Chapter 30
In the palace audience chamber for Shadows.
The Right Feet had been bowing before the queen for quite some time.
“…So, that’s what he said.”
“Yes.”
The order that had been given to Leon. Upon hearing the results, the room was filled with murmuring.
The Left Hands were shocked.
After all, this person had prioritized going to his school ceremony over meeting the Queen.
“And, how was it?”
The queen ignored them as she asked.
“Through, Double and the Right Hand, Thousand Needles. They were all killed with one attack.”
The audience chamber suddenly fell silent.
“Double is the one we called ‘Clairvoyance,’ isn’t he? All in one hit… Hmm. Against someone who defeated Beheader. How frightening. How wonderful.”
The queen said with a delighted laugh.
Beheader had used a giant sword, which was rare for a Right Hand, and was a veteran in martial arts.
He was not the kind of person to be outdone by an enemy.
And so his defeat would have been due to an unsurmountable difference in strength.
But that’s why the other two were sent as well. Foul Eater was strong but perhaps lacked experience. And experience was something Thousand Needles had a lot of.
“And you watched this fight with Foul Eater?”
“Yes. Of course, it was hardly a fight. It was like watching a child and an adult.”
In her current state, Foul Eater would lose ten out of ten fights.
It was because she understood this that she immediately surrendered on the rematch.
This was not someone she could beat.
No, it was wrong to even stand in the same ring.
She knew it the moment she felt the point of his sword at her neck.
Yes, this was someone who was too dangerous to have complete absolution. Such mutterings could be heard around them.
“Also…”
“What is it?”
“Also, there was something that Shadow Crosser said. ‘They were too weak.’”
“Too weak? The enemy was too weak?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Of course, I think he was including Thousand Needles and Foul Eater in that assessment as well.”
It wasn’t something said due to confidence and the need to boast.
It was more like, genuine surprise.
That’s what it had seemed like to her.
“Well, Grim Reaper is his father. So perhaps that would explain his standards.”
The Queen said with a burst of high-pitched laughter.
For a time, no other sound echoed in the room.
“Ggg! Brother!”
“What?”
“He was killed. Through as well.”
“!?”
“W-what!?”
“You’re lying! How could those two be…”
“Are you rejecting my ‘Double’?”
“N-no…”
“I saw everything clearly up until the moment of my brother’s death. It was magic. A sword came out of nowhere.”
“To think that the older Double would be killed…”
“This is bad…”
“The plan will be ruined without Through.”
“So that was their aim!”
Double Magicians.
They were twins with high telepathic ability and magic, which allowed them to see and experience the same things.
It was the older brother that trained hard and built up his body, while the younger brother focused on gaining knowledge and learning magic.
They made up for each other’s weaknesses and helped the other draw out their true strength.
Even when they were separated, they understood each other.
That’s why they were ‘Double.’ They were both one and two.
Two as one.
And now one side was dead.
The remaining younger brother looked pale.
“Brother… I will avenge you.”
“Double. What can you tell us about the killer?”
“Yes. That’s important.”
“He was wearing black and also covered his face. I could only see the eyes.”
“A Ryukoku Shadow.”
“What about his name? Do you have anything that can give us a lead?”
“I didn’t hear a name. But I saw his magic. That…that… He made a knife come out of the shadows.”
“From shadows?”
“If it’s a knife, is it close-range magic?”
“I don’t know. No one was behind my brother. And then a knife appeared. Just a knife… The man in black was still in front of him.”
“I get the point.”
“Was it a projectile?”
“No. It…it was an invisible knife.”
“An invisible knife…?”
“It was the knife that the enemy magician was holding.”
“So, you just need to watch the movements of the magician.”
“Even if you knew when it would move, you cannot dodge something that you can’t see.”
“You would not know how to dodge it if you didn’t know which direction it would come from.”
“I see. An invisible knife… Interesting.”
Someone said.
“Invisible Knife.”
“A new magician that has appeared in Ryukoku… We have to figure out a way to deal with this.”
“Invisible Knife. I’ll kill you for this, you bastard!”
After that, the name ‘Invisible Knife’ would spread among the magicians of Makoku.