‘This is a disaster.’
Captain Ordine clenched his teeth as he watched the approaching fog without putting up any resistance.
This was the worst-case scenario out of all the simulations he’d reviewed countless times in his mind.
Every single spell he’d prepared had become useless, and once again, d*ath would come calling, bringing countless casualties thanks to the cursed fog.
Again.
Hoooww—
Even as he swung his mana-infused sword with all his strength, it did absolutely nothing.
The encroaching black fog seemed to defy the laws of nature entirely.
Surely gases should scatter when the wind blows, right? But the black fog stood its ground, completely unaffected by the gusts of wind.
When Ordine slashed through it with his mana-charged blade, it’d briefly warp, but in no time at all, it would advance once more.
At least if he were alone, his decision would’ve been simple. If you can’t defend against an attack, you evade it, right?
But he couldn’t just run now. Not when doing so would leave his subordinates to d*e while being suffocated by the fog.
If he couldn’t stop it somehow, he’d have to watch his men perish again, the exact same way they had before.
“d*mn it!”
Unfortunately, no particular solution presented itself.
It was a moment of life or d*ath.
He alternated his gaze between the fog now within arm’s reach and his retreating subordinates. Their retreat was too slow—ridiculously slow compared to the fog’s relentless advance.
‘What do I do at a time like this?!’
The moment the strength left Ordine’s hand, and his once-sharp sword pointed downward, an unfamiliar sound reached his ears.
Whooom—
It wasn’t the usual deathly drone of the black fog. This sound… it seemed to come from everywhere around him, seizing his attention completely.
Ordine clearly saw what was impossible.
The black fog, which even the magicians couldn’t dissipate, was now being sucked away somewhere, vanishing entirely.
“Eh…?”
Whooom—
The black fog continued to vanish with the humming sound.
Instinctively, Ordine glanced behind him at Professor Amillion. Who else could’ve done this?
‘Not him?’
Ordine had thought the professor might’ve been using some kind of special magic, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, Professor Amillion was also dumbfounded, watching the fog disappear with a mix of awe and confusion.
“What in the world…?”
Only now did Ordine take a calmer look around him.
Almost all of the once-ominous black fog had vanished. In its absence, a lone tree reappeared before them, followed by a mysterious Man in a White Robe.
“Hoo…”
And from the Man in the White Robe came an expression of astonishment.
Though unclear why, something inside Ordine felt a flicker of hope.
The fog was gone, and the enemy was now visible.
Ordine’s instincts screamed that the moment to strike was now.
This was the only chance to approach a magician capable of wielding such difficult magic.
“Ughhhaaaa!”
As Ordine shouted the war cry and poured mana throughout his body, he lunged at the man in white.
There was simply no time to think about why the fog disappeared or how the man in white might react.
Summoning such powerful magic would surely require time to cast again.
Seizing the gap, Ordine intended to capture the wizard.
He felt confident he could do it—now.
His grip tightened on the sword, and the Man in the White Robe leaped backward with unexpected grace.
‘What kind of magician is this?!’
Another unexpected surprise.
Who would’ve guessed how incredible this magician’s jumping ability was?
The man in white floated like a feather before landing far away in an instant.
Though caught off-guard by this swift and powerful leap, Ordine quickly shook off his surprise.
If his opponent could run, so could he chase faster—and catch him.
Tsst—
Ordine propelled himself forward with even greater speed than before, dashing toward the man like an arrow in flight.
This was one of his specialties.
Just as Ordine thought he’d definitely landed a hit this time…
Whoosh—
Once again, the mist obstructed his vision.
‘What?!’
This guy could recast the fog so quickly?!
‘It’s already too late.’
Instinct told Ordine there was no way to evade this fog.
His best option was to charge straight through it.
“HYYYYAAAAAA!”
A massive cry escaped Ordine’s throat as he hurled himself headlong into the mist.
The decision was already made.
Whooom—
“Hmph, my my…”
“Huh?”
Ordine had no choice but to slow down.
The fog before him had vanished—and someone new now stood in front.
Dressed in robes and clothes starkly contrasting the Man in White—a figure draped entirely in black.
