Chapter 178
Chapter 178
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 178
Chapter Title: Wind and Sand # 3
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The reason I endured even Aira's look of utter disgust to summon Cassim was nothing special.
It was simply to duel or spar with him.
The one teaching me magic was the 5th Circle archmage Highnax, but he was too old and genteel. Sparring with me would have been too much for him.
But Cassim was young and brimming with skill. The problem was that he was royalty. As a mere commoner, there was no way for me to casually challenge him to a spar.
Unless I lured him into making the approach himself. And of course, I had a plan for that.
In truth, I had intended to prod his arrogant pride and provoke him into challenging me to a duel.
But the Cassim I met today had surprisingly been gentlemanly, showing me unusual favor.
“Would you care to spar with me? What do you say?”
He even offered exactly what I wanted first.
Had he become a more cheerful soul after distancing himself from the throne?
I wondered if this was what it felt like to have a successful cousin on the rise. In fact, he and I—both descendants of Angmar—were distant relatives, so it wasn't a bad analogy.
Anyway, I was mulling over how to proceed when he took the initiative, gauging my magical prowess and proposing an exchange spar.
It was music to my ears.
“Very well. But I'm not exactly suited for combat, so you'll need to go easy on me.”
“Heh, leave that to me.”
Our spar took place in an empty lot behind the vacant grand temple. Aira, who had been out for a stroll somewhere, had returned unnoticed and now sat on a bench, crossing her legs.
“A duel before the Queen herself. Talk about tension.”
Cassim said this as he drew a thin, long wand from his belt. A luxurious piece with a large pearl embedded at the tip of the golden staff. It looked top-notch at a glance.
In response, I pulled out my imp tail wand.
“An imp tail, eh. Excellent mana conductivity makes it a fine wand material. But it must not have been easy to acquire.”
“I got it as a gift from an imp I know.”
“Oh? I see. But in its raw state, you can only draw out about half the material's potential.”
“Is that true?”
“Of course. Any mage worth their salt knows that.”
It was news to me. Neither Highnax nor Aira had mentioned it. I glanced at Aira, who chuckled softly.
“Theo, some things you have to figure out on your own.”
Got it. At that moment, Prince Cassim spoke as if bestowing a favor.
“If you give me a satisfying spar, I'll personally have that wand gem-set for you as a special treat.”
Gem-set? As I puzzled over it, Aira's eyes gleamed from her seat.
“Not bad for a petty Cassim. The gemcraft of the Tanak royal house has deep roots on the continent.”
“Indeed. Now, let's take our stances. Shall we see what you've got?”
At Cassim's words, I conjured a mana shield in one hand.
—Mana Shield.
Whummm, whummm.
It was a thin, blue five-petal shield, each petal able to withstand a major impact—for a total of five. Cassim's blue eyes lit up at the sight.
“A light incantation for five shield layers. Impressive fundamentals. Mana shield in one hand, wand in the other. Textbook stance. Your mentor and my friend's master, Highnax, is a classicist through and through.”
“But classics endure for a reason.”
“True enough. I see why the Queen summoned me. You've likely never faced a mage like me before. This will be a valuable lesson.”
Shing.
The red mage drew a sword from his right hip.
Now one hand held a curved blade gleaming with eerie blue light, the other his wand. The sight gave me a strange sense of dissonance. A sword-wielding mage?
“Haste—.”
He incanted a short spell. I knew it was 3rd Circle magic. Its effect lightened the body, surely.
Swish—.
Cassim's form blurred like the wind, closing in at a speed unbelievable for a mage.
“What the—.”
“You're probably thinking, 'Fast for a mage—'”
Whoosh—. The blade in his left hand slashed vigorously from my right side up to my neck. All I could do was thrust my mana shield forward to create distance.
Clang!
One petal of the mana shield shattered. He didn't linger, slashing diagonally upward before bringing the sword down hard from above.
“Block this too?”
“Hup—!”
I raised my arm to parry. Clang—another petal shattered. Three left.
Stay like this, and I'd lose all shields to his onslaught. I backpedaled swiftly to gain distance.
Rather than pursue, Cassim aimed his golden wand.
