Silent Witch

Book 12: Chapter 14: Hunting

Hubert Dee walked among the trees in the forest where the magic duel was held, humming a tune.

He had already prepared his "hunt". He just had to wait for his prey to come.

His uncle, the Artillery Magician, cared about how much he could boost the power of one shot, but Hubert valued something different.

What mattered to him was how much fun he could have hunting his prey.

"Hmm hmm hmm I wonder how much they'll entertain me."

Hubert leaned against a random tree and closed his eyes.

He remembered the witch who had overwhelmed him in Minervathe Silent Witch, Monica Everett. She was thirteen or fourteen years old at the time, and she was even thinner and poorer than she is now, a ragged little girl.

The magicians of Minerva were divided into two types: those who were good at combat and those who liked research. Monica was clearly the latter, a scholar type, and Hubert thought so too.

But in just five seconds after the magic duel started, Hubert realized his mistake.

He knew that Monica was a user of chantless spells. But he thought that it didn't matter whether it was chantless or not, as long as it didn't hit.

But what was terrifying was the accuracy of hitting a needle's eye. Monica controlled her magic precisely with just calculation, without using any tracking magicand in just three seconds after the magic duel started, she hit Hubert with all her shots.

Hubert, who had planned to hunt a rabbit, was attacked by a monster wearing a rabbit's skin.

He couldn't forget the excitement he felt then. The feeling of challenging an overwhelmingly strong monster was similar to the thrill of conquering a vast mountain.

He wanted to subdue that strong creature! Make her kneel! Kill her and make her a stuffed animal!

He was made to despair by the overwhelming difference in power, but still, he pulled the thread of hope, racked his brains, and set up all kinds of traps to catch that prey. She was the only one in the world who was such a great prey!

"Hmm hmm hmm, I'm looking forward to it, Monica. I've been wanting to do you for so long, I was dying of frustration."

The moment he licked his tongue, he heard a bell ringing from afar. It was the signal for the start of the magic duel. As soon as the signal was given, Hubert activated his sensing magic and saw that his three prey were moving in different directions. One of them was moving at a tremendous speed. He was probably using flying magic to move fast.

Hubert left the tree trunk and cracked his thin neck.

"But first let's hang up one of them as a warning."

As soon as the bell rang to start the magic duel, Glenn activated his flying magic and flew higher than the trees.

Glenn couldn't use the sensing magic. He could only use this flying magic and fireball magic for attack. So he had no choice but to look for Hubert directly.

Fortunately, the leaves of the trees had fallen in the winter forest, and he found Hubert's figure right away.

Back then, he had no choice but to flee in tears when that man challenged him to a magic duel. But when he was cornered, his mana went berserk. Minerva deemed him as a threat and locked him up.

I'm not the same as I used to be!

Glenn stayed still in the air with his flying magic and chanted.

He conjured a huge fireball, as big as a ring made by two adults with their hands, and hurled it at Hubert below.

"Take thaaaat!"

The forest was protected by the barrier, so the fire magic wouldn't cause a fire. That's why Glenn could attack without holding back.

A loud boom echoed and a thick smoke rose as the fireball hit. But Glenn didn't relax and chanted again, ready to fire the next shot.

Don't stop attacking until you stop the enemy's breath that was the dangerous lesson his teacher taught him.

But before Glenn could make the second fireball, a flash of light shot out of the smoke. A thunder arrowHubert's counterattack.

Glenn stopped chanting and dodged the thunder arrow with his flying magic. Glenn still couldn't fire attack magic while moving. He could use it if he stayed still in the air, but Hubert's attack didn't let him.

If he stayed like this, he would be sniped from the smoke. Glenn decided to lower his altitude and

"Hmm hmm. First, one of them."

He gasped at the voice that came from behind him.

He turned around quickly and saw Hubert's thunder spear swinging down at him, who had circled behind Glenn with his flying magic. Glenn twisted his body to avoid a direct hit, but his right arm was still pierced by the thunder spear and he screamed.

"Aaaaargh!"

His consciousness was cut off for a moment by the pain, and his flying magic was canceled.

Physical "attacks" are nullified in the barrier, but the barrier doesn't respond to "accidents" that it doesn't recognize as "attacks".

That's how Glenn fell from a high place. If he stayed like this, he would be smashed to the ground and die. But a giant water ball softly caught Glenn's body. Glenn sank into the water ball, killing the momentum of his fall. The water ball was not created by Glenn or Hubert.

"Damn it, what a pain!"

Cyril snapped his fingers and released the water ball. He was good at ice magic, and he seemed to have learned some water magic as well.

Glenn, who was soaked all over, coughed and thanked Cyril.

"Thank you, Vice President!"

"You should reflect on your recklessness!"

Cyril, who said he wouldn't cooperate, but ended up taking care of his junior, cast a defensive barrier with a shortened chant. The barrier blocked the thunder arrows that rained down from above.

"Be alert not only above, but also around, Glenn Dudley! The enemy has also learned remote magic!"

Glenn understood why he was attacked when he heard the remote magic.

Hubert was in the smoke, moving behind Glenn with his flying magic, and firing thunder arrows from the ground with his remote magic. To make Glenn think he was still in the smoke.

Remote magic is a high-level technique that allows magic to be activated at a distance from the user. If applied, it can also be used as a decoy.

"Damn it, the barrier won't last! Glenn Dudley! Can't you use a defensive barrier!?"

