Who Was the Cunning Villain?

"Stop your magecraft."

On a rooftop not far from the alley, Alice Kuonji looked at Michael beside her. A trace of dissatisfaction showed in her calm voice. This was Aozaki Aoko's first true battle, and she did not want anyone interfering.

"Just a little suggestion."

Michael raised a finger and gently swayed it, stirring the desires within the mage below. He was not particularly worried. The outcome had already been decided; no matter how things changed, only the process would differ.

After half a month of special training, although Aozaki Aoko had not learned any additional magecraft, her combat sense and techniques were no longer something the rookie mage she once was could compare to.

This intruder happened to be a suitable target for her final examination. Poor Ingram still did not know that the intelligence on Misaki Town had been sold to him by Michael. Not only had he handed over his wealth, but he was also about to be squeezed for every last bit of value. He was a tool through and through.

Of course, neither Aozaki Aoko nor Alice Kuonji knew any of this. They merely regarded Ingram as one of the usual invaders coveting the spiritual land.

Aozaki Aoko's wrist trembled, blue light visible through her sleeve. The air shook violently as a blue arc instantly crossed the distance between them.

Ingram's pupils contracted. A defensive formula instinctively surfaced over his right arm, which he raised before himself.

Crack—

Like the crisp sound of shattering glass, the defensive formula capable of withstanding rifle fire broke apart before the Magic Bullet, leaving a long, narrow graze on his right arm.

"Hiss—"

No blood flowed. The grazed area had already been scorched by the high heat of magical energy, leaving behind only blackened flesh that smelled faintly burnt. If his reaction had been any slower, his entire right arm would likely have been crippled.

This was only the most basic Magic Bullet. Why were its speed and power so different...?

As a mage, Ingram instinctively pondered this question, but the whistling wind by his ear reminded him that he was not in the comfortable castle of the Edgington Family. He was on a battlefield where lives were at stake.

By then, the resolute girl had already rushed before him. Her body bent slightly forward, her left foot slammed heavily down in front of her, and her right fist drew back to her side. After a brief charge, she drove it forward with crushing force.

Ingram suddenly felt a sharp pain erupt from his abdomen. His breath stopped with it, and an uncontrollable wave of nausea surged into his throat.

But Aozaki Aoko gave him no room to catch his breath. Her knee smashed viciously into Ingram's jaw. He vaguely heard the sound of bones breaking, and the agonizing pain immediately muddled his consciousness, as if a black curtain had fallen before his eyes.

"Gandr"

If he had been an ordinary person, such a flurry of blows would have left him sprawled on the ground, unable to move. But Ingram was a mage. At the very least, his Mage Crest had greatly enhanced his physical capabilities, allowing him to retain a relatively clear mind despite all the pain and negative sensations.

At this distance, he could only use the magecraft he knew best. He only hoped to force the girl before him back and buy himself time to cast another spell.

The Yin Qi Bullet, radiating ominous magical energy, struck Aozaki Aoko's torso. A soft magical barrier surfaced over her body, perfectly neutralizing the damage inflicted by the Yin Qi Bullet.

Then a powerful roundhouse kick slammed into Ingram's side. He felt as though he had been struck by a battering ram. Before that irresistible force, he could only fly helplessly backward and crash heavily into the wall beside the alley.

The intense pain had already left him unable to breathe. That heart-rending agony had become Ingram's nightmare. He had no idea how many ribs had broken, and his internal organs had probably been pierced as well, or there would not be the taste of blood in his mouth.

"Clavis est ad radix causa divitiis sit. Wealth is the key that opens the Root."

He murmured under his breath, trembling as he pulled a rust-covered bronze coin from his waist and clenched it tightly in his hand. It pained him, but if he continued fighting the girl before him with his body in this state, he would likely be defeated the next second.

The Value Conversion formula unfolded. The bronze Sestertius gradually turned transparent before finally vanishing, while the injuries on Ingram's body healed at a visible rate. Within only a few breaths, he had fully recovered.

Ingram's heart bled. In order to purchase information about Misaki Town, he had already been forced to sell some Ancient Roman coins. Now, he had only seven Sestertii, three Dinari, and one Aureus left.

(Sestertii, Dinari, and Aurei were all currencies of Ancient Rome, minted from bronze, silver, and gold respectively.)

No, now he only had six Sestertii left.

He was a dignified High-ranking Mage, descended from a prestigious Ancient Roman lineage, yet he had been severely injured by the heir of a fallen mage family from the Far East. If the people of the Clock Tower found out, they would laugh themselves to death. The scant honor remaining to his family would vanish completely.

The more Ingram thought about it, the angrier he became. Only one thought remained in his mind—to capture the girl before him and torture her to death with the cruelest punishments.

The magical suggestion cast by Michael had imperceptibly twisted Ingram's mind. Until he achieved his goal, he would not stop unless this body died.

"Gandr!"

He consumed another Sestertius. Under the Value Conversion formula, even the most basic Yin Qi Bullet underwent a heaven-shaking transformation. Dozens of Yin Qi Bullets radiating ominous magical energy enveloped Aozaki Aoko like a raging storm.

These Yin Qi Bullets had tracking formulas attached to them. After finding that evasion was futile, Aozaki Aoko could only meet them head-on. The Magic Bullet formula unfolded, and blue Magic Bullets howled forth to intercept them, colliding with the aggressive Yin Qi Bullets in midair.

A few that slipped through were blocked by the magical barrier deployed around her body. Though she suffered no injuries, a large portion of the magical energy within her had already been consumed. The magical barrier Michael had taught her could resist nearly any attack, but the magical energy it consumed was far beyond that of ordinary defensive formulas.

"Aoko misjudged the situation here. Stacking two layers of defensive formulas would have been enough to block them. Doing it this way consumed at least twice as much magical energy."

Alice Kuonji gave her assessment. Though the judgment had been mistaken, those involved could not see as clearly as observers. From Aozaki Aoko's perspective, it was understandable that she had chosen a more cautious approach when facing the altered Yin Qi Bullets.

Meanwhile, Michael beside her had clearly taken an interest in the Edgington Family's Value Conversion formula. In his eyes, it resembled a "pay-to-win formula"—as long as one spent money, one could do whatever one wanted.

But the essential parts concerning value must have long since been taken by the Edelfelt. Seen this way, the remnants of Ingram's Mage Crest were more like tasteless chicken ribs—too bland to eat, yet too regrettable to throw away.