Chapter 179
Chapter 179
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 179
Chapter Title: Sign Here, Battle Mage! (5)
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"Senior. What in the world is that girl, Lania van Trias, really?"
At the sudden question, Kalt narrowed his eyes. The sharp gaze made the Hound who'd asked it flinch, shoulders trembling.
"No, it's just... a bit strange, isn't it?"
Soon enough, he began spilling out his excuse like a justification.
"I know she's a professor at Aphria Academy and a standout in magic. Being from the same family as the Ashen Mage himself... I get that she's somewhat special."
But still, he muttered, wearing an expression of genuine grievance.
"Even so... how could she move so freely under that kind of pressure?"
The pressure emanating from a superhuman.
The mana that crushed the very air itself. Even the Hounds, seasoned through countless trainings and real battles, couldn't twitch a finger under that pressure.
And yet, a professor from Aphria.
Her background was exceptional, sure, but a girl barely into her twenties moving freely under that pressure?
"It doesn't make any sense."
It truly didn't.
"...Hoo."
Watching the Hound's aggrieved face, Kalt pinched the bridge of his nose. It was certainly a situation that warranted suspicion from the Hounds.
'This is driving me insane.'
Kalt mentally listed out the excuses he'd prepared in advance. He picked out the most usable ones and opened his mouth.
"It's because she's the Ashen Mage's direct disciple from the battlefield."
"...Pardon?"
As the Hounds gathered in the office tilted their heads, Kalt continued his explanation.
"You know I was the Ashen Mage's aide on the battlefield, right?"
The Hounds nodded.
They knew. In fact, it was largely thanks to recommendation letters from the Ashen Mage and the Knight Commander that Kalt had been able to join the Hounds in the first place.
"Battlefields are places where anyone can get shredded to pieces. Even superhumans aren't exceptions, and not even the Hero."
Kalt tapped the table lightly.
"Lady Raniel was the same. Just in case, for any unforeseen situation, she must have planned to groom a successor. And that successor is Lania."
"...A successor, you say?"
"I'm not an expert, but that's how mages are, apparently. Sure, she crushed the Demon King's army on the battlefield, but she was still a scholar affiliated with the Mage Tower."
The next Mage Tower Lord of the Ashen Mage Tower.
She was better known for her battlefield exploits, but at her core, Raniel had a scholarly nature. She needed someone to pass on the knowledge she'd accumulated.
"And scholars fear the loss of their knowledge. You've dealt with plenty of mages trying to dabble in forbidden texts or taboos, right?"
"Yes, well..."
They knew.
It was one of the Hounds' roles to clean up after mages researching forbidden magic or delving into prohibited books.
"How did they react when you burned their research?"
"They went berserk."
"Exactly. That's what accumulated knowledge means to mages. Lady Raniel isn't much different."
Kalt said, propping his chin.
"She needed someone to pass on her accumulated knowledge and developed spells... and that someone turned out to be Lania."
"Where would she even find a girl like that...?"
"No idea on my end. I don't know the details. I'm just piecing it together from the letter Lady Raniel left before retiring."
Kalt trailed off.
The longer the explanation dragged on, the more holes would appear in the lie. He shrugged vaguely, blurring the end of his sentence.
"So, the public knowledge that she's Lord Rosel's disciple... that's a lie?"
"Half true, half false. If word got out she's Raniel's direct battlefield disciple, people would try to bind her left and right."
Kalt spoke in a solemn tone.
"Doesn't that girl have a life of her own? Spending her whole life in Raniel's shadow wouldn't be right. That's probably why she was cautious about it."
Ooh...
'Look at me, packaging this so well, Senior.'
As the Hounds marveled, Kalt pinched his nose again, muttering to himself inwardly.
'Gotta sync up my story with Senior later.'
This was content that would be reported to the royals through the Hounds. Kalt, with his various privileges as a Hound, didn't need to report everything... but the others would.
'The royals might bring it up to some extent...'
But it was better than the Hounds reporting with suspicions. That would definitely bring surveillance.
And that had to be prevented.
Kalt steeled his resolve, eyes fierce.
If the Hounds started tailing Lania and upset her even slightly in the process...
'That day would be the end of the Hounds.'
It surely would.
"Hoo..."
Kalt let out yet another sigh, who knew what number it was.
Unaware of Kalt's complicated inner turmoil, the Hounds kept peppering him with questions about Lania.
"So that's how she could move under superhuman pressure? Because the Ashen Mage passed down some method...?"
"Yeah, probably."
Kalt nodded vaguely while gazing out the window. Students crossing the campus. Amid the yellow and red autumn street trees, their chatter echoed. Aphria's scenery was utterly peaceful like this.
"Haha..."
Kalt let out a dry laugh.
No one could imagine that within this peaceful academy lurked not one, but two superhumans who devoured Demon King's armies.
'Senior, please.'
Kalt prayed inwardly.
'No more from here. I can't keep bullshitting forever. Please, please be more careful about anything that could raise suspicions with the Hounds. Please...!'
Perhaps that desperate prayer reached his senior.
Kalt hoped it did. Truly.
2.
"I really, really don't want to lose... it hurts my pride..."
Thud, thud, thud.
I buried myself in the sofa, slamming the back of my head against the wall repeatedly. My thoughts just wouldn't settle.
'No, to be frank, it's not even that complicated a situation...'
Logically speaking, it made sense for me to lose. If I just read the restrictions properly and lost cleanly, it'd paint a nice picture. Nice, that is...
'Defeat.'
Defeat.
Being crushed by the opponent, losing miserably.
