Chapter 79 - Short and Intense

5 minutes before the incident,

Burnel behind the stage.

"Hoo, hoo..."

He was panting heavily.

How many times had he stepped out of his house to take such a stage?

And had he ever held such expectations?

'I have.'

But did he truly expect a day like this to come?

Others might not have known, but Burnel did not.

Being constantly ignored and nearly having his organs harvested by loan sharks had been his life.

Even though everything had changed when Ferda stepped in, he still couldn't have imagined being in this position.

Burnel slightly lifted the curtain and peeked outside.

The wide seats of the Opera House were visible.

A fluttering heart.

But greater than that were pressure and fear.

["Burnel, do you truly believe that can be realized?"]

That emotion swelled even larger as Chancellor Bernard's words echoed in his ears.

It was back when he was an academy cadet in Escolaia, during the Q&A session at the Academic Conference.

["Anyone can present such absurd ideals. But what are you going to do if you get caught up in them?"]

["Do not believe you can shatter all the existing laws. You may be smart, but you cannot become that kind of genius."]

Bernard had tried to break Burnel's will.

But Burnel did not give up.

However, since that day, dealing with people had become uncomfortable.

Especially standing on a main stage like this.

Would they laugh at me again?

Would they confuse me with useless criticisms?

Would I disappoint the people who believed in me?

Those questions became hands that choked Burnel's neck.

'Still, I have to do it.'

For the Regent who believed in him, Ferda.

To screw over Bernard, who had refused to accept his success and insulted him.

And for himself, who had dedicated everything.

"Hooooo!!! Why isn't this damn medicinal tea working...?"

Even after drinking several cups of the medicinal tea meant to relieve tension, the distracting thoughts in his head wouldn't fade.

He clutched his hands tightly together and prayed.

He hoped the event would unexpectedly be called off.

AHHHHH!

As if to grant his small wish, a scream erupted.

Startled by the sudden scream, Burnel snapped to his senses.

"What is it? What happened?"

The staff running the stage all began to flee at once.

Instead of running away with them, Burnel decided to assess the situation.

"Gasp...!"

A rift had opened.

In Halim, and inside the Opera House of all places, a rift pouring out demonic creatures had appeared.

'Is that even possible?'

There were gates where demonic creatures appeared inside a city, but those instances were extremely rare.

To think it would appear right when people were gathered like this, introducing a Demon appearance prediction device.

The timing was far too coincidental.

'Should I run?'

Just as Burnel was about to turn his feet away, his ankles were caught.

Ferda entered his field of vision.

Ferda was standing firmly in place.

He was facing the rift with cold, rational eyes, as if the option to run away had never existed.

Noblesse oblige.

Ferda looked to be fulfilling his duty as a noble.

Burnel was inspired by those eyes.

'I have to do something too.'

Even if he couldn't risk his life like back then, he had to be of help.

He swiftly turned his head.

Over there was the magical engineering rifle he had prepared.

Burnel picked up the rifle and activated it.

Adjusting the mana capacity, fully preheating it, setting the selector switch, and calibrating the power output according to the displayed values...

'Why are there so many steps?'

It required a staggering twenty-plus operating steps.

Originally, the operating steps numbered over a hundred.

This was the result of Burnel constantly simplifying and reducing them because Malcolm couldn't use it.

'It's still too many.'

Right up until the presentation, Burnel had thought this:

'Still, shouldn't it be usable at this level?'

'People should be able to operate and use something this complex, right?'

'I was wrong.'

Being simple enough for Malcolm to use meant it had to be usable at a moment's notice.

Being this complicated meant it couldn't be used in such an urgent moment.

Even in the brief moments of stalling, casualties would follow.

'Damn it.'

Idiot.

Just as the Chancellor said, I'm a fool.

This was the result of fixating on raising efficiency by 1% while failing to imagine what was truly needed.

Even as he spat out such regrets, Burnel moved continuously.

Right now, in this moment, he decided to do what he could.

Finally, he finished loading and pulled back the bolt.

