Chapter 12
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Elric VS Asel
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Asel Hershe actually didn't like Elric Raishion.
A freshman who had just enrolled, yet he had caught the interest of the principal and grand archmage Nihe Pruna herself, to the point where she stepped into the freshman sparring match personally.
'That kid was incredible, huh? Just turned eighteen, was it?'
Even the praise for him from Nihe Pruna, who had gone without sending Asel.
Everything rubbed him the wrong way.
'......A duke's family, and he looks so refined too. Clearly a flower raised in a greenhouse, pampered with elite education.'
That impression only grew stronger after seeing him in person.
"Everyone, come at me all at once."
So from the very first lesson, Asel wanted to knock him down a peg. He wanted to show that even if they all ganged up on him, Elric wouldn't even reach the tip of his toes.
But the guy didn't charge until all the others had fallen.
'......Doesn't even have the bare minimum of spirit? Tsk.'
What on earth had the principal seen in this kid to call him incredible?
Mana? Sure, he had far more than his peers. But dimension and space magic consumed an enormous amount of mana even for the smallest spells. It was the kind of field where properly casting just a few spells would deplete it completely.
It wasn't a single attribute so much as a complex mix of several.
"Please attack me with everything you've got."
Asel had issued the command to him in a dry tone,
and then mana beyond expectations poured out from Elric, with clearly ominous spells manifesting in the air, emitting warning signs.
'What the......!'
Asel Hershe widened his eyes and scowled.
What was a genius? Talent superior to others? Exceptional comprehension? Rapid growth speed?
Yes. But that was just broad strokes. Digging deeper, every genius had their own specialty.
And Elric—no, 'Elric'—
thanks to his perfectionist and coldly rational personality, controlled his mana to the utmost limit, with almost zero unconscious leakage.
In other words, judging his mana reserves or skill based on a mere glimpse
would land you in trouble, like Asel Hershe right now.
Rumble—
The space around Asel cracked open. Rifts the color of the night sky enveloped him. If he wasn't careful, his body could get caught in the spatial gaps, snapped or twisted, or even killed in the worst case.
'This guy, how much did I piss him off to output this much......!'
Even if told to go all out, there were lines that shouldn't be crossed. In a spar, you didn't use spells that could genuinely endanger life, right?
This was an entirely new type of magic he'd never seen before. Even dispelling it was out of the question.
'Is he insane......!'
Asel bit his lip and drew up his mana. He visualized the formulas and began casting his spell.
This wasn't something he could cancel out with a mere clash of mana.
But Elric, who had cast it,
'I told him to go all out, so he won't complain, right?'
was utterly calm.
One spell that had made his head feel like it was splitting while absorbing 'Elric's' knowledge, yet he had gone, oh, in admiration. It wasn't in standard textbooks, so probably a finishing move 'Elric' had been developing himself.
A spell that dominated and tore apart the target's space, rendering their body irreparably damaged.
However, since it was just a spar, he avoided the tearing part. He merely opened the space and fixed it in place, immobilizing the opponent. It weakened the spell's power a bit, but that was recommended for spars anyway.
Moving rashly might be a little dangerous, but he could dispel it before then, and above all,
'Eh, he's a professor after all. He'll break out naturally.'
With that in mind, he hadn't even bothered holding back his power.
After activating the spell once, Elric did nothing else. He didn't follow up with attacks, nor did he dodge in case of counterattacks. He just stood there, watching the spatial rifts drawn near Asel's body.
'Whoa......'
Elric's signature golden mana wove beautiful patterns, creating a work of art invisible to ordinary eyes.
Pretty. How could mana arrays be arranged so beautifully?
'Did this Elric guy even care about stuff like that?'
It was his simplistic thinking, not yet grasping that the higher the mastery of magic, the more complex, ornate, and beautiful the arrays became.
Normally, he'd have gaped in awe, but he forced a blank expression. Because he was 'Elric'.
And seeing that expression on him, Asel
'Uses a spell that could cripple someone...... and stays so nonchalant?'
felt a chill down his spine.
He knew what kind of person Elric Raishion was. Coldly rational, logical, a genius obsessed with magic.
But he hadn't expected him to unleash something this impressive—and brutal—just from a slight provocation.