Even though he could only see their back, something about the outfit felt familiar to Ordine.
“Seriously, isn’t that a bit too reckless?”
The voice, somewhat feminine yet neutral, carried a teasing tone.
That distinct mocking undertone… and this familiar design of the black clothing…
‘No way…?’
Ordine scrutinized the newly appeared figure as if questioning his own eyes.
“You…”
While Ordine stared blankly at the black-clad figure, the Man in White Robe muttered under his breath.
This caused the person in black to turn their head.
And that’s when Ordine saw it—the black mask worn by the figure.
“You! Why are you here?!”
At the sight of the mask, Ordine was certain.
This unexpected visitor was someone he knew—and not in a good way.
A thief who had stolen the O’Neil Kingdom’s most precious treasure—the Dragon Heart, years ago.
The leader of the Black Shadow Guild.
“…Long time no see?”
“You!!”
Ordine’s anger boiled over at the leisurely greeting from the Black Shadow Guild Leader.
It was infuriating.
Initially, I’d rather not get involved, but I had no choice.
Leaving things as they were, Professor Amillion might also get into trouble—and I didn’t want that.
Approaching unnoticed thanks to the Green’s secret movement technique was going as planned until…
This mysterious magician’s spell was impressively tricky.
The black fog that sprang forth beneath his feet seemed to affect everyone—but not the mage himself.
It was spreading recklessly through the O’Neil Kingdom forces, even though they’d raised protection barriers and cast numerous spells, all of which seemed futile.
Not even my attempt to blow it away with strong winds did anything.
Surely mist should dissipate with wind—but no.
It was absurd, but hey, magic, you know.
This fog felt extraordinarily heavy and sticky.
Definitely not something I’d counter with ordinary means.
Both the kingdom’s wizards, including the revered Professor Amillion, and Ordine, were powerless against it.
‘Guess I have no choice.’
When Ordine charged into what looked like a really dangerous fog like an idiot… I had to intervene.
The guy wasn’t directly related to me, but letting him d*e felt a bit cruel.
After all, the poor guy went through a lot of trouble because of me a while back.
“…Long time no see?”
“You!!”
Ordine’s response was more heated than I expected after my polite greeting.
As soon as he recognized me, he started shouting.
“Let’s deal with the fog first?”
“W-W-What?! You have some nefarious plan already?! Is this your* doing?!”
“Not at all, let’s focus on taking down this guy first.”
Of course, Ordine immediately started accusing me without hearing the whole story.
That’s what happens when your reputation is that of a “bad guy.”
Anytime you pop up in situations like this, people jump to conclusions.
“What’s your game?!”
“It’s not some game…”
Whoosh—
Maybe out of jealousy at our chit-chat, the mysterious man in the white robe shot a fresh mist our way without a single word.
Whooom—
But there was no way it’d reach me.
Even though he tried aiming directly at me, my area was completely fortified.
Nothing physical or magical could penetrate the space I occupied.
“Let’s handle this ourselves if you don’t wanna help.”
Giving up on convincing Ordine, I decided to just focus on my job.
At least he didn’t make the incredibly dumb move of attacking me first.
Whooom—
Sweeping the reappearing fog away, I moved directly to the white-robed figure.
Surprisingly agile again, the magician leaped into the air as I approached him.
He wasn’t the typical sluggish wizard stereotype.
Whooom—
“Where’s the student?”
“Huh.”
Appearing suddenly in front of him mid-leap, I asked calmly.
I couldn’t see his face, but I could tell the man was clearly flustered.
“Where is he?”
Instead of answering, the man stretched his hand toward me.
I could feel the mana coalescing—clearly not ordinary.
This energy felt like black magic, the same dark tendrils I’d encountered countless times while dealing with Landgar.
Poof—
Only, unlike Landgar’s crude blobs of raw magic, this person’s magic seemed refined, carefully structured.
Dark thorns erupted from his hand, ready to pierce me.
Whooom—
Of course, his attack didn’t land.
“This is…”
Finally, the man in white spoke through his hood.
Pffft—
“Huh?”
Then, he just disappeared.
This was ridiculous.