WHIRRR!

The object acceleration magic circle activated, vibrating inside the pipe.

Burnel grabbed the rifle and climbed onto the stage.

The situation had already reached its final stage.

The last two remaining wolf monsters were lunging toward Ferda.

'They're so fast!'

Burnel's chance was only once.

He had to land a solid hit on it with that single chance.

But just holding the rifle was strenuous enough; he had no confidence in tracking its movements to shoot.

CRACKLE!

A single streak of lightning shot out from Ferda's hand.

He succeeded in stopping one, but not the other.

Slipping past Zed, it pounced directly on Ferda.

And then it attempted to tear into his neck.

'No!'

Burnel hesitated no longer.

He pulled the trigger.

The magic formula manifested, and a mana sphere took shape within the glass tube.

That sphere flowed into the long pipe before shooting forward as a flash of light.

BANG!

It pierced the chest of the demonic creature aiming for Ferda.

It struck precisely in the heart.

As the pure mana bullet struck, the wolf monster yelped and flailed before stiffening completely.

One shot.

With just a single shot, the demonic creature was blown away.

Burnel, the one who fired the rifle, also wore a look of pure shock.

He had set the power output higher than usual, but he never expected it to go down in one hit.

He thought it would only buy time at best.

But regardless of his intent, it didn't matter.

The heaven-shaking roar and the death of the final demonic creature.

All of it drew everyone's attention to Burnel.

They were staring at him with their jaws dropped like fools.

"What is that?"

"It looked like magic shot out of there, didn't it?"

"So is it a staff? Did he cast magic?"

"There's no way a staff looks like that, right?"

They were only guessing about the object Burnel was holding.

Originally, the mana stones were the main focus of the presentation, and the magical engineering rifle was only meant to be introduced as a simple applied invention.

"Uh..."

He had to say something.

Feeling the pressure that he simply had to speak, Burnel opened his mouth.

"This is the item I brought this time, the magical engineering ri...fle?"

That was it.

He couldn't say anything more because the words wouldn't come out.

But at the same time, it was enough.

Because that introduction alone was intense enough to hammer it into everyone's minds.

* * *

While the presentation hall was in an uproar, there were people observing the place from afar.

The situation had ended, and the sight of the cleanup was visible to them.

"Seven wolf monsters."

A man muttered while crossing his arms.

"How many casualties did we expect from those seven wolf monsters?"

Then the man standing next to him replied.

"At least three hundred should have died. Including the Chancellor of Escolaia."

"And yet there isn't a single fatality. Bernard didn't die either."

"Whoever planned this won't be able to escape responsibility."

It was a failure too severe to merely say it fell short of or exceeded expectations.

"What do you think is the cause of the failure?"

"Do I even need to answer?"

"I'm asking to see if we're thinking the exact same thing."

The cause of the defeat could be defined in a single term.

"Ferda Valdrova."

"So it is him?"

The two had the same thought.

Ferda Valdrova.

Even recently, his name had been constantly brought up among the Demons.

Things had started to go wrong once he began intervening.

"I heard he borrowed the power of Demons to raid the research facility as well. Are we in this mess because we overlooked him?"

"We didn't overlook him. In fact, we bordered on overestimating him."

That overestimation stemmed from Director Linne's testimony.

The Demons thought Linne's testimony was just a rehearsed excuse for her defeat.

"And yet, he's operating at a level that surpasses even that overestimation."

Ferda was beyond imagination.

"He knows how to incapacitate demonic creatures using mere 1st and 2nd Circle mages who aren't even fit for combat."

"His assessment and distribution of combat power was also perfect. He pushed it a bit, but it seemed he factored that in as well."

"He's cold and calculating; somehow, he seems adept at battles like this."

"He's only eighteen years old, how is that possible?"

"Could he have been to the battlefield?"

"Look at that body. What could he possibly do with that scrawny body that lacks any muscle?"

"If not that... is it innate?"

"It lacks the improvisational feel to be called an innate sense. He's on a different level."

