"…We'll lose for sure."
That was Claudia Ashley's assessment after hearing the outline of the Louis Miller Stalling Operation.
The first stage of the Stalling Operation was for Hubert to disguise himself as a servant and lure Louis into the forest, where Glenn would ambush him with magic.
If that failed, they would lure him into an area trapped with Hubert's magic tools and ambush him with the traps.
The last resort if all else failed was an ambush by Roberto, who was lying in wait.
It was a three-layered ambush operation against Louis, but Claudia bluntly dismissed it, slumping back in her chair as if saying she couldn't go through with it. Glenn's mood soured at Claudia's attitude.
"But I put a lot of thought into that plan, what's wrong with it?"
"…Do you really think you can defeat your master with that plan?"
Glenn was rendered speechless.
She thought the plan was well-made. After all, it was a three-layered ambush.
Yet, Glenn just couldn't envision herself defeating his own master.
As Glenn fell silent, Claudia rested her cheek on her hand and tapped the map with the operation details with her finger.
"…All those plans are just rehashes… Hubert Dee's magic tool traps, Roberto Vinkel's ambush… I'm certain Barrier Magician have witnessed both during the recent magic duel."
Claudia was right. Louis, who was in charge of maintaining the barrier during the magic duel at Serendia Academy, had seen everything that took place there.
As everyone fell silent, Cyril raised his hand.
"Then I'll take on the Stalling Operation…"
Neil shook his head at Cyril's suggestion.
"That's not good, Vice President. That would leave us short-handed for maintaining the magic duel barrier."
Maintaining the magic duel barrier required at least two mages. Of those present, Cyril had the most mana and proficiency in manipulating it, so he couldn't be spared from barrier maintenance duty.
Glenn had been nodding with his arms crossed, but then he clapped his hands together.
"Then, we could increase the number of magic tool traps…!"
"Mm-hmm-mm-hmm, All my hands were already full on making the ‘Black Chalice,' so I don't have any leeway to make more magic tools."
As no one could come up with a good plan and everyone held their heads, Monica pointed to a spot on the map.
"…What about setting a trap here?"
Monica then explained the specifics of the trap.
Claudia slowly raised her listless face and looked at Monica.
"…Do you even capable creating of something like that?" Orıginal content can be found at novel⁂fire.net
"No, this trap is not something that I can create with my own… that's why—"
Monica paused for a moment, then continued with a slightly embarrassed expression.
"—I will borrow the power of a ‘friend.'"
Roberto Vinkel saw himself as a pawn in the game of chess.
The weakest piece that only moves straight forward on the battlefield. However, it's by skillfully maneuvering the pawns and manipulating the enemy's pieces that one can achieve victory in chess.
Roberto was currently standing in a small clearing amidst the forest. Glenn and Hubert were already lying in ambush around the area.
"I see. This time you'll be my opponent, while the remaining two provide support."
Parting the foliage appeared the Barrier Magician, Louis Miller.
The slender man in a robe exuded an elegance that could make him seem beautiful were he silent. Just standing in the flower field made him look like a painting.
However, the killing intent emanating from his entire being was, to put it mildly, abnormal.
"It's Roberto Vinkel. Here I come."
As Roberto channeled his magic into the hilt he gripped, it crackled and glowed, forming a blade of lightning.
As Roberto lunged forward swinging his sword, Louis parried the ethereal blade of magic with his staff.
An ordinary sword would pass through the iron blade to strike the opponent's body, but Louis parried the lightning blade with his staff like before, likely he did it by channeling his mana into it. Direct strikes with the lightning blade would be needed to injure Louis' body.
Roberto was careful not to be deflected as he changed the angle and swung upwards from below. Louis stepped back to avoid it and thrust the tip of his staff at Roberto's throat.
Roberto barely dodged it when flames arrows and fireballs came flying from the shadows of the trees——supports from Hubert and Glenn.
However, Louis seemed to have anticipated this, raising a barrier to block the magic attacks. He then charged at Roberto as if nothing had happened.
As Roberto dodged the staff swung down from above, Louis drove the end of the swinging staff into the ground, nimbly leaping up without using any flight magic.
The airborne Louis, propelled solely by his staff and leg strength, then kicked the side of his boot into Roberto's temple.
In the magic duel, physical attacks were supposed to not leave any damage… but just like with his earlier palm strike, Louis had formed a small barrier on the side of his boot to allow the attack to be effective.
Monica had insisted that they couldn't win without sealing physical attacks, but who could have imagined a magician, let alone one of the Seven Sages, punching, kicking, and drop-kicking ?
