"That will do."
Just as Zheng Qing's first Talisman Bomb struck the Black Wizard's forehead.
High in the sky, far from the battlefield.
Among the clouds.
Seated on the gray crow's back, Professor Montria put away his Feather Pen and clipboard, lowered his head, and took one last look at the irregular blotch of interwoven black and red embedded in the dark green Silent Forest below. "The data largely meets our expectations, and it's about time," he instructed dispassionately. "...Let's end it here."
"Shouldn't we observe a little longer?"
Crow Number Three lay along the edge of the crow's wing, craning his head out and greedily savoring the tremendous aura emanating from the peak Grand Wizard within that dark blotch. A trace of intoxication appeared in his eyes. "This is the finest creation we've produced, apart from a few flaws in its appearance..." he murmured. "Just imagine, if everyone in the world could..."
He very wisely ended his flight of fancy there.
The professor lifted his eyelids and glanced at him.
"Restraint is the most elegant virtue in the world."
"Take Mr. Wotrey down there," the professor said meaningfully. "He has already begun instinctively losing himself in this power that does not belong to him... People whose actions are governed by instinct often cannot distinguish bait from food... For most Black Wizards, pursuing power is instinctive, and power is the best bait. Clearly, our Mr. Wotrey is a textbook Black Wizard."
"And a stupid Black Wizard with no self-control," Crow Number Three muttered, withdrawing his gaze and adding two qualifiers to the professor's assessment. Then he supplied two comparisons as well. "Like a peacock that can't wait to fan its tail, or a little boy showing off his toys to strangers."
The professor himself had used the latter comparison not