MTLNOVEL Chapter 281
Chapter 282. How to Protect What’s Precious (6)
To put it simply, Circle Magic can be summed up as, “If you follow the instructions, even a monkey can use magic!” This is possible because magic is defined and quantified into numerical formulas.
On the other hand, Realization Magic is different. It’s also called “Primordial Magic.” It’s magic that activates solely through belief, imagination, and mana.
So, it’s not impossible. There’s even magic like, “If you open this note, you’ll get electrocuted!”
The lightning Keter embedded in the note was powerful enough to instantly kill a human or knock out an ogre.
But it only matters if it hits. The lightning struck Nila, the Moon Rabbit, and scattered in all directions before naturally dissipating.
Nila’s body is surrounded by a telekinetic shield made of a dual structure of external and repulsive forces. That’s what deflected the lightning.
It wasn’t something she put up because she suspected Keter; it was a barrier Nila always kept up.
Nila glanced at Catherine’s expression, who had delivered the note. If Catherine had knowingly given it to her, Nila planned to scold her harshly.
But Catherine seemed completely unaware. However, she neither apologized nor made excuses.
‘She has quite a loyal subordinate.’
If Keter had intended to kill her, he wouldn’t have used such a roundabout method. Embedding lightning in the note likely had two meanings.
‘If she was knocked out, he could take her away and talk. If she blocked the lightning, he could confirm her abilities.’
All the danger fell on Catherine, who delivered the note. It was a dangerous task that could have gotten her killed on the spot. Catherine must have known that.
Yet, her expression didn’t change. It felt like she didn’t care even if it happened.
“Annoying, but I guess I have no choice but to back off.”
Nila checked the note’s contents. According to the divination, her life or death would be decided by this note.
Catherine, who had been tense, now watched Nila with curiosity. What on earth was written in the note?
Nila’s eyes only moved twice while reading the note. It was clear the content wasn’t very long.
‘Surrender if you don’t want to die! Something like that? That’s so like Master.’
Catherine tried to sneak behind Nila to peek at the note, but—
“Huh.”
Nila laughed and folded the note, leaving Catherine sighing in disappointment.
“What did it say?”
Catherine asked casually, but Nila responded differently.
“Tell Keter I got the message.”
Before Catherine could reply, Nila disappeared in a flash of light. Watching Nila vanish so blatantly after appearing silently, Catherine was left puzzled.
“What on earth was written in it?”
Lost in curiosity, Catherine hurriedly headed back to the ground. She realized they were in the middle of a war, deep in enemy territory.
Somewhere in the rear of Baydant’s camp.
Nether, sitting on the ground, reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. It was a handmade cigarette, worn and without any embellishments.
“I quit smoking.”
Despite saying that, he brought it to his nose and sniffed. It had a strong, pungent smell, but it was oddly addictive.
“Cheap on the outside, but the inside is top quality.”
As a former smoker, Nether could tell the quality of the tobacco just by the smell. It was undoubtedly top-tier, the kind used for cigars, not cigarettes.
And this cigarette was given to him by Keter. When? When he stabbed Keter in the chest.
“They say if your body’s weak, your mind suffers.”
Muttering weakly, Nether put the cigarette in his mouth and rummaged through his pocket.
“Wait, you gave me the cigarette, but how am I supposed to light it…?”
Just as he complained, his bracelet vibrated. It was a communication from his subordinate.
– Brother. Just as you predicted, Sephira has broken through Baydant’s vanguard and is advancing north. Should we deploy the waiting Howling Leopard Squad?
The Howling Leopard Squad. A elite unit trained and equipped by the late Bolos solely to counter Sephira’s archers.
“No need for that anymore.”
– Huh?
Nether, putting the cigarette back in his pocket, said something unbelievable.
“It’s a bit early, but I think I’ll retire.”
– …That’s really out of nowhere. Are you getting dementia in your old age? Or is it guilt?
“Are you dense or messing with me? It’s obviously because of Keter.”
– What does it matter if Keter, who was fatally wounded by your perfect strategy and is now being chased by five Grandmasters, is still alive?
“That’s all a lie. It was an act! Damn it, you should’ve seen it.”
– Don’t joke around. You stabbed him in the heart and injected Basilisk venom. Either one would kill a human, but you did both. There’s no way it was an act.
“See, you don’t believe me. But it really happened.”
Nether shuddered just thinking about it.
He had successfully ambushed Keter, who was under siege by Grandmasters, by casting two 6th Circle spells and detonating a bomb. But the moment he stabbed him, he felt something was off.
‘Something’s wrong.’
It was a swordsman’s instinct. He had clearly stabbed human flesh, but it didn’t feel like he was stabbing a human. Moreover, he couldn’t feel the heart where the blade should have pierced.
The heart feels different from other muscles when stabbed. The moment you stab it, you instinctively know, “Ah, this is the heart.”
But when Nether stabbed Keter’s chest, it felt like piercing steel fibers.
Nether tried to twist the blade to ensure damage, but at that moment, Keter spoke.
“Now’s the time.”
“…!”
Nether and Keter had once met with the family heads and had a brief conversation.
Back then, they secretly made a promise. A signal only Solvers would understand.
– A Solver never gives up on a request until death.
