Book 3 Chapter 25

Episode 74

Even after the end of my first match with Nora, there were six more magic duels. All of them came from groups B, C, D, E, and F, and with the exception of two disciples from the 16 major schools, most were from small to medium-sized schools or magic academies. It is said that the matches for the remaining students, including the second-ranked student, are scheduled for tomorrow morning.

"A Leak (漏) Rune, huh… Meleb, as expected of one from the Eight Great Schools, you use an interesting rune."

I seriously reviewed today's fight with Nora, flopping down onto the bed. The early summer twilight shone eerily through the window.

'Since it's an arcane rune, I can't replicate it exactly, but I might be able to find and mimic a rune with similar properties.'

As much as I want to dive into research right now, my energy is completely depleted, and sleepiness is creeping in.

Is it because of the match with Nora?

No.

It's because of the demon named Serri… Didn't she suddenly insist on staying and sleeping together in the dorm?

- She was practically singing about how much she missed you. Just indulge her once.

Mother, far from stopping her, actually sided with her.

And the one who finally "defeated" Serri, who had forced her way into the dorm… was Pipi, who was in charge of the hero party's mascot.

- Cu-cute…!

It was very easy to send Serri away, as she instantly lost her judgment, captivated by Pipi.

- Peach wanted to get some fresh air outside, wouldn't she be happy if you took her out?

- No, no, no. Pipi, the air inside is good, Pipi, the air inside is… Piiipiiiit!

Remembering Sir Pipi, who was senselessly sacrificed (or rather, made to sacrifice) for an old comrade, I shed a single tear.

'When you come back, I'll give you double the corn…'

As my eyelids were heavily closing in the early summer night air, that guy suddenly came to mind.

Valensis.

And the one who came looking for him… the one with Lyn's face. My sleepiness vanished instantly.

'Why on earth did he come?'

Knowing I defeated Liveny? But I don't understand. Why didn't he attack earlier then?

'If Valensis, with his skill, had attacked when he returned from <Redacavel>, I would have been helpless.'

And today, on such a golden opportunity, if two of them had suddenly launched a surprise attack… just thinking about it is horrible.

"Ah, I have a bad feeling about this."

I wish it would just pass without anything happening, but my experience tells me that nothing ever goes smoothly when you get involved with those dark mages.

'Or should I ambush Valensis first and reduce their numbers?'

But the problem is, if I do that and Valensis starts denying it, I might be treated like a lunatic.

And even by Lyn's standards, he's not an easy opponent, which is another problem.

'In that case…'

I was curious from the start. Who exactly is this guy playing tricks with my face, is he a vessel for my soul or what…?

'If Valensis isn't the one, then there's also the option of finding and interrogating him myself.'

Should I look for him if I get a chance?

If he's still at school, that is.

'No, do I even need to look for him? If he has business with me, he'll come to me first.'

But it seems I didn't need to rack my brains that night. Because "that guy" came to find me himself the next day, alone.

* * *

The next day, the Dragon's Blood Arena stands were also full.

Because traditionally, if the head student marked the beginning of the first round, then the second-ranked student marked its end.

"Is it Crista Warden, the once-in-a-generation genius, against Lilian Karain, blessed by fire?!"

"A showdown between a genius and a monster, this is exciting!"

The stands, which had been murmuring about this topic even before their turn came, became uncontrollably heated once their turn finally arrived.

[Entering from the East Gate is Crista Warden, who took second place in the mid-term exams.]

And from the West Gate on the opposite side, Lilian Karain walked out, her red hair flowing. Crista, who reached the center point first, arrogantly crossed her arms.

"I told you before. We Wardens can't live with debt."

"……?"

"You're going to pay dearly now for tormenting my cute servant, so be prepared."

Head Professor Marhena also seemed quite expectant, resting her chin on her clasped hands as she spoke.

"Warden and Karain, huh. Although their attributes are different, they're both summoners."

"That's right, Master. In terms of elemental compatibility, Student Crista does have an advantage, but…"

From the opposite stands, Professor Owen, who had been discussing similar things, pondered, glancing sideways at the spectators from the Rivendell school.

"But will conventional elemental compatibility truly work against that damned Blazing Serpent?"

It's true that Earth attribute has an advantage over Fire attribute in terms of compatibility.

However, didn't even Gertrude Fenton, who primarily uses the highly compatible Water attribute, become helpless the moment the Blazing Serpent appeared?

"Even so, Lilian will win, right?"

When Ilin, a student from Chaihak, whispered the question, Logan closed his eyes as if finding it difficult to answer.

"Hmm, in the past, I would've said Lilian would definitely win, but…"

"You mean not now?"

"Well, her condition has been strange lately."

To be precise, ever since the mid-term exams ended. Is it because of the shock of losing both the top and second-ranked positions? She seemed somehow spaced out.

"Surely, you don't think the young lady will lose, do you, Young Master?"

Gertrude asked with an inquisitive gaze. Rein, who had been yawning lazily, lightly shrugged his shoulders.

"I wonder."

In a normal situation, he would have predicted Lilian's overwhelming victory.

He still remembered barely erasing the Rivendell school's divine beast, the Blazing Serpent, with Bell Quirius, and just thinking about it made his eyes feel like they were about to burst with pain.

