17
Chapter 17
Esme smiled as she watched the Water Ball change its trajectory.
She cast a thin Barrier, using only the minimum amount of mana. It was enough; the redirected Water Ball scattered upon impact.
— Clang.
A clear, sharp sound. Edelyn bit her lip as she heard it.
'There are no openings.'
Her distractions had failed, and even her Trajectory Correction had been blocked by the barrier.
Moreover, that woman was using minimal mana and wasn't even fighting at full strength.
'And yet, there isn't a single gap. Truly the strongest Archmage.'
She took a breath, clenching and unclenching her fists. She still had plenty of mana. She could do this.
Esme raised her staff again.
Icicle Lance. Two this time.
— Swoosh! Swoosh!
Edelyn neutralized them with Water Balls, and they exploded upon impact.
— Boom! Boom!
Water and ice mixed, splashing across the stage. The floor became wet and slippery, forcing Edelyn to adjust her footing to keep her balance.
Esme didn't stop. She summoned more—four this time.
— Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh!
Edelyn launched four of her own. They flew and exploded.
— Boom-boom-boom!
Six.
— Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh-swoosh!
Edelyn countered all six.
— BOOM—!
The impact intensified, shaking the stage floor. A few spectators in the front row instinctively recoiled.
From the VIP seats, Nadia spoke to Lionel.
"Can she actually counter that? The difference in their mana must be astronomical."
"It's not a simple counter-response."
Lionel said, narrowing his eyes.
"It's possible because she doesn't waste a single drop of mana. That student... her way of using mana is different from ours."
"How is it different?"
Isael asked.
"Normally, mana is lost in small amounts when casting. But she has zero waste. She uses exactly the amount she needs."
Lionel paused for a moment before continuing.
"I don't know where she learned it, but that isn't the Circle method."
Edouard looked toward the stage as he listened.
Esme paused for a moment.
She observed the speed at which Edelyn summoned the Water Balls, checking if any mana was being leaked.
The amount of mana Edelyn possessed was incomparably small, yet she used every single drop with absolute precision.
'To think such a child was at the Academy.'
Esme had lived for eighty-three years and had seen countless wizards, including many prodigies.
But this girl was different. It wasn't just about talent; the very way she housed her mana was different.
'I can't feel any mana in her heart... is it in her head? Usually, mana scatters if kept there. How did she stabilize it?'
Esme summoned ten Icicle Lances.
— Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh-swoosh-swoosh-swoosh-swoosh-swoosh-swoosh-swoosh—!!
The crowd fell silent once more.
The moment the ten lances rose in a line, the temperature in the auditorium plummeted.
Someone instinctively leaned back, while another let out a short, sharp gasp.
Edelyn watched the spectacle and began to draw up her mana.
'I can do this.'
Ten Water Balls.
— Whoosh—
Ten water spheres rose simultaneously around her hands.
Her Mana Storage opened all at once. She felt her brain heating up, her head spinning from the sudden drain of mana.
Still, she didn't stop.
Edouard unconsciously leaned forward.
"That girl is using ten spells at once!"
"We can all see that."
Lionel replied in a low voice.
Garrett lifted his arm above his knee and stroked his chin.
"Setting aside the amount of mana."
"Excuse me?"
Nadia turned her gaze toward Garrett.
"Setting aside the mana, she is on par with a Court Mage."
It took the audience a moment to process his words.
A Court Mage.
A position reserved for only the most exceptional wizards of each nation. To say an F Class student was on par with them was unheard of.
The spectators' eyes changed.
Isael clasped her hands tightly.
"My goodness... to think such a child existed. It must be a Divine Blessing."
Edouard watched Isael for a moment before turning his attention back to the stage.
Ten against ten flew forward simultaneously.
— Swoosh—!!
They collided over the stage.
— BOOM—!!
Explosions erupted in rapid succession. Water splashed as far as the front row, and students covered their faces with their sleeves.
Water and ice mixed, blanketing the stage in a thick fog.
Edelyn's breathing became labored.
Her Mana Storage was emptying quickly.
She could still tell that Esme was holding back. Even so, at this rate, her own mana would run out first.
Her legs grew heavy. The fog obscured her vision, and her fingertips began to tingle as she gasped for air.
'Even so.'
She refused to stop.
Esme watched and slowly raised her hand.
Then, she clapped.
— Clap. Clap. Clap.
The low, slow sound of applause echoed through the auditorium.
Those three claps carried more weight than any cheer.
The audience instinctively knew that the sparring was ending, and that Esme had acknowledged the F Class student.
Edelyn also heard the clapping.
'It's over.'
Or so she thought.
But her foot stepped forward again.
Because she had one last spell held in reserve.
A single Water Ball.
She had summoned it quietly, hidden in the fog while the ten-against-ten clash occurred. It remained poised deep within the mist at the edge of the stage.
She had suppressed its mana to the absolute limit, hiding it meticulously.
