Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Lightning Mage (2)
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Canelian stood beside the scarecrow, gripping her sword tightly with blazing eyes.
Prince Ragna stood with his arms crossed, whispering something to Silvret.
The Swordmaster's keen senses picked up every word.
"Professor, is it really okay for the Duchess to be wearing metal armor right now?"
"She'll be fine since she's a Swordmaster. She can definitely withstand the power His Highness just demonstrated."
'His Highness? You've been calling him Your Highness the Prince all this time, and now suddenly...?'
What on earth had happened between them overnight?
Canelian grew irritated with herself for caring so much.
'It's unofficial, sure, but how could she flirt right in front of her fiancée...!'
"It's fine, so hurry up and attack! His Highness needs to get a feel for why duels with knights are so dangerous!"
"Will you block it or dodge it?"
"Dodge it, obviously, then counterattack. That's how you'll get the hang of it."
"Mm, got it."
"Don't worry. I'll stop right in front of you."
The prince extended his hand forward.
Canelian held her sword vertically, staring him down intently.
'No incantation, so I have to launch myself the moment he moves.'
Canelian focused her mind to the utmost limit.
The instant the prince's hand twitched, she flung her body sideways.
Dodge like this, then charge right up to his face with a grin and say, 'This is a Swordmaster's counter.'
Zzzap! Zap!
A stinging jolt of pain crashed over her.
With her sword in hand and metal armor on, the shock spread evenly throughout her body.
Canelian froze in place.
Not from serious damage, but sheer astonishment.
'I definitely dodged before he cast the spell...?'
Why knights beat mages.
Spellcasting takes time, but low-tier spells are so predictable from hand movements alone.
No matter how powerful the magic, it has to hit first.
"Whoa, Your Highness! Again! I'll dodge properly this time!"
"Got it. Here goes."
The prince extended his hand again, and Canelian moved a beat faster than before.
Along an unpredictable path, leaping far to widen the distance.
Zzzap!
'Hit again?'
Her whole body tingled.
It wasn't major damage. A Swordmaster's body could shrug this off easily.
'He was looking right at where I was standing...?'
The prince had clearly lost track of her movement.
She could tell from his gaze.
Yet the lightning bolt from his hand stretched toward her like it was alive.
"A-again!"
Zzzap!
"Again!"
Zzzap!
"Again! Again! I'll dodge for sure this time...!"
She attempted to dodge a whopping 22 times, but the prince's lightning magic struck Canelian dead-on every single one.
Her red hair stood on end like she'd been electrocuted sky-high, but she couldn't even think to fix it as she alternated stares between Silvret and the prince.
Silvret's eyes were wide as saucers, one hand clamped over her mouth, the other scribbling furiously in midair with a magical feather quill.
"How on earth did you hit me? You couldn't track my movements at all."
"Your Highness, I too am dying to know. Please explain the principle."
The prince, amazed even at his own feat, peered at his hands this way and that before flashing a grin.
A dizzying smile that rippled quietly through Canelian's heart.
"No idea. It just hit on its own?"
"... "
"I thought the Duchess was deliberately taking hits to test the magic damage."
Actually, that was a lie.
It's because Thunder Chain is a targeting skill.
As long as the designated target stays within range, it hits guaranteed.
I didn't pick AoE spells like Volta Explosion or Luminous Shatter because they're non-targeting skills.
Hitting reliably comes first.
"Your Highness, no guided spell I know boasts that level of precision and speed."
"It's a power bestowed by the Ancestor, so naturally it's beyond ordinary magic."
Canelian, her hair sticking up toward the sky like she'd been hung upside down, spoke in a deflated tone.
"I've sparred with countless mages, but no guided magic ever hit me. I dodged them all easily... ha... "
"Lightning moves like light."
"I've never heard of a guided thunderbolt spell."
There are homing attack spells that track enemies.
But knights above a certain level dodge them effortlessly.
I'm a player, though.
I'm different from these native NPCs.
Canelian's lips twitched before she spoke again.
"An attack spell even a Swordmaster can't dodge... Boost the power, and it could beat knights in duels."
"Odds would improve. But wouldn't it be better to avoid duels with knights altogether?"
Object nodded vigorously from the side.
"Well said, Your Highness."
"Prep escape spells in advance, keep your distance, attack from range, and flee if they close in. Best is avoiding duel situations entirely.
That's the mage's golden rule against knights."
I plan to stick to that rule religiously.
Dragon Defense is reality now, not a game, and lives are one-and-done.
Canelian couldn't dodge, but she could've ignored the damage and rushed me.
'No duels with knights until I hit max level and learn ultimates.'
I checked my open Lightning Mage skill tree.
Skills to learn ahead.
This could one-shot a Swordmaster, right?
This won't one-shot a Swordmaster but could sweep lower-tier knights.
