Collision of the Two Flames
The collision of the two flames produced a massive explosion, filling the arena with thick smoke. The students in the stands immediately began murmuring among themselves.
"What the... You can't see a thing because of all this smoke...!"
"I mean, it's just a spar. Is it really okay to go that hard?"
"Shouldn't they call off the match?"
"I know it's a test in place of regular practicals, but this feels way too extreme."
"Both Lucy and Vern Flame got completely carried away. Still... that was incredible."
"Lucy's impressive, but for Vern to wield magic with that kind of power... I guess he wasn't just coasting on his family name after all."
"So who won?"
"I bet on Lucy. Vern took too many direct hits, and after using magic that strong, he can't have any mana left."
"True. Lucy still looked pretty composed at the end. Vern Flame... his skills aren't as bad as the rumors suggested."
"Well, he is a member of the Flame family."
"Look! The smoke is clearing...!"
The conclusion of their duel was finally coming into view. A winner and loser would soon be decided. Whether because of that or because of the fierce clash between the two, the students traded opinions on how the match would end.
Lucy, the red mage recognized as the strongest in C-1 and expected to advance to Class B soon. And the spell cast by Vern Flame, the academy's infamous troublemaker. Though it had been hard to see clearly from a distance, its power had been comparable to Lucy's own magic.
Vern Flame had a terrible reputation. The rumors claimed he beat students when he felt like it and extorted them for money. At least, that was what everyone said. The magic displayed by someone with such a rock-bottom reputation had left the entire audience stunned.
Yet no matter how strong he proved to be, Lucy was no pushover. She might be in Class C for now, but her talent was genuine. And now the end of the duel between these two students was beginning to reveal itself.
Lucy could barely stay on her feet after the collision of such powerful spells. The magic Vern had unleashed was so overwhelming that its aftershock surged straight toward her. The arena was choked with smoke from the blast, yet the flames refused to die.
The intense blue fire burned fiercely, swallowing even the flames she had sent out and now racing forward with savage hunger to consume her as well. These blue flames that devoured other flames and converted them into their own strength radiated overwhelming power even through the thick haze.
Ah... so I've lost.
She had worked so hard, yet she had lost again. How disappointing. She had wanted to win. She had wanted to prove herself.
No matter how outstanding she was within Class C, she was still just a frog in a well. Was she truly unable to leap beyond it?
Am I... unable to rise any higher?
She sank into deep thought. She had poured every ounce of effort into restoring her fallen house, yet she remained stuck in place. She had hidden her ruined family name and struggled to enter the academy as a commoner, but even now as a second-year she could not escape Class C.
That was why she felt so resentful. So angry.
She had heard that Vern Flame came from a good family. The rumors that clung to his name claimed his behavior was awful and his talent nonexistent, that he had only entered the academy thanks to his family's influence. But until she faced him herself, she refused to dismiss him. If anything, she had stayed on guard.
Anyone who had ever used fire magic even once could not fail to recognize that name. Jeron Flame, current head of the Flame family. The war hero known fifteen years ago as the Blue Flame Swordsman during the kingdom's great conflict. The black-haired magic swordsman who had carved through his enemies with blades of blue fire. Though injury had forced his retirement long ago, his strength had rivaled that of a Sword Saint.
As the son of such a man, Vern had left her dumbfounded the moment they faced each other. To possess such an illustrious family background yet be unable to use proper magic? His swordsmanship had been equally pathetic. I could do that much myself, she had thought.
But after actually fighting him in this spar, she had realized the truth. The reason he hadn't used magic, or rather, the reason he couldn't. His total mana reserves were abnormally low.
The flow of mana visible when he cast spells grew weaker with every use. The mana circulating around him had gradually thinned. On top of that, fire-attribute magic consumed far more mana than other types, so he had likely been forced to focus entirely on defense instead of proper spellcasting. In essence, he had been fighting a mage using only a sword.
There were occasionally people like that. Everyone possessed a mana core, a second heart that refined and amplified their power. Most children inherited a core similar in capacity to their parents'. If the parents had a large vessel, their child would usually be born with one too.
Yet with extremely rare probability, some were born with an abnormally small mana pool. They possessed a tiny vessel regardless of their parents' strength. Of course, elixirs or long training could enlarge it, but there were limits. Since it was an innate trait, effort could only take it so far.
Besides, rumor said Vern Flame had been abandoned by his family. With siblings possessing far greater talent and skill, he had probably been left to rot. Even so, Lucy could not give up.
There was only one way to lift her fallen family back to the surface: prove herself at this academy and become a first-rate mage. Succeeding as a top mage would be difficult, but she had no choice. At the very least, graduating with excellent grades would let her restore her house. Her family back home was waiting for her.
She had no option but to work even harder. Yet even that resolve was crumbling now.
She felt a little sorry toward Vern, but to win for certain she had poured everything into her strongest spell, the highest firepower she could currently produce. Yet watching the blue flames now rushing forward to devour her, she felt nothing but bitter resentment.
Having used her ultimate technique, she had nearly exhausted her mana. She lacked the strength to move, let alone cast a defensive spell. All she could do was accept defeat.
She had worked so long for this. This spar was supposed to be important for next semester's promotion evaluation. The unfairness of it all made her want to cry.
But a loss was a loss. She closed her slightly reddened eyes and accepted her score.
At least the treatment is free...
She was steeling herself for the pain to come when someone appeared before her, standing in front of the girl who had completely given up.
The man who stood before her possessed the black hair only a handful of students at the academy had. Black hair, black eyes. The tall, broad-shouldered man pulled her into his arms and stretched out a hand toward the oncoming blue flames.
"Idiot. You saw it coming and just stood there watching instead of dodging?"
"Wh-what...! What are you doing?! You'll get hurt too! Have you lost your mind?!"
"You're the one who's lost it. Taking that head-on won't end with a minor injury."
"Then what about you?! You're planning to take it yourself? What are you thinking?!"
"...I'm taking responsibility for what I've done. This is only a test, but I went too far."
"Then dodge now while you still can!"
"Sorry, but I don't have the strength to move anymore."
"And if I let it hit you, I'll be disqualified."
The black-haired man muttered the last words in a voice so quiet it was barely audible. It was absurd. The man called Vern Flame was truly impossible to understand.
After winning, he had come running to help her when she could no longer move. Foolish. So incredibly foolish.
But... for some reason, she didn't dislike him for it.
Vern, who had wrapped his large frame around her to shield her from harm, spoke again.
"Lucy, this is a secret between the two of us. So don't tell anyone."
"What do you...!"
Having said that, he began muttering something under his breath. As he did, the savage blue flames hurtling toward them started to be drawn into his outstretched hand.
"Open!"
"Wind Hole!"
⟨ Wind Hole ⟩
From my fingertips, the inventory I summoned began sucking in my blue flames. It was quite literally a black hole. I might have discovered something incredible here.
The Wind Hole I used this time was a technique that drew in every object near the inventory. Naturally, it could only pull in things that touched my hand. It was a skill that took advantage of the fact that I could directly store items inside the inventory rather than just summon and unsummon them.
Anything recognized as mine could be summoned or retrieved at will, but I had been only half-confident it would work on active magic... It looks like it succeeded.
Thanks to that, Lucy avoided serious injury. What a relief.
Lucy was a character I had always liked. Seeing someone like her get hurt right in front of me would have been painful. That was why I had stepped in... but now I had to figure out how to clean up the aftermath.