Memory 13 - Significant Neutral
Aug. 5th, 2011 06:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stigmateyesMemory 13 - Becoming Roland's Greatest Magician
I'm going to do this one a little differently since it's long and I'm only using the first part of the link.
Credit to here.
MEMORY
The Greatest Magician in Roland.
That’s what he was called.
And said Greatest Magician in Roland,
“Aaah? Hey, you brat. What the hell did you just say to me now?"
Was hollering in anger.
Ryner Lute shrugged at that.
“……woah~ geez. This is turning out to be such a pain…”
He muttered quietly.
He had messy black hair and black eyes tinged with a hint of sleepiness.
He was taller than average, but he’s still only thirteen. He hadn’t finished growing yet.
But draped around his young body was the combat uniform of the special organization Hidden Elites, a group of assassins feared and treated as monsters even within the Roland army.
A black cape and light, navy-colored armor.
His entire body was covered by dark colors.
In other words, the attire was made to meld into darkness and disappear from people’s eyes…
Yes.
The Hidden Elites was such a place.
A gathering of people who were made into war machines through the army’s human experiments that were hidden from the public’s eye and monsters with special abilities that were despised.
As the dark side of Roland, their jobs - as expected - were often underground missions that had to be hidden from the public.
And this time’s mission was another one of those underground ones.
Ryner looked at the scene unfolding before him.
“…”
They were at a noble’s mansion.
Standing in the hall were men wearing the same Hidden Elites attire that Ryner was, and five women were sprawled on the floor.
Three of them already had their clothes torn off and were laying stark naked on the floor.
The men were cheering while wearing disgusting expressions.
Even Ryner knew what was going to happen next despite his age.
Really, these things happen all the time. The Hidden Elites was that sort of place, after all.
No, it might be better to say that this mad country, the Roland empire…was that sort of place.
It had been a few years since Ryner was assigned to the Hidden Elites.
After every mission’s completion, there would always be another disgusting order.
Assassination missions.
Kidnapping missions.
Blackmail missions.
Annihilation missions.
They were the worst of the worst and most sickening.
It was simply an endless repeat of killing, killing and more killing, simply because he became involved in the games of glory and desire that the army’s higher-ups and the nobles were so fond of.
So Ryner aborted missions, interfered, leaked sensitive information and rebelled to the best of his ability…
And he was assigned this mission.
In other words,
He was put into the team commanded by the worst kind of monster, the Greatest Magician in Roland, and was assigned the mission of kidnapping Earl Runoshow’s daughter.
Even the problem child Ryner Lute won’t dare to defy the Greatest Magician in Roland Quont Quo – that might be the army’s line of thought.
And because of that, Ryner now found himself stuck between a rock and a hard place.
He was facing off against that Greatest Magician in Roland, Quont Quo, and conflict was imminent.
Quont had short, golden hair. His right eye was mutilated by a knife wound, and his left eye glared with an intensity that seemed to slice through everything.
He was quite a bit bigger than other members of the Hidden Elites, but size wasn’t all he had for show.
Just by the way he held himself, it was obvious that steel-like muscles rippled underneath his combat uniform.
And…his casting speed was incredible.
The casting speed of his Izuchi – which killed eight guards in a split second – was incredible.
In other words, he was truly strong.
Enough to not shame the title Greatest Magician in Roland.
And said person was currently directing the full force of his glare toward Ryner.
“Hey, brat. Say that again.”
And Ryner repeated what he said.
“…well, I mean, I was just thinking that…maybe you shouldn’t assault girls…”
Quont glared at Ryner.
“What? Is that an order?”
He growled.
Ryner hurriedly amended,
“No no, it’s not an order, but more like a request…see, I’m a kid, right? I don’t think raping girls in front of a kid constitutes quality education…”
Quont replied,
“So you’re saying that I shouldn’t screw them?”
“…yeah. It’d be nice if you could stop that, if possible…”
“You have a problem with what I’m doing…is that right?”
“No, not really, I mean…”
But Quont interrupted in an even lower voice.
“…shut it, Ryner Lute. I’ve heard about you. You’re the one interfering with all these missions and giving those higher-ups hell. So, you’re gonna interfere with this mission as well?”
Ryner shook his head hurriedly.
“No no, such thoughts have never even crossed my mind. I was just thinking that you shouldn’t be so rough on the target of our kidnapping…”
But Quont made a move as Ryner was speaking.
“Rough…huh.”
He muttered softly. He grabbed the wrist of a woman on the floor, and with a crack…
“Ah, aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?”
The woman screamed.
Her arm was broken cleanly…
Quont smiled,
“…you mean, this kind of rough? Or…”
This time, he grabbed the legs of the screaming woman…
“W-wait! Stop…”
Just as Ryner began to shout…
Crack.
“…”
The woman’s screams stopped. She lost consciousness from the excruciating pain.
Quont spit on the woman’s face with a bored expression.
“Ahh? What the hell…I love hearing women screaming, so don’t cut my entertainment short.”
Quont’s underlings spoke up.
“Come on, Quont, don’t kill her before the fun begins!”
“Geez, Quont just can’t help himself.”
Quont laughed.
“Oh, my bad, my bad. That brat was being so stuck up, I just couldn’t control myself.”
That was their conversation.
And before such a scene,
“…”
Ryner remained silent.
He merely observed the situation with his half-opened eyes.
Quont glared at Ryner again.
“…hey, Ryner Lute. I don’t know how the hell you’ve been acting before, but you’re under my command now. Try that shit again and I’ll break your arms and legs and f*** you up. Some of us would love to do that. See, that guy over there.”
He pointed the man with a moustache, standing off the side with the most disgusting smile on his face.
“That chap loves women, but he also loves brats like you…”
He said.
But Ryner,
“…”
Still remained silent.
He merely gazed at the broken woman with languid eyes.
Quont’s underlings spoke again.
