The Mage and the Knight (2)

Alessia thrashed about, screaming my name, when Erin and Lucia approached her.

"Yeah, tie her tighter. Even if she can't breathe, crank it up. She won't die from it."

Silenced by Erin's spell, Alessia still struggled wildly despite being pinned by the knights. The ropes dug into her flesh, but her gaze stayed locked on me alone.

I could instinctively tell that Erin's obsession with me was about protection. Alessia's eyes were completely different—like a starving predator eyeing its prey.

"Rion-kyung, think you can calm this crazy bitch down for a bit?"

"Me... her?"

"Yeah, she'll listen to you, at least a little. She's devoted to you, after all."

I approached the subdued Alessia cautiously. She couldn't move, but it felt like she might pounce any second. I lowered myself ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to meet her eyes.

She still wouldn't look away from me.

"Alessia, if we let you go, will you stay still?"

She nodded vigorously, up and down.

I turned to Erin and Lucia behind me. Erin sighed and released the spell on Alessia, while Lucia ordered the knights to cut the ropes.

"Whew... those ropes hurt like hell."

The moment the ropes came off, Alessia sprang up and twisted her body every which way, loosening up. Her joints cracked with each movement.

"Alessia, so... what is that thing?"

"Oh, this?"

I pointed at the mysterious black contraption, and Alessia bounced over to it.

"It's an artifact I just found! A one-person flying machine that soars through the air! Downside is it can't land, so you just... drop, like earlier."

She glanced around the cratered clearing and added,

"Of course, it's sturdy enough to keep the rider safe, so no worries there! Only real flaw is how cramped it is—you gotta fold yourself up to fit."

She completely ignored the damage from her landing, which was impressive in its own right.

With a mage like Erin around, fixing something like this was a breeze. As she cast her spell, the scattered dirt and rocks began filling the deep craters. She shaved down the excess and packed in the gaps until the clearing was pristine again in seconds.

Erin finished up and walked over to me.

"Oppa, I've got something I wanna try."

"Huh? Outta nowhere?"

"Wanna spar with me, oppa? Just basic magic, nothing fancy."

Her sudden challenge threw me for a loop. I'd only cast my first spell today, while Erin had decades of experience, counting her past loops. No contest—she'd win in a heartbeat.

"Sure, let's do it."

Perfect timing. I've got something I wanna test anyway.

We faced off in the wide clearing. Gripping her oversized hat, blue cape billowing, Erin looked different—cold and focused, like the mage she'd briefly shown before.

"Got the gear on properly?"

We each wore bracelets on our wrists—spoils from Alessia. Magical trinkets that blocked one spell per wearer. First to trigger the opponent's won.

"Rion-nim! Crush that little brat flat!"

"Alright, let's begin."

Lucia's signal kicked things off, and Erin moved first.

A man-sized boulder shot from her fingertips—right at my feet, not me. Boom-boom-boom. It smashed the ground repeatedly, kicking up massive dust clouds. Not enough to blanket the whole area, but plenty to blind us both.

I thrust my arm forward into the haze without hesitation.

My wind blades sliced through the dust, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠giving me a split-second glimpse beyond. Fist-sized ice chunks hurtling my way. They shattered against my spell on impact; mine fizzled out too.

For that brief moment, I saw Erin through the gap—beaming at me with a radiant smile.

The dust closed in, hiding her again, but that grin burned into my mind. And for some reason, I wanted to wipe it off her face. A wicked urge crept up: I wanted shock there instead.

This time, I hurled boulders—not at her last spot, but to the sides. Low odds she'd stayed put anyway. The goal wasn't to hit.

Whoosh—

Erin burst through the dust. She'd leaped off one of my earlier rocks and now hovered above me, looking down.

"Completely—!"

Her fingertip aimed at me, a completed magic circle gleaming on her hand.

"—wrong guess! [Wind Blade]!"

Her spell rocketed toward where I'd stood. I'd dived aside the instant I spotted her circle, dodging by a hair.

Basic fire-and-wind combo. Simple, but brutally effective. Judging it too tough to block, Erin conjured an ice platform underfoot to evade.

