Blade Over Magic

A/N: I posted the wrong Chapter yesterday. Today’s Chapter was meant to be yesterday’s Chapter. My apologies.

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Asymmetrical Warfare III

Zeref took a deep breath, then his entire demeanor changed.

One moment, he looked ready to burst a blood vessel. In the next, he appeared exceptionally calm and collected, a scholarly air around him. He was a High Mage, but he was indeed an intellectual.

Xander, Aubrey, and Falael paid close attention to this altercation was while they were all confident in their abilities, Zeref was still someone who had managed to reach where he was in the Mage Tower through his own efforts. Underhanded or not.

He could not be underestimated.

Adjusting his monocle, the man spoke.

"Solvaren Codex of Sovereignty, under section 4: Non-sentient entities, beasts, and dangerous monsters possess no legal standing or rights of speech before citizens of the realm." He smirked slightly.

"Indeed, I claimed that your were mindless yet moved forward to insult you. As you said, if you truly were a dog, why would you understand an insult? Yet there’s something I find interesting." The older main paced slightly, keeping his finger aimed at Curtis who continued to look at him calmly.

"Every single instance of Lycans we have observed shows the same thing. Their ferocity trumps their rationality. So how is it that you just happen to be different? Hm? And how is it that prior to your presence here, you appeared and acted like a normal human, yet after staying within the Lowell Residence, you come here suddenly very well learned and coherent." He narrows his eyes. "I suspect that you are under the influence of an artifact! Or some sort of item anyway, that significantly boosts your cognitive ability while also implanting artificial rationality into you. Moreover, it increases your ability to digest information." The argument drew a wave of whispers. The implications of such a claim were heavy, yet Zeref was on a roll.

"As for how I came to that conclusion? Well, look at him. The ears, the tail, it’s obvious that the human facade is cracking. The artifact is failing under his own violent mana! He isn’t a man standing before us, he’s a monster on a leash that’s about to snap." This drew a few gasps, and some noble ladies took a few steps back, their gazes showing hints of fear.

Falael frowned, but before she could do anything, that is communicate through the link, Aubrey’s voice stopped her.

’Don’t. Curtis isn’t done.’ As soon as she said that.

"Hm." Curtis hummed, then he reached his hand up and pulled down his scarf, revealing his lips which were blue from his own temperature. Those in the surroundings shivered as the temperature lowered. Not by a lot, but just enough.

But this wasn’t even a threatening gesture. More like a sign that Curtis was taking this seriously.

Regarding Zeref with that same calmness, he spoke.

"The Mage Tower cites that for anyone making a claim, the burden of proof lies entirely kn them. If you claim the artifact exists, Sir Zeref, show it in the room. Identify its mana signature, or forfeit the claim." Before Zeref could retort, Curtis continued.

"Furthermore, you just stated that I previously appeared and acted human before this night. To navigate human society, pass academy examinations, and participate on an active battlefield, baseline must be present. So tell me, Sir Zeref, how can I be an inherently ’mindless beast’ who required an artifact to gain sentience, while simultaneously admitting I lived and behaved as a rational human long before I set foot in the Lowell estate?" This drew another series of murmurs as Curtis pointed out a clear logical flaw. Falael relaxed marginally as it was indeed a good point.

Yet Aubrey’s eyes narrowed. She saw everything. More than that, really. Hence, she saw how Zeref’s lip curled upwards just slightly. He let out a dry, condescending laugh which caused the murmurs to die down, then he spoke.

"You confuse trained behavior with true sentience, boy." He stopped his pacing and stepped closer to Curtis once again. "A dog can be taught to sit, fetch, and open a door. That does not make the dog a man." His voice dropped by an octave.

"True sentience requires absolute mastery over one’s own nature. A Lycan’s core existence is governed by violent and uncontrollable instinct. When the full moon rises or your blood boils, your primal nature takes the wheel, utterly suppressing your ’rationality’. If your human mind can be completely erased by moonlight or stress, then your ’humanity’ is merely a temporary state, not an inherent right." Curtis’s pupils shrunk, and Zeref leaned in close, his voice a sharp whisper that sliced through the room.