“Haha! Is the brat so scared he can’t speak?”
“Come on, Quont, just leave the kid alone and do this. I can’t hold myself back any longer.”
Quont nodded.
“Yeah, let’s do this. Hey, Ryner. Speak up if you want in, alright?”
He laughed.
In face of that,
In face of that, Ryner said,
“…ah geez, this is such a pain.”
And gathered up all his strength.
He dashed straight at Quont and raised his fist,
“I said, stop…”
It! He punched.
But Quont reacted.
He stopped Ryner’s punch and smiled.
“I saw that coming.”
He tried to twist Ryner’s joints, but Ryner freed himself from Quont’s grasp and delivered a kick into his face.
But Quont didn’t even move an inch.
“Shit, guess the difference in weight really shows….”
Ryner cursed at the same time that Quont grabbed his foot.
Quont was still smiling,
“You do want to get f***ed, huh.”
He poured more strength into his hand.
However, Ryner wasn’t fazed.
He drew the knife sheathed at his waist and tried to slice apart Quont’s arms…
But Quont swung Ryner by his foot and threw him away, avoiding the knife.
Ryner recovered in midair and landed.
He raised his knife again, but…
He saw Quont’s foot right in front of his face.
“Woah, fast…seriously!?”
Ryner groaned and dodged by rolling on the floor.
This is bad…he thought.
Shit shit shit.
Quont was much stronger than he’d expected…
Well, he picked a fight with the monster called the Greatest Magician in Roland, so it was to be expected…
And his opponent wasn't Quont alone.
Quont had four underlings.
And they were all members of the Hidden Elites – a group of monsters.
The situation is very…
Just as Ryner was recovering from his roll, Quont’s underling was waiting for him.
“Hehehe…you’re not going anywhere, brat.”
He struck out.
Ryner grabbed his arm, twisted, and broke his bones.
He then punched the man in his face and crushed his leg bones.
The man could not react to Ryner’s movements at all.
But Ryner wasn’t holding back.
Actually,
“…hmm? Ah, sorry. I can’t really afford to hold back this time…”
He smacked the man’s neck with the side of his hand, knocking him out.
That’s one down.
But there were still three more, as well as Quont himself.
Ryner turned around immediately.
And saw three knives flying towards him, courtesy of Quont’s three underlings.
Behind them, Quont was drawing a magic circle at breakneck speeds…
“Shiiiiiit reaaaaaaaaaaally!?”
Ryner shouted.
He couldn’t spare a second to dodge the knives.
He had to deal with Quont…with Quont’s magic…
Ryner adjusted his body to minimize damage and closed his eyes once.
At the same time, the knives struck his body.
His face, right chest and left shoulder.
He moved his face a little, so the knife only left a scratch. His chest was protected by armor and the knife was repelled.
However, his left shoulder…
“…ouch.”
It struck true.
A searing pain ran through his shoulder.
However, he couldn’t afford to be distracted.
Ryner opened his eyes wide.
Vermillion pentacles appeared within his black eyes.
The eyes of a monster despised and avoided by everyone.
A special kind of eye called Alpha Stigma.
With those eyes, Ryner looked at the magic that Qount was casting.
In an instant.
Ryner saw everything about the magic.
Structure.
Activation method.
Mechanism.
Even the time for activation and its effects.
He saw everything.
And…
He despaired.
He couldn’t dodge it.
And he couldn’t really cancel it because Quont’s casting speed was too fast – his canceling magic won’t make it in time…
Now what?
What should I do…
Quont smiled and said,
“Ah, the army told me to go easy on you, but to hell with that. Die, Ryner Lute.”
And he began the incantation. “WHAT I SEEK IS…”
What should I do…
And a sudden thought struck him.
How to resolve this situation.
But it was far too reckless. If he failed, he’ll definitely die. No, even if he didn’t fail, he’ll receive fatal injuries.
But he was going to die anyways.
Then…
“Shit, I might as well do it!”
Ryner began running again.
Towards where Quont was standing.
Ryner knew that he couldn’t cancel the magic, but he ran on anyways.
Quont laughed at him.
“Your struggles are futile. It’s too late!”
He shouted, but Ryner knew that better than he did.
It was too late.
He won’t make it.
Ryner knew it better than anyone else.
The magic was about to be activated in front of his eyes.
“WHAT I SEEK IS BURNING FIELDS>>>…”
Right then, a huge ball of flame appeared in the middle of the magic circle that Quont had created.
That was the worst magic.
Kurenai.
As the cost of immense power, the spell’s casting speed was slow and would burn not only the target, but everything surrounding him or her, so it wasn’t really convenient to use indoors…
But in exchange, once it was activated, there weren’t any simple spells that could cancel its effects.
Even though Ryner’s Alpha Stigma can analyze magic completely, he couldn’t do much against a spell that had little to no counters.
And if he took it head on, Ryner would be burnt to a crisp in an instant.
He couldn’t neither escape nor defend.
Additionally, Quont’s casting speed was about the same as that of Ryner’s.
There’s no way that Ryner would be able to cast a counter.
Quont knew that, so he casted this spell.
So that Ryner couldn’t do anything, even as the bearer of Alpha Stigma…
“Ugh…”
Ryner groaned to himself.
The Greatest Magician in Roland.
The title crossed his thoughts.
I really chose the wrong guy to defy, he smiled in self-deprecation.
But he didn’t stop.
He threw the knife in his hand.
But it was dodged completely.
And Quont laughed.
“It’s not going to work.”
He knew that as well. But as long as the magic was delayed even by a second, he’d be fine with it.
Quont said,
“This is it. Die, brat.”
And said the last word of the incantation.
“Kurenai.”
In an instant.
The magic activated before Ryner’s eyes.
A huge ball of flame was hurled towards Ryner.
But still, Ryner did not stop.
He ran as fast as he could towards Quont and reached out his hand.
Towards the giant ball of flame.
