Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 43

***

Recently, Leo had a problem.

‘I think Belinda is in trouble.’

That something was wrong with Belinda was Leo’s problem.

The reason was unclear, but Belinda’s face after consulting with the teacher after magic class was unusually fierce.

“Cheti, what can I do to make Belinda happy?”

Leo whispered to the metallic butterfly hovering around him.

What Cheshire gave to the child was a magic-infused refined magic stone, a kind of magic battery. As it was said, magic users with low magical power stored magic in magic stones for later use.

The teacher said it was just a simple rock, but Leo secretly named the little butterfly following him wherever he went ‘Cheti.’

The last letter of the name Ratchet, is taken from Chet. 

Leo’s gaze wandered from Cheti to the small garden in the front yard with the flowers.

It was directly visible from Belinda’s room.

And the dahlias that adorned Belinda’s window had been washed away in the heavy rain a few days earlier.

Leo thought Belinda liked the flower garden very much, but the truth was that Belinda looked at the flower garden outside the window every day because she knew about Leo’s efforts to clean the window every morning.

‘Can’t I make flowers bloom with magic?’

Leo, who had been contemplating, came up with an idea.

He had learned light magic a while ago.

It was a magic that created spheres resembling fireflies of various colors, but if placed on a flower stalk that had lost its petals, it would look quite like a convincing flower.

“Cheti, let’s go!”

As if understanding Leo’s shout, the butterfly fluttered behind the child.

‘The teacher said I could put magic circles anywhere.’

When proficient in magic, one could evoke magic by just imagining it without drawing magic circles.

For Leo, it was still a distant skill.

He dipped his hand into the soil and traced a light magic circle in the flower garden’s soil.

Because he had practiced dozens of times, he was confident in drawing the light magic circle.

Finally, Leo, who had drawn a giant magic circle, took a deep breath.

“Whoa, Cheti, are you ready?”

Cheti settled gently on Leo’s finger.

He hadn’t put magic into such a large magic circle before, but with Cheti, it should be fine.

Leo infused magic into the magic circle drawn on the soil.

A golden glow of magic shone along the line he drew.

Crack.

“……?”

A crack appeared in the shining golden magic circle.

Leo blinked as he stared at the crack, and somewhere, an unseasonably warm breeze blew.

And at that moment,

Boom!

The magic circle began to spit out hot fireballs instead of heatless balls of light.

“Oh, no!”

Leo shouted in horror, stomping wildly to extinguish the fire without fear, then changed his mind when he realized that what he was wearing were the silk shoes Belinda had bought him.

He scooped up plenty of dirt with both hands and threw it at the fire. But the fireballs born from magic, like creatures with a will, playfully hopped around, pulling out back legs like grasshoppers.

When Leo regained his senses, small fireballs were roaming in all directions.

Like dwarves, these tiny fireballs multiplied, eagerly expanding their territory.

“Seedo.”

“T-Teacher!”

Cheshire, with exceptional magical sensitivity, was the first to notice the situation. He rushed over like an arrow, panting for a moment before sternly lecturing Leo.

“What did I say? I told you that an accurate magic circle is essential to evoke the desired magic.”

“The… the fire…”

“And equally important is the place where the magic circle is drawn. A dirt floor can be easily damaged by wind or bugs, jeopardizing the magic circle. That’s why you need a stylus for drawing in such places.”

“It’s spreading…”

“Moreover, you poured too much magic power for the size of the magic circle. That’s why it’s overflowing like this.”

“It seemed to be…”

Cheshire’s lengthy lecture came to an end when the surroundings had already turned into a sea of fire.

“It’s okay. This teacher will handle everything.”

A golden glint appeared in Cheshire’s eyes.

Soon, a huge magic circle appeared in the sky, encompassing the entire annex.

Despite the magic circle pouring rain, the fireballs didn’t easily dissipate.

“What?”

“Why doesn’t the fire go out? Is it the purity of the magic?”

“This is a bit… precarious.”

