A magician’s hands are one of the most critical parts of their body.
After all, all magic ultimately flows from the fingertips.
Staves and similar tools are merely amplifiers.
In the end, a magician’s skill depends on how well they can control their hands.
— At least, that’s what Evan believes.
And in Evan’s eyes, Ian’s mana control is...
“Within the top ten at the very least.”
The only reason his destructive power doesn’t surpass the Bloodstone Cultists is due to a lack of refinement.
But the potential of this child—it’s truly astounding.
Boundless and worthy of admiration.
When was the last time Evan had been pushed to this extent, even resorting to using [Shadow Clone]?
That was the reason.
— Crunch!
It was why Evan crushed Ian’s hand.
Watching with mere interest wasn’t enough—there was a sense of genuine threat.
Especially after that final attack.
That’s why Evan had to utilize [Shadow Clone], even if it cost him half of his strength.
“You’re truly fascinating.”
A shattered hand.
Ian, staring up at Evan without even a flinch, seemed incredibly intriguing to him.
Pure awe.
It had been a long time since Evan had encountered anyone who could maintain such composure, even after their hand was utterly destroyed.
A broken hand usually means a diminished ability to use magic in the future.
Thus, it’s one of two possibilities.
The person knows a way to restore their hand.
Or they’re simply insane.
And regardless of which of the two it was...
‘...You’re remarkably like a true member of the Bloodstone Cult.’
Only now did Evan understand.
Ian. Ian Blackangers.
Why the higher-ups were so fixated on this boy.
His talent, his personality—everything about him...
He was perfect for the Bloodstone Cult.
No, if nurtured correctly, he might even rise to the highest position someday.
That impression, fleeting and fragmented, struck Evan without reason.
“They must have seen something even deeper in you.”
“...”
Ian remained silent, glaring at Evan.
Evan smiled faintly at his rebellious gaze.
‘Come to think of it, there was a request to kill this one, wasn’t there?’
A request received simultaneously by the Bloodstone Cult executives.
The client was an academy student, no less.
The request was immense, from the reward to the accompanying items—nothing was lacking.
While most declined, one assassin took it up.
Well, that foolish woman ended up shattered into pieces by the Blood Witch.
‘Foolish.’
Blinded by immediate gain, she failed to see the bigger picture.
To the higher-ups, the academy was essentially a facility for nurturing the Bloodstone Cult’s future “saplings”.
Of course, there were times when such individuals had to be used as elixirs, but...
Ian was different.
Thus, Evan had no intention of killing Ian.
He may have inadvertently gone all out, but...
‘Crushing his hand should be forgivable.’
If not, he could always offer up another sapling as a sacrifice to restore him.
“Don’t worry about your hand. Stay still, and I’ll restore it for you.”
“What an honor.”
“Heh. Yes, you should consider it an honor.”
Evan stretched, cracking his neck a couple of times.
It had been quite a while since he’d sustained damage—both physically and magically.
The red droplets that had been dripping ceased.
Silvia couldn’t fathom how Ian was feeling.
◆
My hands, utterly destroyed.
“Hah.”
A sigh escaped involuntarily.
It wasn’t despair over my ruined hands.
Rather...
‘How do I defeat that monster?’
It felt like confronting an insurmountable wall.
It had been a while since I’d felt this way.
The problem was simple.
The hands, the sole outlet for mana.
With them destroyed, I couldn’t channel any mana.
“...Damn.”
As a last resort, I can channel mana through my wrists, but it’s meaningless. There’s no precision or control—just an uncontrollable flood, like water gushing out of an open faucet.
The best I can manage is reinforcing my body through internal mana circuits. But without hands, I have no way to wield any usable weapons.
Right now, I’m nothing more than cannon fodder.
‘I’m a liability to the team.’
Having made my judgment, I stepped back, observing the situation carefully.
Fortunately, Evan was still disoriented. He blinked repeatedly, sneezing uncontrollably.
I had a good guess about what had happened.
‘He got hit directly by the black pepper fruit.’
The fruit’s effects are potent. Even someone like a Bloodstone Cult executive can’t avoid being debuffed for a while if directly hit.
That’s likely why Elena was barely managing to hold off his [Shadow Bombardment] attacks.
But it’s only temporary.
The pepper’s effect is merely a debuff, and Evan isn’t someone who’d be seriously threatened by something as trivial as pepper.
Instead, I focused on the weakness I noticed during our fight.
“Silvia! Absorb all light coming from normal light sources!”
“...Light?”
“Yes! Get rid of all steady light! Lina, create a fireball—make it as unsteady and flickering as possible!”
“Got it!”
The atmosphere in the underground chamber shifted in an instant.
Every shadow began to ripple and waver as if alive.
Evan immediately reacted.
“...You damned brat!”
As expected.
I had noticed during our earlier fight that his power diminished slightly in areas where shadows were faint and unstable.
With Lina’s flickering flames turning the room crimson and random light sources creating chaotic shadows, Evan’s strength was noticeably weakened.
— Boom!
Elena, who had been barely holding on, started to regain ground and fight evenly.
It was proof the plan was working.
The problem was...
‘We don’t have a finishing blow.’
We needed a skill or attack strong enough to take him down, but nothing suitable was available.
Meanwhile, Evan continued to slowly complete his magic circle.
We had to disrupt the circle by striking his main body.
‘If only I could use magic.’
Or if Danya were here... No. I shook my head, clearing away useless thoughts.
At that moment—
“Nyah!”
A cat that had been lying on Evan’s magic circle suddenly leapt into the air.
A cat covered in cheese-colored fur.
“...Danya?”
The cat, leaping high into the air, unleashed a cascade of various fruits aimed directly at Evan.
Fruits with effects ranging from ignition, explosion, and slicing, to paralysis.
Recognizing the opportunity, I shouted instinctively.
“Lina! Detonate them!”