Published: July 3, 2025
The interior of the mansion was extremely quiet.
From the outside, it appeared to be a large mansion, and upon entering, the impression was the same; the wide hallways and, above all, the very high ceilings.
It felt more like a monastery on Earth than a lord's mansion.
Ryo felt this way.
"Usually, the most important place is at the very back."
This is a basic religious concept in building design.
After all, it is an assassination "cult."
It's not surprising to have such a religious, monastic image in a place like this.
As Ryo proceeded down the corridor, a pair of large double doors appeared before him.
"That must be it."
This was Ryo's assumption.
That said, it would be impossible for there to be nothing behind such a door in a structure like this.
"[Icicle Lance]"
A massive ice spear, over a meter in diameter, was created.
The icicle lance, thicker than anyone would accept, smashed through the door.
At the same time, Ryo burst into the room and checked inside.
At the very back, there was a huge stone pedestal, with a person lying on top of it.
(Your Highness! [Ice Wall])
He attempted to generate an ice wall to protect Prince Willy, but it didn't work.
The magic activated, which meant it wasn't magic nullification.
It didn't disappear after being created.
In other words, he wasn't being deprived of magical control like the sea monsters.
The magic activated, but as the ice wall was about to be formed, it vanished as quickly as it was created.
"A visitor at this timing is quite interesting. Of course, you came to save the prince, but you cannot provide protection with magic."
A man with long white hair and a white beard, who had been working a little away from the stone pedestal, spoke to Ryo.
"Can you tell me why it won't work?"
"I refuse."
Despite Ryo's polite request, the man flatly refused.
"I see. [Ice Wall Package]"
Ryo generated an ice wall around the man to bind him.
"[Sand Wall]"
Sand mixed into the created ice wall, causing a failure in its formation.
Eventually, the ice wall disintegrated without taking shape.
"Mixing your magic to interfere with the enemy's magic generation... I hadn't thought of that."
Ryo was genuinely impressed.
However, alongside that admiration, he also felt a chill.
He realized that the technique allowed for the rapid generation of magic at a terrifying speed.
The time it took for Ryo to finish chanting and generate the ice wall was less than a tenth of a second.
Ryo's magic was that fast.
Yet the opponent activated his magic after understanding Ryo's magic and could still mix it into Ryo's ice wall generation... it was not normal speed.
"Feel free to use it, as I haven't patented it."
The man gestured with both hands, indicating to do as he pleased.
And then he uttered a decisive word... "patent."
Of course, in Fai, the concept of "patent"... didn't exist, Ryo thought, but he realized there was a possibility he simply didn't know.
Yes, Ryo still had much to learn about this world.
"Patent..."
Ryo couldn't help but mutter.
"Ah, I apologize. That's a word you don't need to know before you head to your death. [Stone Lance]"
In an instant, six stone spears were generated around the man and launched toward Ryo.
"[Ice Wall Layer 10]"
This time, without being interrupted, a wall of ice was generated right in front of Ryo, deflecting all six stone spears.
"Hoho. That ice wall is quite hard."
As soon as the man said that, a massive rectangular stone fell from above onto Ryo.
To anyone watching from the side, it might have seemed as if the ceiling had collapsed in an instant.
A roaring sound echoed. Dust swirled up.
("[Ice Wall Layer 10]")
Before the dust settled, an ice wall was generated parallel to the floor above the man, causing it to fall freely.
Once again, the roaring sound echoed. Dust swirled up... and the ice shattered into pieces.
Everything that had been swirling in the room disappeared, leaving two men standing as if nothing had happened.
One had sliced the falling massive stone with an [Abrasive Jet], appearing unharmed above.
The other generated a super high-hardness stone cone centered around himself, piercing through and shattering the falling ice wall.