Colbert puckered up his brows.
That face had something dark in it.
“You…”
“How many years passed since our last meeting? Haaa! Captain! Twenty-years! That’s right!”
Captain?
What does that mean? The students started to whisper.
“What? Captain! You are a teacher now?! Isn’t it funny? You - a teacher! What precisely do you teach? You who were named ‘The Flame Serpent’… Ha, ha, ha! Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!”
Menvil shouted with laughter.
“I will explain to you. This man here is a flame user that was called ‘The Flame Serpent’ before. He was a commander of the special troops… Women or children – he did not care, he burned them all completely.”
Kirche stared at Colbert.
“And he was the man… who took my eyes!”
Colbert was emanating something scary.
The aura around him felt very different from normal.
Burning his own people, even Kirche’s Zerbst lineage, never engaged in such atrocities. After all, those were nobles’ duels.
However, the air that Colbert emanated today was different.
If you touch – you’ll burn.
You’ll burn and die.
The smell of burning flesh, the smell of death.
From the tip of Colbert’s casually thrust out wand, a huge snake of flame, that looked too big for the delicate wand, sprang out. The snake bit the wand of one mage, who had silently started to chant a spell.
The wand turned to ashes in an instant.
Colbert smiled.
A cold smile without feelings, like a reptile’s.
Colbert asked Kirche who stared at him in shock.
“Miss Zerbst. Do you remember the Fire element’s characteristics?”
From the edge of a bitten lip, a stream of blood trickled.
Red blood, like flame, like Colbert’s mantle.
“…fire’s characteristics are zeal and destruction.”
“Fire’s zeal purpose is solely destruction. That’s what you think. Twenty years ago I thought so too.”
Colbert muttered in an unusual voice.
“However, it is as you say.”
The moon hid behind a cloud again.
Their surroundings turned black as if painted by a dark brush.
A fight in the dark is difficult for an ordinary man. Because one cannot see his opponent.
However, for the blinded Fire user there is no light to begin with, thus darkness is not a handicap at all.
Menvil thought while gripping his cane and preparing a spell.
20 years ago my flame was defeated.
It was because of immaturity.
However, it is different now.
With time I became much stronger.
Though I lost light, I gained strong Fire instead.
Inner body senses were straightened and the nerves became twice as strong.
Now I can detect even the most subtle changes in the air.
Temperature of a person, flow of air coloured a shadow and the sight was projected into Menvil's mind.
“Take your friend and run away from here.”
Kirche nodded, and supporting Tabitha, tried to run away. However, the mage that lurked in the dining hall shot an ice arrow aimed at their backs.
A thin flame dashed out of Colbert's cane and entwined the arrow.
The arrow of ice melted and fell.
Once Colbert's flame was unleashed, Menvil's flame flew.
Fireball.
A ball of flame that followed Colbert's movements…
However, it was instantly burned down by the flame escaping from Colbert’s wand.
“Fufu, don’t.”
Menvil launched one flame after another, aiming at Colbert.
Suddenly Colbert was cornered into defense.
In the darkness he ran from side to side trying to escape them.
Even if you want to attack, challenging Menvil in the dark is not easily done.
“What’s wrong?! What’s wrong captain?! Don’t just run around!”
Menvil shot one fireball after another. The edge of Colbert’s mantle flamed up.
“Too bad! Just your mantle turns into scorch! Next is your body! I want to smell your burning body! This is me! Uwaha! Uha! Hahahahahahahaha!”
Wearing a smile tinged with madness, Menvil launched his flames.
“Kuu…”
Colbert shot his own flame of magic aiming at the source of Menvil's flame.
However, there was no response.
Menvil moved at once when the spell was cast and disappeared in the dark, not giving Colbert the chance for a counterattack.
One cannot attack an opponent whom one cannot see. Colbert frowned.
“Here! Captain!”
Yet his position was fully exposed to Menvil who could “see” in the dark.
Colbert hid in the bushes, then tried to hide himself in the shadow of the tower. However, it was not possible to escape from Menvil, who could track one's temperature very accurately.
Colbert, while running around and trying to escape, soon found himself in the center of the plaza. There was no place where he could hide.
“The best stage is prepared, Captain. You cannot run away anymore. There is no place where you can hide yourself either. Give up.”
Colbert took a deep breath.
And spoke towards Menvil's direction in the darkness.
“Young Menvil, I have a favor to ask.”
“What? You want to burn without suffering? Well for the old time's sake, I will burn you in an instant.”
In a perfectly composed voice, Colbert said,
“I want you to give up. I already decided not to kill anyone with magic.”
“Hey hey, have you lost your mind? Can’t you understand the current situation? You can’t see me. However, I can see you perfectly. Where do you see a winning chance for you?”
“Still, I am begging you. This is true.”
Colbert fell on his knees and bowed. The Menvil's voice was filled with disgust,
“I… I was chasing such a coward for twenty years… you good-for-nothing… I cannot permit that... I cannot permit that to myself. I will roast you bit by bit, taking my time, without any sympathy, from head to toes.”
Menvil began utter an incantation.
“Even if I ask, you won’t listen.”
Colbert continued.
“I am not a persistent enough guy.”
Colbert shook his head in sadness and pointed his wand to the sky.
The ball of a small flame shot up.
“What? Illumination plan? Unfortunately, the fire size is not enough to light the area around.”
It was as Menvil said. The small ball of flame only lightly shined upon their surroundings. It could not replace the sun.
The moment when Menvil's spell was completed…
The small flame ball that was hanging in the sky exploded.
The small explosion turned into a huge one in an instant.
Fire, Fire, Earth. One earth and two fires.
Using “Gold transmutation” water vapor in the air was turned into oil.
With a spark it turned into a huge bolide…
The combustion of the huge bolide sucked up all oxygen around, causing every living thing within its range to suffocate and die.
It was a matchless “Flame bomb.”
Menvil, opening his mouth to chant the spell, felt the oxygen being plundered from his lungs and suffocated in an instant.
If the enemy hides in the darkness… consign him to the darkness.
However, this spell kills everyone nearby. Therefore, Colbert did not use it until they moved to the center of the plaza.
Colbert turned around and, while holding his mouth, approached the lying Menvil.
“You couldn’t turn into a complete snake, Lieutenant.”
Colbert whispered, while coldly looking down at Menvil’s face drawn with pain.