Cheshire added a secondary magic circle to the existing one. As a result, the rainfall intensified, turning into almost torrential rain.

Noticing the unexpected rain, maids hurriedly disappeared to fetch towels.

“Ratchet.”

Belinda, who belatedly appeared, looked extremely displeased. It was almost tinged with anger.

Leo stood in the middle of a field of blackened, dead flowers and hung his head dejectedly.

“…… I did wrong.”

Cedric, who was standing next to Belinda by holding her umbrella, managed to extinguish a surviving fireball that was trying to get between the two without notice by stepping on it with his auror-filled shoe.

As the breathtaking confrontation continued, this time Cheshire intervened instead of a fireball.

“Master, forgive me for interrupting, but I need you to take me to the tower right now.”

“What?”

“I need you to bring me back to the Magic Tower by midnight. You see.”

“……?”

“I’m going to faint now.”

And Cheshire promptly lost consciousness and collapsed.

Leo quickly tried to support Cheshire by grabbing his waist, but it was too much to bear the weight of an adult.

Barely holding on with Cedric’s help, Leo, still hanging on Cheshire’s waist, nervously blinked.

As Cheshire fainted, the magic circle that covered the mansion disappeared, and the rain abruptly stopped.

Belinda, glancing at the pale Cheshire, asked Vivian.

“…Is this because of magical exhaustion?”

“Yes.”

“For now, move him to one of the empty rooms in the mansion.”

“B-but Cheshire asked to be taken to the magic tower.”

“What can I do by sending someone who has lost consciousness back? He’ll stay here for today.”

Belinda’s resolute words left Vivian somewhat perplexed, and Terry, looking disapproving, lifted Cheshire like a piece of luggage.

Watching anxiously, Vivian gazed at the unconscious Cheshire with a determined expression, as if she had made up her mind about something.

***

A quiet night without even the sound of the wind.

It was the moment when the clock’s hour and minute hands aligned perfectly, indicating midnight.

The man’s eyes fluttered open from a deep sleep.

His clear ash-colored eyes, without a trace of sleepiness, quickly scanned his surroundings.

“Where am I?”

Annoyed, he muttered, rising from the bed, checking his attire, and inspecting the surroundings. Despite its age, the mansion looked elegant.

As he attempted to open the door, sparks flew the moment his hand touched the handle.

“Ha? Look at this?”

The man’s ashy-gray eyes glowed with a deep golden hue.

A slight gust of wind blew around him, causing his pink hair to whip around frantically, unable to withstand the power so intense and pure.

Then, with a wave of his magic-infused hand, he effortlessly shattered the magic circles that were blocking the door.

Crash!

“Tsk, how trivial.”

Muttering as if bothered, the man casually kicked open the slightly ajar door, treating it like a makeshift barrier in a back alley.

And soon, he came face to face with Vivian, who had been guarding the door.

Vivian, after confirming the insignia on the man’s brooch indicating the 9th rank, took a deep breath.

“Pfft!”

The man’s eyebrows twisted slightly.

“Who is this? Isn’t this Bruno’s pet dog?”

“Th-this-this-this is now Lady Belinda’s pet.”

“…Belinda?”

He glanced at Vivian, who was holding a magic wand, and shook his head.

“Well, fine. Keep talking. Why am I here, and what are you doing here?”

He was fortunate enough to face someone he knew, and she was the only one who knew his true identity.

As the man’s magic-infused hand reached towards Vivian, waiting for her to explain, they heard a voice, and in an instant, the man instinctively shot a burst of magic before realizing it.

Vivian, still in contemplation, exclaimed

“Sir knight! No! He’s a ninth rank!”

Thud.

However, the lump of magical power that bumped against the edge of the sword and shot out the window split the night sky like a shooting star and even scattered the dark clouds.

“…….”

“…….”

Even amid the astonishment of the magicians, Cedric remained calm.

“I didn’t hear it. What did you say?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

A 9th-rank magician’s… magic, yet he is deflecting it.