Rolling on the ground from the temple kick, Roberto was assailed by a follow-up knee strike from Louis, who seemed intent on shattering his face with the furious blow. Roberto frantically leaped back to avoid it.
Once again, long-range support attacks came from Glenn and Hubert…but the airborne magic was effortlessly blocked by Louis' rapidly chanted defensive barriers.
Louis had perceptive eyes to see through enemy traps, excelled at offense and defense, and possessed high mobility.
The Barrier Magician Louis Miller's second-place record for solo dragon slaying in the Ridill Kingdom was no fluke.
Yes, if comparing him to a chess piece, he would be the strongest piece…
"You're like a Queen."
Louis' cheek twitched slightly.
"…What did you just say?"
"You're like a Queen, I said."
At that moment, the killing intent emanating from Louis intensified noticeably. Roberto's exposed forearms began to break out in goosebumps.
The response came in an unusually low, ominous tone.
The expression drained from Louis' pale face. Blue veins bulged at his temples.
"Allow me to enlighten you one thing, Roberto Vinkel… I absolutely detest being compared to a woman."
While Roberto hadn't intended to mock Louis' feminine appearance, his words seemed to have struck his nerve.
With a wave of his staff and a brief incantation, Louis summoned a strong gust that scattered the flowers in the field.
The beautifully swirling petals concealed countless wind blades descending upon Roberto.
While wind magic has low power, its invisibility makes it difficult to evade. Roberto tracked the movements of the soaring petals to dodge the wind blades, but couldn't avoid them all as several cut into his body. There were no physical wounds, but he felt intense pain and a loss of mana.
He was nearing his limit.
…just, five more steps.
This battle was like chess.
The pawn dashes across the flower field to maneuver the queen into the desired position.
"Well, well, are you resigning yourself?"
More wind blades rained down on Roberto. Bracing for the damage, he charged at Louis, swinging his magic sword.
Judging the wind blades alone couldn't finish Roberto, Louis leaped back to avoid the slashing attack.
Just, three more steps.
Swinging his aching arm, Roberto poured his mana into the sword.
The lightning blade, amplified by Roberto's magic, nearly doubled in length, closing in on Louis.
But just before it could connect, Louis sidestepped with a mocking smile.
"Randall's signature magic sword… unfortunately, it's not the first time I've seen it. I've anticipated your extending sword."
Just, one, more, step!
Roberto poured every last bit of his magic into the sword.
Extending the magic sword looks simple, but in reality consumes an enormous amount of mana. Furthermore, it destabilizes the sword itself, providing little benefit.
Still, Roberto extended the sword by just the length of one of his arm joints.
The magic sword could now reach Louis. With an expression as if watching a fool's futile effort, Louis raised his staff to parry the sword.
"UUUUOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!"
Roaring, Roberto swung down the sword with every ounce of his strength. Pressed by his desperate force, Louis was forced to take one step back.
——At that moment, a brilliant purple glow shone forth from beneath Louis' feet.
Confirming this, Roberto muttered,
Louis Miller looked down at the glow beneath his feet, furrowing his brow.
It was a magic circle etched on the ground… but this was not a magic trap.
If it only contained standard magic formulas, Louis could instantly decipher it. But he could barely make out half of what was inscribed under his feet.
…Could this be…a curse?
The moment he realized it, a tingling heat spread across the back of his right hand. Quickly removing his glove, a purple curse mark had appeared on the back of his hand. It seemed stepping on the magic circle triggered a curse trap.
Before entering the flower field, Louis had used a detection spell to scan for any magic tools. Yet he failed to notice this curse trap, likely because the curse itself was so feeble.
Yes, it was a weak curse that would dissipate within a few tens of minutes. It's also not something that would restrict Louis' abilities.
Just what kind of curse is this…?
Then Louis' ears picked up a buzzing sound——the fluttering of insect wings. Looking up, he saw swarms of insects taking flight from all across the flower field, converging on him.
It was then that Louis finally grasped the nature of the curse afflicting him.
——This was an insect-beckoning curse.
Louis instantly erected a hemispheric barrier around himself. The barrier went up just in time to block the swarming insects, leaving it blackened by their numbers.
The sight of the colorful insects clouding the barrier was eerie. Still, it was better than being directly swarmed, and Louis let out a relieved breath. But then he paled at the sensation under his feet.
The hemispheric barrier only enclosed the area around Louis' body. It did not extend all the way to the ground.
With a stricken look, Louis glanced down to see insects crawling up and over his boots.
He could use flight magic to escape the insects crawling from the ground. However, he could not use flight magic while maintaining the barrier.
Trapped amidst the swarming insects in the center of the flower field, the Barrier Magician Louis Miller let out a soundless scream.