There were many speculations about Ferda, but they were entirely in the dark, unable to provide an answer.

"The intertwined factors might provide the answer."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm saying we should broaden our perspective. Let's look for more factors in other things."

He jutted his chin toward the brown-haired man.

"That guy Zed is a bit strange too. Can someone really move like that just because they have Haste cast on them?"

"Normally, humans can't. If he can move to that extent, he must have lived a life moving at that speed."

"I thought it was odd for a knight to just wander around acting like a gigolo, but there was a reason he was selected."

The man nodded as if he understood.

"As for that guy named Malcolm..."

"He's just an idiot. Isn't he still diligently kidnapping mages even now that the situation has ended?"

"... Right."

Meanwhile, the other man answered while lost in deep thought.

"We'll have to change his threat level. At least to Alberto's level."

"You mean Ferda Valdrova? That seems like a hasty judgment. I think he's still within acceptable limits."

At those words, the man shook his head.

"The one I'm talking about is that guy."

What his chin pointed at was the blue-haired man standing on the stage.

The man who killed a wolf monster in a single shot with an object bordering on a work of art.

It was Burnel Marquis.

"His influence will undoubtedly surpass even that of Ferda Valdrova."

* * *

The situation at the presentation hall concluded with the deaths of the seven wolf monsters.

Although there were multiple injuries, the battle ending without a single fatality held great significance.

Normally, even when one demonic creature appeared, three deaths were standard, and if the number increased, the death toll would skyrocket exponentially.

However, even with seven of them invading, not a single person had died.

Everything was wrapped up before Halim's backup forces could arrive.

It was a miraculous feat that rendered simple praises like 'impressive' completely inadequate.

The person who had steered that miraculous situation was Ferda.

"Thank you for saving our lives, Regent."

"We sincerely marvel at and revere Your Excellency the Regent's blinding nobility. Thank you."

Not only those who had fought alongside him, but even those who had fled returned to flatter Ferda.

Ferda's actions of fighting without backing down from the front lines were Noblesse Oblige itself.

Of course, that praise wasn't meant for Ferda alone.

There was someone else who had left just as strong of an impression.

"Do you know who that man is?"

"They said he's someone named Burnel Marquis. Apparently, he's a participant in the presentation this time."

That was precisely Burnel.

Because he had appeared at the end of the demonic creature invasion and delivered the grand finale, he was naturally the talk of the town.

"Ah, I remember. He seems to have something incredible enough that Chancellor Bernard pushed for it personally, right?"

"Is that what that item is?"

"I don't think that's it. It feels like the name doesn't really match for a mana stone. If it's a mana stone, shouldn't it be a stone?"

"Then what on earth is that?"

Because they lacked the concept of magical engineering, they didn't know exactly what that item was.

But there was no need to explain the concept in exhaustive detail.

The fact that magical engineering was a technology capable of killing a demonic creature in a single shot.

That meant it was an item fully worthy of their attention.

Feeling that the gazes directed at him had changed, Burnel quietly approached Ferda.

"Um, Regent... I have something to tell you..."

"Speak."

"I did kill the demonic creature... but the thing is, it originally shouldn't have died."

Ferda turned his head.

"What are you talking about?"

"So I've been thinking about it. When considering the power measured during the rifle demonstration, along with this wolf monster's muscle density and the projectile's trajectory, it absolutely couldn't have reached the heart."

"You didn't shoot to kill it?"

"I only thought it would be enough to buy some time. So I took a rough look at the dead demonic creature, and..."

"Right."

"You know the spot I shot at? The muscle there was slightly split open, and it passed exactly through the space between the muscles, reaching the heart with almost zero loss of power, and then it exploded there."

Ferda summarized after hearing Burnel's explanation.

"So you're saying that everything happened because of overlapping coincidences?"

"Yes, exactly."

Ferda stared blankly at Burnel's face.

"Is there any benefit for us to go out of our way to make that known?"

"Uh... no?"