The flames rushed towards him.
Ryner twisted his body in hopes of dodging it, but…
“Gaahh!”
He couldn’t dodge it completely.
His arm was burnt.
His body was burnt.
It hurt so much that he could barely keep his consciousness.
But,
“Aaaaaaaaaaaargh, f*** this!!”
Ryner didn’t stop.
He reached inside the flames…
He forced his arm inside the activated magic circle and began to rewrite it.
So that…the spell would reverse.
Quont was surprised,
“Wh- i-impossible…are you out of your mind!? Sticking your arm into an activated magic…I-I won’t let you!”
He hollered and stuck his arm inside the magic circle. Then, he began to repair the places that Ryner had rewritten.
He was fast.
Very much so.
But I can’t lose here.
Ryner tried his hardest to rewrite the magic circle.
So that the spell would reverse.
So that it’ll be changed into Izuchi.
So that it’ll be changed into Misumi.
But time and time again, he was foiled.
Ryner scowled,
“Y-you bastaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard!!”
He tried his best to rewrite the magic circle.
But gradually…
He was being pushed back.
No matter how much he rewrote, it was all repaired.
His opponent’s casting spell began to overwhelm Ryner’s, bit by bit.
Quont said,
“…y-you fool. Who…do you take me for…how can my casting speed…be lower than a brat like you.”
Still, Ryner rewrote the magic circle desperately.
“Shit, shit.”
“It’s all useless. Ha, haha. You’re..gonna die.”
“Shit, shit, shit!!”
Ryner rewrote the magic circle desperately while shouting.
However.
He was being pushed back, slowly and surely. His opponent’s casting speed was obviously faster than his.
“This is really the end, Ryner Lute. Die.”
And in the end, Quont managed to finish his magic circle…
Ryner lost.
He lost completely.
Quont smiled smugly in anticipation of victory.
And activated his magic again, directing it towards Ryner.
However.
“Shit, shit, shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit…………………………………………just kidding~”
Everything went according to plan.
Ryner stuck out his tongue.
“Wha?”
Quont wore an expression of shock, but it was too late.
Ryner pulled out the knife in his left shoulder…and threw with all his strength.
It was twice as fast as the one before.
Yes, he held back on purpose when he threw the first knife.
The knife headed straight towards Quont’s neck.
Astonished by the difference in speed, Quont’s reaction was a split second late. His face paled.
“Ugh.”
He still managed to dodge it, just barely. But his hands left the magic circle.
Ryner smiled with satisfaction.
“Hehe~ I’m digging in~”
He forced his hand into the magic circle again and brought it under his control.
Of course, Quont reached out towards the circle immediately, but…
Ryner imitated the disgusting smile that Quont wore,
“It’s too late.”
And began to rewrite the magic circle.
Rewrite.
Rewrite.
At a speed that far surpassed his old one.
And the spell’s equation was different from its usual version – it was a much more complicated and hard to dispel magic that Ryner had improved by himself…
Quont’s face contorted.
“..y-you bastard, you did that on purpose…”
But Ryner’s smile didn’t falter.
“And it’s too late for you to realize.”
Ryner rapidly finished up his magic.
Quont’s stance faltered, and since he was too used to the slow pace of magic construction just now, he couldn’t react.
Additionally, when Quont stumbled and turned his eyes away, Ryner had already broken down the most basic components of the magic circle and begun to reconstruct the magic he developed.
No matter how much magical knowledge Quont had as the Greatest Magician in Roland…
It was impossible for him to find a counter right away.
Of course, it’ll be a different story if he had Alpha Stigma…
Ryner looked at Quont.
Quont groaned, completely unable to deal with Ryner’s magic circle.
“Ugh, wha…this is…”
However, he still tried desperately to interfere with the magic. Ryner laughed.
“Hah. That structure is just a decoy. Changing it is meaningless.”
“Y-you…”
But Ryner interrupted him,
“Oh and by the way, I’m not spending time listening to you talk rubbish.”
He completed the magic.
And he began the incantation immediately.
“This is it. WHAT I SEEK IS…”
“W-wait”
“No way. See ya.
WHAT I SEEK IS WATER MIST >>> MISUMI”
In an instant,compressed liquid gathered at the center of the magic circle and erupted.
A huge amount of liquid crashed into Quont’s body as a swift torrent.
“Guah-“
Along with sounds of distress, Quont vomited blood. But the water pressure didn’t stop there. It engulfed Quont and blew him away.
“Uah, gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah…..”
Quont was thrown against the wall screaming. And just like that, he lost consciousness.
Ryner stared at him.
“…”
Quont didn’t move at all.
He probably wasn’t dead….but if he really was a monster that could get up even after being blasted by Misumi at such a distance, then Ryner knew that he couldn’t win.
“And really, I don’t have that much stamina left…please don’t get up.”
Ryner stared at Quont.
But there was no sign of him getting up.
He was completely out of it.
After confirming it, Ryner looked at his surroundings.
He defeated the most dangerous of them all, but enemies still remained.
And they weren’t fodder. The three of them were monstrous Hidden Elites.
Still, no matter how much of an elite they are, the average Hidden Elite won’t stand a chance against Ryner, but…
“…”
He looked at his left shoulder.
Because he forcibly pulled the knife out, his wound worsened. Just using a little strength hurt him so much that he felt dizzy.
Ryner scowled,
“………so my left arm is useless….and my right….”
He muttered.
And looked at his right arm.
He didn’t feel any pain because he was desperate back then…but because he forced his way into Kurenai during activation, his arm suffered burns from his fingertips to his elbow.
His fingers…he can move them if he wanted…
But the instant that Ryner moved his fingers, he couldn’t stop himself from shouting,
“J-just moving it hurts like shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!”
This can’t be for real?
Why did it hurt so much?
This, this is bad.
Really bad.
This is really bad.
