Only I Seem to Be at Peace (2)
Ibril’s recognition was practically nonexistent when compared to the other saintess candidates, but I judged that the gap wasn’t so wide it couldn’t be bridged.
After all, a saintess is one who serves a god.
And that god feeds on the faith of its believers.
The existing candidates’ high profile came mostly from their powerful backers, which only carried weight among the nobility.
That was why we decided to target the commoners, who made up the overwhelming majority of believers.
‘I knew Eric had potential, but demanding his lord play the clown for the sake of the plan? He’s really grown.’
Was this what it felt like to be a wicked producer tormenting an idol?
The current situation only made me want to laugh.
Still, I had accepted the job because I believed Eric’s proposal was valid, so I intended to give it my all.
“And we’re back, everyone! This is Answer Me, the comparative variety show that answers all your burning questions! For our 10th anniversary special, we’re finally tackling one of the greatest taboos!”
Answer Me was the hottest variety program in the Jordi Kingdom. It was famous worldwide for its curiosity-stirring topics and its willingness to cross every line and then some.
The show was produced with the full support of the eccentric Count Teretori, so the quality of guests was always high, and unexpected appearances weren’t uncommon.
“But before that! We have an absolutely unbelievable guest with us today, don’t we?”
“That’s right! Anyone who saw the teaser must have been shocked! For our 10th anniversary special—‘Wizard versus Knight’! Representing the wizards, we have the twenty-year-old genius archmage who’s been shaking the entire world! Please welcome Duke Adrian Lawrence!”
And I was the unexpected guest they had invited.
Baron Jimmy, the kingdom’s beloved national MC, and Baron Park, the eternal second-place fixture of the entertainment industry, were both former celebrities who had earned their baronies through sheer entertainment prowess. They were giants in the field.
Yet even they had been left speechless by this booking, repeatedly muttering that it made no sense.
After all, how many marquises—let alone dukes—ever appeared on variety shows?
Perhaps that was why both veteran MCs looked slightly stiff.
“Hello, viewers of Answer Me. I am Adrian Lawrence, the Holy Duke of the Lheinhatz Kingdom.”
I greeted them with the friendliest smile I could manage.
National MC Baron Jimmy’s expression softened noticeably as he returned the greeting.
“Haha, what a pleasant introduction. High-ranking nobles from a kingdom like Lheinhatz usually give off a rather stiff impression, but you seem very different from what I expected.”
“I’m still only twenty, after all. And I’ve been communicating with many people through my online diary, so that might be part of it.”
“So you’re saying you’re as flexible as your age suggests.”
Was it because of my cooperative attitude?
The atmosphere on set had become surprisingly warm and friendly.
“Now I understand why so many people proudly call themselves fans of Duke Lawrence and follow you everywhere.”
The camera panned to show female fans cheering wildly for me.
Then the eternal second-place MC, Baron Park, tossed out a casual, teasing question with a playful expression.
“You know you’re handsome, right, Your Grace?”
If my shell had been ugly, no amount of friendliness would have gathered this many fans.
I couldn’t deny that my status, approachable personality, and good looks had combined to create this result.
I nodded honestly without coming across as arrogant.
“Of course. I can only thank my mother for that.”
“Huh? Not your father?”
“My father? Not really. If he hadn’t been a noble, there’s no way he could have married someone like my mother.”
“Hahahaha!”
Both MCs showed deep interest in my answer.
It seemed they thought they had booked the perfect guest.
“As we mentioned earlier, today’s topic is something society treats as taboo. We’ll be conducting comparative experiments between wizards and knights. What are your thoughts on today’s theme, Your Grace?”
“I find it very interesting.”
“However, many experts have evaluated that today’s topic is inevitably disadvantageous for you as a wizard. In the combat portion, even if you do well it’s just breaking even, and if you lose it could damage your reputation. So we have no choice but to be cautious.”
“There’s no need to worry. I want to use this opportunity to dispel the wrong prejudices about wizards, so please proceed without holding back.”
“Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease.”
Today’s theme for Answer Me was the comparative experiment between ‘wizards and knights,’ the two pillars of Rondel.
