Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: A Disciple Too Good for Me (2)
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My disciple is too good for me.
That was something Marina, Hainya's master, was always saying.
My disciple is too good for me.
The way her master said it was filled with affection and pride for her disciple.
My disciple is too good for me.
But at some point, the way her master said it began to change.
-Master, I've told you many times, but you don't need to provide me with material support. If there's something I think I need, just let me know. I can get it with my own strength.
-Here. This is the ring you gave me, Master. Remember it? I don't think I need it anymore. I've found something more suitable for me. I'm giving it back.
My disciple is too good for me.
She was a disciple of impeccable conduct. Her master would jokingly say that even without her, the disciple wouldn't starve wherever she went.
-No, Master. That's enough. From now on, I'll think and figure things out on my own.
My disciple is too good for me.
Tell her one thing, and she'd understand ten. Her master would joke that even without her guidance, the disciple's growth wouldn't be hindered—in fact, she might grow even faster without it.
-...I think a bit differently, Marina.
-Your opinion is certainly helpful and interesting, but... for this part, I think I need to try my own way.
My disciple is too good for me.
-This book was stored in our family archive.
-It's a book about...
-...Actually, it's a grimoire dealing with a branch of ancient magic.
-I've been studying it since the day I first came to the Magic Tower, keeping it hidden all along.
-The reason I'm revealing it now is...
-It's nothing else, Marina. I want you to help me with this research.
-...Is that so?
-It's fine. Pretend you didn't hear it.
-I did hope you'd understand, but—
-I didn't have high expectations.
"Hainya..."
Her master murmured as she gazed at her disciple's grave.
There was no tombstone. Thus, no name would be recorded.
It was a pitiful grave that would be forgotten the moment her master turned away.
Her master remembered the last sight of her disciple before her downfall.
She believed the figure of the great mage forged in glory and honor would remain prominently in history, remembered forever.
"I never imagined you'd end up buried in such a pitiful grave..."
Her master recalled the final glimpse of her disciple before retrieving the body.
Amid the body mangled by the runaway ancient incantation, there remained one pristine wound, like her disciple's handwriting, standing in stark contrast.
That wound was the trace of a 3rd-circle spell: Mana Spike.
Mana Spike was the first magic Marina had taught Hainya, the spell that awakened Hainya's talent as a mage, and the magic that bound them as master and disciple.
Her disciple had ended her life with that very spell.
As if neatly placing a period on her body stained with mistakes and shame.
Thus, her disciple's death was the result of reflection and remorse over past errors.
It was a way of showing respect for her master's teachings that she couldn't fully express in life, rebuking her own mistakes.
Rebuking her disciple's wrongs.
That was clearly the master's duty.
It had always been that way.
Her disciple always handled what the master should have done herself.
Each time, the master convinced herself.
"You were a disciple too good for me..."
That it was unavoidable.
There might have been another path, but—
Now that everything was over, it was nothing but meaningless fantasy.
Her master placed her staff on her disciple's grave.
And sealed away her own magic power.
It was a grave without a tombstone.
Far too pitiful to commemorate two mages—
Before the spar began.
Marina felt an intense sense of wrongness from her disciple.
-Marina, should we announce the spar and take observer applications?
-...No! Absolutely not!
-What?
Hainya was someone who proved her strength on her own and proudly boasted about it.
She enjoyed that process more than anything.
Normally, before Marina could even hint at it, Hainya would have said she'd already announced it and taken applications, so no need to worry.
But the complete opposite reaction—
Left her master Marina utterly dumbfounded.
But now.
Marina fully understood the reason.
"My god."
It was a sigh that burst from Master Radros, the only observer present as referee.
"Still 4th circle, and already handling elementalization?"
"...Master Radros, that's not the issue right now."
"If that's not the issue—what do you mean, Master Marina?"
Marina glared at the Meltas beside her, still in a state of shock.
"Meltas, what the hell have you done?"
The old man was fiddling with his braided beard with a grave expression.
Misinterpreting that somehow, Marina grew even more agitated and continued.
"I remember clearly. That guy Rishir, just yesterday morning, he'd barely entered the early 4th circle."
"...!?"
Master Radros's already wide eyes grew even larger as he looked at Rishir.
"I heard that Rishir consumed an elixir—"
"You think one elixir jumps him from early 4th circle straight to the late stage? What, did he drink dragon blood brew? I heard something too. It was a high-grade elixir made by Gossalta shamans, right?"
