The Ultimate Weapon of Magic and Science

The spectacle of rushing high waves of heat was reflected in the icy blue pupils. The lava, possessing a physical mass, had a destructive power far exceeding that of mere flames. It was impossible to halt this hellish tide without something that could withstand several times its high temperature. Although the nature of the mysterious light shield was still unclear, Sade was certain that a phenomenon without mass could not withstand a double assault of high temperature and mass.

Sade already envisioned the desired outcome, in a second, the lava would engulf Li Lin, and the detestable face soon would be burnt to a point where not even bones were left.

——One microsecond.

In the unit of time defined by Earth as 'microsecond', the lava monster was penetrated by four high energy particle beams. The lava and Sade's fantasies were thoroughly evaporated by an unseen pink beam. Because its speed far exceeds the dynamic visual capabilities of organisms, it left a fleeting flash in the retina of all onlookers, making it impossible to determine the firing position and trajectory.

"What a pity, the time for childish tantrums is over. Now it's time for education... or should I say 'discipline' is more fitting."

Brushing his bangs away, displaying a harmless smirk that Nidhogg would categorize as the standard smile of a sadistic demon. Sade and Dieri had no idea what Li Lin would look like when he enters 'sadist mode', their bodies instinctively trembled and broke into goosebumps before they could fully comprehend the terrifying consequences.

The magician who instinctively shielded his face with his hand awaited the arrival of a fatal thunderbolt, even though he knew that such a meaningless gesture could not stop the powerful flash that could evaporate even lava, let alone alleviate the pain of his impending death. He simply obeyed his instinct, and while this action was better than doing nothing, it somewhat calmed his heart that was on the verge of frantic collapse.

"Tch——"

The sound of smacking his lips, coincided with the vibrations from the intense heartbeat echoed in the eardrums. Before he could understand why the seemingly calm youngster would make such a displeased noise, his train of thought had to hastily run along the tracks of survival logic to devise an escape plan.

The hustle of the leather and wooden boots stepping on the wild grass rapidly approached from the low bush. The magicians hardly had time to develop a feasible escape plan, as the cold light of the long spears entered their vision. Soldiers clad in leather armor separated and surrounded the convoy and the magicians. The tips of the lifted spears were stained with a suspicious brown spot of metal oxide, the unknown weapon that had once pierced a person, along with its owner's cold gaze, were tightly fixed on the chests of the young and not-so-young.

"The farce ends here, gentlemen."

Through the leather-clad walls, a narrow passage was formed. An expensive cape with a blue border and lace cuffs swayed with his poised walk into the circle. The white face beneath the feathered tricorn hat still exuded youth, while the arrogant eyes of the aristocrat and the sharp smile of a third-class civil servant left a deeply negative impression on the people who saw him for the first time.

A slender finger kept fussing over the circular badge at the chest as if to show off or perhaps due to some form of external neurotic behavior. The round emblem surrounded by three concentric circles of blue and red quadrilateral with runes, the signs of a variation-system fire-element magician.

Image score 50. Not a pretty boy, but at least a decently looking magician; however, he was instantly kicked into the 'fail" camp by the elf race with extremely high aesthetic standards. The young nobleman, who was thrilled by his seemingly handsome entrance as always, was completely oblivious to the terrible result of the unofficial beauty contest, and he began speaking with a smirk that was more sleazy than self-confident.

"It is indeed a good day. The almighty Mother Goddess has blessed me with luck during my glorious moment. This is really..."

His artificial smirk trembled a bit as he pondered over his choice of words to express his feelings. After several seconds, the shallow laughter restarted.

"...quite delightful."

The spear holding soldiers shuddered intensely, almost instinctively reaching a hand to clutch their aching foreheads. Having worked under the next Count Argentoratum for more than three months, they had tried to force themselves to adapt to the unpredictable rhetoric of the young master, and also tried self-hypnosis to ignore the reactions of the surroundings. However, when bombarded by the mind-numbing gibberish and the surrounding gazes that fluctuated between being shocked, tempted to mock, and faintly sympathetic, a slight sense of sorrow always overcame the soldiers of the tax squad.

"You gentlemen must be able to appreciate my joy akin to a blooming flower. Having finally captured a group of smugglers after such a long wait and discovering an old classmate among them... oh, the delight."

With the ups and downs of his speech, his hands first clutched his chest and then raised towards the sky. His exaggerated movements emanated shallow decadence that was layered with a hint of malice. The nobles' unfathomable act was nauseating yet simultaneously alerted the elves. Following the direction of the bully, they looked at the grey-robed magician who was looking decidedly unwell. They didn't understand the various interpersonal relationships within human society, let alone the past relationship between the two humans. The tense atmosphere, however, was enough to tell them that there was a history between the two that was certainly not friendly.

"You still love boring shows as always, Lucien Joseph de Argyll... Sir."