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The reception room was covered with magic that inhibited detection, but it was not designed to be breached by a magical attack through a wall.
Iris’s (René’s) magic easily perforated a large hole.
There were several people in the reception room, which looked so luxurious as to make one wonder what the point of making it so luxurious was.
First was an elderly gentleman in a pompous-looking suit. This was probably the duke, the owner of the castle.
Then, sitting across from the duke, an old man who looked like an evil sorcerer. This one was probably the leader of the Night Pythons, whom Iris (René) had been chasing with her magic until a few moments before.
The two old geezers each had their minions behind them. The supposed duke had a knight in armor and an official who looked suspiciously like he was taking a bribe or something. The supposed leader was dressed in a hooded cloak and looked like he had killed two or three people before.
“Hmmm…? Bingo. Saves me the trouble.”
Iris (René) couldn’t stop her face from smiling with delight.
At last, Iris (René) had found the boss of the Night Pythons, her immediate goal. Not only that, but she had also captured the duke, the leader of the royal brothers’ faction, which made her feel good.
The gold coins on the table made it clear that they were in the middle of a secret meeting and a bribe. It was true that they were in cahoots.
Everyone present was stunned by Iris’s (René’s) entrance, which was so violent.
The first to react was one of the presumed minions whom the leader had kept behind him.
“Who are you!”
He took off his hooded cloak, which seemed to be designed to hide his face and body and make him look like a mobster.
What emerged from beneath it was muscle.
The man was wearing nothing but short pants under his cloak, even though it was the cold season. However, his shorts were covered with several gold plates …, a charm for magical defense, like armor protecting his waist.
He may have been smaller than a human adult, but his bulging muscles didn’t make him look small at all. He looked like a model for an art drawing, the ultimate in ideal musculature. His hands were so large that he could have grabbed Iris’s (René’s) waist with one hand. His face was stern, his head shaved smooth, and his beard like a rough rope.
–He is one of the best “bouncers” of the Night Pythons. Godo, the “Tiger Killer”, a Dwarf fighter.
Godo closed the distance with unbelievable speed given his massive muscles. He seemed to be the type of fighter who would sort out the situation after he had beaten the opponent to a pulp.
Well, that may be due in part to the fact that Iris (René) was holding a staff. It would be suicidal to give a magician time.
How to deal with a magician head-on? There are two main possible ways.
First, you counter with a magician as well.
Second, you beat them down while protecting yourself from their magic with a few charms.
A few charms will buy enough time.
And perhaps Godo would be able to kill “Iris” with a single blow.
There is not even time for chanting.
He pushed forward with steps that shattered the floor, and then he punched with all his weight!
“Nnnn!”
A fist like a rock caught Iris’s (René’s) body.
But the next moment, Godo’s huge arm blew up into a ghastly mess as it burst from the inside, spraying blood.
“Aaahhhh!?”
Godo let out a wild scream. His arm was reduced to a mass of flesh and skin remnants dangling from his shoulder.
“Geeaaaahhh! M-my-my arm! My arm!!”
“Even though I should have returned most of it… Ouch … I still took quite lot of damage. What a feat!”
In contrast, Iris (René), who should have taken a clean hit, just staggered. It hurt enough, though.
Level 7 Physical Magic «Reflect Extend».
It was a buff spell to strengthen defense that reflected the impact of physical attacks, especially those caused by punching.
Moreover, as was the case with “Extend” magic, it was not as effective as normal magic, but once cast, it remained in effect for a certain amount of time.
Since there was no need to maintain the spell, another spell could be used while benefiting from the enhancement buff.
Iris (René) used this magic beforehand. She knew that there were no high-level magicians among the “bouncers”, but she was sure that they would have a large number of charms, so she had taken precautions.
Iris (René) was a little worried inside whether it would work, but it turned out to be a success.
“Eh, guards! Guards!”
“You’re not going to get any help. While you’ve been chattering away, I’ve wrapped this room in a barrier that blocks out all sounds and presences.”
“Kuh…!”
The duke stared at Iris (René) angrily.
The reception room was enclosed three dimensionally, and a magic item was set up to generate the barrier. Incidentally, the item was borrowed from the headquarters of Night Pythons.
――The first blow was surpassed. Next, remove all defenses.
“…≪Death Cloud≫”
A reddish-black wind rose from Iris’s (René’s) staff.
Like a swirling mist, it spread throughout the reception room.
“This is …!”
“”≪Countermagic Field≫!””
Finally, the defensive magic worked. Each of the minions behind the duke and the leader used their magic.
A wave of magical power enshrouded the duke and dispelled the deadly blood-colored mist.
≪Countermagic Field≫ was a magic spell that defended against magic by directly radiating the magic power of the magician. It was simple, effective, and versatile defensive magic, but its consumption was remarkably bad, since it drained as much magic as it received from the attacker.
