Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 142

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 142

Chaser, who had regained his usual playful attitude, answered.

“Well, how should I know?”

He evaded the answer with words that couldn’t serve as any hint and just stared at me with the corners of his mouth raised.

I could read the clear meaning of rejection in that expression. Don’t ask any more than that.

But the opponent is the Magister.

Moreover, Chaser is bound by the slave’s seal that demands absolute obedience to his master’s words, and he’s even having his magical power stolen by the Magister.

Perhaps his revenge might even devour his own life.

Though I had many things I wanted to say, I eventually tilted part of my parasol toward Chaser, whose cheeks were red from the blazing sun, and coldly uttered just one sentence.

“I can at least worry, right?”

“Master, why are you being so kind today? You’re making my heart flutter.”

“Answer.”

Chaser, who had been hesitating for a moment, nodded as if giving up.

“If it’s ‘just’ worrying.”

That’s enough.

Just then, a shout erupted from Leo’s direction, who had been in a staring contest with a rabbit.

“Ah, the rabbit!”

The moment Chaser’s gaze was drawn to Leo, I didn’t miss the opportunity and threw one of Cao’s feathers, summoned from the shade of the parasol, into Chaser’s shadow.

Then I got up from my seat as if nothing had happened and approached Leo.

“Leo, what’s wrong?”

Leo pointed somewhere with his finger and made a tearful face.

“Something caught the rabbit!”

Just as he said, at the place Leo was pointing, a long beast was proudly raising its head with a rabbit larger than its own body in its mouth.

Two jet-black eyes like buttons.

A small triangular head and round ears.

A cute appearance with a not-so-cute ferocious personality.

‘Finally!’

I internally cheered at seeing the model for Leo’s messenger beast that had appeared after a long wait.

“It’s a weasel, isn’t it?”

That’s right, Leo’s messenger beast was none other than a weasel!

Now Leo will summon his messenger beast soon, right?

Just then, Leo, who had hung his head low, muttered something quietly.

“…No.”

“Huh?”

Soon Leo raised his head with a jerk and raised his voice as if seeking revenge, as though he were a family member of the hunted rabbit.

“I got a feeling! A weasel is definitely not my messenger beast!”

“…”

No, Leo… It’s definitely your messenger beast.

In the end, Leo, who failed to recognize his messenger beast even when it was right in front of him, couldn’t summon his messenger beast that day.

* * *

‘Walpurgis Night’ refers to a festival of mages held on nights when massive meteor showers pour down once every few years.

Mages who believe that primordial magic came down to this land riding on fragments of stars would even endure sleeping outdoors to watch the pouring meteor showers when Walpurgis Night arrived.

Naturally, the Magic Tower would become quiet.

On the day of Walpurgis Night.

Chaser wandered through the deserted Magic Tower, mulling over the words his student had left in yesterday’s lesson.

Since he had a troubled expression, at first I thought it was because he couldn’t easily summon his messenger beast.

However, what his student said while grabbing the mentor’s sleeve was beyond Chaser’s expectations.

“Teacher, I’ve been thinking about it. Rather than finding Asillia’s weakness or getting revenge… I, I want to try being friends.”

Since it meant he couldn’t follow Chaser’s advice, Leo’s heart was heavy as he made that confession.

Therefore, he didn’t know. How much relief Chaser actually felt from those words.

‘Little sprout, you don’t know how fortunate it is that you’re a student who thinks differently from me.’

Taking comfort in the fact that his student was different from himself, Chaser broke through the sealing magic circle at the basement entrance that blocked his path.

Crack.

The magic circle cracked and the entrance to the basement that the Magister had secretly hidden opened.

Beyond this was the secret laboratory where the Magister conducted disgusting experiments.

Just opening the door was enough to make cold sweat flow down his back as an ominous aura enveloped his entire body, but Chaser stepped toward the pitch-black basement stairs without hesitation.

One step, two steps, wherever his toes touched, yellow butterflies bloomed like flowers and flew up into the darkness.

Soon countless magic stones and messenger beasts filled his vision.

It was a beautiful scene that seemed like it would emit rich floral fragrance at any moment, but what could be smelled was only thick blood, damp mold, and…

“You bastard, how did you get in here?”

Only the smell of death.

Chaser’s gaze turned to the monsters trapped beyond the long row of iron bars and the chimeras created by mixing their bones and flesh.

It was a damn familiar scene.

“Master certainly has firm tastes. The place where I spent my childhood had a similar atmosphere to this place. So should I say it feels nostalgic?”

“Answer me, Chaser.”

