.... '
Cecelia was caught in a hurry.
Time was on that boy's side.
'I guess she is in big trouble. '
The duel of magicians, it was usually quite boring.
People might expect some kind of spectacular magical shows.
However, the reality was different.
In most cases, they just hide in their defense magic like a turtle and wait for their perfect chance.
They wouldn't dare to risk their own life for the stupid magical show.
The one who stays focused longer in those boring situations is the winner in most cases.
'Of course, it was the strategy for 'ordinary' magicians. '
However, Ian in his former life was different.
With his overwhelming destructive magic, he destroyed a mage and barrier at the same time. In a former life, though.
'I can't do it for now. '
He didn't have enough mana to cast such a high-class magic.
For now, Ian also needed to find a different method.
'I can't just stay like this. '
Cecelia was also a 3rd class magician.
She would also able to cast mana barrier.
Fortunately, Ian had a plan.
In proper expression,
'I made a plan. '
When he had seen Cecelia in front of the province castle, he already had expected her to approach him to spy, and that she might be aggressive.
So, he prepared something,
On the sky of the gymnasium, covered by shadow.
"Light."
Ian made a small light sphere.
It was a harmless convenient magic that is usually cast to provide a clear vision in a dark area.
'Why did he use light magic?'
Cecelia couldn't understand Ian's choice.
Ian and Cecelia both were risking their own life.
In this breathtaking situation, did he just use the light magic?
"I knew you are Coldwalker."
Ian lifted the light sphere to the sky.
high, higher, higher and higher.
"Even when I knew it, I decided to stay here alone. Can you guess why?"
The light magic drove the shadow from the gymnasium.
Suddenly, Cecelia's face turned pale.
Numerous ice shards were floating in the sky.
Their sharp sides were heading to Cecelia.
"I also expected you would come to the gymnasium."
Ian prepared to greet Cecelia with his masterpiece; the giant trap of gymnasium.
"Ice spear."
As for raining, Ice shards started to fall down.
Unlike normal rain, it didn't fall randomly.
Every single shard had one destination.
The destination was Cecelia.
"Urgh....... !"
Cecelia quickly cast mana barrier.
Numerous ice shards fell onto her mana barrier.
*Clink! Crash! Clink! Craaasshhh!*
It sounded like smashing an aegis with metal.
Now the tide turned into Ian's favor.
*Crack! Craaack! Craaaaccck!*
Cecilia's barrier started to crack.
Even mana barrier had its limitations.
But, she might able to recast mana barrier, though.
A mage like Cecelia was surely able to recast it easily.
But, Ian's Ice shards were not his final blow.
"Hew......"
Ian gathered his palms.
And he started to draw mana between his palms.
*Rush!*
He made a fire sphere. Just one sphere.
However, its size was unimaginably enormous.
As a snowball rolling on the snow field grew itself,
The fire sphere kept getting bigger.
"Stay right there."
The numerous ice shards Ian made on the ceiling of the gymnasium, they were just a faint.
He used ice shards to force Cecelia to cast a barrier, so that she wouldn't be able to move.
All the steps were planned for this giant final blow.
"Pyro Blast."
The giant fire sphere left Ian's hand.
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