More like…
“……aaaaaaaaaargh, this, this hurts so much, it’s pissing me off! What the hell is wrong with you guys? Seriously, what the f***!? You adults grab a cute kid like me and just shower me with abuse? I’ve got a bone to pick with that! Now I’m covered in wounds from head to toe!! What are you gonna do about it? How the hell are you going to make up for it!?”
Ryner said, and his face contorted in anger.
The Hidden Elites that were attempting to surround Ryner recoiled in fright at his sudden outburst.
And Ryner…
“Seriously, you guys! Why the hell are you surrounding me? What are you trying to do? You still gonna attack this weak kid, huh!? Ahhh alright! So that’s how it is! Alright, alright. Come on. I’m just really pissed that my arm’s hurting this much, so I’m not gonna hold back! I’ll kick your ass! Kick your sorry pansy assess, be prepared! So, come at me!!”
Continued his increasingly angry speech.
He continued to holler…
But he was putting on a bold front.
Actually, it’s disadvantageous for him to fight in this state.
He beckoned when he said ‘So, come at me!!’, and his arm hurt so much that he could cry.
Well, tears did well up. It hurt so much, he cried a little.
Damn~ What should I do. If they attack me like this, I’d lose even to fodder…
Inwardly, Ryner was panicking.
“Now, what's wrong!? If you’re not gonna come, then I’m coming to get you! You still gonna fight, huh? Make up your damn mind already!”
In face of his anger…
One Hidden Elite said in a shaking voice…
“…n-no, I…I can’t fight a monster that overcame the Greatest Magician in Roland with magic….”
Ryner couldn’t help but mentally exclaim,
(Alright! You’re doing great!)
But he didn’t let that show.
I’ll prove that looks can kill! He pinned his opponent with his gaze.
And the guy beside him…
“…m-me too…I-I give up...s-such killing intent…it’s impossible to fight with such a monster…”
Hearing that,
(Yes yes yes yes! This is going well! One more person! Just one more!)
Ryner didn’t let his expression change, and glared at the last person.
“….so, what about you?”
And he…
“…I, I do not have the courage…to face someone who defeated Mr. Quont…”
For some reason, he spoke politely.
Ryner quietly let out a sigh of relief.
He motioned towards Quont with his head and said,
“So, take your comrade and get the hell outta here.”
The polite man replied,
“B-but, Master Ryner…our mission was to kidnap the daughter…”
Master Ryner? Ryner wanted to say something about that, but held himself back.
“Shut up. I’ll do the job, so take him away.”
“Y-yes.”
And the three of them took the fallen Quont and the unconscious man whose arm and leg were broken by Ryner. They ran away.
Ryner confirmed their escape and sighed.
“….haaah~…I’m really tired…”
He said while leisurely picking up the clothes on the floor. He handed them out to the naked girls.
“….ah, you don’t have to be so scared. I don’t feel like kidnapping anymore since I’m so tired…so, I’m leaving, but don’t forget to lock up your doors from now on.”
He said and stumbled towards the mansion’s exit.
A woman called out from behind him,
“…t-thank you, for saving us.”
But he was tired, so he didn’t turn back.
He didn’t wave his hands since it’d hurt.
But the woman continued,
“…y-your name….can you tell me your name…..?”
Hearing that question, Ryner felt like saying ‘Well, Quont was repeating my name like some kinda mantra just now, weren’t you listening?’
But it was such a pain, so he ignored her.
“…please, tell me….”
The woman still called out to him in a sad voice…
“….”
But Ryner did not tell her his name in the end.
The dark side of Roland.
As one of the Hidden Elites, his name will never come under proper daylight.
What he learns?
- He was part of a group called the Hidden Elites, made of human experiments and monsters like him. He had been part of this group for several years before the memory.
- As part of the group, he was ordered to commit assassinations, kidnappings, blackmail nd annihilation missions.
- He resented the missions and rebelled by aborting missions, interfering with them and leaking sensitive information. As a result he was labeled a problem child and assigned to the squad of the Greatest Magician in Roland Quont Quo.
- He was 13 at the time.
- The Hidden Elites were about to rape several women during one of their missions and he tried to speak up against it. “No no, it’s not an order, but more like a request…see, I’m a kid, right? I don’t think raping girls in front of a kid constitutes quality education…”
- Quont broke woman's arm and legs to taunt him.
- Quont threatened to let another Hidden Elite rape him and then taunted him, asking if he wanted to join in raping the women.
- He snapped and attacked him. When the other Hidden Elites jumped in, he had to break their bones and knock them unconscious. Got stabbed in the shoulder and burned by a Kurenai spell during the fight.
- Ended up throwing a knife at Quont and using the distraction to rewrite the Kurenai spell in a way that Quont couldn't easily fix, eventually blasting Quont unconscious with a Misumi water spell.
- Had to bluff the other Hidden Elites into not attacking his weakened self. “Seriously, you guys! Why the hell are you surrounding me? What are you trying to do? You still gonna attack this weak kid, huh!? Ahhh alright! So that’s how it is! Alright, alright. Come on. I’m just really pissed that my arm’s hurting this much, so I’m not gonna hold back! I’ll kick your ass! Kick your sorry pansy assess, be prepared! So, come at me!!”
- The Hidden Elites freaked about him defeating Quont and ran away, leaving him to let the women escape and thus purposely botching another mission.
- He became known as the Greatest Magician in Roland as a result.
What this means in Aather?
Ryner received this memory after already figuring out how to rewrite Sion's Ante silencing spell when Sion attempted to silence them during the Mirror's truth game. That time, he changed the spell to Kasaragi. This memory tells him that he's always been gifted with the ability to rewrite magic once he analyzes it with Alpha Stigma. It also explains why Sion would want to research him before discovering him at the training institute later on.
The memory also confirms what Sion told him about his childhood, about being used by Roland as a weapon and then being punished for rebelling against his orders by being thrown into the institute. This memory strengthens Ryner's distaste toward violence and especially ill treatment of women.