"A high-grade elixir from Gossalta shamans. Not easy for a 4th circle to handle..."
"Exactly. Not easy at all. Even giving him credit, say he absorbed 50% of the elixir's components."
"...Probably mid 4th circle at best."
"Right. That's what you think too, Master Radros? That's the limit, right? So what's this? He's late 4th circle now? Meltas. You better not think you can brush this off with 'I must have been mistaken.'"
The two masters directed demanding gazes at Meltas.
"..."
They didn't know.
That the most shocked person present was none other than Meltas himself.
"At least you two think Rishir's original level was 4th circle..."
"?"
"?"
In fact, when Meltas first met him, he was 3rd circle.
Meltas suddenly recalled Rishir's words and quoted them verbatim.
"Anyway, no need to be surprised. He does that sometimes."
"...What nonsense is that?"
"Don't ask me anymore. I'm quite disturbed myself right now."
As the three masters each nursed their own shock—
Rishir spoke.
"Hainya."
The three masters' gazes hurriedly followed them.
The spar entered a deadlock the moment it began.
Hainya was overwhelmed by Rishir's attribute magic and froze solid.
A wind arrow hovered above Rishir's hand, aimed at Hainya, waiting.
He intuited it.
Attacking Hainya now, she'd be unable to respond properly and yield the victory.
A pretty good ending, snatching victory without effort—
But not the best.
This spar was an important opportunity in itself.
Rishir wanted to gauge his objective level through it.
Moreover, to organize the power from his rapid growth.
Both required Hainya as a proper opponent.
"Not bad. Ice magic, huh."
So Rishir grinned mischievously and began provoking her.
"...What?"
"Oh? Wasn't it? You froze like ice, so I thought maybe."
Rishir had more talent for provocation than he thought.
Hainya's face flushed red in an instant.
"Oh, now fire magic. That thing, multi-color or whatever?"
"You, you! You!!!"
"Speak up. I'm listening intently right now. Even stopped my attack."
"How the hell did you do it! Elementalization!!! Impossible! It, it's the elixir's effect, right? Yeah!? I won't accept it!"
"Won't accept it? That's a problem. Now all that's left is for you to thoroughly deny my wind magic too. The homogenization you were so proud of."
Rishir had way more talent for provocation than he thought.
Hainya, who had completely lost her will to fight, was now gritting her teeth and glaring at Rishir.
However, even in that state, she couldn't easily act.
Because Rishir, an irregular existence, had thoroughly denied her world.
In the end, Hainya cornered herself with stubbornness.
In her left hand was a book. The ancient grimoire she'd been researching since arriving at the Magic Tower.
If this—
The moment she focused all her mind on her left hand.
"Hainya, snap out of it!"
Her master's stern voice scolded her at that moment.
"You planning to make everything I've taught you meaningless!?"
"...!"
"Recall my teachings! The answer's in there!"
Meltas and Radros looked at Marina in surprise.
My disciple is too good for me.
It was hard to imagine this stern demeanor from Marina, who always said that and handled her disciple with extreme caution.
Hainya's response was the same.
Hainya respected her master but clung even more stubbornly to her own ways.
The usual Hainya would have ignored Marina's advice and proven her way to the end.
"..."
But now. The disciple listened to her master.
Hainya tossed aside the ancient tome she had gripped tightly.
Following her master's advice, she recalled her teachings.
Then, the wind arrow that had seemed overwhelmingly perfect began to look different.
Unstable.
Rishir's claim of not knowing homogenization seemed true.
The product of elementalization showed flaws that shouldn't be there.
Rishir's magic appeared flawless at a glance—
But scrutinized, it was full of gaps, barely maintaining form.
Like a building constructed without professional knowledge.
How is that possible?
Hainya couldn't accept it easily.
It implied Rishir had reached elementalization on his own, without professional knowledge.
Impossible.
A chill ran down her spine, but she forced her thoughts to conclude.
Anyway, that's not what to focus on now.
Hainya shifted her focus.
From the irrationality of Rishir's attribute magic—
To its incompleteness.
"Finally."
Rishir smiled wryly.
A mana barrier unfolded around Hainya.
The wind arrow surged toward the barrier as if waiting.
Rishir's arrow was the product of elementalization.
Compared to Hainya's homogenization barrier, it should have the advantage of additional properties and superior precision.
