MC POV

My eyes widen and I quickly shove mana into my ring. A familiar blue tint appears in front of me, and the fireball quickly crashes into it. While the fireball dissipates, slightly singing the chair I was sitting on, I look at the idiot who dared to attack me. I find a man shriveled and pale, with a gag in his mouth and shaking knees. It's Ustos. What the hell kind of stupidity is this?

Before I have any more time to ponder, he pulls out a piece of paper. Looking closely, it seems to be adorned with a magic circle along with a couple of creases. I try to rush over before the idiot has a chance to use it. Yet, as I just begin to approach, another fireball appears on top of the paper. He aims it at me, but I don’t flinch. The magic barrier around me is strong enough to resist at least a dozen fireballs; I’ve checked personally.

Though in an unexpected move, he switches his aim to the only other person in the dorm, Keswick. I sneak a look at her and she’s just standing there, confused and paralyzed, the absolute moron. “Keswick, move!” I scream, but she remains frozen. Before I have time to shout at her again, Ustos launches the fireball, and I am forced to dive over to intercept it, my barrier defending once more. Damned bastard. If I didn’t intercept, she’d probably be killed, ruining the plan.

Collecting myself and looking back at Ustos, I realize he had enough time to create two more fireballs. The bastard's look turns smug as he moves his head, more specifically the gag in his mouth tied strongly onto his head, near one of the fireballs while pointing the other at me. If I try to approach, he’ll probably sneak a fireball past me and hit Keswick, compromising the plan. If I wait, he’ll probably remove the gag and tell Keswick about me not really being Ustos, compromising the plan too.

I think about what I can do. If I try to approach him with her next to me so the barrier could defend the both of us, he’ll probably manage to remove the gag before I could get to him.

Wait, why bother caring about Keswick anymore? She’s already seen all this garbage; convincing her not to report this to any academy staff would already be impossible. The worst-case scenario isn’t her knowing more, it’s her escaping or dying.

So, deciding to not let her gain a chance to escape or do anything stupid, I turn around and shove my fingers up her nose. Her combined five brain cells snap out of their shock and quickly urge her to struggle and resist. Unfortunately for her though, a nice chunk of my mana, creating mana breaches in her head doesn’t let her do much. Her eyes close and she falls unconscious, and I catch her before she has a chance to fall.

As Ustos removes his gag, he screams, “You pig, remove your hands from her!” He sends one of the fireballs in his hands my way, leaving me quite confused. Did he not plan to end her life just now? Was it a bluff? If so, then he truly is a moron, the emotional idiot removing his only trump card.

As the fireball dissipates after meeting my shield, I frown. My mana is running low. Today, I had to knock out Ustos by forcefully shoving mana up his nose, which took a third out of me, and doing the same with Keswick took even more. Coupled with all the fireballs, my mana is down to a tenth or so, barely enough for one more fireball.

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However, an idea comes to mind and I smile. I drop the shield and pull Keswick up in front of me as a shield instead. Ustos visibly hesitates to fire another fireball, and I start approaching him.

“What’s wrong, Ustos? Do you like her too much?”

“It doesn’t matter, mongrel. I will still fire!” he says, slightly frustrated and maddened.

“And I will not dodge. She will die by your hands.”

“I know you, coward. You value your life above all, and if I kill her, your idiotic scheme will fall apart and you will be punished with a fate worse than death.”

“All right, then shoot,” I state. Yet he does not do anything. What an idiot, valuing his life above a moron he hasn’t talked to in years.

As I get close enough, I throw the idiot in my hand at him. He dodges away and Keswick falls to the ground. Before Ustos can recollect himself, I give him a good kick in his stomach and follow up with a punch to his face. The fireball in his hand dissipates and he sprawls onto the ground, hitting his head against my work table, his horrible body not even giving a lick of resistance.

I start approaching his sad form and he starts to stand up. Barely getting up, apparently, running out of spells, he grabs a carving knife from the table I use to carve rune spots and points it at me. Not deterred, I approach and he tries to stab at me, though his form is horrendous and I barely even need to dodge. I hit his head once again he falls to the ground, the knife falling next to him. I look at the poor idiot on the ground. What even gave him the gall to attack me in the first place?

Hmm, knowing his stupid nature, I need to make sure he doesn’t try something stupid like this once again in the future.

“You're such a pathetic bastard, Ustos,” I say and kick him in the ribs. He grunts in pain and clutches the hit area.

“You had the initiative and you still failed.” I kick him another time.

“You are such an idiot, that you brought her, into this.” I push down on his head with my boot so he is forced to look at Keswick sprawled out on the floor unconscious.

“I wasn't even planning on doing something to her. You have forced my hand.” I push harder.

“I need to find a replacement for her now.”

“I’m sure it won’t be that difficult. I could find commoners that look like her, though I may have to search in a brothel. Those ones actually take care of their bodies.” I continue pushing with the same force.

“Hmm, maybe I should thank you instead. She has been annoying ever since I meat her. I should have thought of this idea sooner.”

I laugh. “The only thing you did is condemn your only friend to your fate.”

“And don’t think I’m not gonna address the fact that you used mana.” I remove my foot from his face and start pushing down on his left hand, the one with the missing fingernails.

“I don’t know how you did it, but I don’t care either. I’ll cut off all your fingers, I’m sure you didn’t use them much beforehand anyways, then I’ll see how much magic you are capable of.”

“You’re a complete moron.” I say, grinding my heel against his left hand.

Ustos laughs up at me, “At least I’m not an emotionless monster.”

“Even animals have honor and love engraved in their hearts. You can’t even be called a creature.”

“At this point, I don’t care if I live or die. I can’t let you do as you wish in this world,” he says with a content look.

He suddenly pulls his right hand up to the dagger lying just in reach. Anticipating a stab to my leg, I quickly pull it out of his reach and take a step back. But unexpectedly, he pulls the dagger to his throat and states, “And if I have to go, at least I know I am taking a foul person along with me.”

And before I have any time to stop him, the madman plunges it deep into his throat.