The highlight, of course, was comparing their combat prowess.
And what was the simplest way to compare combat ability?
A duel, obviously.
That was why they were showing such mixed feelings—thinking the filming would be a huge hit while also worrying about it.
Next, they introduced the person who would be leading the program’s theme with me today.
“If Duke Lawrence is representing the wizards, then representing the knights we have this gentleman!”
“It’s Count Felix of the Lucius Kingdom, the newly risen Aura Master they’re so proud of!”
“Nice to meet you. I am Count Odwell Felix.”
The person who appeared was an Aura Master from the Lucius Kingdom, the nation that housed my master’s family, the Riverdale ducal house.
Inviting both an archmage and an Aura Master—what a crazy program. Even I had to admit it.
“Just how insane is our booking power? First an archmage, now an Aura Master!”
The MCs and cast burst into applause and cheers.
Count Odwell Felix was a man who had become an Aura Master at the age of thirty.
He had reached the realm almost at the same time as me. While my age made it seem more impressive, becoming an Aura Master at thirty was still an achievement worthy of being called the work of a once-in-a-generation genius.
Yet for some reason, I didn’t like him.
“Today you’ll be compared to Duke Lawrence in many ways. Count Felix, what made you decide to appear on the show?”
“I accepted the offer thinking I’d just come and have a bit of fun.”
“You seem quite relaxed even though your opponent is Duke Lawrence?”
“Well, I did hear the Duke of Riverdale praising him. He said that he might even be able to handle an Aura Master-level Vanguard.”
“The Duke of Riverdale said that? That’s incredible!”
“Yes. The famously cold Duke of Riverdale praised him so much that I got curious. But now that I’m actually facing Duke Lawrence in person, I think His Grace’s affection for his disciple might be a bit excessive.”
A bear-like build and an arrogant attitude that looked down on others.
The way he kept glancing at Arsia, who was watching the filming from afar, reminded me of the Second Prince.
‘How can someone resemble the Second Prince so much?’
If Arsia had even the slightest personality suited for broadcasting, we could have appeared together and avoided this situation. It was truly a shame in many ways.
But on the other hand, if my opponent was someone like this, I wouldn’t feel any hesitation about fighting him.
His clearly dismissive remarks made both MCs and the cast break out in cold sweat.
“Th-that sounded almost like a declaration of war. What do you think, Duke Lawrence?”
Still, the veteran MC skillfully turned the topic to me, trying to capture the moment on camera.
I let out a small chuckle and answered.
“Count Odwell Felix, was it? I’ve never heard the name before, so I didn’t know who you were. Quite an amusing person has become an Aura Master.”
At being treated like a nobody, thick veins bulged on Count Felix’s forehead, and the MCs’ faces turned pale.
The production staff looked at each other as if wondering whether a fight was about to break out, but the PD kept giving enthusiastic OK signs, clearly loving it.
“We had quite the fiery war of nerves right from the start. Now, let’s move to a new location for the actual comparison.”
A short while later, we arrived at a famous lake in the Jordi Kingdom.
In the center of the lake sat a massive island, and on that island rose a colossal building reminiscent of a colosseum. People called the place the Island of Duels or the Lake of Duels.
Though it looked extremely classical, it boasted cutting-edge facilities with self-repair functions and a 7th-circle level defensive barrier.
For today’s 10th anniversary special, Answer Me had rented the entire Island of Duels.
Yet despite the “exclusive rental,” a considerable number of people filled the spectator seats and VIP sections, raising questions.
“Kyaaaaah! Oppa!”
“Lord Adrian!”
Even my fan club had claimed a corner for themselves.
“Who are these people?”
“They’re loyal viewers who won tickets in the 10th anniversary event. Exactly one thousand of them.”
Now that he mentioned it, I vaguely remembered hearing that audience members would be present, but I hadn’t expected it to be like this.
It looked like I’d be fighting in front of a crowd after all.
“Why? Does having an audience make you uncomfortable?”
When I didn’t look particularly pleased, Count Felix approached and provoked me.
Unfortunately for him, he had no idea.