I'm going to do this one a little differently since it's long and I'm only using the first part of the link.
Credit to here.
MEMORY
The Greatest Magician in Roland.
That’s what he was called.
And said Greatest Magician in Roland,
“Aaah? Hey, you brat. What the hell did you just say to me now?"
Was hollering in anger.
Ryner Lute shrugged at that.
“……woah~ geez. This is turning out to be such a pain…”
He muttered quietly.
He had messy black hair and black eyes tinged with a hint of sleepiness.
He was taller than average, but he’s still only thirteen. He hadn’t finished growing yet.
But draped around his young body was the combat uniform of the special organization Hidden Elites, a group of assassins feared and treated as monsters even within the Roland army.
A black cape and light, navy-colored armor.
His entire body was covered by dark colors.
In other words, the attire was made to meld into darkness and disappear from people’s eyes…
Yes.
The Hidden Elites was such a place.
A gathering of people who were made into war machines through the army’s human experiments that were hidden from the public’s eye and monsters with special abilities that were despised.
As the dark side of Roland, their jobs - as expected - were often underground missions that had to be hidden from the public.
And this time’s mission was another one of those underground ones.
Ryner looked at the scene unfolding before him.
“…”
They were at a noble’s mansion.
Standing in the hall were men wearing the same Hidden Elites attire that Ryner was, and five women were sprawled on the floor.
Three of them already had their clothes torn off and were laying stark naked on the floor.
The men were cheering while wearing disgusting expressions.
Even Ryner knew what was going to happen next despite his age.
Really, these things happen all the time. The Hidden Elites was that sort of place, after all.
No, it might be better to say that this mad country, the Roland empire…was that sort of place.
It had been a few years since Ryner was assigned to the Hidden Elites.
After every mission’s completion, there would always be another disgusting order.
Assassination missions.
Kidnapping missions.
Blackmail missions.
Annihilation missions.
They were the worst of the worst and most sickening.
It was simply an endless repeat of killing, killing and more killing, simply because he became involved in the games of glory and desire that the army’s higher-ups and the nobles were so fond of.
So Ryner aborted missions, interfered, leaked sensitive information and rebelled to the best of his ability…
And he was assigned this mission.
In other words,
He was put into the team commanded by the worst kind of monster, the Greatest Magician in Roland, and was assigned the mission of kidnapping Earl Runoshow’s daughter.
Even the problem child Ryner Lute won’t dare to defy the Greatest Magician in Roland Quont Quo – that might be the army’s line of thought.
And because of that, Ryner now found himself stuck between a rock and a hard place.
He was facing off against that Greatest Magician in Roland, Quont Quo, and conflict was imminent.
Quont had short, golden hair. His right eye was mutilated by a knife wound, and his left eye glared with an intensity that seemed to slice through everything.
He was quite a bit bigger than other members of the Hidden Elites, but size wasn’t all he had for show.
Just by the way he held himself, it was obvious that steel-like muscles rippled underneath his combat uniform.
And…his casting speed was incredible.
The casting speed of his Izuchi – which killed eight guards in a split second – was incredible.
In other words, he was truly strong.
Enough to not shame the title Greatest Magician in Roland.
And said person was currently directing the full force of his glare toward Ryner.
“Hey, brat. Say that again.”
And Ryner repeated what he said.
“…well, I mean, I was just thinking that…maybe you shouldn’t assault girls…”
Quont glared at Ryner.
“What? Is that an order?”
He growled.
Ryner hurriedly amended,
“No no, it’s not an order, but more like a request…see, I’m a kid, right? I don’t think raping girls in front of a kid constitutes quality education…”
Quont replied,
“So you’re saying that I shouldn’t screw them?”
“…yeah. It’d be nice if you could stop that, if possible…”
“You have a problem with what I’m doing…is that right?”
“No, not really, I mean…”
But Quont interrupted in an even lower voice.
“…shut it, Ryner Lute. I’ve heard about you. You’re the one interfering with all these missions and giving those higher-ups hell. So, you’re gonna interfere with this mission as well?”
Ryner shook his head hurriedly.
“No no, such thoughts have never even crossed my mind. I was just thinking that you shouldn’t be so rough on the target of our kidnapping…”
But Quont made a move as Ryner was speaking.
“Rough…huh.”
He muttered softly. He grabbed the wrist of a woman on the floor, and with a crack…
“Ah, aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?”
The woman screamed.
Her arm was broken cleanly…
Quont smiled,
“…you mean, this kind of rough? Or…”
This time, he grabbed the legs of the screaming woman…
“W-wait! Stop…”
Just as Ryner began to shout…
Crack.
“…”
The woman’s screams stopped. She lost consciousness from the excruciating pain.
Quont spit on the woman’s face with a bored expression.
“Ahh? What the hell…I love hearing women screaming, so don’t cut my entertainment short.”
Quont’s underlings spoke up.
“Come on, Quont, don’t kill her before the fun begins!”
“Geez, Quont just can’t help himself.”
Quont laughed.
“Oh, my bad, my bad. That brat was being so stuck up, I just couldn’t control myself.”
That was their conversation.
And before such a scene,
“…”
Ryner remained silent.
He merely observed the situation with his half-opened eyes.
Quont glared at Ryner again.
“…hey, Ryner Lute. I don’t know how the hell you’ve been acting before, but you’re under my command now. Try that shit again and I’ll break your arms and legs and f*** you up. Some of us would love to do that. See, that guy over there.”
He pointed the man with a moustache, standing off the side with the most disgusting smile on his face.
“That chap loves women, but he also loves brats like you…”
He said.
But Ryner,
“…”
Still remained silent.
He merely gazed at the broken woman with languid eyes.
Quont’s underlings spoke again.
“Haha! Is the brat so scared he can’t speak?”
