Chapter 2

[Casting Frost Shield Spell.]

Fwoooosh…

White, burning steam grazed both of my cheeks.

It was the aftermath of the fireball Kenneth of the Twin Flames had thrown, now blocked by an ice barrier.

“Tch, so that wasn’t enough, huh?”

Seeing that I was unharmed, he immediately began chanting his next spell.

It looked like he was preparing a bigger attack.

Meanwhile, the soldiers who had been knocked down by Kenneth’s entrance attack were tending to the wounded and reforming their ranks.

Their number was now less than half of what it had been.

“Please evacuate at once, my lord! While we hold him off, you must get to safety—”

“Silence.”

“Huh?”

“How dare you speak of retreat to me?”

Judging by his level of magical power, the enemy was a mage beyond 5th-Class.

To him, ordinary foot soldiers were nothing more than kindling—

Worse than damp firewood, really, since they could be so easily burned away.

So to magic, respond with magic.

To fire, respond with ice.

That was how veterans of Candela of Judgment handled mages.

And it was also the perfect opportunity to test Winter Winslet’s power.

“I will be the one to deliver judgment on this man.”

Seeing me step forward past the soldiers, Kenneth laughed.

“You’ve made the right choice. I had no wish to burn innocent lives anyway.”

Before I knew it, he had finished chanting and now held fire in both hands.

In his left, a spear forged of heat and light.

In his right, a blazing whip of flames.

Fire and ice were natural opposites—

And Winter Winslet was the greatest ce mage in Candela of Judgment.

As for battles between mages? I had experienced more than enough of them.

…Of course, only in the game.

Would I be able to wield Winter Winslet’s magic effectively?

There was only one way to find out.

“Try blocking this one too!”

[Casting Frost Shield Spell.]

The moment I cast the defensive spell again, Kenneth’s flaming spear came flying and struck the barrier.

Unlike the previous fireball, the flames that made up the spear didn’t scatter and vanish.

Instead, they persistently burrowed into the ice and started melting it away.

One frost shield consumed per fire spear—

He threw a second spear. Then a third.

By the time I had blocked three in a row, I could clearly feel the sensation of channeling mana.

And by the fifth, I could wield Winter Winslet’s talents as if they had always been my own.

But there was one big problem.

“Huff… Huff… How long do you plan to keep defending? Are you mocking me?!”

The only thing I could do with all this amazing magic… was defend.

Because I had no idea what spells Winter Winslet actually knew.

The Frost Shield spell was a basic, clunky magic that created a block of ice at a designated location.

That’s why I could barely cast it on instinct.

But it wasn’t enough.

“O fire, O flames! Bind, burn, and sever!”

Fwoosh!

At last, Kenneth’s right hand moved….and the whip of flame lashed out.

The stream of fire coiled around the ice barrier, and when Kenneth yanked on it with force, the half-melted wall finally shattered with a sharp crack.

Seeing this, Kenneth smirked and swung his arm again.

This time, a whip strike and a flame spear came flying at the same time.

“O fire, O flames!”

“A ray of light that scorches even the sun!”

It was double casting. Chanting two different spells at the same time from a single mouth.

A rare talent said to be possessed by only one in ten mages.

As I watched the two approaching flames, I made up my mind about what to do.

The solution, in fact, was very simple.

I didn’t need to become Winter Winslet.

The one standing here was me, after all, and I had my own skills to rely on.

The full list of incantations from “Candela of Judgment”. A set any veteran of this game should have memorized.

And just as I recalled the details in my mind—

[Notification]

[1,706 Class 1 Spells newly registered.]

[986 Class 2 Spells newly registered.]

[821 Class 3 Spells newly registered.]

…

…

…

It was a moment when Winter Winslet who was already considered one of the most brutal bosses was reborn as the worst possible boss, now enhanced by the knowledge of a “Candela of Judgment” veteran.

And that person… was me.