"Your existence is conditional. And conditional rights do not exist under Solvaren’s law. The moment you lose control—which we both know you will—you revert back to a beast governed by instinct. Why should the kingdom give rights to a ticking time bomb whose rationality gets thrown out the window the moment his blood turns hot?" The room fell silent, Falael stiffened, and Aubrey prepared to make a move.

Curtis’s tail stopped its gentle swaying, his ears drooping ever so slightly. This told Zeref he’d struck right where it mattered, and Curtis couldn’t deny it.

Because Curtis HAD lost control in the past. He did turn into a feral wolf during the full moon in Landor and when Mia made an artificial one. This scene was visible to all as it exposed Curtis’s history and trauma.

And yet.

’No one interrupt.’ Xander said through the link calmly, intentionally excluding Curtis.

’Xander, that’s—’

’Trust him.’ He cut off off simply. She and Aubrey briefly shared a glance, then nodded imperceptibly.

After a second, Curtis closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his enhanced sense of smell catching the scent of those around him. The acrid scent of smugness from Zeref, the dampness of the crowds trepidation, the sharpness radiating from the guards who waited for him to lash out. The sour worry from Aubrey and Falael...

And the gentle trust from Xander which seemed to spur him on.

’You are not a human suppressing a wolf, nor a wolf wearing a human. You are both. Accept it.’

He exhaled, and he opened his eyes. There was no fear, only absolute, terrifying clarity.

He met Zeref’s smug gaze and said, voice still calm but loud enough for the onlookers to hear.

"If a temporary loss of rationality under extreme stress situations trips a being of their sentience, then Sire Zeref, let’s apply your law equally to everyone in this room." Zeref’s smile faded slightly, and Curtis went on.

"When a mage suffers Acute Mana Syndrome, the process where their mana pool becomes too saturated, and enters a state of spell-crazed mania, do we strip them of their mania and execute them like a beast? When a noble lord flies into a rage and—blinded by their wrath—slays an innocent servant, do we legally classify him as a wild animal?" His eyes narrowed. "No. Humans, and sentient creatures in general, lose control all the time. Yet their legal rights remain entirely intact." As soon as he finished, Zeref retorted.

"That’s a false equivalence."

"Is it though?" Curtis shot back instantly. "How is what I mentioned any different from the points you raised? Moonlight serves as an external factor leading to loss of rationality, and so does Acute Mana Syndrome. And rage also does the same on both fronts. Where is the false equivalence, Sir Zeref?" Zeref’s mouth snapped shut, and Xander revealed a thin smile as he watched this scene.

’Go on, Curtis. End this.’

Curtis gestured to his white hair, ears, and the fangs that showed whenever he spoke.

"You claim that my traits prove that my primal nature overwrite my rationality, but look at me right now." He stepped closer to Zeref, and he took a step back, sweat dripping down the side of his face.

"My feral traits are manifested because my physical form has adapted to my Lycan heritage. The atmospheric mana in this dimension is heavy. But am I not standing here?"

Silence.

"I am not roaring. I am not snarling. I’m in the presence of a 6th-Floor High Mage who has repeatedly insulted my heritage, and not once have I insulted him back. I have only taken his logic and dissected it, all without raising my voice or drawing a spell." He looked over Zeref who was looking around almost frantically, but no one came to his aid.

"I have not suppressed my wolf side with an artifact, Sir Zeref. I have unified it with the rest of my being. If a human who loses control is still considered a man but a Lycan who maintains absolute composure while his traits are on full display is still called a beast... then your argument has nothing to do with law or sentience." His gaze turned... condescending.

Curtis, of all people, looked at a genuine high mage.. with condescension.

"It is simple, uneducated prejudice. And for a 6th-Floor Elder of the Mage Tower to mix bigotry for legal jurisprudence is the greatest intellectual embarrassment in this entire ballroom." And with that, he pulled his scarf back over his mouth.

"..."

Everyone stared at Curtis with unmasked shock. No one knew how to react. How COULD they react? After all of that?

Zeref opened and closed his mouth, but before he could say anything further, his flinched as his gaze snapped up to the mezzanine where the figure of Archmage Bellion sat. The powerhouse currently giving him a stern look as, no doubt, a telepathic message was passed.

Zeref swallowed down any words that had been building as he gave Curtis one last glare before turning and walking away, the crowd parting for him.

Curtis stared after him before finally exhaling, his ears drooping in relief.

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