Chapter 52
Chapter 52
Translator: XZY
Chapter 52: Value (6)
***
Most mages were often swept up by the desire for achievement to become stronger.
Because it was a field where one could feel the progress with each and every step they climbed, the sensation of growth was a law that could plunge a person into ecstasy more than any pleasure.
Once they knew that taste, the tribe known as mages would reach out their hands as if possessed towards an even higher realm.
“...”
That desire for achievement transcended age and status.
It was the same for the Grand Duke Duplein, who came from the most esteemed noble family.
However, a person cannot forever head upwards.
If one devoted themselves to dreaming of a higher realm over a long period of time, they would eventually have to face a ceiling someday.
The Grand Duke Duplein could not reach the 6-Star realm even after striving for over ten years.
The 6-Star realm was an extraordinary domain that only those who had received the heavens' choice among the numerous geniuses of humanity could reach.
It wasn't that he didn't know that, but the fact that there was no longer any room for achievement as a mage would sometimes make his heart feel empty.
‘It’s digging into that part precisely. Certainly, it’s a staff that makes you want to snatch it up when you look at it.’
The Duplein family’s warehouse.
The expression of the Grand Duke Duplein, who was standing with his hands behind his back and quietly looking at the staff Valerian had brought from the White Region, was not very good.
Sometimes, a ‘demonic nature’ would dwell in a weapon imbued with mana.
It was a case where some kind of will or ego resided in the magic weapon itself, or a certain kind of energy that confused a person’s mind would manifest.
The staff Valerian had brought was like that. He had wondered what kind of object it was for him to report with such a serious expression, but he had never imagined it would be such a sinister object.
‘So this is the fabled Staff of Rosin. The relic of the 5-Star Summoning-type mage Rosin, a figure from before the age of war... But, Rosin is famous as a person who re-established the foundations of Summoning-type magic, so what in the world is this ominous aura of necromancy?’
The Staff of Rosin had the form of a withered, twisted tree.
The aura of necromancy swirled around it, making it look like the relic of a Necromancy-type mage rather than a Summoning-type mage, no matter who saw it.
Necromancy-type magic was a representative taboo, so just handling it would subject one to the imperial family’s questioning.
A certain will dwelling in the staff seemed to whisper to the Grand Duke Duplein.
It was tempting him, saying that if he picked it up, he could reach the 6-Star realm, to receive its power and head further upwards.
It was not the first time he had seen an object with a demonic nature. The Grand Duke Duplein was not a person who would fall for such cruel whispers.
He roughly emitted his mana to suppress the energy dwelling in this staff, then called for the head maid, Katarina, and spoke.
“I’ll have to send a letter to the imperial family. Rather than keeping it in the Duplein family and making an enemy of the imperial family, it would be better to report it and transfer the authority to dispose of this staff to that side.”
“I will send a messenger immediately. What should the contents of the letter be?”
“Tell them to dispatch the chief magic advisor.”
He intended to summon the person who boasted the longest career among the imperial family’s magic advisors, effectively the highest authority in the empire’s field of magic, to the Duplein mansion.
The 6-Star Transmutation-type mage, Kohella Dainalt Elbester.
The old fox of the imperial family who held the magical history of the empire in her grasp, the oldest member of the Rontel Society where experts in the field of alchemy gathered, the greatest Transmutation-type mage produced by the Elbester county house, Drest Wolftail’s oldest nemesis... the word ‘greatest’ or ‘oldest’ appeared particularly often in her career.
Among them, the representative position that spoke for her was only one. The imperial family’s longest-serving magic advisor.
She was a great mage to the extent that the emperor himself would go to seek her counsel. It seemed that only someone of her caliber could tell him how to dispose of this staff.
<><><>
The magic dueling grounds, furnished to be as clean as new, was one of the most painstakingly crafted places in Diella’s mansion.
Diella held a considerable ambition for magical achievement, and after Derek, she had not taken on any particular magic teacher, honing her realm by herself.
In deference to the wishes of such a Diella, who was always engrossed in magic, the servants had decided that the environment for mastering magic had to be furnished to the highest level in Ebelstein.
The result was this place. It was a facility far cleaner and better-equipped than the magic dueling grounds next to the noble district square.
Diella, who was adjusting her clothes after stepping onto the dueling platform, frowned upon meeting the eyes of Denise, who was standing on the opposite side and smiling demurely.