'......Did I poke the wrong bear?'
Asel bit his lip with an anxious expression.
Suddenly, he recalled the principal saying she'd step in on his behalf.
She might have foreseen a situation like this.
Crackle, zap, zap—
Asel's specialty, lightning magic, fiercely struck the spatial rifts Elric had created.
Once, twice, three times.
He couldn't just overpower it with brute force. If he messed up, the spell could explode, taking his body with it. Space magic was that delicate.
Asel heightened his senses to the max, tracing each link in the spell's structure and severing them with his own magic.
Only after several more strikes
crackle—
did Elric's spell finally shatter.
Elric watched, inwardly going, oh, in admiration.
'As expected of a professor. He breaks it like that.'
And to dispel it with magic instead of raw mana—'Elric' really was a genius.
'......Insane bastard. No emotion even in a moment like this.'
No apology, no admiration, not even disappointment at his spell being broken—just that stony face.
How could a guy in his late teens be so impassive?
'......A total psycho's taken over.'
Asel thoroughly misunderstood Elric.
In his mind, Elric's image plummeted to near-psychopath levels, while simultaneously,
'......Humiliating, but I can't handle him like this anymore.'
his magical prowess—utterly beyond normal—and danger level shot up.
Asel, too drained in mana to even wipe his sweat, forced a calm facade and said,
"That was impressive. Those with healing talents, please treat student Elric Raishion."
Even after the professor spoke, those with healing gifts hesitated, glancing around without approaching Elric.
One reason was Elric's own cold, distant aura. The other was...
'......Did you see that spell? I couldn't even guess what it was......'
'Whoa...... Is he nuts?'
'How does he cast space magic at a professor without hesitation......'
'The power, the mana—it was insane.'
'Is he even human like us?'
Awe and fear at the spell they'd just witnessed.
"Ah, I'm fine."
At that moment, Elric casually declined with a cold face, making some eyes bulge.
'Uh, did we piss him off?!'
'W-what do we do? I should've just left even if scared!'
The healing magic kids' faces paled.
"......Don't be stubborn and just take it. Your mana expenditure must have been huge."
"I'm fine. I still have plenty left."
At those words, even Asel's face drained of color.
'Plenty left? After a spell like that?'
Impossible. What level of magic was that!
Bluffing? Or for real?
Asel studied Elric's expression. No bluff, nothing. More straightforward than his own earlier.
Anyone could see he meant it. He had reserves left.
'A true genius...... beyond my judgment?'
Asel had seen countless talented students from the podium.
Most were standout locally but not nationally. Some exceeded that but weren't world-class. And a rare few who could make a global name.
And Elric was
'......How can someone like this exist?'
Someone even those couldn't compare to—a once-in-a-century genius, literally.
'......Insane.'
His personality might not be great, but Asel was a mage too. Elric's overwhelming talent sent shivers through him.
'......No wonder the principal stepped in.'
Asel finally admitted it.
This was beyond his level from the start.
He hadn't fully grasped Elric's spell, but the students' reactions were similar.
'H-he's crazy......'
'How's he so calm? Is that what a real genius is?'
'So he can just toss around spells like that?'
'Mommy, I'm scared......'
Some faces whitened, some stole fearful glances at Elric only to whip their heads away with a squeak if eyes met, and some watched with sparkling eyes—from a safe distance.
'......What the......'
Kasis Sirun—the guy from the original story who stuck by the heroine and pined for her—was in the fearful camp.
'That's a guy my age?'
Made no sense. Was some legendary being wearing a human skin?
No, more importantly, this meant
'......I can't dominate magic class anymore.'
He'd planned to take first place casually, then boast to Chloe naturally.
But now, he was huffing after two spells and blocked by the professor's mana alone, while Elric cast that and showed no change in complexion. Even the professor had used careful magic, not mana, to dispel it.
Kasis Sirun had a fiery temper matching his red hair,
but
'......I can't win.'
One glimpse of Elric's spell, and his resolve crumbled.
Clear as day: this guy was in a whole different league.
As Kasis's face darkened with defeat,
"Oh my god......"
beside him, a red-haired beauty—the opposite of him—gaped with shining eyes at Elric, letting out a gasp of admiration.