–I wonder if they had a magician waiting in reserve as well.
The people who had looked bewildered finally began to move in front of Iris (René), who was calmly observing them.
“What are you doing?”
“Wait a minute. You’re just along for the ride.
“Wha…!?”
The duke, who was treated as an “accessory” by Iris (René), looked as surprised as when she burst through the wall and entered the room. Perhaps he was surprised to be treated as an afterthought after such a spectacular intrusion, or perhaps he simply had never been treated as an afterthought before in his life.
Whatever the case, leaving the duke aside, she had more important matters to take care of first.
“Hello, Night Pythons Boss, I wonder if I’m right… Well, I tried to visit you at the headquarters, but unfortunately you were out, so I came here.”
A questioning look appeared in the boss’s eyes.
He didn’t seem to know what she was talking about.
And moreover, he would not have dreamed that Iris (René) had destroyed the headquarters of the Night Pythons, and that she had tracked him down by means of magic from his belongings there.
“Ah. He’s the one who showed me the way. Give him a compliment.”
Iris (René) tossed the fresh head of Derik, which was hanging from one of her hands.
No one screamed at the sight of the severed head.
However, those who looked like guards stepped forward as if alarmed by Iris (René).
«Countermagic Field» and the protection charmss they had on hand were the time limit of their lives. If Iris (René) was not defeated by then, they would die.
However, Godo, whom any uninitiated observer would recognize as a fierce one-hit fighter, had just had one of his arms ripped off by a mysterious spell. The guards did not make any rash moves, but instead looked around nervously.
“Little girl. You want me? It will cost you dearly.”
The boss shrugged from behind the guards.
It was not a threat, but a tone of confidence about what was going to happen in the near future.
“The cost…”
Iris (René) deactivated the «Death Cloud» and released a «Ray» magic spell diagonally backward to the left without chanting.
Magical energy blasted out in a laser-like fashion, and following a sound similar to something soft being crushed, it hit the wall and burned through.
“Are you talking about this?”
“What!?”
The old man with the mysterious face opened his mouth and revealed a surprised expression.
It must have been extremely rare for the head of a criminal organization to make a face like this, but she didn’t feel as if she gained anything by seeing it.
Iris (René) turned around when she heard something fall down behind her.
A woman who had tried to attack Iris (René) by disappearing with some kind of magic or magic item was lying on the ground. A magic item, like a stun gun or similar item, was lying on the ground beside her.
This was Est, a female assassin, one of the Night Pythons’ best “bouncers”.
She was a voluptuous woman in a body-fitting jet-black costume… What she looked like, Iris (René) will never know. Her neck and above have already been magically obliterated, and there was no trace of her.
The disadvantage of charms is that they are triggered indiscriminately. Since they also work on assisting magic, it was necessary to turn them off if she wanted to use magic to disappear.
In other words, Est, who was hidden, could not receive the benefits of the charms, and was forced to choose between ending the situation before the «Death Cloud» could whittle away her strength or activating the charms, giving up the advantage of being in a state of concealment.
The result was as witnessed.
Unfortunately, against Iris (René), who could sense the emotions of anyone around her, strategies such as hiding or surprise attacks would be ineffective. From the very beginning, Iris (René) knew that there was someone in the room who was hiding from her. She countered when the person stealthily crept up behind her.
–I’ve beaten two “bouncers” with this, but I don’t see anyone else who looks like them… As expected, they didn’t have enough time to bring all of them along as guards. Then, the remaining threat is …
“Oh, that’s impossible…! Not only Godo, but even Est!?”
“Haha, you should have had more skilled bouncers. …Go, Brian.”
“Yes.”
In contrast to the boss, whose hands were shaking like withered branches, the duke was still in a relaxed attitude.
At the duke’s command, a man resembling a knight, who had been watching the proceedings with his arms crossed, drew his sword.
–At least the duke has a powerful bodyguard.
He was a man of picturesque appearance.
He was already middle-aged, but his body was solid and he moved nimbly despite the heavy full-body armor he was wearing. His armor was not made of anything but the finest material.
His posture was also dignified, and above all, he was not a bit afraid in this situation.
The man called Brian observed Iris (René) like he was gauging her value.
“Though disguised in the form of such a little girl, you must be a renowned magician …, no. I assume you are a legendary witch. Who are you?”
Iris (René) almost lost it when she realized that Bryan was being very serious.
And what did he mean “legendary witch”?
“Hate to say it, but I don’t remember making a name for myself as a legend.
…Rene “Rosey” Ruvia Ciel-Terra.
An insignificant little girl killed for a trivial reason, the name of the one who is about to destroy everything.”
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