But this time, given who the opponent is, even I don't know the outcome of the match.

"You wonder?"

"?"

"Oh my, oh my, oh my! The young lady has always cheered for you, Young Master, no matter the situation… *sniff*, my lady is so miserable, tears!"

Gertrude's playful pretense of crying caught Lilian's eye from where she stood in the arena. Lilian's firmly closed lips parted slightly.

"…How annoying."

"What?"

"Only you children of powerful families can study magic so comfortably."

Hmm, Crista lifted her chin high as if daring her to speak more.

"Magic is power, and school is merely a place to prove it. There's no time anywhere to associate with the nauseating term 'friend'."

Yes, there are no friends.

There are only rivals to devour.

"Though hothouse flowers would never know it."

Lilian threw out a provocation, her eyes filled with murderous intent, but strangely, Crista nodded as if quite impressed.

"That's a sound argument, isn't it? I agree."

"Agree? That's absurd. Is that something that should come from the mouth of someone who plays house with the genius (calamity) Young Master every single day?"

"Play house?! You're kidding me!!! He and I are rivals! What I do with him is rival *play*… no, not play, it's rival *real combat*!!!"

Seeing Crista excitedly babbling caught on the clairvoyance (千里眼) that illuminated the arena, Rein scratched his head.

"Why is she getting so excited and frantic even before the match?"

Mages should always be calm.

But that playful atmosphere lasted only a moment; everything changed when Vice Professor Kyle's command rang out.

[The main tournament, its final match, will now begin!]

Lilian was the first to make a sharp move with her hand. Her fingers, which had brushed against both sides of her waist, now held three talismans.

"Three 2-star talismans alone!"

"Is she planning a quick decisive battle?!"

Talismans are a characteristic and strength of the Rivendell school, which, like the people of the north, extremely pursues practicality in magic. They can be seen as a battle-enhanced type of Remediere.

"And unlike the typical Remediere type that injects magic into a grimoire, talismans can be used and thrown even while moving."

Even during the tumultuous period 300 years ago, mages from Rivendell were quite useful. Thanks to those talismans, anyone could operate magic diversely in battle…

While Rein was recalling memories, Lilian was throwing talismans in the arena.

From the talismans scattered in three directions – left, right, and above – a red light glowed, then swiftly transformed into fierce flame butterflies that rushed towards Crista.

'I cannot lose, not to anyone…'

For her mother, who always cared for her despite suffering from the indiscriminate violence of that garbage father.

- It's alright, Lilian.

Her mother was merely used as a surrogate to bear a child blessed by fire, solely because she had red hair.

- Mommy is fine.

To drive out those trashy old men and her father and claim the school, she needed the power to convince her schoolmates. And the right to prove that power.

'To do that, I must graduate from <Delighten> as the top student. To do that, I must claim the top position in this exam.'

It was an obsession bordering on compulsion, an absolute will that constantly spurred her forward… Towards such a Lilian, Crista shouted.

"You, what are you looking at?!"

A fierce torrent of magic swirled violently around Crista's body. On her palm, rays of light intricately intertwined, creating a beautiful radiance.

"Th-that's…?!"

"High-speed computation of 3-star magic…?!"

Amidst the shouts of praise from the stands, only Rein let out a surprised scoff.

"It's not just a simple 3-star, is it?"

It could be considered a 3-star comparable to a 4-star, or even a 3.5-star. This is because she used a Sow (溲) Rune.

Because that's a double rune.

The properties it possesses are 'kneading' and 'moistening'. If she had only used an Earth-element magic circle, the mathematical formula would have become ridiculously complex, but…

"So she's grown using that past experience as a stepping stone."

One of the magic circles was circular, not square. This meant it was a dual-attribute magic, possessing both Water and Earth attributes.

'This is an application of what Rein Ludwig showed on his first day of admission.'

If a complex rune needs to be used, a magic circle with good compatibility with that rune is incorporated to simplify the mathematical formula.

Anyone can make a mistake.

That's not wrong. What's wrong is letting a mistake remain a mistake. Right, Teacher Caroline?

───Groooowl!

Soon, even the stands experienced a violent, earthquake-like tremor, and the surroundings shook wildly.

Spiderweb-like cracks spread across the arena ground, then, with a thud, a gigantic summon burst forth from the earth.

It was the Warden family's bloodline-limited summon, the Sandstone Golem (砂巖怪神), famously known as Sandstone Golem.

With its overwhelming presence and sturdy body, Lilian's flame butterflies were reduced to mere sparks before that colossal stone.

"It's beautiful…"

Professor Caroline gazed at the Sandstone Golem with tearful eyes.

It was different from the Sandstone Golem summoned against Rein Ludwig during the supplementary exam. To be precise, it was at a level where all its flaws from that time had been rectified.

She harmonized Water attribute magic with the Sow (溲) Rune to further enhance the golem's durability. She completed the ultimate shield, impenetrable to any attack.

"No matter how many times you use that pathetic garbage magic, you won't pierce my Sandstone, you know?"

"……!"

"Don't act like a small fry and probe; bring out that fire snake, the Blazing Serpent, or whatever it's called! I need to properly teach you a lesson. That you messed with someone you shouldn't have last time."