Chapter 217
Chapter 217
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 217
Chapter Title: What I've Seen and Heard (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Suddenly bored students lit up with interest and excitement at the unexpected magic duel.
It was only natural—nothing was more entertaining than watching a fight.
Especially when it pitted Derek Redhill, a renowned prodigy from the Agni minor faction, against Kevin Dunbar's personal employee, an heretical figure in the Magic Tower.
In truth, though everyone pretended otherwise, the Magic Tower's affiliates were all paying close attention to Kevin, who had returned from the military.
He was an uncomfortable genius who had enrolled in the tower and earned a master's position despite being a red-titled favorite. His mentor was none other than Archive Merlin, founder of the Elemental faction and a world-renowned authority.
As such, the majority of the tower couldn't help but watch him with displeasure.
In fact, a few of the students here had been dispatched by their masters to dig up dirt on Kevin's background or weaknesses.
And now, on the very first lesson, something this entertaining had happened. They couldn't have been happier.
"Both of you, get up there."
Kevin spoke as he manipulated the training room terrain with mana to form an arena.
Derek Redhill, the Agni faction prodigy who had stripped off his upper shirt and donned gloves, stepped into the arena. Oliver followed, steel rod in hand, downing a mana replenishment potion.
For the record, the steel rod was training room equipment made of mana-conducting steel.
"……Is it really okay for me to use a weapon by myself?"
"I have to concede at least that much for it to even be a fight. But are you sure you're okay with that? Taking risks out of pride is for fools. Plenty of people get hurt in magic battles."
"Thank you for your concern. I'll be careful."
Derek smirked as if it were amusing upon hearing the reply, and the surrounding students reacted similarly.
Most thought Derek would win and chatted about how long Oliver could last, though a few suggested there must be something he was relying on to act so boldly.
Oliver was worried on one hand.
He had agreed to the sudden challenge, but he wondered if it was okay for him to stand out like this.
And rightly so—Oliver was a black mage, and his identity wasn't even a disguised one.
But on the other hand, he found Kevin's words convincing.
'It's not good. Still, it's better to draw a little attention now. I'm somewhat in the spotlight here in the tower, for better or worse. So if I suddenly bring you along, they'll get curious about you soon enough. Showing off your skills now to satisfy some of that curiosity is one way to handle it.'
Kevin's words were partly sincere.
'But that doesn't seem to be the whole story.'
Oliver thought as he watched Kevin approach the arena.
"The match lasts five minutes. I'll stop it if one surrenders or if I judge a clear winner. Any questions?"
"None."
"None."
"Good. Then begin."
Kevin snapped his fingers as he spoke.
Snap-! With the sound, a high-density mana barrier formed around the arena, sealing it off from the outside.
At the same moment, a fireball came flying.
Oliver casually tilted his head left, then right, dodging it.
The mana-formed fireball missed and fizzled harmlessly against the barrier.
"Oh, you've got the basics down, at least."
Derek, who had conjured and fired the fireball in an instant, amped up the mana output in his hand as he spoke. The flames clinging to it roared higher.
"Let's see how long you last."
"What the hell is this…?"
One student watching the Derek-Oliver match couldn't help muttering.
And it was the kind of match that warranted such a reaction—it was utterly bizarre.
Or rather, was this even a match?
One side attacked relentlessly, while the other just dodged?
But what was even stranger: the attacker was growing visibly impatient, while the dodger seemed utterly relaxed.
A barrage of fireballs, burning wires, and massive waves of flame surged toward Oliver.
Each time, Oliver evaded with minimal movement or swung his mana-infused steel rod at weak points to neutralize the flames. It was as if he could see the attacks' trajectories and vulnerabilities crystal clear.
And that was exactly the case.
Oliver himself hadn't noticed since he wasn't paying attention, but his time as a fixer had pitted him against plenty of strong foes, honing his combat prowess beyond recognition.
Compared to when he'd first arrived in Landa, he felt like a completely different person.
Thus, he could now read attacks from anyone a cut below him like an open book.
Ironically, he himself didn't dwell on it.
In any case, not a single hit had landed. The "match" didn't even look like one.
If it resembled anything, it was like a master humoring a disciple—at best. At worst, an adult toying with a child.
Which made sense.
Oliver had matched a master-level fighter like Kevin.
No matter how much of a genius or prodigy a student was, they were still a student. The gap was like that between child and adult.
Though, to be fair, students were limited in the spells they could cast.
"What? Is he actually that strong…?"
"But he's not landing any attacks?"
"Maybe he's holding back?"
"Or maybe Derek isn't as strong as we thought…"
Comments leaked out one by one as the match dragged on.
