Gunmage-Chapter 202: Cheating by association

"Yes, I cheated,"

Lugh began.

"But—can you explain how exactly I cheated?"

Everyone stared at him, thinking for a moment.

They didn’t rush to a decision. They were nobles, after all—conditioned and trained to see beneath the surface of every encounter and event.

After a while, nobody said anything. Then Lirienne spoke.

"I don’t think you cheated."

Lugh glanced at her briefly, then turned to the rest.

"Who agrees with her?"

By now, Marcus had already shrugged off the lingering pain and was rising unsteadily to his feet. He slipped his clothes back on.

He could’ve changed into a fresh one, but he didn’t want to be the only one dressed differently from the agreed-upon theme.

It was a lucky thing that the fabric was mostly black—only a small patch of blood was visible. frёewebnoѵēl.com

He spoke.

"I also don’t think you cheated. The rules were laid out clearly and concisely. It was my fault for not thinking ahead."

Lugh remained silent for a moment and glanced at the rest of them.

"Who agrees with what he said?"

"Hey, why the hell are you lecturing us?"

Someone called out. A girl.

Lugh responded calmly.

"This isn’t a lecture. We’re just exchanging ideas. We’re mages, after all. We should seize every opportunity to enrich our knowledge and broaden our horizons. That is the path to strength."

"...Well, when you put it like that..."

Lugh appeared contented on the surface, but in his mind, he clicked his tongue.

Not good enough.

His goal was to reach a point where they didn’t question him at all—they would simply accept it his words as a matter of fact.

Slowly, his influence would grow. Eventually, it wouldn’t just be his speeches they accepted, but his orders and commands as well.

This was step-by-step psychological influence.

In time, the position of leader would fall into his lap, without dispute. Then he would become the true head of the Von Heim family.

It was a roundabout way of doing things.

Lugh was sure a good number of them had already noticed and were just playing along. He didn’t have much experience in this.

Who to ask, who to ask...

Except for Selaphiel, only one person came to mind who could possibly teach him more. As for who that was—it was the 13-year-old Aveline.

It seemed he’d be stuck playing chess for the next few days.

But all that was for later. Lugh heard a voice.

Husky, feminine—it belonged to Rochelle.

"I also don’t think you cheated."

He was somewhat surprised. After his earlier stunt, he hadn’t expected her to even want to breathe the same air as him. It seemed he would have to reassess her.

She continued.

"You didn’t even bend the rules. Rather, you wielded them—like a weapon..."

She muttered that last part to herself, and everyone seemed to nod in agreement.

’The fuck are they talking about?’

’Wielded? Like a weapon? Man, this is why talking to smart people is such a pain.’

Lugh naturally understood what she meant, but the explanation he had prepared was far simpler.

Now that she’d elevated him with such an assessment, he couldn’t just say anything and risk lowering their opinion of him.

’Urrghhh. Here goes.’

He psyched himself up before speaking.

"Impressive, Rochelle. Your intelligence belies your looks. I honestly don’t know which of the two is better."

Oh, now he’s complimenting her again? Make up your mind!

Rochelle’s gaze remained cold and calm. She wasn’t going to let his flattery get to her head this time around, lest she get shot down again.

Lugh spoke.

"You made a good point, and while it is correct, you’re missing the fundamental issue."

"And that is?"

Enji asked. He had just finished getting Lirienne to explain the cause of the loud sound—and the resulting smell of fresh blood that filled his nostrils.

Lugh replied.

"From a typical, realistic point of view, I did not cheat. But—I did. And the reason why is this firearm."

He raised the revolver into the air.

"The gun?"

Kenneth asked, somewhat confused.

"Yes!"

Lugh responded.

"The weapon itself is a cheat!"

Everyone glanced at him, confused, not really understanding how it correlated. Lugh elaborated.

"I personally didn’t cheat. But the existence of the weapon I used is a cheat. Hence, I cheated."

Everyone looked at him like he’d gone mad.

Selaphiel had already settled on a chair, watching.

Though he couldn’t see her face beneath the veil—unless he focused through the Mawglass—Lugh could tell her expression was one of amusement.

He spoke.

"Don’t you get it? It’s cheating by association."

Sela was the one to speak this time.

"Lugh, I never knew you were this annoying."

"Annoying? Annoying? Me? Hmph. If your intelligence is limited enough not to understand, then just say so. No need to insult someone."

"Limited?! Are you picking a fight?!"

"So what if I am? Do you dare to fight me?"

"That—"

She was suddenly tongue-tied.

Unlike the others, she had been there when Lugh described his awakened magic:

’I snuff the souls of my victims and wear their skin.’

Though she hadn’t really reacted back then, the words haunted her. She recoiled.

Lugh spoke.

"For anyone who doesn’t understand, here is the unfiltered version:"

"I proposed a test of skill, but ended up using a gun—where skill is not necessary. Even if a toddler had been the one to pull the trigger, the result wouldn’t have been any different. Hence, I cheated."

"Ooohh..."

Some showed looks of dawning realization, while the deeper thinkers wore expressions of apprehension.

Jahira’s eyes flickered—she seemed to be finally understanding something.

But of course, Lugh’s words had been a smokescreen. To accurately hit a human target in a non-lethal area required an exceptional amount of skill.

They also seemed to have conveniently forgotten that Lugh had originally blocked Marcus’s wind spell without so much as a scratch on his barrier.

But Lugh wasn’t going to remind them.

Because he was here to preach about guns.

"Listen up—"

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