My Magic Has No Upper Limit

The green light cast by Instructor Manlin slowly seeped into Zelir’s body, warm and gentle, mending every damaged part of him.

"Haaa..."

Zelir let out a soft sigh of relief.

The stabbing pain in his head had eased considerably.

Although leveling up had restored much of his stamina, his mental exhaustion wasn’t so easily erased.

Zelir hadn’t slept for a full day and night. On top of that, he had made a long, arduous journey and had been locked in a standoff with these people for hours. It would have been a lie to say he wasn’t tired.

After she finished healing him, the worry in Manlin’s eyes had yet to fade.

"What on earth happened?"

She wiped the blood from the side of Zelir’s face, her fingertip brushing gently against his skin and sending a soft tingle through him.

"Zelir... You’re so badly hurt."

"It’s alright, Instructor Manlin."

Zelir managed a faint smile, trying to put her at ease. "This isn’t my blood."

"Er... Ahem."

Behind them, Lewis steeled himself and took half a step forward, attempting to explain, "Mage Manlin, please allow me to explain."

Before the words were even out of his mouth, the air turned frigid.

Manlin glanced sideways, her expression instantly turning cold as her eyes swept over Lewis.

"I don’t believe I asked you, did I?"

"..."

Lewis froze. He could only sullenly retract his foot and keep his mouth shut.

’When she entered the room just now, Manlin had seen it clearly. This man looked like he was about to order an attack on Zelir.’

’If Marvin and I had been even a little later... who knows what might have happened.’

’This score isn’t settled yet.’

After silencing Mayor Lewis, Manlin turned back to Zelir, her gaze softening once more.

"Zelir, tell me exactly what happened, the things you wrote about in the letter."

"This is what happened, Instructor Manlin."

Zelir didn’t embellish the story, simply recounting the events as they had happened.

He told her how he had accepted the mission, what he had discovered in the Underground Tomb of Rose Castle, and about the Undead Demons.

His account was essentially the same as the one he had given Mayor Lewis earlier.

A mission... a sacrifice... a Cult...

After hearing Zelir’s story, Manlin’s brow furrowed slightly.

She understood, far better than Zelir, the meaning of the crimson Array inscribed on the floor.

It was a ritual prepared in advance. If someone were to step into it unknowingly, they would be at a total disadvantage.

’I can’t believe Zelir ran into something like this...’

’And what’s even more unbelievable is that he actually survived.’

Normally, such a meticulously planned sacrificial ritual was an inescapable trap for the intended victim.

It leaves virtually no hope of escape.

But Zelir had fought his way out of it!

’It was hard to imagine what kind of bloody battle must have taken place in that Underground Tomb.’

At that thought, Manlin’s heart ached for Zelir, and the anger in her chest flared even hotter.

She glanced at Vance, the disgust and killing intent in her eyes barely concealed.

Then, Manlin’s gaze passed over the others, and she paused, slightly startled.

’They’re all familiar faces...’

They were all the Adventurers Zelir had recruited for the Monster Hunting.

’I didn’t realize they were on this mission together as well.’

"It seems you’re all very good teammates," Manlin said softly.

’With companions like these, no matter what predicament they face, they should be able to fight their way out together, right?’

’The thing a Mage needs most on an adventure is teammates they can trust to watch their back.’

"Yes. We only made it out this time because we all worked together," Marcus said, bowing his head slightly, his voice hoarse but firm.

"’Worked together,’ you say. A fine thing that is." Manlin’s lips curved into an appreciative smile.

With another wave of her Magic Wand, several more beams of green light flew out.

One after another, she healed the injuries of the others and restored their condition.

Now that the situation had stabilized, it was time to deal with other matters.

"Well then... Zelir from our Mage’s Guild has made himself clear. So what’s the story on this side?"

Instructor Marvin spoke up, his voice rising as he scanned the room.

"Mayor Lewis, if I’m not mistaken, your Security Team just now seemed to be targeting a Mage from our Mage’s Association, did they not?"

"That..."

Mayor Lewis was at a loss for words. His lips moved for a long moment before he finally managed to speak.

"It’s all a misunderstanding! A complete misunderstanding, Mage Marvin."

"What misunderstanding?"

Behind his monocle, Marvin’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Lewis.

"Did Zelir not explain the situation to you just now?"

"He did, but it’s a one-sided accusation. I can’t simply take his word for it, so I thought it best to separate the two parties for the time being."

Lewis’s mind raced as he hastily fabricated an excuse.

"You see, they’ve also been through a bloody battle all night and are exhausted in body and mind. I was just thinking of letting them rest until you arrived to make a final decision."

"If you were unable to make a judgment, that means Vance’s name has not been cleared. He is still a suspect, is he not?" Marvin said.

"Yes..." Lewis nodded subconsciously.

"Then why were you trying to send Vance away? Weren’t you afraid he would use the separation as an opportunity to destroy key evidence?" Marvin said.

"I..." Lewis was speechless once more.

"Zelir saw through your intentions and refused to separate them. So, you impatiently ordered the Security Team to step forward and prepare to use force."

Even Zelir had never seen such a scathing expression on Marvin’s face before. "What were you trying to do? Hurt him? Or kill him?"

"No! I wasn’t! I just wanted..." Lewis was horrified.

He couldn’t possibly bear the accusation of attempting to murder a Mage.