It was Diella’s mansion, Diella’s magic training ground, and the surroundings were filled entirely with Diella’s servants.
In effect, the magic duel was being held in this place, furnished for Diella in every aspect. It was an environment that could not help but be somewhat uncomfortable from the opponent’s perspective.
However, Denise was gathering her mana without a single sign of being bothered.
‘She has no fear of defeat at all. Really... was the letter she sent back then filled only with sincerity, without a single speck of falsehood?’
Diella was confused.
Denise had said she would intentionally lose the duel, so it didn't matter what she wagered as a condition.
If her goal was truly to hand over Derek, it was a matter that Diella, for her part, would welcome with open arms. It meant that her words, that their interests aligned, were not empty.
However, Diella did not let her guard down.
The servants, the young ladies of the Rosea Salon, and the numerous rumors circulating around the noble district all said the same thing. Denise was a benevolent, antique, and mature young lady, just as she appeared.
Still, she never let go of the thought that all of that was a pretense, a trap laid out to break the conceited Diella’s high nose.
To the point where onlookers might wonder why she was being so on edge, Diella was a person who did not easily trust people.
It had taken over ten years for her to open her heart even to the members of the Duplein family. It was safe to say that it was nearly impossible for an outsider to receive Diella’s complete trust.
“I hope this will be a good duel. It is a great honor for me to be able to compete with you, Lady Diella, whose use of mana is said to be free-spirited and whose realm of magic is high.”
“Yes, me too.”
Diella, who gathered her mana while answering perfunctorily, shook her head.
In any case, it was a matter that would be known once they clashed. Diella was confident when it came to magic duels.
Whatever happened, it was a matter of not losing.
Fwaaaah—!
Deeng—!
When a servant rang a bell decorated with pretty roses, tension finally spread across the platform.
It was a sound that announced the start of the magic duel between the two young ladies. Although it was a simple practice duel, it was a duel with the pride of the two families and a large reward on the line.
Diella wanted Derek.
She wanted to once again receive the teachings of that master who had taught her the path of magic in her wandering childhood.
She was a genius Wild School mage, born in the Duplein family, which was like the heart of the Scholastic School.
Despite that paradoxical background, she was someone who had honed her magic in her own way. Derek, too, must have reached a much higher realm compared to his childhood, so she would be able to learn many more things. Just imagining it made her heart pound.
Not only that, but Derek was a person who was born with outstanding skills as an aide.
He was not bound by status, always tried to see the essence of a situation, and did not hesitate to speak his mind.
If she could embrace a person like Derek by her side in this Ebelstein social circle, which was like walking on thin ice, there would be no greater weapon.
“This won’t take long.”
Therefore, Diella gathered her mana with all her heart, intending to end the duel in a flash.
The mana she had first manifested was specialized in frost-imbued freezing magic.
Before long, the Wild School magic she had researched by herself was mainly magic related to plants, and influenced by Derek, she gradually began to awaken to Illusion-type magic.
Even though she was much younger than the other young ladies, when it came to magic itself, she had become so proficient that there were almost none who could follow her.
Fwaaaaaaaah—!
Huge ice spears shot up around Diella.
Compared to when she had first manifested them, they were huge, bent here and there, and sharply honed.
Before long, huge thorny bushes that shot up from the ground rushed to entangle the opponent, and all sorts of miscellaneous illusion magic that made it difficult to detect the aura of mana began to cover the dueling grounds.
‘She’s using multi-casting so naturally. At such a young age.’
Denise was in awe as she watched Diella pour out all sorts of magic in that short moment.
She had heard that the much younger girl mage had honed herself solely through self-study since Derek had left.
It was not a common thing to be able to use multi-casting of that level at such a young age.
Denise quickly stepped back, spun around in a large circle, and corrected her posture. Her skirt spread out like a flower petal, and Denise’s mana was instantly released.
She could not counter all of that myriad of Diella’s magic.
To tell the truth, she had no intention of countering it in the first place.
Kwagagagak! Kwang! Kung! Kuung—!
Numerous spells clashed, and it was a situation where it seemed the match would end as Denise’s protection magic manifested.
However, the figure of Denise revealed through the cloud of dust that had bloomed was unharmed.
She, still clutching her dress and letting out an antique smile, had not been hit by a single spell.