Whether you’re Kenneth of Twin Flames or Kenneth the Bastard—

You’re finished now.

***

“Ghhhhh…”

The defeated Kenneth lowered his head.

Seeing that his man field had shrunk to the point where he could no longer continue fighting, I approached him slowly.

His occasional coughing and the rise and fall of his shoulders confirmed that he was still alive.

Sure enough, hearing my footsteps, Kenneth muttered in a voice full of phlegm.

“Even after all this… I still can’t win…?”

“Do you admit defeat?”

“Yes. Just kill me already.”

Kill you? Why would I?

If it had been Winter Winslet, maybe. But I wasn’t some bloodthirsty maniac who spilled blood without reason.

“Killing you isn’t my job. Go back to prison and wait for the judgment of the law.”

“I tried to burn you alive, and you won’t even take revenge?”

“You overestimate yourself. You never had the power to harm me.”

Kenneth flinched, then groaned in pain.

Cold, sharp ice spikes pierced through his hands and legs, sealing his movement completely.

“…As humiliating as it is, it’s true. After experiencing your magic firsthand today, I realized….even if I dedicated the rest of my life to it, I’d never reach that level. My revenge is impossible, so there’s no reason for me to go on living. Just kill me.”

Now that I think about it, he did mention revenge.

“Why did you try to kill me?”

“……”

At my question, Kenneth’s expression began to shift dramatically.

First anger and hatred, then a hollow look; and finally, sorrow.

“Hah… Don’t tell me you don’t even remember what you did? I didn’t think you were that much of a trash.”

Blindsided by the sudden insult, I pressed him for an explanation. But Kenneth shut his mouth tightly and refused to speak further as if nothing more needed to be said.

…But I really have no idea.

Candela of Judgment was a game where the player, as a member of the Candela Knights, hunted down villains who threatened the kingdom.

Winter Winslet was one of the game’s boss NPCs.

Not only was he involved in countless major crimes, but he had also earned countless personal grudges.

And now, I was beginning to worry—

Just how many more days like today would I have to go through?

No wonder he had a 100% death rate as a villain.

While I was sorting through my tangled thoughts, personnel arrived to clean up the aftermath of today’s incident.

They came from multiple organizations.

The prison break and destruction caused by a 5th-Class mage were enough to warrant the dispatch of the Royal Defense War Mages and the Royal Department of Magical Security.

Though the elite teams who were summoned through the emergency contact network late at night grumbled about arriving after everything had already ended, they fell silent the moment they saw the scene before them.

“My god. What is all this?”

“This is like a snow country. It’s spring, and the place is nothing but ice!”

“Did you see it on your way in? The entire outer garden’s frozen solid. The fountain, the trees, everything…”

“So the one who did all this was…”

“Baron Winter Winslet.”

“Ah.”

The mages, after sensing the size of my mana field, instinctively avoided approaching me.

“The escapee’s really unlucky. Of all people, he had to run into that monster.”

“Is it true that Baron Winslet is a 7th-Class mage?”

“To verify that, we’d probably have to bring in Sir Wendrick. He’s a Court Mage and a 7th-Class as well.”

“Thank goodness he’s not the one who broke out of prison.”

Meanwhile, from the military police, an officer who appeared to be of commander rank had come forward and was questioning the soldiers who had witnessed Kenneth’s fight.

“This report’s going all the way to the Director General. Not a single word of falsehood is allowed.”

“I saw it clearly with my own eyes. When the Baron stomped his foot on the ground, the entire area froze solid. A blast of pure white frost shot all the way up to the ceiling!”

“How was Kenneth subdued?”

“At first, it looked like a fair fight. Kenneth kept hurling flames at Baron Winslet, and at one point he even conjured a fireball as big as a house, trying to burn the building down. But then the Baron cast some kind of spell, and ice vines started growing in every direction. They surged toward Kenneth like a tidal wave.”

