Is This Magic?

Margaret ignored the plate that had crashed to the floor and ran hurriedly toward the front of the train.

Erich stared at the expanding gray mist outside the window. An indescribable sense of familiarity bubbled up in his mind. He had definitely seen this type of ability in the game before, but what exactly was it?

He racked his brain for a long time, but only a blurry shadow remained. Damn it, he hadn't paid attention to the lore text when he played, and now that he needed it, he had forgotten it all.

The gray mist outside the window fully materialized, and at the same time, five figures clad in black robes walked out from the wheat fields.

Erich's body moved faster than his mind. The moment he saw the black-robed figures, his longsword instantly unsheathed, his body surging with a restless urge to charge out and fight.

He was purely running on bloodlust; now, whenever he saw someone in a black cloak, he automatically assumed they were here to hunt him down.

A cold hand grabbed his wrist.

“Don't go,” Irene said, her voice trembling. “They are very dangerous. You'll die.”

Irene's face was terrifyingly pale, a fine layer of cold sweat breaking out on her forehead, her eyes filled with terror.

Erich paused where he was and took a deep breath to suppress the restless urge rising in his throat, then sat back down.

The other passengers in the carriage weren't actually that afraid. This was, after all, the Wayne family's private train, and they were already close to the territory of the Royal City. No one believed anything would truly happen.

Outside the carriage window, the head maid, Margaret, had already gone out to meet them with two others.

The three of them stood in a triangular formation between the train and the black-robed figures, each holding a staff. Margaret's staff was dark red, the gemstone embedded in its tip resembling a glowing, red-hot piece of coal.

“O King of the Blazing Sun residing on high, Ruler of the Scorching Vault.”

Three staves were raised in unison. Led by the head maid, the trio began to chant. The gemstones at the tips of their staves lit up simultaneously, their glow exceptionally piercing against the backdrop of the gray barrier.

“Let the clouds burn into lava, let the falling embers tear through the howling winds and descend upon the mortal realm.”

She raised her staff high, her chanting growing increasingly loud and stirring. Rings of red runes began to surface on the ground beneath her feet. The mana between heaven and earth was being stirred, the air turning dry as scorching currents rushed in from all directions. Even through the carriage window, Erich could feel the heat blasting against his face.

“【Flame Rain】!”

A medium-sized magic circle fully expanded beneath Margaret's feet. Erich was so excited he forgot to breathe. This was magic—true magic. Using one's will to leverage the laws of the world, turning the mana of heaven and earth into one's own weapon. Watching this made his blood boil with excitement, wishing he could learn it right this instant.

Under Erich's thrilled gaze, the light radiating from the staves suddenly died out simultaneously. The magic circle shattered into specks of light and scattered into the air. At the tip of Margaret's staff, a tiny spark struggled to emerge before instantly extinguishing, leaving not even a trace of smoke behind.

Erich's expression froze on his face.

“This is magic?”

He had gotten all worked up for this, and this was all they had to show him?

Irene didn't reply. Her face was even paler than before, her body trembling. “That is the ability of the Silent Priests. They have made Miss Margaret's magic die.”

“They are here for me.”

Outside the window, Margaret's expression was equally grim. Underneath the gray barrier, mana could still be drawn upon normally, but the moment one began to construct a spell, the mana would disperse on its own. Which meant...

The five black-robed figures reached out simultaneously, each drawing a dark longsword from beneath their cloaks. Forming a semi-circular arc, the five of them advanced toward the train step by step.

Margaret placed her staff on the ground and drew a lady's short sword from her waist.

Now that magic was useless, it was time for close-quarters, head-on combat.

The five black-robed figures had already charged forward.