While Esme was still clapping.
That Water Ball moved.
— Sshhh.
There was almost no sound.
From within the fog. Behind Esme's back. From a complete blind spot.
It struck, having completely erased its presence.
Lionel, in the VIP seats, was the first to notice. The Water Ball moving through the mist. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. He was speechless.
Nadia held her breath.
Garrett gripped the armrest. His knuckles whitened.
Edouard spoke softly while watching the stage.
"That child... from the very beginning..."
He couldn't finish the sentence.
Isael nodded slowly, picking up where he left off.
"You mean she had an eleventh one in mind while summoning the ten..."
She looked as if she couldn't believe her own words.
Esme stopped clapping.
In that instant.
Everything in the auditorium came to a halt.
— ......
The fog on the stage froze. The hem of Edelyn's clothes stopped. A stray strand of hair fluttering in the crowd went still.
The entire hall was frozen in place.
Space Magic.
Esme slowly took a single step to the side.
— Tack.
The sound of her staff echoed. In the frozen space, Esme alone moved.
The Water Ball was suspended. It had been flying toward Esme's back when it froze along with the space around it. Droplets of water remained fixed in the air on its surface.
Esme gazed at the Water Ball for a long time.
'Admirable child.'
She had tested how the girl would react if she clapped during the sparring.
She wondered if something would emerge if she induced a lapse in concentration by pretending to acknowledge her.
In her eighty-three years of life, she couldn't remember how many times she had been caught off guard like this.
It hadn't been often. That was why it was enjoyable.
Esme's gaze shifted toward Enoch on one side of the stage.
'That teacher must have devised this.'
It had been strange from the start. The method of storing mana in the head. A Circle cannot be established in the head; a completely different method was required.
Normally, mana scatters when stored in the brain, but this child's mana did not.
Compared to the Circle method, the casting speed was abnormally fast. There was not even any mana loss.
'But that teacher... has no mana.'
None. Not a single drop.
It was strange that an ordinary person, who hadn't even awakened, had taught this child.
How could someone without mana teach the way to manipulate it?
It made no sense.
Esme had lived a long time. Thus, she could tell.
Those eyes were not the eyes of someone without mana. They were the eyes of someone who had handled mana.
For a very long time. And in great quantities.
'He is an unpredictable man.'
Esme released the Space Magic.
The auditorium began to move again.
The Water Ball sliced through the air.
— Swoosh—
It struck the wall at the edge of the stage and exploded.
— Boom.
Water splashed. It scattered. And that was it.
Edelyn looked around.
Esme was gone.
No, she was there.
Behind her.
Esme stood behind Edelyn, holding her staff in one hand and smiling softly. No one knew when she had moved.
The tip of the staff lightly touched the back of Edelyn's head.
— Tap.
Edelyn froze.
She couldn't move. The sensation of the staff against her head was vivid. That single point of contact said everything.
Esme withdrew the staff.
"Well done, child."
Her words were low and brief. The auditorium was so silent that her voice seemed to echo.
The hall erupted.
First came the gasps of admiration, followed by a thunderous wave of applause. Sound rose from the VIP seats as well.
Nadia clapped her hands vigorously. Garrett applauded slowly while remaining standing. Lionel had completely let go of his crossed arms, looking on in awe.
Edouard brought his gloved hands together twice. Isael smiled her usual smile, hands clasped together.
Edelyn felt her knees buckle, but she let them. She sank to the floor, though she kept her head held high.
From the side of the stage, Enoch raised his hand.
"Match over."
A satisfied smile spread across Enoch's lips. He didn't seem to care about hiding it.
Esme looked at Enoch.
Enoch looked back at Esme.
No words passed between them.
The hall was still filled with the sound of applause. Amidst it all, only those two were silent.
Esme scanned Enoch, her eyes moving from top to bottom, as if measuring him. She was confirming once more.
She still couldn't feel a single drop of mana.
Before stepping off the stage with her staff, Esme spoke very softly.
"Let's talk later."
Enoch nodded in response to her words.
#
Benny, who had been watching the sparring, rushed toward Edelyn.
He realized too late that the floor was slippery.
The stage was covered in water. He barely kept his balance with short, quick steps before crouching beside Edelyn.
He gave her two thumbs up.
"You did great."
Edelyn looked at Benny.
"I lost, though."
"Still, you did great."
Benny wouldn't back down.
"You managed to hide an eleventh Water Ball from an Archmage. Can you believe that?"
Edelyn didn't answer. She looked down at the stage floor for a moment. A puddle had formed.
It was water created by her own magic. As she watched it, she looked up to find her teacher.
Enoch was staring into space with a thoughtful expression. He gave a small, pleased tilt of his head.
Looking at his back, Edelyn murmured softly.
"I'm glad I'm his disciple."
Benny beamed at her words and gave Edelyn a friendly pat on the back.
"Me too."