Chapter 214
Chapter 214
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 214
Chapter Title: I'll Fight in Your Place
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Whoosh!
Arin stared blankly at the flames dancing atop her hand.
‘Really.’
She could really use magic?
Arin wiggled her fingers, fiddling with the tongue of fire.
It had been years.
She had brought in countless teachers from her family.
She had consumed an uncountable amount of precious medicines.
Yet the magic she could never cast had been achieved in an instant by the professor's touch.
Whoosh.
How could the flames burning on her hand be so vivid and beautiful?
Her heart pounded wildly.
Her cheeks flushed with excitement, and her breathing grew ragged.
‘I can feel the flow of mana so vividly.’
How to move it to condense it more, how to shape it into a fireball.
She didn't even need to think; it all formed clearly in her mind.
Success.
She had finally succeeded in the basic magic, Fireball.
Tears welled up in Arin's eyes.
“It's real... how in the world...”
At the same time, she murmured softly.
A complex mix of awe, gratitude, and disbelief swirled around her heart.
“That’s it, genius.”
From behind came the professor's gruff voice, casual as if it were nothing.
‘Ah...’
Arin made her resolve that day.
She didn't care if her patron was a devil.
This person had gifted her these feelings.
She could sell her soul?
She felt like she could give even more than that.
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Arin turned around, her voice choking as she bowed her head repeatedly.
She was frustrated, not knowing how to convey her heartfelt gratitude.
“No need to thank me.”
The patron smiled brightly.
“Forgot? We agreed to teach each other magic. It's a win-win. Oh, and by the way.”
“......”
“I'm dead serious about that. Not joking.”
* * *
Whoosh!
“There are vast numbers of spells in the world. So many that even if every single person in the Magic Tower specialized in different fields, they couldn't conquer them all.”
Arin, fascinated by the fire she had conjured.
She kept rolling flames in her hand as she explained.
Her eyes sparkled with how fun the topic of magic was.
“Even Tower Master Gospelheim is said to use less than 1% of all magic. That's why each family specializes in attributes when learning magic. Even mastering one is impossible because it's so complex and numerous.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes, the books say so. You know what? This 22nd-floor library is amazing. It feels like you're talking to someone while reading.”
“......”
We began our training.
As she practiced basic spells, she shared the library's knowledge with me.
Other basic spells and intermediate ones.
And even.
Knowledge from an ancient forbidden tome she happened to find and read.
“This was classified as a forbidden book long ago. It's incredibly dangerous magic. The power is en~ormous! But it eats away at the caster's life. This one's called ‘Hell City.’ The flames are so intense they could burn down the entire Magic Tower. And this is ‘Mana Explosion.’ It's a horrific spell that can permanently seal a mage's magic. But after using it, you die for sure a week later. Forbidden books aren't forbidden for nothing.”
“......”
Through the memories of the dead.
These were the spells she had used when she became the Fourth Tower Master.
At that time.
She had destroyed the Magic Tower along with her own life.
How much must she have hated this world, how much pain must she have been in?
To make that choice at such a young age?
My heart ached.
Even in the midst of that, her young self had left behind a ‘resentment’ in her memories...
“Alright, teach me one by one. You learn them too, Arin.”
“Yes, Professor!”
I practiced the spells in conjunction with my sorcery.
Naturally, my own skill became apparent.
“Huh? You said you couldn't use magic—why'd you lie? Whoa, you're amazing!”
“Oh right! Come to think of it... Professor, how did you even enter this secret room? Only the Four Great Families or with the Tower Master's permission...”
“What? It's a secret? Why keep that a secret...”
Had she been starved for genuine conversation all this time?
Arin chattered endlessly in front of me.
I smiled and accepted it all.
Yeah.
To Arin, I was her parent and her friend.
In a harsh world where everyone had abandoned her, I was the only one who had reached out.
A day passed, then two.
By the third day.
Worry began to fill her expression more and more.
Then one day.
“Professor.”
“Yeah?”
“Um, could we maybe cancel that duel?”
Arin broached the subject with difficulty.
She knew I was no ordinary person.
From the magic training, my energy control was different from the mages here.
“Please. I don't want to lose you, Professor.”
That's why she was even more cautious.
Asking to cancel the ‘duel’ was like telling me to kneel and apologize to the Patrick family.
“Of course you'd easily beat a nobody like Andrew. He's just a student, no matter how cocky he is.”
Arin tried to coax me gently.
“But the Four Great Families are different. If you beat Andrew, another mage from their family might step up... And if you beat them too, even an elder could come out. And... the power of elder-level mages... it's beyond imagination.”
“I know.”
I nodded.
“But if I say I want to cancel, do you think they'll accept it?”
I wanted to avoid it if possible.
Not out of fear.
Fighting a punk like Andrew was less constructive than learning sorcery here and resolving Arin's ‘resentment.’
But.
There's such a thing as physiognomy.
Andrew's snake-like eyes never let go of prey once caught.