"I can only use flying magic and fireballs!"

"Are you still a disciple of the Barrier Magician!? Damn it, scatter!"

"Roger!"

As Cyril's defensive barrier was destroyed, Glenn and Cyril ran away and hid in the shadows of the trees.

Hubert looked down at Glenn and Cyril from the sky, feeling a thrill from the battle, but also keeping a cool head.

My first target, "Glenn Dudley", could use flying magic and fireball magic. He could use them simultaneously, but he couldn't use attack magic while moving. He lacked the ability to use shortened chanting or defensive barriers, so his only options to evade his attacks were to flee or dodge with flying magic. He claimed to be a disciple of the Barrier Magician, but his magic skills were hardly better than a beginner's

Within the barrier of a magic duel, the participant's mana would decrease according to the damage taken. The thunder spear that Hubert fired at Glenn Dudley didn't hit him directly, but it was a strike that would have disabled someone with low mana.

Yet, he took that and still moved around with energy, which meant he had a lot of mana.

And the defensive barrier that Cyril Ashley used to block the thunder arrows. Judging by the duration and strength, he also had a lot of mana.

My other target, "Cyril Ashley", was someone he had seen in the advanced combat magic class. He could only use water and ice attributes. He could use defensive barriers and shortened chanting. He could also use two magic at the same time. He had low mobility because he couldn't use flying magic, but he used magic skillfully. He excelled in terms of technique. He also had a lot of mana.

The truth was, Hubert's mana was not that impressive. It was not low, but if the battle dragged on, Hubert would run out of mana first.

I could use my "trump card" here, but there was one more hiding. He was calm. It's like he was waiting for the two hotheads to go first, and then act after reading his moves.

Hubert activated his sensing magic, but he couldn't locate Roberto Vinkle. He was hiding very well. If his hiding technique was that good, it would be hard to find him with the sensing magic.

Moreover, sensing magic and flying magic both consumed a lot of mana. He couldn't keep using them. He had to conserve his mana as much as possible.

First, I would flush out the one hiding.

From what he saw, the three challengers had no coordination or cooperation. That was his opportunity.

Cyril hid in the shadow of a tree and watched the situation. Hubert slowly descended from the sky. He looked so relaxed that it made Cyril angry.

If he and Glenn attacked him together, they could overpower Hubert with their firepower.

But there was one problemCyril's specialty was ice, and Glenn's was fire. They were incompatible in every way. If they attacked at the same time, Cyril's attack might be nullified by Glenn's.

The impulsive Glenn fired a fireball at Hubert right away. Hubert dodged it by flying low with his flying magic. He didn't use a defensive barrier because it couldn't stop Glenn's attack. Glenn's fireball was that powerful but it was useless if it missed.

Cyril aimed an ice arrow at Hubert, weaving between Glenn's attacks. The attack also used a tracking technique, and it targeted Hubert precisely, but it was blocked by a defensive barrier.

I can repel low-power magic with high accuracy with the barrier and avoid high-power with flying magic.

He had to stop his movement first.

Cyril started a slightly longer chant. Hubert looked at Cyril warily, but it was too late.

"Take this!"

Cyril created a wall of ice with his ice magic in the direction that Hubert was flying away. Hubert hurriedly changed direction, but the ice wall extended to the left and right, trapping Hubert.

"Now, finish him off! Glenn Dudley!"

As if responding to Cyril's voice, Glenn fired another fireball. A mass of flame approached Hubert, who was trapped by the ice wall.

"That's naive."

Hubert made a sudden ascent at the last moment before Glenn's fireball hit. Since Cyril's ice wall didn't reach the sky, it would leave Glenn's fireball to fly without hitting the target but.

"The naive one is you."

The fireball suddenly followed Hubert as if it had a mind of its own. Hubert's face twisted in panic for the first time.

"Tracking technique you could use it!"

"I just learned it!"

Hubert, who was caught off guard, took Glenn's fireball head-on and fell to the ground like a bird with its wings shot. They were going to finish him off here, and Cyril and Glenn started chanting again.

But before their chants were done, someone jumped out of the shadows of the trees. It was Roberto Vinkel, who had been hiding until now.

"I'll take your head."

He said something very dangerous and drew his sword. Water flowed out of the short steel tip and turned into a blade.

Roberto closed the distance with Hubert with his amazing physical skills and swung his water blade at Hubert's neck, who had fallen to the ground

And then, Roberto's movement stopped.

It wasn't just Roberto. Cyril and Glenn also felt a sharp pain in their backs and stopped moving.

"What is it?"

The moment he turned around, a flame arrow pierced Cyril's chest.

There was no physical damage from magic attacks in the barrier. But the pain was reproduced as it was. Cyril let out a groan of pain as his skin and organs were burned, and fell to his knees.

He glanced around and saw that Glenn and Roberto were also attacked by flame arrows and fell to their knees.

Remote magic? But Hubert didn't chant at all this is like

"Hmm, hmm, hmm~"

Hubert waved his finger with a catchy tune, like a conductor.

Flame arrows rained down on their bodies again. Arms, legs, torso, and face, were burned and gouged alive. Their screams echoed in the forest.

Chanting was absolutely necessary for a magician. There was no way he could cast magic while singing a song.

That means he could do

"chant less magic"

Cyril's vision was closed by the approaching flame arrow.

And with the pain of his right eye being pierced, Cyril lost consciousness.