“...”
Diella couldn't help but frown.
Denise had chosen to evade all of Diella’s magic rather than defend against it.
To evade all of that numerous magic was a reckless thing. It was like saying one would walk through a downpour without getting a single drop of water on their clothes.
However, she, who was composing herself with a demure posture, was completely unharmed, right down to the hem of her dress.
It was as if she had predicted where and what magic would pass by. At this rate, it was nothing more than Diella unilaterally wasting her mana.
‘She’s incredibly proficient at sensing mana, isn't she? Did she practice only mana detection all day?’
She had heard that when it came to Detection-type magic, there was no one among her peers who could follow Denise.
Moreover, that mana sense, which she had trained to the limit with Derek for the past few months, had made it so that she did not even panic in the midst of the rampant magic.
Looking at her leisurely appearance, one might even have the illusion that the duel had not even begun.
‘...’
Diella swallowed a dry gulp of saliva.
She was keenly reminded of the fact that that Lady Denise was also Derek’s disciple.
She was now facing a mage whom Derek had taught himself.
Because Derek had begun to make a name for himself in the Ebelstein social circle, the rumors about his disciples were also widespread.
It was said that if he set his mind to teaching, one would be able to hone an extreme mana sense that could not be touched by any ordinary 1-Star magic.
Indeed, since Derek drove a person to their limits and pushed their mana, if one did not keep their wits about them, their whole body was bound to be drained of energy. He was a stubborn fellow who did not go easy even if the opponent was a noble young lady.
As for Lady Denise, who had endured such training from Derek for several months, it seemed she was already instantly reading the flow of mana of whatever magic Diella used.
Her expression, still smiling gently, looked full of leisure.
‘I can’t even touch her with ordinary methods.’
Diella had to rack her brain for a moment.
Before long, Denise’s counterattack would come flying. After evading it once, she needed to use a more advanced Illusion-type magic this time to block Denise’s evasive maneuvers.
The exchange of magic was repeated several times.
Each time, Denise evaded all of Diella’s magic with a gentle movement, and each and every one of her actions was as elegant and beautiful as a dancer’s movements.
“Heok... heok...”
On the other hand, Diella was in a position where she had no choice but to waste her mana unilaterally, so she gradually began to run out of breath.
Even ordinary Illusion-type magic was all broken through, and the ice spears were either immediately shattered by mana arrows or their trajectory was completely predicted and evaded.
The thorny bushes rising from the ground and the wall of blooming flames all failed to touch even the tip of Denise’s hair, only wasting precious mana.
On the other hand, Denise was establishing an exchange using only a few simple spells, without even manifesting a large-scale magic.
It was like a skilled person with a dagger effortlessly handling a warrior with a greatsword.
Diella grit her teeth and glared at Denise, but Denise still only showed a graceful smile with her beautiful appearance.
Diella ground her teeth with a ‘budeudeuk’.
Certainly, Denise was a person who had received Derek’s teachings and raised her mana sense to the limit, but she was not the only young lady who had received those teachings.
Hwik—!
When Diella stretched out her foot and stomped on the platform once, a chill that bloomed from there began to cover the area.
Just like that, without even a simple chant, she began to freeze the entire platform.
At the aftermath of that suddenly exploding mana, even Denise had no choice but to step back and watch the situation.
Hwiiiiing—!
The way of handling mana in a free-spirited manner, not bound by rules, was like the exclusive property of Wild School mages.
Although one had to sacrifice some firepower or performance, it brought about a result that the opponent could not even predict.
Before long, when she came to her senses, the platform was covered in a sheet of ice.
She had changed the environment itself to restrict Denise’s evasive maneuvers.
“...”
As Denise looked around with a rather serious gaze, Diella stomped her foot once more.
Kung—!
Pasasasak—!
Countless ice pillars shot up centered on that tiny foot, and soon they advanced towards Denise and assailed her.
Denise quickly manifested her mana and created a protective shield. She succeeded in blocking Diella’s magic, but a little of the shock remained, and she was almost knocked backward.
“Looks like you can’t dodge this time, huh?”
Diella’s blonde hair, covered in a frosty mana, was floating in the air.
At some point, she had even stopped with the perfunctory polite speech. Diella was completely furious and was only thinking of striking Denise down.