Normally, Rishir's attack would succeed, and Hainya's defense would fail.
-Shuuuuwuuu
The wind arrow accelerated and pierced into the barrier.
Hainya focused all her nerves as if the barrier were her own skin, feeling it.
The structure of Rishir's attribute magic. Its incompleteness.
The barrier reacted to the incantation's will.
-Whiiiing!
Suddenly, a gust scattered in all directions.
The wind arrow scattered and vanished without fully piercing the barrier.
Hainya immediately thrust her arm toward Rishir.
Numerous mana spikes formed around her hand and rained down on him in succession.
"What—"
Hainya couldn't hide her bewilderment at Rishir's response.
Instead of a barrier, he tried to evade the spikes directly using wind magic acceleration.
Truly inefficient.
Lack of knowledge, and even lack of experience.
As expected, midway through evading, Rishir sensed a problem and belatedly erected a mana barrier.
"Ugh!"
A flimsy mana barrier like the wind arrow. In the end, the last spike embedded in Rishir's arm.
Thanks to sparring defense magic, no injury, but the impact transmitted fully.
He grimaced in pain, clutching his arm.
"Yes!"
"Good."
Master and disciple cheered simultaneously.
Hainya scolded herself inwardly.
I can do it! It's possible!
Hainya had partially regained her usual self. As her crumbled world began restoring—
"Is this the feeling."
Rishir's meaningful murmur pierced Hainya's ear.
A chill ran down her spine again.
That single monologue evoked all sorts of ominous possibilities.
-Whiiiing!
Wind gathered around Rishir once more, taking form above his hand.
"You—"
Hainya couldn't hide her agitation.
It wasn't one, but multiple, and not arrows but spikes.
Rishir had reproduced Hainya's mana spike with wind magic.
Sensing impurity in that act, Hainya fumed.
"You trying to go against me now!?"
"No intent to provoke."
"Then what the hell is that!"
Rishir answered with action.
The process repeated.
Elementalized power seeking to pierce, homogenization power seeking to repel.
Just an unstable magic in arrow form, now changed to spike form.
Nothing should change.
"...!"
It should have been that way, but shock appeared on Hainya's face.
Rishir's wind spikes weren't mere imitations of form.
It was a reinterpretation of magic, infused with understanding of mana spike's principles and subtleties.
"Learned a thing or two. Isn't this the true purpose of a spar?"
On the contrary, the wind arrow had been the mere imitation.
Hainya didn't know that the wind arrow was purely Rishir's creation from imagery alone.
Instead—
She knew for certain that Rishir was acquiring magical knowledge in real time this instant.
The ominous possibility she desperately denied took solid form.
"No way—"
She recalled her previous conversation with Rishir.
-One year. It only took me one year to get here. How about you?
-...A month?
Hainya's pupils trembled violently. That tremor transmitted to the mana barrier—
And it mutually destroyed with the wind spikes.
"Ha..."
All that came out was a hollow laugh.
"What is this..."
Hainya muttered in a resentful tone.
I can do it.
That inner cry no longer reached her.
The arrogant genius mage learned how to doubt herself.
After some time passed.
Radros raised his left hand and said,
"Spar end. Winner—"
Rishir waited for Hainya to compose herself before approaching her.
Hainya stared blankly at the approaching Rishir, then burst into a hollow laugh.
"Fine, you win. Congrats. Satisfied now, or what?"
Recalling her past behavior toward Rishir, Hainya acted curt for no reason.
Expecting him to mock her, naturally.
"..."
Rishir didn't mock her. Instead, he shook his head and extended his hand to Hainya.
"Do you remember what I said?"
"...!"
Hainya was startled.
"...Right. We agreed to go all out, no holds barred, so no backtalk later."
Hainya let out an awkward laugh.
"I'll say it again. Rishir. I admit my defeat."
As she reached for Rishir's offered hand—
"...Huh?"
She realized belatedly. The angle of his extended hand was a bit off.
His palm was openly facing upward.
"Not that."
"...What?"
"I told you. If I win, I'm asking for all your assets, Hainya."
Rishir extended his hand playfully, murmuring.
"Hand it over."
His gaze was directed at the book Hainya had just tossed aside.
"..."
The flustered disciple.
She unwittingly looked at her master with a teary face.
Her master looked back at her disciple with a benevolent smile.