“There’s no need to be so tense, Master. Though your unworthy student has discovered your disgusting laboratory, I haven’t told anyone about it.”

Saying this, Chaser showed the Magister a sincere smile that would be both the first and last.

This laboratory was prepared by the Magister to create immortal beings, which were forbidden, while avoiding the eyes of the Mage Republic.

If even a single page of research records from this place were leaked outside, the Magister would lose everything.

Chaser knew this, and so did the Magister.

Therefore, the Magister lamented while examining the countless butterfly-shaped magic stones covering the basement.

“I wasn’t being so lax with you.”

An aged hand grasped the magic staff left to one side.

“You’re making me do the terrible deed of destroying my masterpiece with my own hands, Chaser.”

“Do you know this? Master, you’re quite good with words, but your magic skills are terrible.”

“…I’ll have to cut off your limbs and sew up that mouth too. That way you won’t be able to spout such impudent words again.”

Soon, golden light appeared in both mages’ eyes.

A magic circle so elaborate and massive it was wondrous spread out like vines centered on Chaser, covering the blood-stained basement floor.

In comparison, the Magister couldn’t even form a proper magic circle.

Then, just as Chaser gathered the magical power stored in the magic stones to complete the magic circle.

“【Chaser, stop the flow of magical power.】”

“…!”

Chaser, who lost control over the flow of magical power, bent his waist while spitting up bright red blood.

Thud.

The countless magic stones that had been flying around Chaser lost their power and rolled on the floor.

Looking down at Chaser, who was coughing up blood with difficulty, the Magister clicked his tongue low.

“Foolish bastard. Did you forget your place, intoxicated by arrogance? No matter how much you struggle, you’re nothing but a slave.”

The Magister, who had neutralized Chaser without forming a single magic circle, approached his student.

“You underestimated the slave’s seal carved into your heart too much. Originally, a slave’s life is lighter than a single word from their master.”

It was a fight that couldn’t be won from the beginning.

A slave of the Mage Republic can never disobey their master’s words. The moment they resist a command, the magic circle carved into their heart slowly crushes the slave’s heart.

It was when the Magister was about to embed a magic circle at the end of his heavy staff and drive it into Chaser’s body to end it all.

Chaser, clutching his chest, raised his head with difficulty to look up at the Magister.

“You bastard… Why are you smiling?”

The sneer on Chaser’s blood-stained lips made the Magister stop his hand.

“Mentor, do you know what the very first magic I learned… and the magic I just performed is?”

The Magister hadn’t claimed that position carelessly either.

The Magister glanced sideways at the magic circle Chaser had constructed, analyzing its formula in his mind.

Though it looked incredibly complex with various auxiliary magic circles intricately intertwined, its essence was simple.

“Reversal… magic circle…”

A high-level magic that returns received magic back to the opponent.

Chaser kindly explained which magic circle he had reversed.

“That’s right, I racked my brains for a damn long time to create a magic circle that would reverse your slave seal.”

With those words, Chaser snapped his fingers.

Snap.

With a crisp sound, the magic circle Chaser had completed activated and began constricting the body of the Magister standing upon it.

The magic stones that had been rolling around the floor like mere pebbles exhausted all their mana and crumbled to pieces.

“Th-this is absurd! This is a slave seal that the Mage Republic spent hundreds of years refining! For someone like you to…!”

The Magister, who had dropped his staff, screamed at the top of his lungs before changing tactics and infusing mana into his voice.

“【Stop, Chaser! Stop this instant!】”

However, Chaser didn’t collapse at the Magister’s words like before.

As the light from Chaser’s activated magic circle grew increasingly intense, and the furious Magister’s shouts reached their peak.

As if it had all been an illusion, Chaser’s magic circle disappeared.

As the magical force constricting his body vanished, the Magister staggered and fell, his face flushed red as he spat curses at Chaser.

“You insolent bastard! How dare you repay the grace of being taken in this way! I will never let you die peacefully. I’ll cut off your limbs one by one until only your heart remains…!”

“【Shut your mouth.】”

“Gack!”

As soon as Chaser’s mana-infused words ended, the Magister clutched his heart and collapsed.

He looked up at Chaser with eyes filled with bewilderment and fear.

The Magister could instinctively feel it.

That Chaser’s magic had succeeded.

And thus, a slave seal had been imprinted on his own heart.

“Didn’t you say this earlier? That originally, a slave’s life is lighter than a single word from their master.”

Chaser’s smile as he quietly lifted the corners of his mouth was more cruel and beautiful than ever before.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————