Nighttime Encounters - Chapter 18
Realizing the situation, the ruffians exclaimed in disbelief, “That’s Trinity?”
“Then, the a**hole attacking us the entire time was Trinity?”
Sensing the ferocity of Trinity’s aura at their harsh words, the thugs flinched. “You lunatic! T-Trinity is a mage too.”
“In that case…”
The ruffians’ gaze shifted towards the mage who had conjured the fire arrow. They realized that it wasn’t aimed at them but at Trinity who was lurking in the shadows. The sight of two mages was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Caught between Trinity and Kaiden, the ruffians finally realized the imminent danger they were in and scrambled in a panic.
“We’re done for.”
Trinity and Kaiden paid no heed to the ruffians’ despair, only eyeing each other warily. Kaiden glared cautiously as if piercing through Trinity, taking a careful step forward. Likewise, Trinity, concealing her presence behind the ruffians, observed Kaiden, making sure not to miss any of his movements. Missing even a slight action of the opponent would undoubtedly lead to a bitter defeat.
Flames flickered in the eyes of the two, sharply facing off amidst the ruffians.
“I never thought I’d meet you here.”
As the exchanged glances lit a spark, the sensations engraved on the body flooded back into his mind. The soft touch against his ear. The sweet breath brushing the earlobe. The tingling thrill piercing through him when her teeth grazed it. The strange sensations that began in his earlobe and spread throughout his body, constantly tugging at his reason and emotions.
“Meeting like this, what a pleasant surprise,” Kaiden remarked, tilting one corner of his mouth, wearing a somewhat self-deprecating smile.
Kaiden, who often criticized foolish sorcerers losing themselves to intellectual curiosity and spiraling into destruction, found himself unexpectedly excited by this unusual encounter. It became clear to him that maybe he was no better than them.
“Perhaps, do they have something she wants to steal from them?” Kaiden calmly refined his thoughts, eyeing Trinity, who was weaving her way among the miscreants.
He’d bitten his ear, and he had lunged for vengeance. She wasn’t the type of person to take it lying down. She was completely different from the woman who had been caught by miscreants, unable to do anything but shed tears.
Kaiden wasn’t sure why that woman from earlier suddenly came to mind.
Shaking off the lingering image of those violet eyes, Kaiden abruptly increased the magnitude of his magic. The intensified magic brought forth more powerful flames that soared high, filling the darkened streets.
“Instead of bothering with those bastards, how about facing me?”
Kaiden possessed the ability to absorb others’ magic and decipher their spells. At first glance, it seemed an enviable ability, but in reality, the conditions for its effective use were more demanding than one might think. To properly utilize the replication ability, he had to anticipate the moment when the opponent unleashed their magic. It was a thrilling moment of being exposed to the opponent’s attack, simultaneously nullifying them and deciphering their moves.
Facing Trinity, Kaiden took a deep breath and felt a shiver envelop his entire body..
“It might be better for you to be chased by me than getting chased by the Bureau of Mages just for messing with civilians.” With those words, the flames Kaiden conjured cleaved through the darkness and flew forth.
What kind of ability are you going to display, after all?
A crimson heat surged in Kaiden’s green eyes as he pursued the flames heading towards Trinity. “And if you get caught by me, so much the better.”
Trinity didn’t dodge Kaiden’s taunt. Instead, she vigorously swirled the wind, dispersing the flying flames. Like fireworks bursting, the shattered embers scattered in all directions.
Caught in the midst of their explosive fight were the thugs, who had been stealthily moving about, looking for a chance to escape.
“Heh, hehe…” The thugs, feeling the threat to their lives, whimpered faintly.
At this rate, they were going to be skewered between the two mages. They scattered and began to run, not sure who was leading whom.
“Run, run!”
Trinity’s black eyes flickered slightly. After a moment’s hesitation, she bit her lip and altered the direction of the wind. Kaiden’s flames rode Trinity’s wind, splintering into many branches and forming colorful curves. A wall of fire erupted across the alleyway.
“Aaah!”
Screams erupted here and there like popping corn, clamorous and frantic.
“What have we done wrong?”
“We’re just weak, ordinary people.”
The miscreants, who had once boasted about their physical strength, now pleaded their weakness, but the flames menacingly encircled them nonetheless. Their faces glowed red, reflecting the walls of fire that were blocking their retreat.
“Ahh! Are you trying to burn us to death?!”
“Please, have mercy, please!”
The thugs recalled everyone they had ever obstructed, including the woman they threatened earlier that day. They clasped their hands together and begged, as they always did.
“Let us go, and we will be grateful for the rest of our lives.”
However, their plea wasn’t a consideration for Trinity.
Only when she saw them trapped in the flames, unable to come and go, hanging on for dear life, did she turn her head. At that moment, a small, almost inaudible moan escaped her red lips.
“Ah.”
In the blink of an eye, the space where Kaiden had stood was now empty, shrouded only in black darkness.
As Trinity looked around in confusion, Luperne urgently warned her.
[Rosia, above!]
A red line crossed the center of Trinity’s black eyes as she looked up in panic.