She then rocketed a boulder at her ice, shattering it into shards everywhere.

Melted the ice into a puddle in a flash, then sparked electricity across the ground. Watching her seamless combos drove home how seasoned she was on the battlefield.

I'd leaped to dodge her assault, so I chucked a rock into the puddle below—skipping across without touching it, breaking free of her zone.

"...Not bad for a newbie. Quick instincts."

"Huff... Thought I was toast. Cut me some slack."

"Still got breath to talk smack!"

Erin spread her hands wide, fingers splayed. Ten magic circles bloomed on her fingertips—all identical.

"Everyone dismisses basic spells, but on a real battlefield? They're more useful than big ones."

She winked cutely at me.

"Depends on the caster! Take this, oppa! [Ignite]!"

Flames gathered from her fingertips, swelling ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠into a fireball twice my height.

"Addition? Nah, that's multiplication!"

Fist-sized flames merging into something huge couldn't be simple addition. Some principle I didn't know yet.

The fireball warped the air as it barreled toward me, like it wanted to devour me whole. And despite its size, it was fast—scorching and gouging the dirt as it came. Just watching made my survival instincts scream.

Dodging wasn't impossible; a sprint would clear its path. But Alessia and Lucia were right behind me.

"What a spiteful little..."

She'd shown this on purpose, baiting me.

I straightened from my lean, spread my stance wide.

Erin juggled ten spells at once—basic or not, way beyond me. I managed three circles. Good enough.

My target wasn't a head-on clash.

Like her, I cast simultaneously. A strange sensation hit—my split mana pulling together. I let it flow; the three [Wind Blade]s distorted, merged into one massive, razor-edged whirlwind blade. Fiercely spinning, sharp enough to slice the air around it. Manly as hell.

"...Cool."

I launched my man-sized wind blade—not head-on, but at the fireball's flank.

It carved off a chunk, veering the fireball off-course. The angle widened as it grazed past me, scorching heat singeing the air. A direct hit? I'd be roasted alive.

I glanced back to check Alessia and Lucia—only to see Alessia charging the fireball hurtling toward the dorms. She drew a massive frozen greatsword from her chest and cleaved the thing in half.

How'd she even pull that out?

And that blade was the Frost King's Greatsword, an ice-attribute pinnacle artifact hidden in the polar wastes. How?

"Aw, too bad..."

"...Saying 'too bad' now is kinda harsh?"

"Nah, not oppa—those bitches behind you. Were you mimicking my trick? And you nailed it? Sharp instincts."

Sounded like she hadn't meant for me to copy it—just show off. Looked deliberate to me.

"Anyway."

Two boulders formed in her hands.

"This is this."

After that, I spent the time dodging Erin's assaults.

"Where you running, oppa?!"

She chased me like it was tag, giggling gleefully. But I wasn't just fleeing.

"That spell again?"

I kept pelting rocks. Erin dodged effortlessly, of course—but hits weren't the point.

I layered on another repeat caster.

"If you're not even gonna launch 'em, what's the plan?!"

Too obvious, maybe.

"Aha... I get it now."

Erin halted her pursuit, realizing my rocks were boxing her in like walls.

"[Water Orb]s just floating there, [Rock Throw]s building barriers. Wonder what ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you're cooking up, oppa?"

"Wanna see?"

"If it's your setup, I'll take one hit."

I pointed at her.

"Erin, watch out."

I remembered from pre-possession science class: water expands massively when vaporized. One phenomenon in particular.

Rocks narrowing the space. Gathered water droplets. Just one more piece...

Lightning arced from my fingers straight to her position.

"...!"

Instinct, maybe. Erin threw up a barrier instantly.

BOOM!

Ears ringing from the blast. Rocks around her exploded into shrapnel. Steam explosion.

Who knew science class would pay off like this.

Honestly, I hadn't expected it to work. It popped into my head mid-lesson with Erin; without her holding still at the end, it'd have flopped.

"...Never saw that coming."

Her voice—right in front of me, inches away.

Whoosh!

Dust cleared. Erin stood there, five [Wind Blade]s ready in her hands.

"Nice one, oppa."

"...!"

Her spell slammed into me head-on.