Acknowledging defeat and bowing my head.
'Me, a mage, defeated by another mage.'
If it were a loss to a Summoner with extreme matchup advantage, I'd have some excuse. But what was Kelrhalhm's class? He was a Wizard. A Wizard!
A class I absolutely must not lose to.
A class I must never lose to, no matter what.
This was a matter of pride, of fundamentals.
I had pride as a fellow Wizard.
Hell, I'd even developed combat methods specifically to crush Wizards. And now that class had been officially recognized with its creation—only for me to lose to a Wizard?
'In front of all the students, no less? While giving a lecture on beating Wizards to death, I have to lose to one?'
To the very guy who sparked the lecture in the first place?
"Fuck..."
I covered my face with both hands.
Defeat. The students' mocking laughter. Combat Magic Department students slinking around with slumped shoulders. Scenes from the near future flashed before my eyes.
But the water was already spilled.
I'd challenged him to a duel in front of the students, and the date was set. No turning back now.
"I have to lose."
I must accept defeat.
That single line swirled in my mind. I tilted my head back and racked my brain. Faced with this dilemma, I recalled past experiences.
'Have I ever been in a fight I could win, but had to lose?'
Yes, quite a few times.
Situations where I could win, but the losses outweighed the gains. I'd swallowed my pride and backed off in those cases. I replayed one in my head.
It was early in our adventures.
When we faced Skeval, before I'd developed a way to smash that skeleton.
'If Kyle charges in recklessly, we could take him.'
But that would shatter our formation.
Kyle right before facing the Demon King was one thing, but back then, he was weak. We'd have to risk our lives to beat Skeval.
Skeval wouldn't die even if killed.
But we'd have to stake our lives.
The losses outweighed the gains. So we had to retreat. Patting a grinding Kyle's shoulder, what had I said back then?
"Straighten your shoulders, kid. It's not a loss."
Probably something like that. Definitely.
"It's not a loss. We could have won, but let it go. Next time, next time the same situation comes up, win for sure."
Something like that...
'No, that's way too pathetic for now.'
Not helpful for the current situation.
I tried thinking in a slightly different direction.
'Right, the audience.'
Onlookers.
Students now, but back then, hundreds of knights. To them, we were symbols of victory. Even when we had to lose...
"Ah."
I let out a short sigh.
"Lose as convincingly as possible."
So obvious, yet I clapped as it dawned on me.
"Lose by a hair... something we could really win, but a tiny mistake, a very, very slight difference."
So I could make excuses later.
So the knights would think, 'We didn't lose; the situation just wasn't favorable this time.' So we could remain symbols of victory.
'That's it!'
The situation was incomparably lighter now, but so what? A duel was a duel. Victory was victory, defeat mere defeat.
"Lose by the slimmest margin possible...!"
I resolved myself.
I had to lose, and endure it... but that didn't mean it had to be a bitter pill. As long as I lost, it was fine.
"By the slimmest margin!"
3.
『Professors Lania and Letia are dueling.』
A rumor swirled around Aphria.
It stemmed from the incident a few days ago. For some reason, friction arose between Professors Lania and Letia... and Professor Lania had thrown down her gauntlet, challenging her to a duel.
『Did Professor Letia touch a student?』
『Insulted the Ashen Mage in front of Professor Lania. Insulted the Battle Mage class...』
『Just jealousy?』
『Anyway, there's some reason...』
Various speculations circulated, but nothing concrete. Resti, the student who was there, just shook her head vaguely at the questions. In the end, the rumors shaped themselves to fit the situation.
『Battle Mage vs. Wizard.』
Two utterly different classes.
Tension had been building between students of each class for a while now. After the two special lectures this semester, the class conflict had deepened further.
And now, a duel amid all that.
Considering the phrases Professor Lania habitually spat during lectures, the duel’s purpose was easy to guess. Piecing it together, it boiled down to this.
『The practicality of Battle Mages.』
『Doubts about Wizards' efficiency.』
In short.
『When they clash, which is stronger?』
The most provocative question.
As provocative things always drew eyes, the students' attention focused. With interest peaked, detailed duel announcements went up.
* * *
"......"
The madman, Kelrhalhm, checked the precautions the Hounds had handed him. The contents matched what he'd heard. Right before the duel, restrictions would be imposed.
No life-threatening actions.
Magic limited to basics.
And various other constraints.
Limited as it was, allowing magic use within Aphria was a highly cautious move even for the Hounds. Reflecting their concerns, the list of restrictions seemed endless.
Troublesome.
Thinking that, Kelrhalhm raised his arm. A red handprint lingered on his wrist. From the incident days ago. He closed his eyes.
Swish.
Ashen hair fluttering before his eyes.
The figure who snatched away the leaking mana in an instant and gripped his wrist... unmistakably resembled someone.
「Madman, Kelrhalhm.」
With eyes closed, he recalled that person.
「Release it. I'll handle the aftermath.」
The Ashen Mage, Raniel van Trias.
「Right now, it seems that's the only way.」
The mage who boldly told him to lift the restrictions—and proved her prowess by following through.
Recalling her, Kelrhalhm opened his eyes.
...Still just suspicion.
He couldn't be certain, and it was logically impossible.
But if, by some chance, this guess was correct.
"It would truly become troublesome."
Kelrhalhm touched his nape.
Clang—the restriction let out a loud noise. Kelrhalhm slowly rose from his seat.
Author's Note
At his (former) workplace where he honorably retired, work keeps pouring in endlessly for Kalt.
Kalt resents Lania....!