CHAPTER 08…………………………………………
The magic circle etched across the blond man’s entire back flashed, scattering mana savagely in all directions like a starving beast.
Red streams of light began to spread through the air, crisscrossing it like a spider’s web.
A human body magic circle?!
A magic circle carved into a person’s body is called a human body magic circle.
And according to what I’d read in my mother’s grimoire, despite countless experiments, there was only one effect that such magic circles in this world ever produced.
The absorption of another person’s mana.
It was an act like vampirism, draining someone else’s life force. The problem was that once the absorption began, it didn’t stop until the target died.
That was why it was the most horrific of all taboos.
Why is that on that man’s back…?!
That man was undoubtedly the Duke of Northdian.
Among commoners, he was better known as the Notch Duke, beloved by the emperor.
A man who hunted down mage criminals across the continent with nothing but a sword—among the nobility of this world, he was practically a bogeyman used to frighten children.
And yet, that man bore a human body magic circle?!
“Aaaaargh!”
The mages who had been casting the large-scale coordinated spell were caught by the blood-red mana. The instant it seized them, they clutched their chests and screamed in agony.
They’re all going to die.
My hands shook violently as I clamped them over my mouth to keep from screaming.
The red mana flowing from the Duke of Northdian burrowed into the mages’ hearts, forcibly ripping out their mana and dragging it toward the magic circle engraved on his back.
There was too much to absorb completely. Above the red magic circle, mana of every color writhed chaotically before scattering away.
It felt as though it were screaming for mercy. Goosebumps rose all over my body.
It was a horrific sight.
S-so scary.
My legs gave out, and I barely managed to lean against the wall to stay upright.
“Kghaaaah!”
The mana absorption had reached its final stage. The red glow that had illuminated the dark garden faded away, and the magic circle on his back vanished without a trace.
Those who had been drained of mana collapsed one by one like puppets with their strings cut, and soon silence fell over everything.
I-I have to run.
It seemed I had wandered straight into that man’s hunting ground. If I got caught like this, I’d surely be lumped in with the rest and have what little mana I had sucked dry.
Maybe it was fear—my heart pounded so loudly it felt deafening.
Just as I was about to jump from the window, the blond man—no, the Duke of Northdian—turned his head toward me.
He saw me!
Terrified by the rapidly approaching figure, I stumbled backward in a panic, lost my footing, and fell. My entire body trembled uncontrollably.
“Ah!”
Thankfully, I landed on the carpet and wasn’t hurt—but that was the least of my concerns.
It took less than ten seconds for the duke to leap up to the second-floor window.
Crash!
Before I knew it, the Duke of Northdian was standing on the window frame, stepping over shattered glass.
Backlit by the full moon, his blond hair fluttered softly in the wind.
His face was shrouded in shadow, but his dark crimson eyes alone gleamed fiercely as they met mine.
So that’s the Duke of Northdian…
He looked like a ferocious beast wearing human skin.
Beneath the tattered sleeve of his shirt, I caught sight of a solid, powerful arm.
It was a fantastically sculpted physique—something you’d never see among the men of this world, who devoted themselves to magic and paid little attention to physical training.
Wow… his body…
Seeing the reaper of death up close, only to realize he possessed a statue-like, perfectly built body—I momentarily forgot my fear and admired him on instinct.
Then his low voice echoed through the empty corridor.
“So there was a rat hiding here.”
I flinched and snapped back to my senses.
The man jumped down from the window and stared at me. I couldn’t move an inch, as if bound by his gaze alone.
Golden aura flowed out and wrapped around the silver blade of his sword, still dripping with blood. It looked as though it were tightening around my own neck.
Thump. Thump.
My heart pounded so violently it felt like it would leap out of my mouth. It was so loud it almost sounded like his footsteps approaching me.
“This is getting tedious. Let’s end it quickly.”
At his indifferent tone, despair washed over me.
Looks like this is the end of my life.
If only I’d stayed quietly in the cabin…
I was too frightened to even scream. I squeezed my eyes shut and turned my head away.
But no blow came, no matter how much time passed.
Instead, I heard a voice tinged with surprise.
“You’re not from that side.”
“…What?”
That side? What did that mean?
“…A woman?”
Crap!
I’d spoken without realizing it. I hurriedly covered my mouth with both hands, but it was already too late.
When I cautiously lifted my head, the Duke of Northdian was pressing a hand to his forehead.
He let out a shallow sigh.
“Why would you wear something confusing like a brown robe?”