“Come on, Quont, just leave the kid alone and do this. I can’t hold myself back any longer.”
Quont nodded.
“Yeah, let’s do this. Hey, Ryner. Speak up if you want in, alright?”
He laughed.
In face of that,
In face of that, Ryner said,
“…ah geez, this is such a pain.”
And gathered up all his strength.
He dashed straight at Quont and raised his fist,
“I said, stop…”
It! He punched.
But Quont reacted.
He stopped Ryner’s punch and smiled.
“I saw that coming.”
He tried to twist Ryner’s joints, but Ryner freed himself from Quont’s grasp and delivered a kick into his face.
But Quont didn’t even move an inch.
“Shit, guess the difference in weight really shows….”
Ryner cursed at the same time that Quont grabbed his foot.
Quont was still smiling,
“You do want to get f***ed, huh.”
He poured more strength into his hand.
However, Ryner wasn’t fazed.
He drew the knife sheathed at his waist and tried to slice apart Quont’s arms…
But Quont swung Ryner by his foot and threw him away, avoiding the knife.
Ryner recovered in midair and landed.
He raised his knife again, but…
He saw Quont’s foot right in front of his face.
“Woah, fast…seriously!?”
Ryner groaned and dodged by rolling on the floor.
This is bad…he thought.
Shit shit shit.
Quont was much stronger than he’d expected…
Well, he picked a fight with the monster called the Greatest Magician in Roland, so it was to be expected…
And his opponent wasn't Quont alone.
Quont had four underlings.
And they were all members of the Hidden Elites – a group of monsters.
The situation is very…
Just as Ryner was recovering from his roll, Quont’s underling was waiting for him.
“Hehehe…you’re not going anywhere, brat.”
He struck out.
Ryner grabbed his arm, twisted, and broke his bones.
He then punched the man in his face and crushed his leg bones.
The man could not react to Ryner’s movements at all.
But Ryner wasn’t holding back.
Actually,
“…hmm? Ah, sorry. I can’t really afford to hold back this time…”
He smacked the man’s neck with the side of his hand, knocking him out.
That’s one down.
But there were still three more, as well as Quont himself.
Ryner turned around immediately.
And saw three knives flying towards him, courtesy of Quont’s three underlings.
Behind them, Quont was drawing a magic circle at breakneck speeds…
“Shiiiiiit reaaaaaaaaaaally!?”
Ryner shouted.
He couldn’t spare a second to dodge the knives.
He had to deal with Quont…with Quont’s magic…
Ryner adjusted his body to minimize damage and closed his eyes once.
At the same time, the knives struck his body.
His face, right chest and left shoulder.
He moved his face a little, so the knife only left a scratch. His chest was protected by armor and the knife was repelled.
However, his left shoulder…
“…ouch.”
It struck true.
A searing pain ran through his shoulder.
However, he couldn’t afford to be distracted.
Ryner opened his eyes wide.
Vermillion pentacles appeared within his black eyes.
The eyes of a monster despised and avoided by everyone.
A special kind of eye called Alpha Stigma.
With those eyes, Ryner looked at the magic that Qount was casting.
In an instant.
Ryner saw everything about the magic.
Structure.
Activation method.
Mechanism.
Even the time for activation and its effects.
He saw everything.
And…
He despaired.
He couldn’t dodge it.
And he couldn’t really cancel it because Quont’s casting speed was too fast – his canceling magic won’t make it in time…
Now what?
What should I do…
Quont smiled and said,
“Ah, the army told me to go easy on you, but to hell with that. Die, Ryner Lute.”
And he began the incantation. “WHAT I SEEK IS…”
What should I do…
And a sudden thought struck him.
How to resolve this situation.
But it was far too reckless. If he failed, he’ll definitely die. No, even if he didn’t fail, he’ll receive fatal injuries.
But he was going to die anyways.
Then…
“Shit, I might as well do it!”
Ryner began running again.
Towards where Quont was standing.
Ryner knew that he couldn’t cancel the magic, but he ran on anyways.
Quont laughed at him.
“Your struggles are futile. It’s too late!”
He shouted, but Ryner knew that better than he did.
It was too late.
He won’t make it.
Ryner knew it better than anyone else.
The magic was about to be activated in front of his eyes.
“WHAT I SEEK IS BURNING FIELDS>>>…”
Right then, a huge ball of flame appeared in the middle of the magic circle that Quont had created.
That was the worst magic.
Kurenai.
As the cost of immense power, the spell’s casting speed was slow and would burn not only the target, but everything surrounding him or her, so it wasn’t really convenient to use indoors…
But in exchange, once it was activated, there weren’t any simple spells that could cancel its effects.
Even though Ryner’s Alpha Stigma can analyze magic completely, he couldn’t do much against a spell that had little to no counters.
And if he took it head on, Ryner would be burnt to a crisp in an instant.
He couldn’t neither escape nor defend.
Additionally, Quont’s casting speed was about the same as that of Ryner’s.
There’s no way that Ryner would be able to cast a counter.
Quont knew that, so he casted this spell.
So that Ryner couldn’t do anything, even as the bearer of Alpha Stigma…
“Ugh…”
Ryner groaned to himself.
The Greatest Magician in Roland.
The title crossed his thoughts.
I really chose the wrong guy to defy, he smiled in self-deprecation.
But he didn’t stop.
He threw the knife in his hand.
But it was dodged completely.
And Quont laughed.
“It’s not going to work.”
He knew that as well. But as long as the magic was delayed even by a second, he’d be fine with it.
Quont said,
“This is it. Die, brat.”
And said the last word of the incantation.
“Kurenai.”
In an instant.
The magic activated before Ryner’s eyes.
A huge ball of flame was hurled towards Ryner.
But still, Ryner did not stop.
He ran as fast as he could towards Quont and reached out his hand.
Towards the giant ball of flame.
The flames rushed towards him.
Ryner twisted his body in hopes of dodging it, but…
“Gaahh!”