"Is it because Falling Leaves Town has no Mage’s Guild that you’ve forgotten how one ought to treat a Mage?"

Marvin’s questions were relentless, giving the man no room to breathe.

"Or perhaps... you were worried that you would be implicated if anything happened to Vance, so you decided to secretly help him destroy the evidence?"

"Mayor Lewis, I’m asking you now: were you intending to cover for Vance...!" Marvin said coldly.

Faced with Marvin’s interrogation, Lewis could feel sweat starting to bead on his forehead.

But he didn’t even have the courage to raise a hand to wipe it away.

Under the immense pressure, Mayor Lewis finally choked, unable to say another word.

"I’ll ask you one more time!"

Marvin thundered in the face of Lewis’s silence.

"Were you intending to cover for Vance!"

Along with his sharp cry, the powerful Magic Wave from before surged out once more, rushing straight toward the men in front of him!

It was an immense pressure on a spiritual level.

"CLANG! CLATTER! CLANG!"

A cacophony of sharp metallic clatters rang out.

The Black Armored Guards couldn’t hold on to their weapons; Swords and Crossbow Arrows fell from their hands like hot potatoes.

Even the Black Steel Heavy Hammer in Captain Darius’s hands crashed to the floor.

"I... I wasn’t..."

Mayor Lewis stumbled back two steps, managing to steady himself only by grabbing the back of a chair.

He squeezed a sentence out of his throat with all his might, "Mage Marvin, I absolutely had no intention of covering for Vance...!"

"No intention?"

The Magic Wave Marvin had released receded slightly, but the mockery in his eyes grew even more piercing.

"So, you had no malicious intent, nor do you have a personal stake in this."

"As a mayor who has been in office for decades, when faced with such obvious evidence, you still made the decision to separate Zelir from the suspect, giving Vance a perfect opportunity to destroy said evidence..."

"In that case, there is only one explanation left."

"You’re just plain stupid."

Marvin said coldly, "Isn’t that right?"

The corner of Lewis’s eye twitched violently.

His face burned, as if he’d just been slapped hard across both cheeks.

Marvin had peeled away Lewis’s pride like skin, thrown it on the ground, and then stomped on it viciously.

But this was a question he had to answer.

If he didn’t admit to being corrupt, then he had to admit to being stupid.

The latter would lead to his social ruin, but the former would lead to his actual death.

So, Lewis took a deep breath.

In front of Marvin, in front of Zelir, and in front of the subordinates who had always followed his every command, he lowered his head.

"Yes, it was indeed a lapse in my judgment..."

The main hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

At that moment, Lewis had completely lost all dignity as a mayor.

It wasn’t just him who felt the humiliation; even the members of the Security Team behind him were dumbfounded.

"Gods..." someone whispered.

The tyrannical, high-and-mighty Mayor Lewis, who was used to getting his way, had actually admitted he was stupid...

Even though everyone could see that Lewis was inclined to cover for Vance, one was still expected to show a man of his station some respect.

But this Upper Level Mage from the Black Stone Town Mage’s Guild hadn’t shown Mayor Lewis a shred of respect.

"It’s good that you know your own limits."

Having dealt with Lewis, Instructor Marvin once again surveyed the crowd and announced loudly.

"Based on Zelir’s testimony and the evidence he has presented, I accept his deduction. Vance is indeed a primary suspect."

"According to the Sel Kingdom’s Mage Protection Ordinances, the Mage’s Guild has primary jurisdiction in all cases involving malicious harm toward a registered Mage."

"Therefore, I declare that the Black Stone Town Mage’s Guild is officially intervening in this matter."

"Furthermore, as this case involves a Cult, in accordance with the Anti-Cult Disposal Law, I will inform the Church. The Mage’s Guild will conduct a joint investigation with them."

Instructor Marvin then issued a series of directives.

"Until the truth comes to light, all personnel of Wenmier Mansion—be they Nobility, butlers, maids, or servants—will be detained on the premises and forbidden from leaving."

"All paper documents, especially letters, ledgers, and similar records, are not to be touched!"

"Anyone caught hiding, destroying, or altering these documents will be treated as an accomplice to the original crime!"

A chilling silence fell over the room; no one dared to voice the slightest objection.

"Also..."

Marvin’s gaze swept across the room.

"Mayor Lewis, while I do not have the authority to remove you from office, I will be reporting your actions today to the Imperial Capital through the Mage’s Association’s internal channels."

Mayor Lewis’s brow twitched, but he didn’t dare say another word.

Marvin’s speech had set the tone for the entire incident.

The members of the Security Team relaxed. Their gazes, when they fell upon Vance, were a mixture of contempt and pity.

’What a stupid fool...’

’He must have had it too easy for too long. Of all the things to get mixed up in, he chose a Cult and human sacrifice.’

’And to top it off, he tried to sacrifice a Mage. He must have a death wish.’

’If he had just sent a squad of greenhorn Warriors in, he wouldn’t be in this mess.’

’When he saw there was a Mage in the Adventurer Squad, couldn’t he have just made up some excuse to send them away and get another team?’

’Or did he think the Mage was too weak to make it out alive?’

’And now look what happened. Not only did the Mage fight his way out, but he also came straight to the mansion to make an arrest and requested the Mage’s Guild to intervene.’

’If the Mage’s Guild doesn’t make a harsh example out of him this time, word will get out that Mages are easy to bully. How would they maintain their prestige then?’