The sharp gleam faded from his red eyes, and his aura disappeared as well. The crushing pressure lifted, and only then did my thoughts finally start moving again.
…A brown robe? Oh!
I remembered that I was wearing a brown hooded cloak to hide my face.
“Doesn’t seem like you have any mana. Or… do you?”
The duke muttered to himself, standing at a slant as he looked down at me.
“Are you an experiment subject? I thought they’d all escaped earlier.”
“…What?”
Damn it—I spoke again.
An experiment subject?! Why does he keep asking such terrifying things?!
He didn’t seem like he was about to kill me immediately, but that didn’t mean I could relax.
I pressed a fist against my still-racing heart. It was pounding so loudly I worried he might hear it.
“Hm. Judging by your reaction, probably not. Then that means you’re an outsider. How did you get in here? Beric should’ve set up the barrier.”
I didn’t know who Beric was, but he must have been the caster of the large-scale barrier magic surrounding the estate.
“He complained about being tired—did he mess up?”
The duke muttered under his breath, then glanced at me.
“Get up.”
Carefully reading his mood, I rose to my feet, still hesitant.
He scrutinized me closely with narrowed eyes.
“Speak. Who are you? How did you get in here?”
Despite his polite wording, his sharp gaze felt like it was piercing me. Even without a physical blade, it sent a chill through me, as if I’d been stabbed.
What should I say?
I couldn’t tell him the truth.
How could I say that a notch who can’t use magic has the ability to cross space—and that today, of all days, something went wrong and I fell here?!
The moment I said it, I’d be labeled insane or a liar. Even if he believed me, the outcome wouldn’t be good.
And besides…
My hands were still trembling violently. Even though the duke was no longer threatening me.
My gaze slipped, almost involuntarily, toward the space behind him—where I couldn’t see his back.
A human body magic circle that absorbed others’ mana.
A violator of taboos. The worst kind of magical criminal.
That man was standing right in front of me.
In front of me—the witness.
Goosebumps spread over my entire body. I tugged my clothes down tighter, desperately trying not to let my reaction show.
I can’t let him know that I saw it.
I’d be silenced.
But as I already knew, I had no talent for hiding—or pretending. Watching my every reaction closely, the duke’s dark red eyes narrowed.
“…You saw it.”
I sucked in a sharp breath.
N-no. He’s going to kill me.
My feet moved back on their own.
The reason magic that absorbed others’ mana was taboo was simple.
It was like forbidden fruit.
Magic was a realm of talent—its limits were determined at birth.
Up to one’s limit, growth through learning was relatively easy. Beyond that, improvement became extremely difficult.
How much mana one could accumulate, what tier of magic one could wield—it was all decided from the moment one was born.
Of course, with enough effort, breaking through one’s limits was possible—but it was far from easy.
It was like someone born with no sense of rhythm trying to compete in an international dance competition full of prodigies.
The chances were slim, and even then, it required effort so extreme it brought tears of blood.
That was why, since the dawn of magical history, mages had sought ways to break those limits—openly and in secret.
One such result was the human body magic circle that stole others’ mana.
Even a low-tier mage with a limit of the 2nd tier could easily obtain vast amounts of mana through it.
But to engrave such a circle, one had to endure the agony of having living flesh seared by fire. And the victim whose mana was stolen would die in unbearable pain, as if their heart were being torn out alive.
The cost was excessive and cruel for both sides—but for the weak of this world, it was an irresistible temptation.
Ten years ago, a large illegal magical research facility had been exposed—one that conducted exactly that kind of forbidden research. The traces left behind were so horrific that the enraged emperor, together with the Sky Ark, issued a dire warning to the entire continent.
“Human body magic circles are a dreadful blight that must not exist in this world. Any who perform them, receive them, or are connected to them in any way shall be executed without exception. Let no one dare to violate this taboo.”
And yet, the Duke of Northdian—said to enjoy the emperor’s favor—was a recipient of that very magic circle!
Given his power and background, there was no way anyone had forced it upon him. He must have undergone it of his own will.
I wanted to scream to the world that ignorance was bliss.
What kind of grudge did the god of this world have against me, to keep pushing my life into deeper and deeper pits of suffering?!
If this truth came to light, it would mean war. Even now, he inspired terror as an aura master who hunted mages. If it became known that he used a human body magic circle, mages across the continent—fearing for their lives—would surely declare him a public enemy and attack this empire first.
No—before that, I’ll be the one who dies.
In the moonlit shadows, the gleaming eyes were suddenly much closer.
“Witnesses must be eliminated.”
The verdict was delivered.