He couldn’t dodge it completely.
His arm was burnt.
His body was burnt.
It hurt so much that he could barely keep his consciousness.
But,
“Aaaaaaaaaaaargh, f*** this!!”
Ryner didn’t stop.
He reached inside the flames…
He forced his arm inside the activated magic circle and began to rewrite it.
So that…the spell would reverse.
Quont was surprised,
“Wh- i-impossible…are you out of your mind!? Sticking your arm into an activated magic…I-I won’t let you!”
He hollered and stuck his arm inside the magic circle. Then, he began to repair the places that Ryner had rewritten.
He was fast.
Very much so.
But I can’t lose here.
Ryner tried his hardest to rewrite the magic circle.
So that the spell would reverse.
So that it’ll be changed into Izuchi.
So that it’ll be changed into Misumi.
But time and time again, he was foiled.
Ryner scowled,
“Y-you bastaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard!!”
He tried his best to rewrite the magic circle.
But gradually…
He was being pushed back.
No matter how much he rewrote, it was all repaired.
His opponent’s casting spell began to overwhelm Ryner’s, bit by bit.
Quont said,
“…y-you fool. Who…do you take me for…how can my casting speed…be lower than a brat like you.”
Still, Ryner rewrote the magic circle desperately.
“Shit, shit.”
“It’s all useless. Ha, haha. You’re..gonna die.”
“Shit, shit, shit!!”
Ryner rewrote the magic circle desperately while shouting.
However.
He was being pushed back, slowly and surely. His opponent’s casting speed was obviously faster than his.
“This is really the end, Ryner Lute. Die.”
And in the end, Quont managed to finish his magic circle…
Ryner lost.
He lost completely.
Quont smiled smugly in anticipation of victory.
And activated his magic again, directing it towards Ryner.
However.
“Shit, shit, shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit…………………………………………just kidding~”
Everything went according to plan.
Ryner stuck out his tongue.
“Wha?”
Quont wore an expression of shock, but it was too late.
Ryner pulled out the knife in his left shoulder…and threw with all his strength.
It was twice as fast as the one before.
Yes, he held back on purpose when he threw the first knife.
The knife headed straight towards Quont’s neck.
Astonished by the difference in speed, Quont’s reaction was a split second late. His face paled.
“Ugh.”
He still managed to dodge it, just barely. But his hands left the magic circle.
Ryner smiled with satisfaction.
“Hehe~ I’m digging in~”
He forced his hand into the magic circle again and brought it under his control.
Of course, Quont reached out towards the circle immediately, but…
Ryner imitated the disgusting smile that Quont wore,
“It’s too late.”
And began to rewrite the magic circle.
Rewrite.
Rewrite.
At a speed that far surpassed his old one.
And the spell’s equation was different from its usual version – it was a much more complicated and hard to dispel magic that Ryner had improved by himself…
Quont’s face contorted.
“..y-you bastard, you did that on purpose…”
But Ryner’s smile didn’t falter.
“And it’s too late for you to realize.”
Ryner rapidly finished up his magic.
Quont’s stance faltered, and since he was too used to the slow pace of magic construction just now, he couldn’t react.
Additionally, when Quont stumbled and turned his eyes away, Ryner had already broken down the most basic components of the magic circle and begun to reconstruct the magic he developed.
No matter how much magical knowledge Quont had as the Greatest Magician in Roland…
It was impossible for him to find a counter right away.
Of course, it’ll be a different story if he had Alpha Stigma…
Ryner looked at Quont.
Quont groaned, completely unable to deal with Ryner’s magic circle.
“Ugh, wha…this is…”
However, he still tried desperately to interfere with the magic. Ryner laughed.
“Hah. That structure is just a decoy. Changing it is meaningless.”
“Y-you…”
But Ryner interrupted him,
“Oh and by the way, I’m not spending time listening to you talk rubbish.”
He completed the magic.
And he began the incantation immediately.
“This is it. WHAT I SEEK IS…”
“W-wait”
“No way. See ya.
WHAT I SEEK IS WATER MIST >>> MISUMI”
In an instant,compressed liquid gathered at the center of the magic circle and erupted.
A huge amount of liquid crashed into Quont’s body as a swift torrent.
“Guah-“
Along with sounds of distress, Quont vomited blood. But the water pressure didn’t stop there. It engulfed Quont and blew him away.
“Uah, gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah…..”
Quont was thrown against the wall screaming. And just like that, he lost consciousness.
Ryner stared at him.
“…”
Quont didn’t move at all.
He probably wasn’t dead….but if he really was a monster that could get up even after being blasted by Misumi at such a distance, then Ryner knew that he couldn’t win.
“And really, I don’t have that much stamina left…please don’t get up.”
Ryner stared at Quont.
But there was no sign of him getting up.
He was completely out of it.
After confirming it, Ryner looked at his surroundings.
He defeated the most dangerous of them all, but enemies still remained.
And they weren’t fodder. The three of them were monstrous Hidden Elites.
Still, no matter how much of an elite they are, the average Hidden Elite won’t stand a chance against Ryner, but…
“…”
He looked at his left shoulder.
Because he forcibly pulled the knife out, his wound worsened. Just using a little strength hurt him so much that he felt dizzy.
Ryner scowled,
“………so my left arm is useless….and my right….”
He muttered.
And looked at his right arm.
He didn’t feel any pain because he was desperate back then…but because he forced his way into Kurenai during activation, his arm suffered burns from his fingertips to his elbow.
His fingers…he can move them if he wanted…
But the instant that Ryner moved his fingers, he couldn’t stop himself from shouting,
“J-just moving it hurts like shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!”
This can’t be for real?
Why did it hurt so much?
This, this is bad.
Really bad.
This is really bad.