"Then don't spoil the mood and just enjoy it."

Ferda patted Burnel's shoulder and walked past.

As soon as Ferda passed by, many scholars and merchants approached Burnel.

They were introducing their names and paying their respects.

Burnel looked at them and smiled awkwardly.

It wasn't half bad.

Despite all the fuss, it was an opportunity born from an item he had created himself.

In the midst of that, Penelope was jumping up and down while clinging to Zed.

"Ze-ze, Ze-ze! Look over there, over there! Just look at the eyes of those females!"

"..."

"Oh my goodness. I feel like I'm already getting full. C-Can I cry?"

"... Shut up, you punk."

He pushed away the head of the fussing Penelope.

Zed quietly slipped away with a troubled look on his face.

Seeing his complicated expression, Penelope chased after Zed like a child.

"What is it? Are you going for the complicated man concept?! That's not too bad either! Just don't overdo the concept too much! We're going to feast today!!"

While everyone was receiving passionate gazes, Malcolm alone was an exception.

"Are you crazy!? Throwing me into the middle of a battlefield!?"

"I'm sorry! I thought you were a witch...!"

"What did you say, you crazy bastard!? Do I look like a witch to you, huh?!"

"Uh, I didn't mean it like that! It's just that I thought you were someone who could genuinely use magic."

Even five minutes after the situation had ended, Malcolm, who had been diligently kidnapping mages, was now getting chewed out by a noblewoman's fiery wrath.

He had mistaken a noblewoman completely covered in wrinkles for a witch and kidnapped her, resulting in him being showered with spit and insults.

Within a minute, his parents and his crotch had been verbally eviscerated, and plenty of other things were currently being wiped out as well.

Unable to watch any longer, Ferda stepped up personally and stood before the noblewoman.

The situation was calmed in ten seconds.

Malcolm bowed his head, dripping with cold sweat.

"I'm sorry, Regent. I ended up making a mistake."

"No, raise your head. Did you commit a crime?"

"You told me to only bring mages, but I caused trouble by bringing a noblewoman..."

"That much couldn't be helped. You did everything you needed to do. You carried out my orders as a knight of the Grand Duchy's territory, and you did an excellent job."

Ferda was genuinely grateful to him.

What if Malcolm had tried to persuade the mages instead of kidnapping them?

Absolutely no one would have come.

Who would be crazy enough to willingly step forward into a place where death was lurking?

If he hadn't directly kidnapped them, there would have been a hitch in the plan.

This operation was smoothly resolved because Malcolm did what he could.

"Thank you, sob!!"

Malcolm held back tears of sorrow.

Once things had settled down like that, someone approached Ferda.

Seeing as no one was standing in the path he trod, he was definitely a high-ranking figure.

"I greet the spouse of Valdrova, the great power of fire. I am Ahmad, the Lord of Halim, this land of pleasure."

It was the Lord of Halim.

Before Ferda could even reply to the greeting, Ahmad fell to his knees.

"On behalf of Halim, I sincerely thank you for calming this situation."

Everyone was thoroughly shocked by Ahmad's actions.

"Good heavens... For the Lord of Halim to kneel..."

"The man who supposedly kept his back completely straight even when the Emperor of the Empire arrived..."

It was a characteristic of the southern lords not to thoughtlessly kneel, even before a king.

The fact that Ahmad knelt in front of others raised Ferda's reputation even higher.

It wasn't a bad result.

"I merely fulfilled my duty as a noble."

"Who would risk their life to clean up a mess that happened on someone else's land? We shouldn't stay here; let me escort you to my castle. Let's heal your wounds and converse a bit more."

Only then did Ferda recall the fact that his neck had been pierced.

The bleeding had stopped, but it throbbed with pain.

'It will definitely leave a scar.'

He needed a topic of conversation to share with Valdrova, but he didn't want to start a conversation with a scar like this.

"Can you heal it flawlessly?"

"Of course. I will call for the best so that not a single scar remains."

Ferda headed to the lord's castle alongside Ahmad.