“I’ve never heard of or seen a spell like that.”

“Is that so? If even the Captain doesn’t know of it, then I certainly wouldn’t. But what I saw was real.”

“Well… looking at the scene, it doesn’t seem like a lie.”

After finishing the questioning, the military police commander apologized to the mages from the Ministry of Magic and the Royal City Defense Forces, who had come all the way here for nothing, and sent them back.

Then, after having the wounded and the subdued Kenneth loaded onto stretchers and taken away somewhere, he finally approached me.

At his side was a man I had never seen before.

“You are Baron Winslet, correct?”

“And you are?”

“Captain Lowell of the Military Police. And this here is…”

“Donatel, from the Public Security Department. First of all, allow me to offer my deepest apologies for the unfortunate incident you’ve experienced.”

The man who introduced himself as Donatel explained the full account of what had happened today.

“Tonight. Well, technically yesterday now since midnight has passed, around 10 p.m., Kenneth of the Twin Flames escaped from prison. We realized he was targeting you, Baron, and requested assistance from the military police, but… as you can see, it wasn’t enough. In the end, we had to rely on your intervention. Do you have any further questions?”

“And who is this Kenneth?”

“Kenneth Edgar. Also known as Kenneth of the Twin Flames. He showed exceptional talent in fire magic and was recruited into the military. However, two years ago, he was discharged for insubordination and later worked as a professor at the Royal Academy. Then, last year, he committed embezzlement at the academy and was imprisoned.”

After that explanation, Donatel looked at me curiously and asked,

“But isn’t Kenneth someone you know, Baron? Aren’t you also serving as a professor at the academy?”

“I don’t recall him.”

“Is that so? Judging by his behavior and words in the facility, Kenneth seemed to hold a deep grudge against you. Are you certain there’s no connection between you two?”

“I don’t know him.”

That was the truth. I really didn’t.

But Donatel narrowed his eyes as he looked at me.

“Hmm… Well, we’ll leave it at that for now. But if anything comes to mind later, please contact us.”

Saying that, he handed me a business card. It read: First Intelligence Division, Laurencia Public Security Department.

Laurencia. This was the country where Candela of Judgment was set. In other words, the very land I was now standing on.

“How could Kenneth who was locked up for an entire year know exactly where to find you the moment he escaped? There is a force behind this. Someone helped him escape, informed him of your whereabouts, and incited him to assassinate you.”

“And who would that be?”

“We’re currently investigating that ourselves. Which is why your cooperation, whenever possible, would be greatly appreciated.”

I barely managed to resist the urge to rub my face in frustration.

Now there’s an entire faction trying to assassinate me?

The road ahead looked painfully clear.

“Apologies for pressing you with so many questions. We’ll take our leave now. Wishing you a peaceful night.”

By the time the aftermath of the incident had been wrapped up, the sky outside turned into the pitch-black hours of dawn.

Now, it was truly time to go home, wash up, and get some sleep.

Winter Winslet’s occupation was that of an academy professor, and his home was a faculty residence provided by the academy.

After walking the quiet night streets for some time, I arrived at a luxurious three-story house located on the academy grounds. It even had a swimming pool and a garden.

But I didn’t go inside right away and instead hesitated at the front door.

…Where did Professor Winslet usually keep his keys?

Even I, a longtime veteran of Candela of Judgment, didn’t know that.

Should I ring the doorbell, even though this was technically my house?

Was anyone even inside?

Just as I was thinking that—

Clack.

The door opened from the inside first.

“Welcome back!”

With a cheerful voice, a curly-haired girl about chest-high in height appeared.

“You’re home early today!”

Ah, that’s right.

Professor Winslet had one housemate.

Her name was Dahlia.

She was a maid responsible for all the housework and errands…

[Notification]

[A death flag for this character has been raised.]

A man who even triggered death flags for the maid doing chores at his home.

That was Winter Winslet.

This sinful bastard.