Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 44
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 44
Vivian’s neck shrank like a turtle’s.
Feeling like a shrimp caught between whales, she decided not to make a fuss and stay back.
Cesar quietly observed the opponent before him.
The temperament of his opponent, who had been reasonably mild before fainting, had turned ferociously rough.
Despite clearly being Chaser’s face, his expressions, attitude, way of walking, and speaking habits made it impossible to think they were the same person.
“You’re not ‘that’ mage.”
“What the fuck are you saying? I’m Chaser, aren’t I?”
“You’re quite oblivious.”
It was nothing significant, but strangely, the man seemed as displeased as if he’d heard the most severe insult.
Strong hostility settled in the man’s eyes, and the moment an indescribably deep golden light lingered in those eyes.
Clang!
“Ah! Fuck, that scared me!”
Terry, who had sprung from the darkness without any presence, slashed his dagger toward the man’s head.
However, Terry’s confident attack dissolved into flashy sparks.
Terry examined his blade, which had been dulled by grinding against the golden barrier protecting the man, and whispered in admiration.
“My word, you’re more hardheaded than I thought, guest.”
‘Did this bastard Chaser come here looking for a place to die?’
Though he had instinctively wrapped himself in mana to block the attack, he hadn’t even sensed the presence.
Two enemies.
No matter how genius a mage he was, facing two opponents who wielded aura in this narrow indoor space would be too much.
‘This isn’t running away, really. It’s a strategic retreat!’
The man quickly threw himself out the window and floated in midair without any magic circle, or even the motion of snapping his fingers.
The only trace of magic was the remnants of mana sparkling and falling like stardust in the air.
Terry, who had chased the man outside the manor, clicked his tongue like a fisherman who had just lost a big catch after a long wait.
The advantage mages hold in battle is solely due to the fact that only mages can engage in aerial combat.
Now that it had come to this, there was no other way.
‘I really should have gone for the throat on the first attack.’
Then, Cesar, who had been looking up at the mage floating in the night sky like a hawk eyeing its prey, spoke.
“Terry.”
“Yes? Me?”
“When I drive him in, finish it.”
Sir, can you fly too?
He spoke so matter-of-factly that Terry almost asked that question.
If not, how exactly was he planning to drive in an airborne enemy?
Especially a mage protected by a barrier strong enough to block his sword wrapped in sword energy.
Terry, who was about to grumble, hesitated when he saw Cesar gripping his sword hilt.
The temperature around him plummeted rapidly, and the grass beneath his feet began to freeze and sparkle like ice crystals.
Cesar’s breath rose like white vapor, as if it were the dead of winter.
Only then did Terry realize.
That this northern knight had never once drawn his sword until now.
The reason was…
Shing.
Because he had never encountered an opponent worthy of drawing his sword.
“Crazy.”
He realized it upon seeing the crescent moon-like sword energy cutting through the night sky.
Click.
Cesar, who had instantly suppressed his fierce killing intent by sheathing his sword, was as noble and cold as a god presiding over winter.
Terry ran toward the man who had been struck by the sword energy and thrown back into the manor, resolving to restrain himself from acting up around Cesar in the future.
* * *
When I opened my eyes, it was still the middle of the night.
I slowly blinked with a hazy mind.
‘I think I heard some noise.’
I listened carefully while lying down, but it seemed to have been my imagination as everything around was quiet.
When I raised my uncomfortably stiff upper body, the fairy tale book covering my chest fell with a thud.
Only then did I remember that last night, to comfort Leo who had been dejected about burning the flower garden, I had reopened our secret hideout made of stacked pillows after a long time.
I had intended to move Leo to the bed after watching him sleep, but it seemed I had dozed off as well.
“There’s no such thing as flowers that never wither. But if you feel like it’s your fault that the flowers withered… then yes, next spring, make buds sprout in the flower garden with your own hands. That will make up for your mistake.”
Leo, who couldn’t just think of a mistake as merely a mistake and felt he had to make up for it somehow, was finally able to fall asleep after hearing those words.
I yawned while gently stroking Leo’s hair as he slept curled up as much as possible with his back slightly against me.
Was it because drowsiness still remained? Among the shadows of Leo and me cast on the tent, only mine seemed to have blurred edges that wavered.
‘Did I see wrong?’
Just as I was about to rub my eyes and look at the shadow again.
Bang!
Leo startled awake at the loud noise that shook the manor.
This time it wasn’t my imagination. It seemed something was happening inside the manor.
“Keep sleeping. I’ll go check and come back.”
“I, I’ll come with you too.”
In the end, I left the room with Leo. And before long, we were able to find the source of the commotion.
Crash!
The windows in the corridor vibrated as if trembling in a strong wind, then something smashed through the window and was hurled inside the manor.
The man who had been slammed into the manor wall along with unseasonable cold air was very familiar.
“Damn it, old man. Go easy on the mana extraction.”
The man muttered in a rough tone that street thugs might use.
“Teacher?”
At Leo’s call, the man—Chaser—looked at Leo and scowled fiercely.
“What’s this little pest? Hey, pest! Stop loitering around here and get lost!”
What caught my eye at that moment wasn’t Chaser’s unfamiliar expression or tone.
It was the Magic Tower brooch on his collar.
The device that measured the wearer’s mana was fluctuating wildly between 3rd and 9th rank.
“Teacher, are you alright?”
I grabbed the child’s shoulder to stop Leo from rushing to Chaser immediately.
For some reason I couldn’t understand, I could instinctively tell that the man before us wasn’t Chaser, despite having the exact same appearance.
And finally, Chaser’s gaze reached me.
His fiercely furrowed brow gradually smoothed out.
He looked up at me with a dazed expression, as if witnessing something unbelievable.
It was an innocent face that was hard to believe the calculating Chaser, skilled at hiding his true thoughts, could make.
The man stared at me blankly as if entranced and muttered.
“…Angel?”
“Found an opening!”
Then, Terry, who had sprung from the darkness, mercilessly struck the back of Chaser’s neck just like he had done before.
Chaser collapsed to the floor like a marionette with cut strings.
Terry, finally catching his breath, pointed at the unconscious Chaser as if tattling.
“Protagonist, this guy really isn’t in his right mind!”
He certainly seemed that way.
I turned my head toward the person who might have known the truth behind all of this.
“Vivian, is this why you said Chaser was scary?”
To Vivian, who was trembling at the far end of the corridor.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————