More like…
“……aaaaaaaaaargh, this, this hurts so much, it’s pissing me off! What the hell is wrong with you guys? Seriously, what the f***!? You adults grab a cute kid like me and just shower me with abuse? I’ve got a bone to pick with that! Now I’m covered in wounds from head to toe!! What are you gonna do about it? How the hell are you going to make up for it!?”
Ryner said, and his face contorted in anger.
The Hidden Elites that were attempting to surround Ryner recoiled in fright at his sudden outburst.
And Ryner…
“Seriously, you guys! Why the hell are you surrounding me? What are you trying to do? You still gonna attack this weak kid, huh!? Ahhh alright! So that’s how it is! Alright, alright. Come on. I’m just really pissed that my arm’s hurting this much, so I’m not gonna hold back! I’ll kick your ass! Kick your sorry pansy assess, be prepared! So, come at me!!”
Continued his increasingly angry speech.
He continued to holler…
But he was putting on a bold front.
Actually, it’s disadvantageous for him to fight in this state.
He beckoned when he said ‘So, come at me!!’, and his arm hurt so much that he could cry.
Well, tears did well up. It hurt so much, he cried a little.
Damn~ What should I do. If they attack me like this, I’d lose even to fodder…
Inwardly, Ryner was panicking.
“Now, what's wrong!? If you’re not gonna come, then I’m coming to get you! You still gonna fight, huh? Make up your damn mind already!”
In face of his anger…
One Hidden Elite said in a shaking voice…
“…n-no, I…I can’t fight a monster that overcame the Greatest Magician in Roland with magic….”
Ryner couldn’t help but mentally exclaim,
(Alright! You’re doing great!)
But he didn’t let that show.
I’ll prove that looks can kill! He pinned his opponent with his gaze.
And the guy beside him…
“…m-me too…I-I give up...s-such killing intent…it’s impossible to fight with such a monster…”
Hearing that,
(Yes yes yes yes! This is going well! One more person! Just one more!)
Ryner didn’t let his expression change, and glared at the last person.
“….so, what about you?”
And he…
“…I, I do not have the courage…to face someone who defeated Mr. Quont…”
For some reason, he spoke politely.
Ryner quietly let out a sigh of relief.
He motioned towards Quont with his head and said,
“So, take your comrade and get the hell outta here.”
The polite man replied,
“B-but, Master Ryner…our mission was to kidnap the daughter…”
Master Ryner? Ryner wanted to say something about that, but held himself back.
“Shut up. I’ll do the job, so take him away.”
“Y-yes.”
And the three of them took the fallen Quont and the unconscious man whose arm and leg were broken by Ryner. They ran away.
Ryner confirmed their escape and sighed.
“….haaah~…I’m really tired…”
He said while leisurely picking up the clothes on the floor. He handed them out to the naked girls.
“….ah, you don’t have to be so scared. I don’t feel like kidnapping anymore since I’m so tired…so, I’m leaving, but don’t forget to lock up your doors from now on.”
He said and stumbled towards the mansion’s exit.
A woman called out from behind him,
“…t-thank you, for saving us.”
But he was tired, so he didn’t turn back.
He didn’t wave his hands since it’d hurt.
But the woman continued,
“…y-your name….can you tell me your name…..?”
Hearing that question, Ryner felt like saying ‘Well, Quont was repeating my name like some kinda mantra just now, weren’t you listening?’
But it was such a pain, so he ignored her.
“…please, tell me….”
The woman still called out to him in a sad voice…
“….”
But Ryner did not tell her his name in the end.
The dark side of Roland.
As one of the Hidden Elites, his name will never come under proper daylight.
What he learns?
- He was part of a group called the Hidden Elites, made of human experiments and monsters like him. He had been part of this group for several years before the memory.
- As part of the group, he was ordered to commit assassinations, kidnappings, blackmail nd annihilation missions.
- He resented the missions and rebelled by aborting missions, interfering with them and leaking sensitive information. As a result he was labeled a problem child and assigned to the squad of the Greatest Magician in Roland Quont Quo.
- He was 13 at the time.
- The Hidden Elites were about to rape several women during one of their missions and he tried to speak up against it. “No no, it’s not an order, but more like a request…see, I’m a kid, right? I don’t think raping girls in front of a kid constitutes quality education…”
- Quont broke woman's arm and legs to taunt him.
- Quont threatened to let another Hidden Elite rape him and then taunted him, asking if he wanted to join in raping the women.
- He snapped and attacked him. When the other Hidden Elites jumped in, he had to break their bones and knock them unconscious. Got stabbed in the shoulder and burned by a Kurenai spell during the fight.
- Ended up throwing a knife at Quont and using the distraction to rewrite the Kurenai spell in a way that Quont couldn't easily fix, eventually blasting Quont unconscious with a Misumi water spell.
- Had to bluff the other Hidden Elites into not attacking his weakened self. “Seriously, you guys! Why the hell are you surrounding me? What are you trying to do? You still gonna attack this weak kid, huh!? Ahhh alright! So that’s how it is! Alright, alright. Come on. I’m just really pissed that my arm’s hurting this much, so I’m not gonna hold back! I’ll kick your ass! Kick your sorry pansy assess, be prepared! So, come at me!!”
- The Hidden Elites freaked about him defeating Quont and ran away, leaving him to let the women escape and thus purposely botching another mission.
- He became known as the Greatest Magician in Roland as a result.
What this means in Aather?
Ryner received this memory after already figuring out how to rewrite Sion's Ante silencing spell when Sion attempted to silence them during the Mirror's truth game. That time, he changed the spell to Kasaragi. This memory tells him that he's always been gifted with the ability to rewrite magic once he analyzes it with Alpha Stigma. It also explains why Sion would want to research him before discovering him at the training institute later on.
The memory also confirms what Sion told him about his childhood, about being used by Roland as a weapon and then being punished for rebelling against his orders by being thrown into the institute. This memory strengthens Ryner's distaste toward violence and especially ill treatment of women.