The reason I wasn’t happy about this situation was for his sake.
I shrugged and stepped onto the stage prepared in front of the large screen. The ignored Count Felix’s forehead veins popped out again.
Before the actual combat comparison, a discussion segment was scheduled. Perhaps to ease the atmosphere, they began with casual updates on recent activities.
But it didn’t take long for Count Felix’s expression to harden.
The reason was that while the questions directed at him were purely formal, the ones thrown at me included many mischievous personal questions.
It was because Count Felix gave off such an arrogant and difficult vibe. He seemed to feel that the attention I received was discrimination.
‘He’s the spitting image of the Second Prince—arrogant and narrow-minded.’
Thankfully, the quick-witted national MC Baron Jimmy skillfully deflected the flood of questions coming my way and worked hard to balance things so Count Felix wouldn’t feel too uncomfortable.
Still, when Felix continued to look dissatisfied, they decided to end the talk segment and move on to the debate by bringing up today’s topic.
“Obviously, everyone already knows about a wizard’s research and development capabilities, so we’ll skip that. Today, we plan to focus intensively on the combat aspect between wizards and knights.”
“Since Vanguards became the basic unit of war, knights’ combat power is extremely well-known and has been systematically quantified. However, modern wizards are perceived more as researchers than combatants, so there is very little related data. As a result, people don’t really know how strong a wizard’s combat ability is. What are your thoughts on this, Duke Lawrence?”
“To explain it simply, the past perception of wizards and knights was like this.”
Wizard: High long-range combat ability / Slow attack speed / Wide attack range
Knight: High close-range combat ability / Fast attack speed / Narrow attack range
“The common wisdom was that knights win in close range, while wizards win at long range. But in modern times, with the strengthening of knight equipment and the appearance of Vanguard force gear, it changed like this.”
Wizard: High long-range combat ability / Slow attack speed / Wide attack range
Knight: High close-range and long-range combat ability / Fast attack speed / Wide attack range
It was a clear, one-glance comparison.
This was the simple reason why wizards had disappeared from battlefields after the advent of Vanguards.
“Ironically, the equipment created by wizards has made it difficult for wizards themselves to play an active role on the battlefield.”
“Exactly. Unless a device appears that converts a wizard’s mana into force like a knight’s, this fact cannot be overturned. That’s why the formula ‘war is for knights, technological advancement is for wizards’ became commonplace.”
Was it because I had pointed out the facts clearly and without distortion?
Count Felix, who was sitting with us, sneered.
“Then isn’t comparison unnecessary? As long as Vanguard equipment exists, a wizard can never defeat a knight of the same realm in combat.”
But I shook my head, saying that wasn’t the case.
“Looking at the two charts, a knight wearing Vanguard equipment appears superior to a wizard. However, that is merely an advantage in fighting style, not proof of being stronger.”
“I don’t understand what kind of wordplay that is.”
“It’s simple. A knight’s attacks are far too monotonous. Stab, slash, release force—only three patterns.”
No matter how much irregular movement was mixed in to create confusion, those three forms of attack never changed.
“But a wizard has countless means of attack. Stab, slash, burn, freeze, electrocute, explode, poison, bind, and so on.”
“Ah, so what Duke Lawrence is saying is that victory or defeat ultimately depends on how one fights?”
“Correct.”
Yet unable to accept my words, Count Felix and several experts began throwing in objections.
“No matter how many minor attacks you throw, they can’t pierce the defense of Force Armor. It would be more realistic to suggest fighting without the knight’s force equipment.”
“Since space-movement interference magic is deployed on the battlefield, a wizard cannot stop a Vanguard charging on a hoverboard.”
Not a single expert seemed to understand my argument.
I clicked my tongue and made a suggestion to the MC.
“At this rate, we won’t have a proper discussion. Let’s change the order.”
“Pardon?”
“I think I should first show through a duel that what I’m saying is possible, then we can begin.”
At my suggestion, the MC looked at the PD, who responded that it was fine as long as Count Felix agreed.
“Kukuk! Sure, there’s no reason to refuse. I’ll show you, Your Grace, that reality isn’t as easy as you imagine.”