The Innocent Mage's Spellbinding Nights - Chapter 39
He thought this exam would be easier than any previous ones. Including Irina, his other four teammates were more than capable of pulling their own weight.
“Let’s aim for first place in this evaluation.”
“Sure, with Hesed in our team, it’s almost guaranteed.”
“My friends were so jealous of me.”
Except for Irina, the others were all flattering Hesed and laughing together.
“…”
The exam had already begun, and although the mages had preemptively dealt with the dangerous monsters, they still needed to be cautious.
Irina wanted to remind her teammates to stay alert, but as she observed the group’s dynamics, she cast a silence spell instead of speaking up. Hesed took note of her actions.
Hesed’s group soon found the Besmos’ burrow without much difficulty.
“…What?”
“Oh god.”
Before them lay an unexpected sight: a dead Besmos with a large hole in its belly, shattered or broken eggs, and another Besmos clamped in the powerful jaws of a creature that had ravaged the burrow.
“Mu, Mutra! Why are these here…”
One of the trainees spoke in a trembling voice.
Terrifying red eyes, powerful jaws, sharp claws, and a tail covered in spikes.
Unlike the Besmos, which could be handled with some caution, the giant rat-like Mutra was too strong for most trainees to exploit its weaknesses.
“Chii, chiiik!”
Most frighteningly, they were ferocious. Seeing about ten of these monsters baring their teeth and glaring at them was enough to make anyone’s knees buckle.
Thud, thud!
As soon as the Mutras finished assessing the intruders, they began to charge. The previously frozen trainees screamed and backed away in panic.
“Kyah!”
“Aaah!”
“Fire Wall!”
Despite the chaos, Hesed calmly cast a fire spell to create a wall of flames, blocking the monsters from advancing further. Though arrogant, he had the pride of a high-ranking noble and a strong individual. He aimed to retreat safely rather than run away in panic.
Most of the Mutras hesitated at the sight of the blazing wall, but two of them, driven by their aggressive nature, charged right through.
“Chiiik!”
Emerging from the wall, their fur singed and burnt, they lunged at Hesed. His concentration was fully on maintaining the fire wall, leaving him defenseless against their attack.
‘But…!’
He believed he would be alright. He wasn’t alone. By now, his teammates should have composed themselves and either cast attack spells or put up a shield to stop the Mutras.
However, only one of the Mutras was struck down by magic before it reached him.
Did his teammates fail to coordinate, that’s why they focused their attacks on just one? Regardless, Hesed, fighting for survival, belatedly threw himself to the side.
It was a wise decision. While the Mutra’s sharp claws inflicted a significant wound on Hesed’s shoulder, it spared his head, heart, and other vital organs, allowing him to survive.
“Hesed!”
Irina’s sharp voice rang out. Another wind blade flew in and tore apart the foot of the Mutra attacking Hesed.
Only then could Hesed turn his head to look behind him.
“Ha…”
There was only one person left. It was Irina who had cast the wind spear and sent the blades flying.
Hesed, being smart, didn’t need her to explain the situation. While he created the wall of fire to buy time, the other trainees had all fled—the same ones who seemed ready to lick his boots just ten minutes earlier.
If Irina had also fled, Hesed would have become the Mutras’ meal.
He had never imagined dying in such a miserable way. As he realized death was closer than ever, his mind went blank, his heart pounded with tension, and his limbs turned cold. Hesed’s body wavered.
And the Mutras began to approach through the wavering wall of fire.
“Hesed!”
Calling his name again, Irina grabbed his hand tightly and started to run.
Her legs moved smoothly, as if greased, thanks to the Haste spell she had cast.
Being dragged along, Hesed spoke in a sharp voice.
“Why… why didn’t you run?”
It wasn’t something to be angry about with Irina. He should have bowed his head in gratitude.
But their situation was far from good. The wall of fire would soon vanish, and the Mutras would relentlessly pursue those who killed their kin.
If the situation worsened, even the kind Irina would face a choice.
Would they both die? Or would one survive?
Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t matter, but with Hesed injured and struggling to move, leaving him as food for the monsters would buy enough time for her to escape.
With the worst-case scenario repeatedly coming to mind, Hesed couldn’t help but lash out to hide his fear, much like a wounded animal becomes more ferocious.
“Why? Because… you trusted your teammates first and cast your spell. I’m just repaying that trust.”