“It’s funny how you’re trying so hard to dodge magic after playing tricks like saying you’ll lose. Is that how you’ve been playing the part of a young lady in the Ebelstein social circle, with such cowardly conduct?”
It was a statement that openly provoked the opponent. Such a reckless remark against a young lady of the Beltus family, all the servants nearby held their breath.
Denise thought for a moment, stroking her chin. In fact, it was Denise who had changed her words as if flipping her palm, so she didn't feel particularly wronged.
“Hoo... hoo... Krrr...”
White steam spewed from Diella’s mouth. Even though summer was just around the corner, only the chill of mid-winter was swirling in the dueling grounds.
Diella might look like a world-class lovely girl if she just kept her mouth shut, but she always ground her teeth and glared at her opponent like this.
Looking at Diella growling like that, even most nobles were bound to lose their nerve.
However, someone of Denise’s level did not particularly lose her nerve even at Diella’s momentum.
Kung—!
Pasasak—!
Again, every time Diella stomped the ground, a procession of rising ice pillars assailed Denise.
Denise quickly manifested a fire arrow to melt the surrounding ice, and manifested a protection magic to defend against the spell. However, unlike when she had evaded efficiently, her mana consumption had greatly increased.
Each time they exchanged blows a few times, Diella slowly closed the distance.
Prediction and Detection-type magic were all meaningless for a spell hammered in at close range. Her intention was to approach right in front of Denise and end the duel herself.
“I knew from the beginning that you were a person with only this much foundation. I accepted the duel knowing all of that.”
The frosty Diella, approaching step by step, was truly the queen who ruled winter.
The power of the ice pillars flying one by one was becoming more destructive as time went on.
Diella’s mana, engulfed in anger, was on the verge of piercing the heavens.
“Actually, I don’t care how petty, cowardly, and dark the innards of a being called a young lady of the Beltus family are. After all, I didn’t come to Ebelstein to gain a sense of security while playing the game of connections.”
Diella’s flashing eyes were like a single beast that had spotted its prey in a winter snowfield.
The raging cold makes those who face it become engulfed in fear.
“So, I don’t care if you play house at the Rosea Salon and talk about power or not... just give me Derek.”
Just leave Derek and go. Then whatever you do is of no concern.
She notified Denise of that fact and then spewed out her mana.
"..."
Denise was quietly looking at such a Diella.
Her elegant, silver-gray hair was fluttering in the aftermath of the mana rising from Diella’s body.
She could well guess the reason why that girl named Diella was so desperately trying to take Derek away.
Surely, that girl seemed to be longing for the days when she had received Derek’s teachings. In fact, Derek was the type of person who would barge into someone else’s life as if it were nothing, change its direction to the right one at his own whim, and then leave without even taking credit.
A strange and unknowable man.
Seeing Denise, who had sat down after feeling weary of magic, he tried to push her back to make her stand up.
The inside story of a high and mighty noble family was like a great natural disaster that could not be resisted.
But that man, who wore an indifferent expression as if asking what was the problem with such things, was truly a person who knew how to lift and drop a person’s heart.
If you underestimate a light rain, your whole body will end up drenched.
She found herself, at some point, taking for granted the gesture of that man who had grabbed her wrist and pulled her out. A self-deprecating laugh came out, but her pride wasn't particularly hurt.
Sitting in the dim art warehouse, every time the deep-hearted, white-haired boy who brought up the contents of a draft novel that even Denise herself was embarrassed about flickered before her eyes, she ended up thinking.
It would be quite empty without this man—she would say.
“Ahaha.”
Therefore, Denise, facing Diella, raised the corners of her mouth and laughed.
It was not the polite and dignified smile characteristic of noble young ladies that she had shown until now.
“Ahaha... hahahaha... ahahahahaha.”
In a way, it was a frank, and in a way, a meaningful smile that looked as if it were laughing at Diella.
Her eyes, flashing as much as Diella’s frosty ones, were at odds with her always angel-like, benevolent impression and instilled a sense of pressure in the opponent.
Even Diella, who had been spewing a murderous aura, stopped in her tracks for an instant.
The little lioness, laying down the law to leave Derek, was baring her teeth at Denise.
Looking at such an opponent, Denise, without erasing her smile, spoke.
“I don’t want to.”
Before long, the thread that had been supporting Diella’s reason snapped.