“Creating distance? Smart. But friend, I'm a mage. You sure about distancing from one?”
—Sand Icicle.
Shhh.
The garden parted as sand and earth from the ground coalesced into icicle shapes. Long, round cones with physical form and murderous intent hurtled toward me.
Fwhoosh—.
Clang, clang.
“Sand exists everywhere in this world. Well, friend? What now? Nothing like the dungeon beasts you're used to, is it?”
Only then did I realize this man's style differed vastly from the monsters I'd fought and the classic mages I knew.
Close in, and his sharp curved sword targets my neck. Pull away, and sand arrows swarm.
“Grh...”
Once the last mana shield fell, it was my loss. How to topple this balanced mage? Any weaknesses?
It hit me: both his hands wielded weapons.
Dual-wield game characters were attack-focused, defenses weak by necessity.
Cassim had no mana shield. Counterattack, and it might land.
I barely blocked the relentless sand icicles with my mana shield, aimed my tail wand, and gathered mana.
Whummm—.
Fierce mana swirled at the tail tip. Mage duels often ended with a single decisive blow after probing exchanges.
I poured everything into this moment, veins bulging on my forehead. Cassim smirked leisurely.
“A finisher spell? I'd love to disrupt, but for once, I'll meet it head-on. Time for my own secret art.”
—Desert Octodragon.
From the ground rose a sand serpent with eight heads, towering skyward.
—HissSSS—!!!
Larger than a building, getting swept by it would shred my body with the abrasive sand and tiny gem grains.
“Can that last shield endure these savage serpents?”
No chance. But my incantation was nearly complete. I sealed the spell atop the finished incantation like stamping a letter.
—Shura Tempest—!
Kwaaaaa—!!!!
From my wand tip erupted a horizontal whirlwind, a dragon ascendant.
Its power could plow earth and uproot trees.
Though only 4.5 Circles, shy of archmage, my secret art Shura Tempest stemmed from the high destruction ritual Paimon—innately devastating. In this, I rivaled any mage's grand spell.
Kwaaangrack—.
The whirlwind from my wand tore the sand serpent apart. It shredded its form to pieces before bearing down on Cassim.
“Beyond expectations...! Trouble...!”
Cassim shouted, composure cracking.
“True—!”
Kwaa—. A stone wall erupted, blocking my vortex.
The spell splintered against the sturdy wall, scattering blade-winds like shotgun pellets.
Pabababam.
The backlash surged toward me too.
Overwhelmed by the knife-like gale, I panicked. Only one shield petal remained.
“Eek—!”
This was it—major injury incoming. Eyes squeezed shut in resignation, I heard a finger snap.
It came from Aira on the bench. She clapped delightedly.
“Fine magic, Theo.”
“Is, is it?”
Our duel ended there.
It felt like I'd been one-sidedly thrashed, an awkward outcome, but Cassim seemed genuinely shocked.
“I never thought you'd force my unique magic. Any lesser foe would've ended under the Octodragon. Wind magic, of all things. Bad matchup.”
My wind was the worst counter to his sand control.
“Wind affinity. With fairy blood, I assumed water ties. Quite a rare attribute.”
Cassim assessed my magic thus. A lesson from Highnax surfaced.
Magic drew from ambient natural mana, granting each person a nature-like affinity.
Nymphs, water fairies, favored water magic for that reason.
Yet I wielded rare wind. Paimon's air bullets explained it.
Fire affinity would've launched flames instead.
Then, a notification: Professional Mage experience gained. +50.
My stalled EXP ticked up. Win or lose, pure joy.
That's when it happened.
“Useless little brother. I told you not to stir trouble. Couldn't hold back, could you? Now sand's everywhere, all hazy!”
A woman shrieked, approaching us.
Red hair, copper skin, elegant black dress on a beauty. High heels barely brought her to Aira's height.
Youthful face, modest chest.
Thought she was a nymph.
But no—she was just a girl in puberty's bloom. At her sight, Aira scowled fiercely, mood soured.
“…Serazade!”
The woman, a head shorter, shouted defiantly.
“Call me Empress—! And Empress outranks Queen—!”