Chapter 180
Chapter 180
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 180
Chapter Title: Sign Here, Battle Mage! (6)
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Lania van Trias.
The esteemed guest from a foreign land, Letia.
With the duel between the two professors drawing ever closer, the students were buzzing with excitement over this intriguing event.
Of course, the duel itself had its share of suspicious elements.
It was being held publicly in front of all the students. The reason for the duel. And the unusually swift scheduling of the event...
But none of that was for the students to worry about.
The students had only one thing on their minds.
"Who will win?"
It was a topic that couldn't help but draw interest.
No student was unaware of Lania van Trias's prowess. Especially according to the testimony of the Combat Magic Department students... Professor Lania was already on a level akin to an untouchable nightmare.
And what of Professor Letia?
Though she had only recently arrived at Aphria, Professor Letia was no pushover either. The depth of her magical knowledge, demonstrated before the students, was immeasurable. There was no need to even mention the practical applications of the spells covered in her classes.
A mage who seemed to have experienced real combat.
She even exuded the aura of a seasoned soldier who had overcome countless hardships and trials.
Now, these two mages were about to clash.
And with opposing classes, no less.
"Battle Mage."
"Wizard."
Who would emerge victorious?
To witness the outcome with their own eyes, the students headed to the location posted on the bulletin board. Of course, not everyone was so fortunate.
"......"
A girl was plastered to the window, peering outside. She watched the stream of students heading to the duel arena and let out a long sigh.
"Hoo..."
Hero candidate Chloe.
With a sullen expression, she muttered softly to herself.
"I want to go watch too."
Chloe also wanted to see the duel at the center of all the rumors, but permission had not been granted to her. The 'no outings' restriction, in place for about a week now, showed no signs of lifting.
'They said I can't show my face in front of the foreign VIP...'
She didn't know the reason.
But because of it, the restriction had been imposed. Thanks to the maids in the central academy building, daily life wasn't an issue, but she still felt a bit stifled.
"Tch..."
Smacking her lips idly, Chloe draped her robe over her shoulders. To shake off the frustration of being cooped up, she decided to explore the facilities in the central academy building.
'Places I couldn't go because they were always crowded.'
Like the training hall or the vending area, for instance.
With all the students off to watch the duel, she could browse leisurely. It was just as Chloe stepped onto the stairs with that thought.
Thud.
Footsteps echoed from behind her.
Were there still students left? Without much thought, Chloe turned around...
"Uh..."
And froze stiff.
Come to think of it, among the students staying on the upper floors above her level... there was only one.
Platinum blonde hair sparkling in the sunlight.
A light outfit, yet her gait exuded elegance.
'The 4th Princess, Lady Aila...'
The woman born of this kingdom's noblest bloodline.
Chloe stared at her blankly, and Aila, descending the stairs, also stopped upon noticing Chloe.
Golden eyes met green ones. Chloe averted her gaze first.
"I-It's an honor to m-meet you..."
Tense, Chloe stammered.
She had learned proper etiquette for addressing the princess from the Black Tower Lord, but with her mind in a whirl, the words wouldn't come smoothly.
"...Ah ha."
As if finding Chloe's reaction amusing, Aila covered her mouth with a faint smile.
"This is Aphria. You don't need to be so formal."
"Ah, y-yes..."
Her voice carried a hint of weariness.
Chloe felt a twinge of doubt at the tone. Slowly lifting her head to look at Aila, something felt off from the rumors she'd heard.
'I heard she was confident and poised...'
But the woman before her didn't give that impression. If anything, she looked utterly exhausted, a bit weary.
"...You're Chloe, right?"
She said.
"Shall we talk for a bit?"
Chloe nodded slowly.
2.
Kellrhalim Bell Artia.
'What kind of mage is he?'
I sat in the waiting room, mulling over Kellrhalim.
'The Madman, Kellrhalim.'
His notoriety was high, but few truly knew him well—I could count them on one hand. And I was one of that rare few.
I knew Kellrhalim's restrictions.
I understood his magical realm and exactly how far he could reach once freed from them.
'Because I've seen it all.'
Back when we fought together on the battlefield.
During the third subjugation of the Heretics, I had asked Kellrhalim to release all his restrictions. And he gladly accepted my proposal.
Because he knew too.
That there was no other way at the time.
And even after repelling the Heretics, as Kellrhalim rampaged madly, I subdued him... and came to understand what kind of mage he was.
"Hmm..."
It was hard to sum up in one word.
But if I had to...
"Tricky. Extremely so."
To be honest, he was like me in a way.
While I honed entirely new weapons to take down Skeval... Kellrhalim reshaped his existing arsenal into dozens of forms.
Magic utilization.
Spell deformation.
That was the essence of Kellrhalim's path in magic. He never used the same form of spell twice. He always countered with something new, something unfamiliar, forcing adaptation.
Tricky. Annoying.
[Professor Lania, please come up.] But in the end, he's just a mage.
"If it's a mage I'm facing, then whatever."
I chuckled and rose from my seat.
"I don't think I'll l—"
"You must lose, no matter what, Senpai. You know that, right?" I froze.
"......"
I silently rubbed my eyes.
Right... this was a fight I had to lose...
"Sigh..."
Letting out a sigh, I trudged out of the waiting room. Amid the cheers of countless students, Kellrhalim emerged from the opposite side.
The Madman Kellrhalim.
Staring straight at him, I stepped onto the duel arena. It had been a long time. Dueling a Wizard who wasn't Skeval.
Thud.
