Ascension Of The Failed Mage

"N-no... stay back... " Ciara's shaky voice stuttered.

"It's been a long wait, you know? From the time I spread those rumors, I have been watching you... waiting. Ah, it has been so much fun!" Richard's lookalike said with a sick expression written all over his face.

"That... that was you?!" Ciara mumbled in disbelief.

The whole time she had been so focused on Mia that she didn't consider any other possibility. To think it would be her teacher, or whoever the stranger was.

"Oh, yeah!!! You thought it was that broken girl. Mia... am I right? Hahaha, how hilarious! Such a stupid child you are." He kept laughing.

Tears fell as she dropped powerlessly, bathing in nothing but shame and despair.

"Ahhh! Yess! That's what I want. Show me more of that!"

Ciara remained silent, unsure of what to do. Why did she have to suffer such misfortune?

"I might as well tell you now, seeing as we might never get the chance. You know those bandits that captured you a while back?"

Ciara's weakened eyes bulged as she raised her head only to be met by the man's sick grin.

"Yes! That was me! Those idiots seemed capable, and truthfully speaking they would have done the job well if not for that bastard showing up..."

"N-no way... since then...?"

"Ah, yes. That's not all. The assassins that nearly killed you during your stay in the Institute, I sent them as well. Even though the whole thing with the bandits failed, truthfully speaking, I expected the other one to work. But, once again, your hero came to your rescue." The man bit his nails as he spoke.

Ciara couldn't comprehend him. Was he annoyed, or was he delighted?

"I suppose we underestimated his abilities. Who would have thought he would be able to use Magic Territory... A 9th Tier magic. Whew, talk about being overpowered!"

Ciara was dumbfounded. She thought she had finally shaken off all the danger posed to her life, but they lurked at every turn. She questioned whether she could be truly free.

"Why...?" Tears dropped from Ciara's eyes as she sobbed.

Was it due to her Special Bloodline? It was a curse she had ever since she was little, yet she knew very little about it. Other than the fact that it was special, she had no idea how to make use of this dent in her life.

"Why? Who cares about that?! There's no point regretting it now. It's the price you pay for being special, I guess." The man laughed at her.

"Your maid, Lorna got raped thanks to you, yet you escaped nearly unscathed..."

'Stop...' Her mind rang, already filled with much guilt.

"Your Mage, Galand nearly lost his life, yet you only got off with a slap at most... how cute..."

'Please stop...'

"What about the captain of your Knights, as well as all the guards you had? They all died meaningless deaths because of you!"

'... I... I...' Ciara's mind was about to break down.

"I'm certain they had family, friends, loved ones... yet, they were all killed thanks to you!"

Her mind couldn't take it anymore. Tears streamed down her face as her eyes remained widened in despair. She couldn't argue with his logic. It was all her fault!

"Even poor Mr. Richard. Your teacher and dear friend... he got caught up in your mess as well."

"N-no... it can't be..." Ciara whispered, feeling even greater despair.

Was he truly...?

"That's right! He's dead! Of course, how else would I be able to take his identity if I didn't eliminate the possibility of him resurfacing? Plus, the magic I used had to ensure he died. I copied his magic signature and entire appearance, making me exactly in his image. This way, I would be able to fool everyone!"

In other words, Richard was no longer in the world. He had been killed—sacrificed for the purpose of capturing Ciara.

"I have to say, though. He was a pretty dumb guy. Even trying to help you out by attempting to appeal to the higher-ups. I don't know what you said to him for him to make such a foolish move, but if he had done that, it would have been detrimental to my plans. So, I had to kill him before he resolved the whole rumor himself."

It was all Ciara's fault! If she hadn't gone to tell Richard about her problems, he would most likely still be alive.

"That's right, Ciara. Even in his death, he kept muttering your name. The very name of the person who was responsible for his demise. Yet, the next day you were having fun with your friends. You laughed, smiled, talked... all while your teacher died a miserable death!"