They'd braced for a public match, but Derek—who hadn't anticipated this at all—couldn't help grimacing.
He'd expected some skill from Kevin's attitude, but this was beyond imagination.
He was confident in a straight magic-vs-magic slugfest.
Overwhelm with fire magic's raw power or outmaneuver and burn them. But his opponent wasn't letting that happen. He flowed past most attacks like water and dismantled unavoidable ones by striking weak spots.
Every single one, not by chance.
It felt like fighting a ghost. No real opponent at all…
At that moment, rage surged through Derek.
How dare some no-name from who-knows-where grab the ankle of a Redhill scion trained properly in the tower.
This wasn't right.
And now the onlookers were eyeing him with doubt—including Yarelli.
His skills, his reputation—they were under question. He had to prove himself, show power to dispel this image.
In the Magic Tower, reputation was life.
So, swallowing his pride, Derek decided to mix in other magic.
Adjust oxygen density with air magic, then ignite with fire for a massive high-output explosion in one—
"That's enough."
Kevin intervened abruptly.
With a single finger snap, he dismantled the high-density barrier and reset the oxygen levels Derek had been manipulating.
The display left a strong impression on the match-focused students.
Derek wasn't an exception, but emotions running high, he protested to Kevin.
"The match isn't over, Professor."
"Sorry, but it is. Five minutes are up."
Kevin showed the clock he'd started at the match's beginning.
"But—"
"I was from Agni faction too, so I get the passion for magic better than most. But that doesn't mean no manners. Fire is fire only when controlled by rules—otherwise, it's a disaster. Which are you?"
Stung by Kevin's straight talk, Derek backed down. He gave Oliver a formal bow and left the arena. Oliver returned the courtesy and followed.
Left alone in the arena, Kevin spoke up.
"As you saw, the side with powerful firepower has the edge. Xenon didn't land a proper attack on Derek."
The students buzzed. Debating if he couldn't or wouldn't, Kevin provided the answer.
"But he didn't get overwhelmed easily. That's the current state of combat. Mages have always focused on firepower, but counters are emerging. That's what I'll teach this class: not just powerful spells, but true strength. Only those interested take the test… Come up one by one."
Did he really need to make him stand out like that?
Merlin asked, sipping hot tea while gazing out the window at nothing but snow, rocky mountains, and biting storms.
Kevin, who had visited Merlin's grand mansion via mana portal, replied.
"I judged it necessary, so I hope you understand. As site manager, I believe I have that authority."
"Of course, of course. No intention of questioning. Just curious about the reason."
"As you know, I'm your disciple. Everyone pretends otherwise, but lots are wary of me. Naturally, anyone near me will be watched too."
"Fair point… You couldn't bring staff before, but now that you can, better to."
"That's why I exposed Dave just enough. Let them see him before they dig deep—let their imaginations run. As my disciple I trained, or some soldier I picked up in the war."
"……Clever."
"That's how you survive the Magic Tower."
Merlin nodded.
The bloated Magic Tower had become more than an academy or lab—a political arena. Being at its center, Merlin knew better than anyone.
"Heh… You've become a proper kingdom man, huh."
"You're too kind, Master."
Kevin shot back without hiding his displeasure.
One might expect anger at the disciple's sharp retort, but Merlin fell silent a moment before apologizing.
"Sorry. That was careless… Then, tell me the other reason. I don't think you'd expose Dave just for that. There were other ways to handle it."
Kevin didn't deny it.
"……To observe him properly."
"Observe him properly?"
"Yes. I've felt it for a while, but Dave is one weird guy."
"I sense it too."
"No, not like that. He's missing basic human desires and emotions. The common thread for good or evil: confidence and ease from greater power. Superiority and arrogance beyond that… It was vague at first, but watching him with the far weaker librarians and staff confirmed it. He's seriously deficient."
"Treating people without regard to strength sounds good, no?"
"There's a limit. You should feel reciprocal dislike toward enemies, but he doesn't even have that. Could call it a soft personality, but I disagree."
"How so?"
"His thought structure is different from normal. Twisted, even. Seems fine at a glance, but… Master, didn't you assign him to me for that reason?"
Kevin speculated, and Merlin's silence signaled agreement.
"That's why I exposed him on purpose. Throw various situations at him for stimuli. More stimuli, more reactions. Basic experimentation."
"Didn't expect you to help me this eagerly."
"I'm getting curious about what he is too. The more I think, the weirder it gets. No matter how skilled, does it make sense for his mere presence to terrify spirits?"
"That's why I'm doing this. Observe from tomorrow and report to me."
"Ah, that might be tough."
"Why?"
"He applied for leave again. Said he had business."