NOVEL NEXT Chapter 36.1
36.1.Magician
“Ah, um, thank you so much…!”
Without even drawing the jade-steel sword at his waist, Nord had subdued the gang of ruffians.
A voice called out to his back.
The speaker was the individual who had been surrounded by the ruffians.
Receiving their words of gratitude, Nord turned to face them and spoke.
“Are you alright?”
“Y-Yes. You saved me…”
The person wore a black cloak, its hue blending into the twilight.
They were short, their face hidden beneath a deeply drawn hood.
The cloak’s loose silhouette made it hard to tell whether they were male or female at first glance.
“Ah…! P-Please excuse me!”
As if realizing they still had their hood up, the person removed it to reveal their face.
With a soft swish of fabric, their appearance came into view beneath the cloak.
They were young. Their features were androgynous, and their slightly long hair gave them a youthful air.
To Nord, they appeared to be younger than him—likely around the same age as his sister, Lilia, he judged from their looks and voice.
“My name is Eli… Elisio. Thank you so much for helping me.”
Introducing themselves as Elisio, the person with the androgynous appearance spoke words of gratitude, relief evident on their face.
Judging by their delicate build, Nord couldn’t imagine Elisio being accustomed to violence.
Surrounded by ruffians, they must have been terrified, Nord thought with sympathy.
“Ah, as you may have heard earlier, I’m a member of the knights. You’re safe now.”
“Y-Yes…”
“A patrol will arrive soon to take over, but what happened here?”
“Well…”
The streets of the royal capital were growing deserted in the deepening twilight.
Still, it wasn’t completely devoid of people.
The knights would surely arrive soon, alerted by the sounds of the scuffle.
In the meantime, Nord decided to question Elisio, hoping to help calm them down.
“I stayed out too late after leaving a shop, and these people started harassing me… There was no one else around, and before I knew it, I was surrounded.”
Elisio spoke with a trembling voice, clutching their slender wrist visible from the sleeve of their cloak.
The cloak swayed faintly, betraying their lingering fear.
Though hard to see in the dim light, their face seemed slightly pale.
Nord waited until Elisio regained their composure, then resumed his questioning.
“Were they after your belongings?”
“No… I attend the magic academy, and, um, it’s complicated, but…
They said things only someone familiar with the academy would know.”
“Hmm… Hired by someone, perhaps?”
Nord glanced at the ruffians sprawled on the cobblestones.
They didn’t look like the type to have any connections to the magic academy.
“Any ideas?”
When Nord turned his gaze back to Elisio and asked, they averted their eyes, hesitant to respond.
Eventually, they answered.
“There’s someone at the academy who’s been harassing and obstructing me… I suspect it might be them.”
“I see.”
Bullying, huh?
There’s always someone petty out there, Nord thought, glancing at Elisio’s cloak—the kind worn by magicians.
“A little roughing up, and they’d probably spill… wouldn’t they?”
“No, that won’t work.”
When Nord suggested extracting information from the ruffians, Elisio shook their head.
They explained that the person behind the harassment was cautious, and evidence wouldn’t likely surface through direct ties to these thugs.
“Is that so… Well, let’s tie them up, then.”
“Oh, in that case, please wait a moment.”
If there was nothing more to do here, Nord decided to restrain the unconscious ruffians to prevent their escape.
He was about to retrieve the sturdy rope he kept for adventuring from his carriage when Elisio stopped him.
“What’s the matter?”
“I can make it… There we go.”
“…Impressive.”
The moment they spoke, Elisio closed their eyes and began murmuring softly.
A spell…
After finishing their incantation, pale blue light emanated from their hands, illuminating the surroundings with magical energy.
In an instant, the cobblestones of the street rose, transforming into a new shape.
The earth twisted and thinned, changing form further until it became…
Chains, jingling faintly as they coiled into Elisio’s hands.
“It’s an application of alchemy.”
With a hint of pride, Elisio handed Nord the chains, their length sufficient to bind the ruffians.
Accepting them, Nord admired the spell’s effect, then remarked to Elisio.
“Hey, you know breaking the cobblestones is bad, right?”
The public property damage, he continued, gesturing to the cracked and scattered stones now littering the ground.
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