This neutron bomb-inspired skill could wipe Swordmasters and knights alike.
'But these cooldowns are insanely long compared to the game. Oh, right—game time flows faster than reality.'
These reflect the actual in-game time flow.
"Sun's setting soon. Let's call it for today."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Got it, Your Highness."
Late at night.
The teleportation magic circle in the bedroom glowed faintly.
Flash!
With a soft light, Object appeared atop the circle.
Soon after, Canelian arrived via her own circle into the bedroom.
Object had set them up earlier so they could sneak in undetected.
The two circles linked their bedrooms.
"I don't sleep well, so bear with me."
"It's fine. Protecting Your Highness's noble person—especially those precious eyes—is my duty as a mage."
"Perfect. Truth is, my sleep habits are terrible too. We'll get along great."
Both wore thin nightgowns.
Canelian's was a white long dress down to her ankles, exposing her shoulders.
Object's was a long-sleeved black dress covering her wrists, but the hem skimmed just above her knees, showing a hint of collarbone.
'They look great like this.'
Ah, wanna take a screenshot.
Why no feature for that?
This game sucks...
"Shall we hit the hay?"
"...Yes."
"...Understood."
I climbed in first.
They hesitated before joining, lying on either side with a full meter gap.
"Why does Your Highness need such a huge bed?"
Canelian asked, trying to break the awkwardness.
Curious, I sifted through the prince's memories.
The reason was unavoidable, so I slammed the memory window shut.
"Ahem, bad sleep habits. Don't wanna roll off, so big bed."
"How bad could they be...? Intriguing."
"A bed this size means sleep habits won't be an issue."
Sleep habits aside, total darkness and silence suit me best.
"So much happened yesterday and today."
"Indeed."
"Yeah."
"Professor, tomorrow we're hunting monsters again. Nothing done today thanks to meeting Baron Caron."
"Understood."
"Duchess, coming along?"
"Were you planning to leave me out?"
Three of us on one bed, a meter apart, chatting idly before sleep.
Feels like a company retreat.
In the dim mana stone lantern light, our chatter faded at some point.
Eyes growing heavy...
Squish. Squeeze.
Canelian woke in a daze to a soft pressure.
The prince's face right in front of her nearly made her scream.
'S-stay calm.'
Steady breathing.
He was sleeping with his head pillowed on her shoulder, arms locked around her tight.
Not just arms—his legs coiled around her too.
'Ah, so that's the bad sleep habits...'
He hugged tighter.
His breathing confirmed he was asleep.
Not faking it for mischief.
She could slip free with minimal effort, but that might disturb his rest.
Trapped in his limbs, she heard sleep-talk.
"Hnn... my lovely Lammer... "
'Lammer...? What?'
Almost disgusted, thinking he was dreaming of another woman.
'What kind of woman's name is that?'
Can't disturb his sleep.
Canelian closed her eyes, forcing sleep.
But his fidgeting kept her mind sharp.
A Golden Retriever was begging to play.
"Lammer, bro's gotta game, so just a bit, okay?"
"Just a bit" lasted until my stamina drained.
I logged in for today's dailies, my panting dog tied to my leg.
My companion NPC Canelian's face filled the screen, staring me down.
"Your Highness, wake up."
Her arms yanked me into the monitor.
I realized it was a dream of reality, gazing at the panting retriever outside.
'Hope someone's walking my Lammer...'
Varmion Empire, capital imperial palace.
A middle-aged emperor in ornate armor sparred with knights in the training grounds, sweating freely.
The knights clashed swords with him while ensuring he took no harm, all without him noticing.
For courtesy spars, the opponent must remain oblivious.
"Hahaha, you lot need to hone your skills more. Three against one, and you're struggling? How can you protect this vast empire?"
"I've learned the hard way to redouble my training."
"You've opened this fool's eyes—I'm humbled."
"Urk! I can't even dream of matching Your Majesty's swordsmanship!"
The knights feigned exhaustion, bowing low.
The emperor handed his sword to an attendant and plopped casually on the dirt, gulping water.
A knight entering the grounds knelt before him.
"Your Majesty, we've confirmed massive tremors from the Karbalon Mountains."
The emperor paused briefly, then smirked coldly.
"Baron Caron's status?"
"Unconfirmed."
"Mm... Baron Caron wouldn't go down easily. Search to the end and rescue him."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The knight withdrew with measured poise.
The emperor, sprawled boldly, touched the faint sword scar on his cheek.
"Baron Caron, you must return alive. I still have much to learn from you."
He reminisced about old spars here with Caron.
'Your Majesty, healing magic!'
'Hohoho, leave it. How could I erase a honorable wound from a Swordmaster with my own hands?'
The cheek scar held special meaning.
A memento from sparring Caron right here in this grounds.