Satin’s words made Rita burst into laughter. Rita was standing right next to Cain, so the sound naturally reached Satin as well. Satin, feeling embarrassed, spoke again.
“Wearing armor means they have intelligence,” he said.
“I just laughed because it’s funny that they’re not wearing pants,” Rita replied, still giggling without turning around.
The laughter-filled conversation ended there. The distance between them and the Reverse Centaurs was now barely twenty paces. Although outnumbered nearly ten to one, no one dared to let their guard down.
Everyone wondered who would make the first move. Cain, having no intention of attacking first, surveyed his surroundings.
At that moment, a large man stepped forward. His imposing appearance had attracted several opportunists around him.
“We need to understand how these creatures fight. Let’s start by taking down one together,” the man declared loudly, confident that the Reverse Centaurs wouldn’t understand human language.
‘There’s always someone who wants to play the leader,’ Cain thought.
He didn’t dislike people who took the initiative. If someone was willing to take the risk and achieve a good outcome, they deserved respect.
‘Even if the result is bad, there’s still a lesson to be learned,’ he mused.
The self-appointed leader drew his sword, and soon, two more volunteers stepped forward hesitantly—a woman with a sword and a man with a spear.
“Let’s target the one on the right. When you attack with your spear, it will dodge, and that’s when we’ll strike. Understood?” the leader said.
“M-me?” the spearman stammered, taken aback by the detailed plan. He had volunteered but hadn’t expected to be on the front line.
“Do you have a better idea?” the leader asked.
The spearman hesitated before nodding. “Shouldn’t the magician go first?” he suggested.
A murmur of agreement rippled through the group.
“That’s right, we have a magician.”
“The magician will take care of it.”
“The magician said they would protect us.”
Moments ago, they were strategizing to fight the monsters themselves, but now they were looking for the magician to protect them. Cain had mentioned a magician to gather people, but he never promised that the magician would protect everyone.
Cain smiled to himself.
‘People who take the initiative are rare indeed,’ he thought.
As planned, Cain acted as if he knew nothing about it. Meanwhile, Rita stepped forward with determination.
White light began to gather around Rita, indicating she was preparing her signature fire arrows.
‘Her magical aptitude is mediocre,’ Cain thought.
Back in school, he had wondered how the old man selected students with magical potential. It was only after becoming a magician himself that he understood. Those with magical aptitude were like magnets, constantly attracting a certain amount of magical energy around them. This energy was invisible but could be sensed.
Cain considered his own aptitude to be quite good. He had met others with potential, but none surpassed him. The old man had chosen well.
In Cain’s eyes, Rita’s aptitude was mediocre at best, which made him wonder why her teacher had chosen her.
The answer was simple: ‘It must be because of her status.’
Many believed that being a magician guaranteed wealth and prestige. Cain used to think so too.
It wasn’t entirely false. A magician could certainly improve their living standards. However, true respect and admiration required more than just being a magician.
‘Why would anyone respect magic that has no immediate use?’ Cain thought.
Fire magic was the most common type. Its ability to spread quickly made it effective against multiple enemies, even with minimal magical energy. Cain was certain that most magicians in the Bureau of Order were fire magicians.
On the other hand, magicians who used other types of magic were often engrossed in research, much like the old man who had taught Cain.
Although there was no way to compare, Cain was confident that his aptitude surpassed that of the old man. If the old man had truly possessed great ability, he would have flaunted his fire magic everywhere instead of researching Black Magic. The old man’s aptitude would never have allowed him to create a fire as large as Cain could.
This made Rita a peculiar magician in Cain’s eyes. Despite her lack of aptitude, she could use both fire and hail magic, and she seemed to be researching something unrelated to either. Perhaps Rita knew even more types of magic.
‘Mediocre aptitude, yet versatile in magic.’
If Rita had learned magic not for social advancement but as an academic pursuit, it made sense. A wealthy noble family could easily hire a magician to teach their child.
This would also explain Rita’s willingness to step forward now.
‘The responsibility of the privileged,’ Cain thought.
He had learned from the mad old man. Although Cain didn’t particularly like Rita, he respected her for not shying away from difficult situations.
“Everyone, I don’t know if magic will work on these monsters, so stay alert,” Rita warned sternly. However, the sight of her fire arrows had already made people lower their guard. To the magic-ignorant, Rita appeared as a great hero. Some even moved closer to her, intending to use her as a shield.
They weren’t very clever opportunists. From the moment the fire arrows appeared, the Reverse Centaurs had been breathing heavily, a clear sign of agitation or fear. Yet, these people were too focused on Rita to notice.
‘Whether excited or scared, neither is good,’ Cain thought. Beasts attack when excited or frightened.
Cain subtly nodded to Satin, who looked confused. Cain pulled Satin close and whispered directly into his ear, “Let’s move to the other side. It’s not safe here.”
‘Why is his earlobe so soft?’ Cain briefly wondered.
The guide urgently shouted, “Don’t turn your back on the monsters!” He seemed to realize the Reverse Centaurs were acting strangely.
But the warning came too late. The Reverse Centaur on the right roared and charged. It was the one the leader had targeted earlier. The other two followed, eyes wide with rage.
“Aah!”
“Stay away!”
People panicked and scattered. Rita threw a fire arrow, but it only enraged the Reverse Centaur more. Idiots clung to Rita’s back, crying, “Magician, do something!”
Rita quickly created another fire arrow, but it had no effect. The creature’s mane seemed to gleam as the arrow grazed it, infuriating the Reverse Centaur even more.
“Everyone, take up your weapons! Magic isn’t working!” Rita shouted, drawing her sword instead of making another fire arrow. Seeing this, the idiots didn’t follow her lead but looked for other places to hide. Cowards are quick to judge, and they instantly realized Rita couldn’t protect them.
Meanwhile, the Reverse Centaur charged at Rita. The size difference and the creature’s armor meant a collision would be devastating. Yet, Rita stood her ground, perhaps worried that dodging might harm others.
‘Foolish,’ Cain thought.
Fortunately, Edward swiftly intervened, blocking the Reverse Centaur’s path and swinging his sword.
“Rita!” he called out.
The Reverse Centaur, startled by Edward’s sudden appearance, halted abruptly.
In that moment, Edward asked, “Rita, are you alright?”
“I’m fine!” she replied.
Edward was the only one who came to Rita’s aid. As the Reverse Centaur backed away from Edward’s sword, the others fled even faster.
‘What a mess,’ Cain thought, watching from the back, relatively unaffected by the chaos. Satin clutched a dagger he had bought before the journey, looking around nervously.
‘Good thing I let him buy that dagger,’ Cain thought. He had explained to Satin that a short sword would be more useful for a beginner, which was partly true. However, Cain’s main reason was different.
A dagger is a close-combat weapon. While it can be thrown, an untrained throw is practically a surrender. To use a dagger effectively, one must get very close to the enemy, which is difficult against a large foe like the Reverse Centaurs. Only someone very skilled with a dagger or crazy would attempt it.
Fortunately, Satin was sane but looked disappointed.
“Cain, are we completely doomed?” Satin asked.
“Regrettably, yes,” Cain replied.