Hidden in those words was the meaning, “If Solvers fight, the overwhelmingly victorious one will show mercy to the defeated.”
Here, the “overwhelming victor” was obviously Keter, and the defeated was Nether. It wasn’t something anyone else needed to acknowledge; Nether himself admitted it.
“Keter, that guy… is a monster.”
He aimed for the heart, but there was no heart. Basilisk venom didn’t work either. How could you call that human?
He even took hits from 6th Circle spells and was fine. All while being besieged by three Grandmasters!
Yes. Nether’s claim that Keter was severely injured was a lie. He had betrayed Baydant.
Thanks to that, Rajis and Jordic were completely fooled. Believing Keter was fatally wounded and fleeing, they joined the chase with the Grandmasters.
Of course, this wasn’t a scenario Nether had cooperated to create.
‘That guy could’ve killed me and still put on the act.’
In the time it took to put the cigarette in his pocket, he could’ve died eight times over. Keter spared Nether, and in return, Nether willingly participated in Keter’s act.
That was the full story.
– I get that Keter’s a monster. But isn’t Sephira still weak enough to crush?
The subordinate’s words were reasonable. No matter how much of a monster Keter was, Sephira wasn’t. Even if they lost battles, they could still win the war.
But Nether shook his head.
“Sephira can be crushed. We don’t even need to step in for that. The problem is Keter. If we crush Sephira, do you think he’ll just sit still? Will he admit defeat and back off? No, he’ll fight to the end, that guy.”
– It’s a bit awkward to say this, but you seem really scared of Keter.
“No matter how much you talk about a cliff, you can’t truly understand it until you see it for yourself. That’s how strong Keter is. I’m a Solver, not a battle maniac. I know when to back off.”
– What about the subordinates who were excited to fight?
“If they want to fight, let them fight. I won’t even ask for severance pay, so I’m all for it.”
– You really seem serious about retiring. So all the strategies you’ve prepared so far are off the table?
Nether had prepared a final move for this war. Even if Baydant lost, he had a backup plan to ensure Sephira couldn’t win either.
“I already said it. If I make a messy exit, Keter will chase me to the death.”
– What about the activated Wyvern Lure?
“Just dump it somewhere.”
The Wyvern Lure. A sinister creation by some alchemist, this worst-case item mimics female wyvern pheromones to attract male wyverns.
Wyverns can detect pheromones from thousands of meters away, so if this lure is activated, hundreds or thousands of wyverns could swarm. If that happens, a city could be wiped out in the blink of an eye.
Originally, the Empire had destroyed all such developments, but Nether had secretly hidden one. He had once taken a request from that alchemist, so he knew about his secret warehouse.
He had planned to use it in the family war between Baydant and Sephira, but now he canceled it.
“Keter, since you spared me, I’ll make a clean exit.”
Rumors of a Solver taking a request and then running away? He didn’t care. He’d just change his face with plastic surgery and live on.
Besides, if the Baydant family, who could raise the issue, disappeared, who would even know?
“I should live comfortably in my later years. Maybe travel the world a bit.”
But Nether vowed he wouldn’t even pee in the direction of the Lilian Kingdom or Sephira.
“Something’s off.”
The five Grandmasters chasing Keter, who was supposedly fatally wounded and poisoned.
Rajis, who had somehow become the leader, muttered suddenly, and Jordic chimed in as if he’d been waiting.
“It’s been at least 10 minutes. Why is Keter still alive?”
“Plus, the distance seems to be closing, but it’s not.”
Keter had bled profusely before fleeing, and his complexion was pale. His running speed was much slower than before, so it seemed like they could catch him with a little more effort.
But Keter always maintained a frustratingly close distance, just out of reach. As they ran, they suddenly found themselves in an unknown forest, having left the southern region.
Jordic suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
“It’s a trap. We’ve been lured!”
Jordic stopped abruptly, and the other Grandmasters followed suit.
At that moment, Keter, who had been running precariously, also suddenly stopped and approached them with perfectly steady steps.
“Did you figure it out?”
Keter smirked.
Rajis swallowed hard.
“Your wound… healed?”
It was a chest wound. A wound that would be hard to survive even with proper treatment, yet he recovered while running.
The absurd recovery left Rajis and the other Grandmasters sweating in shock, despite the winter weather.
Keter created arrows of light above his hands. They were fully charged Milky Way arrows.
Unlike Keter, who had recovered his stamina while running, Baydant’s Grandmasters were exhausted.
“Are you going to fight or run? Make up your mind. It’s about half and half.”
At Keter’s words, Zion and Tesla trembled. They wanted to run.
But Rajis and Jordic gripped their swords and spears tightly and stepped forward.
“We’re not running anymore.”
“Yeah, this is enough. There’s no one watching.”
“That sounds like you’re saying you could’ve easily beaten us all, but didn’t because there were too many eyes on you.”
“Exactly. If I beat you too easily, my next opponent might be the Lord. I’d rather postpone fighting the Lord.”
“…….”
No one could call Keter arrogant. Only then did they realize. Keter hadn’t said he would “kill” them, but that he would “win.”
In other words, he intended to “subdue” all five Grandmasters.
“……!”
As everyone was stunned, Keter silently demonstrated with action.