Especially after his pride takes a hit—he has to pay it back.
‘In a way, he's like me.’
That's why I knew.
Andrew would never let me go.
He'd force the duel no matter what.
If not.
He'd target Arin again.
“I'll step in. Once the Eloise family learns I can use magic, they'll accept me as a formal member. Then Andrew won't dare touch me. I'll mediate somehow...”
“No.”
I shook my head.
Eloise?
Honestly, they're worse than the Patricks.
Arin's mother who ignored her for lacking talent.
The family head who threw pocket change and barked orders.
Arin too.
She must have been hurt more by the Eloise family than by Andrew Patrick.
For my sake.
Ask them for help?
That was out of the question.
“No need for that at all.”
“But...!”
“Hey!”
I looked at her with a firm expression.
Then.
“......”
She lowered her head like a scolded kitten.
“I'll handle my own affairs. So you... just keep learning magic here to your heart's content.”
“......”
“Got it?”
“Yes...”
I'll resolve your ‘resentment.’
And later, you become my strength.
As a skeleton.
* * *
For a duel, each side must prepare three witnesses.
The witnesses are the judges who determine the victor.
The three I choose and the three Andrew chooses will fairly judge under Tower Master ‘Gospelheim's’ name.
Finding witnesses was easy.
I just sat in the professor's lab.
- Haha, you. Heard you're dueling the Patrick family? Mind if I witness?
- Call me, definitely!
- If you need a witness, please call me.
Professors, elders, and noble mages flocked to me.
The reason they wanted to witness was simple.
To build ties with one of the Four Great Families, the Patrick Dukedom.
Lesser nobles or powerless professors could live off that one connection.
That was the dukedom's power and prestige.
I picked roughly from those who came.
Biased judging?
Didn't matter.
Whoever I picked, it'd happen, so I'd just win overwhelmingly.
“Professor...”
Silvia, who visited the lab, looked at me with pity.
“...The duel is tomorrow. Ha, that Andrew...”
“What, you think I'm gonna die too, Silvia?”
“......”
Silvia's face darkened as she held back her words.
Was she sad I'd die?
Or bummed she wouldn't get more ramen?
I was curious but didn't ask.
“Professor Silvia?”
“...Yes?”
“While you're here, one favor.”
“Tell me. I'll do anything I can. Really.”
She murmured like she was talking to a terminal patient.
This felt kinda weird.
“Please watch Arin for a bit during tomorrow's duel.”
“...Arin? That Eloise family's jinx?”
Silvia tilted her head.
“Yes, I'll bring her to you tomorrow morning. Just keep her with you and make sure she doesn't see the duel. You can do that much, right?”
A precaution against any mishaps.
“Well, that's not hard, but why...”
“Then, thanks in advance.”
* * *
One day later.
Magic Tower, 20th floor.
The 「Magic Duel Arena」 for the duel was packed with people.
A massive marble stage boasting enormous size.
Sprawling stands like a sports stadium.
“Woooah!”
“It's been forever since a ducal family's duel!”
“Patrick, right? Dang, huge level gap. Who's the opponent?”
“Opponent? Some new professor from the Orchen family, I hear.”
“Orchen? Where's that?”
“Dunno, some backwater stuck far away, I guess.”
The stands erupted in cheers and chatter.
A scene unfit for a mere student versus a lowly professor.
‘Unique culture.’
Duels weren't usually this popular.
But marquess-level or higher drew crowds.
Prestigious families meant skilled fighters and spectacles.
Marquess-level duels being rare helped too.
“Heh, nervous?”
The old man chuckled.
Honestly, I never dreamed I'd fight in front of so many.
But with the old man beside me, I wasn't that shaky.
Just curious.
With hands in my pockets, I circled near the stands, surveying the stage.
Nearly everyone in the Magic Tower had gathered; the lower stands were packed tight.
Mid-level and above—the ‘upper sections’—held Four Great Families members and elder professors.
‘Insane.’
Even from afar, I could feel it.
The family head-level mages there—I couldn't beat them head-on right now.
‘......’
But strangely, I didn't tremble.
No boiling blood; my energy settled even colder.
I could die here.
If one of them pretended to go mad and charged, I'd really die.
‘But.’
I'd faced such situations before.
Compared to the Giant Dragon and Aranbalon clashing in a bloodbath.
This was tame.
- Great! The duel between Andrew of the Patrick family and Professor Hoon of the Orchen family, newly appointed to the Magic Tower, is about to begin! Oh, this'll be good!
The announcer, amplified by voice magic, boomed from center stage.
“Woooaaaah!”
“ Yeehaaa~”
The crowd's cheers exploded.
Magic Tower residents enjoying a game where someone dies.
‘Trash.’
I bit my lip.
My bones, Arin lived in this world.
Suffered here until she burned her life to torch the Magic Tower.
‘In your memories.’
I clenched my fist.
‘This time, I'll fight in your place, Arin.’
The Magic World.
Against this filthy world.