"Hicc... hicc..." Ciara sobbed and tears kept streaming down her bloodshot eyes.

"Even after Lorna was raped, and those knights died to protect you, did you ever truly mourn them? You only thought of it as natural, right? They were meant to die for you! Or rather, were you too engrossed in your own little bubble, too busy with your business that you didn't consider those lives which were lost for your cause?"

Darkness crept upon Ciara's heart. She couldn't argue with anything he said. After all, he was right.

"Hehe hahahaha!!!" The man laughed wickedly, enjoying the feast of despair before him.

Ciara recollected the past—how selfish and self-centered she had been.

Truly, she didn't care much about anyone else. As a member of high nobility, she was born to be special. While she didn't actively discriminate against commoners, it wasn't like she was exactly top-notch either.

Still... she had changed.

Slowly, yet assuredly. After her encounter with Noir, she was changing. Yet, everything didn't seem to get better. She always ended up hurting those closest to her. Was her existence that much of a curse?

Even at the moment, she couldn't help but think that someone should come to her rescue. Whether Noir or Galand... whoever it would be. That was how pathetic she was.

'In the end... I haven't changed, huh...?' Ciara's thoughts trailed.

"You don't need to look so down, princess. Don't worry, help will be coming for you soon." His voice suddenly snapped her out of her thoughts.

What was he talking about?

"That's right... I told you already, didn't I? All my plans were perfect, but they were all thwarted by a single entity."

Ciara's eyes bulged. Was he talking about Noir? Was Noir coming for her?

"Yeah! Those times, the plans failed because we overlooked his relevance. But not this time."

"W-what are you..." Her voice trailed as she weakly tried to speak.

"It's simple, really. One of the reasons for my disguising as Richard was to get closer to you and get more information about your shining knight in armor. He's a mysterious entity, but I'm sure you know quite a great deal about him already. I mean, why else would he stick around you?"

The man was wrong though. Ciara really didn't know a lot about Noir. She wasn't even sure why Noir had been going so far for her.

"But, you just had to cut the plan short by sneaking in where you didn't belong. I had to improvise, but it shouldn't matter. After all, he hasn't failed in rescuing you so far, has he?" Richard's wannabe grinned.

Just what was he planning?

"It's simple, really. You see... My orders were to capture you, but since this guy, Noir, has become such an object of interest, my mission extends to him as well."

Ciara wasn't sure of the details, but the man's words were another scar she had to hear. Because of her, once again another would have to suffer.

"The both of you have become my targets, but unlike you, he's not an easy man to find." He continued.

Ciara gritted her teeth and squeezed her hands in both anger and frustration.

Of all people, dragging Noir into this...

"In simple terms, you're the bait. And since he's a wild beast that can't help but be attracted to your scent of danger, he'll fall right into my trap!"

Ciara's face was filled with hate as hot tears flowed from her eyes. She glared at the man whom she had felt such great fear against, with unimaginable fury.

"Now then, any last words, princess?" Richard's wannabe asked, looking down at her.

While she knew she was powerless and bore the guilt for her sins, Ciara had gotten enough out of the man.

After all, he did the one thing he shouldn't have... he threatened to hurt Noir!

"G-go to hell!"

The man was stunned for a second upon hearing this.

He was pretty sure Ciara had fallen into the depths of despair and was incapable of resisting. Yet, the fiery glare she had, and the words she used to reply to him... they clearly showed that she still had some sort of will within her.

"... Uh...?"

Before he could respond to her insolence, another shocking thing occurred.

>BZZZTTTZZZZ<

The barrier around them buzzed, shattering soon after.

"A-ahh... so that's how it is..." The man grinned, looking beyond Ciara as his eyes met another figure approaching from the darkness.

"Nicely said, Ciara..." A voice sounded.

The figure approached, slightly illuminated by the shattered pieces of orange light that descended from the broken barrier.

Finally, his face was seen. It was Noir!

"... He really should go to hell."