Kellrhalim and I took our positions at opposite ends of the arena. The duel would proceed as per our prearranged contract. I pulled off my gloves, and he rolled up his robe sleeves.
-Bwooooom!
The trumpet signaling the start blared.
Yet neither of us moved first. We simply stood, gazing at each other. Mage duels didn't need such fanfare to begin.
Alright, start light.
I thrust my arm forward. I snapped my fingers, rubbing thumb against middle finger. In response, Kellrhalim drew his finger sideways.
He drew a single stroke.
I snapped a single point.
And my magic turns that point into a stroke. Ting, a spark flew. The first spell I'd unveil was my favorite.
Smite.
A single beam of light hurtled toward Kellrhalim.
3.
It's said that duels between mages are excessively flashy and noisy. And that's not wrong. In mage duels, victory or defeat isn't the key factor.
They just show off their realms to each other.
For example, like this.
High-tier spell at this power. Oh, then I'll counter with multiple mid-tier spells overlapping. Then this side goes even higher...
'It's basically a scripted fight.'
They're just demonstrating their limits, so there's no real practicality to it. They package the back-and-forth as a grand 'duel'.
'This one will be the same.'
Unlike the excited young students, the veteran professors in the audience seats looked bored. This wasn't a duel between young mages. It was between two professors who understood mage society well.
What hot-blooded fight would there be in such a duel?
They'd just exchange spells and call it a day.
Especially since they'd imposed restrictions on each other. Rumor had it they were only using basic spells? Duels under restrictions tend to drag even more.
'This'll be a boring duel...'
So thought the professors.
Yet they harbored a faint hope that Professor Lania, with her unconventional mindset, might show something interesting. And the moment the duel began, the professors tilted their heads.
Neither moved.
No frantic hand-waving to draw circuits. No pre-prepared spells unleashed. Not even gathering mana.
Just slowly, very slowly.
Flicking fingers, drawing lines with fingers.
And then.
Boom! Crashhh!
The silence shattered with a roar. The professors couldn't even catch the exchange that happened in an instant. They only pieced together the result belatedly.
An earth wall erupted in a flash.
Its center was deeply caved in.
The moment the professors grasped it, the next spell followed. Lania twitched her finger. Two beams smashed into the earth wall. In the blink of an eye—Bang!—another roar echoed.
Crackle.
The earth wall crumbled under the impact.
In that instant, scorching heat wafted from beyond. As the wall collapsed, it revealed Kellrhalim clutching a fireball.
Fireball.
The most basic spell. Yet its form differed from what the professors knew. Not a round orb, but a sharply honed disc like a chakram.
Whoosh!
He hurled it while moving his fingers again. His hand swiftly drew a line.
One stroke, followed by a second.
Finger from top to bottom, then bottom to side. The completed spell shone. Earth walls rose around Lania on all sides.
Rumble!
The spell used for defense moments ago now imprisoned the opponent. A fireball flew through the narrow gap between walls. Just as it aimed to slip through.
Slash.
A slicing sound rang out.
A beam slashed through from inside the earth wall, bisecting it. Even the incoming fireball split in half.
Splat!
As the fireball scattered wildly, Lania burst through the remaining walls, revealing herself. Up to now, she'd used only one spell.
Smite.
The basic strike spell.
She fired it like an arrow or swung it like a blade. And naturally, what she'd shown was just the tip of the iceberg.
Smite.
Lania snapped, flicked, and rubbed her fingers. Movements too simple for circuit-drawing. No strokes in her motions. Only points.
Yet that was enough.
With just a point, the circuit completed.
It gleamed and became a weapon to overwhelm the foe.
Zap zap zap zap zap!
Beams poured forth. Some needle-sharp, some blunt and thick, others razor-edged. Forms varied wildly, yet all from one spell.
Swish.
In answer, Kellrhalim used both hands. One drew a circle, the other a stroke. His hands moved fast, spells manifesting in an instant.
Groooar.
Earth mounds surged from the ground, precisely toward the Smite impact points. A feat possible by reading mana flow.
Thud, boom!
The mounds pierced, crumbled, and sliced by the beams. Power diminished, but Smites persisted. Then Kellrhalim swung his finger from bottom to top.
Roar!
Flames engulfed the beams. Another exchange ended. At that point, the professors realized: after several volleys, only three spells had been used.
Smite.
Fireball and Earth Wall.
The same spells. Utterly different forms.
Defensive spells turned offensive. Offensive ones used for defense. Forms changed each time, so did their purposes.
'...Different.'
This wasn't your typical mage duel.
Limited to basics, yet all the more captivating. The bored professors were gone. They swallowed dryly, eyes fixed on the two young mages in the arena.
Neither had taken a single step from the start.
The only changes were scorch marks and spell remnants around them. The audience instinctively sensed it.
The light probing was over.
Now the real fight began.
And that instinct proved right. Lania tapped the arena floor with her toes. Then she crouched low and lunged forward in a massive step.
Thud.
Their positions shifted for the first time. Debris scattered from her step. Her low stance looked ready to spring any second.
From the start, Lania had entered as a Battle Mage.
Closing distance is a Battle Mage's fundamental tactic. And she always stuck to the basics. This time was no different.
'Started light.'
The light exchange was done.
'I've gauged his level.'
Her expressionless face clenched into a fist.
'Next.'
For real.
Lethally so.
Bang! She kicked off the ground, charging at Kellrhalim.
Her lips curved into a grin. Victory-hungry eyes gleamed blue.
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Author's Note
The ugly Battle Mage brimming with thoughts of victory...!