Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Archmage vs Mage (2)
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“So, you’re saying... I have to learn it by taking hits with my body?”
I doubted my ears for a moment.
Was this really something a department head should say to a student?
“Ohoho! That’s right. You have to ingrain it into your body to remember it longer... Wait, no. Not learning by getting hit—it’s sparring! Sparring!”
The department head waved her hands awkwardly with an embarrassed look.
But it was already too late. I had heard the true feelings of the master those graduate students served.
Wow, as expected of a medieval fantasy world—still carrying out this barbaric, punishment-focused education.
Forcing grueling physical training under the excuse that stamina is the foundation.
Nothing could be more primitive and savage.
And barging straight into personal rooms like it was nothing.
I had no idea where student rights had gone.
Seeing my disgusted reaction, the department head looked genuinely flustered.
But that lasted only a moment. She quickly composed herself and changed the subject.
“Anyway, now that Lunaris has come to the academy, your goal is graduation, right?”
“Well, yeah?”
“Then you’ll eventually need to fulfill the required credits for graduation. Do you know how many credits this class is worth?”
“...?”
“A whopping 4 credits. That’s half of the major credits you need to complete this semester.”
Wow, that many?
Sensing my interest, the department head gave a meaningful smile and made a bold proposal.
“If Lunaris beats me in this spar, I’ll exempt you from 4 credits every semester until graduation. Special exemption by department head authority.”
“...!”
“Of course, the grades for those 4 credits will naturally be perfect scores.”
It was like my sleepiness vanished in an instant.
This was a chance to turn Thursday—the worst day of the week—into the best.
But calming down and thinking it over, beating the Archmage department head in my current state seemed realistically impossible.
“Then what if I lose? Is there something I have to do?”
“Nothing like that. Of course, until you win, you’ll have to attend my special lectures every Thursday.”
Since I had to take the class anyway, it was practically zero risk.
“Oh, and by the way, unless something unexpected comes up, we’ll keep doing classes this way—with spars.”
The department head continued with a smiling face.
“If you win even once before graduation, class ends right then and there. How about it? Pretty generous, right?”
“Definitely good terms.”
I slowly pushed the blanket aside.
“But are there any rules for the spar? Or... can I go all out?”
And sat right next to the department head.
“Do whatever feels comfortable. We can set rules, or no holds barred—it doesn’t matter.”
The moment her permission dropped.
I immediately drew up the mana within my body.
The air in the room settled heavily in an instant.
“Then I’ll do it my way.”
There was a saying in the world of my previous life.
First punch wins.
“W-wait a second?!”
A panicked expression floated over the department head’s face as my telekinesis magic lifted her lightly into the air.
“Looks like you won’t need to come starting next week.”
I flashed a bright smile.
And hurled the department head straight out of the room.
-BOOM!!
Raymond’s body crashed harshly onto the floor amid a sharp explosive sound.
“Kyaa!”
“W-what’s going on?!”
Students who happened to be passing through the corridor on their way to the lecture hall screamed and stumbled back.
Linea Hall’s professional maids swiftly deployed to the scene amid the murmuring crowd of students.
Assessing the situation, the maids quickly evacuated the students outside and began clearing the area.
The corridor had become the battlefield of two high-ranking mages.
“Urgh...!”
The moment Raymond tried to pull herself together and stand.
The air began pressing down heavily on her body.
Gravity manipulation magic?
No. This was telekinesis manipulating the air itself to crush her downward.
From the shattered door, a girl walked out with heavy thuds.
Disheveled gray hair stuck out in all directions.
Dressed in pajamas, hugging a massive pile of pillows, she looked utterly languid.
The culprit behind it all—Lunaris yawned lazily and muttered.
“By the way, we didn’t set any victory conditions.”
She gazed down at Raymond with half-lidded eyes and continued in a sleepy voice.
“How about the one who can’t use magic anymore loses?”
Like right now.
Lunaris intended to end this magic duel then and there.
If she refused to admit defeat—
Twisting a wrist or two wouldn’t be so bad.
“Aha... Ahaha! Good. That condition... isn’t bad.”
Raymond grinned through gritted teeth.
“Just so you know... I can still keep going.”
Suddenly, a burst of light exploded around her.
It wasn’t even worthy of being called magic—just a crude expulsion of mana from her body.
She didn’t like relying on this, but she had no choice.
Otherwise, she couldn’t escape this crisis.
The instant Raymond pulled herself up, Lunaris’ eyes flashed coldly.
Severed wood chunks and shattered bricks flew toward Raymond.
Relentlessly pressing the attack without pause, as if determined never to relinquish the initiative seized by surprise.
Raymond swiftly swung both hands.
A cyan magic circle appeared, and a transparent barrier unfurled around her.
The debris shattered against the multi-layered shield.
In moments, dust and rubble settled like snow around the two.
“By the way, like during your interview and now, why do you only use telekinesis magic?”
Raymond spoke, feigning composure.
“This kind of attrition war will just drain your mana first.”
“My other spells have too much backlash.”
Lunaris shrugged.
“It’d be a problem if I messed up and blew away the entire Linea Hall.”
There was no hidden meaning. She was just stating the facts.
Aside from telekinesis, she couldn’t properly control the power of her other magic. If she slipped up and destroyed her favorite bed, that’d be a disaster.
But to Raymond’s ears, it sounded oddly provocative.
—Think you can really handle my magic?
It scratched right at her pride.
The corner of her mouth twisted upward.
“Go ahead and rampage all you want. You think I can’t block a single spell from a student?”
“...Really?”
“If anything goes wrong, I’ll take full responsibility.”
Lunaris pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded.
“In that case, I won’t hold back.”
The debris floating in the air thudded to the ground.
The mana pressure that had been shaking the air vanished.
A brief lapse in tension.
But Raymond felt unease instead.
Gulp. She swallowed dryly.
For some reason, a chill ran down her spine.
The anxiety was fleeting. She quickly steadied herself.
How impressive could it be? No staff, no catalyst gems.
The only wildcard was a long incantation, but she could counter that by chanting along.
Then, a chilling cold swirled around Lunaris.
Her gray hair fluttered, riding waves of glowing blue mana.
Above her head—beyond the dormitory’s high ceiling—magic circles began to appear one by one.
Complex runes stacked and overlapped.
The surrounding temperature plummeted in an instant.
The entire dormitory froze over as if plunged into midwinter.
The very spell that had massacred the wyvern pack was about to unfold once more.
“No way... how is this supposed to be advanced magic...!”
Suddenly, her eyes caught the pillow Lunaris clutched tightly.
“W-wait, is that a magic artifact?!”
No.
It was just her comfort pillow.
“Whatever it is... this is definitely dangerous.”
Raymond reached deep into her coat sleeve and drew a slender silver wand.
“Primal fire, by the covenant we forged, manifest in this place!”
⟨ Primal Spirit Summon ⟩
The first requirement to be called an Archmage: contracting with primal spirits to wield supreme magic with stability.
Raymond was one of the rare mages who had contracted with all four basic primal elementals.
-WHOOSH!
A streak of flame rose behind Raymond.
It started as a mere palm-sized ember.
But soon it writhed like a massive serpent, swelling rapidly.
In an instant, it became a colossal storm of fire, raging wildly.
The flames devoured oxygen.
Heat warped the air.
At the same time, the ceiling turned a deep blue.
A blizzard seemed to fill the space.
Ice chunks poured down from the center of the magic circles.
Flame and ice intertwined.
A blinding flash erupted.
Biting cold and searing heat clashed.
-SIZZLE!
Hot steam billowed up like an explosion.
-BOOM!!
An ear-shattering roar unleashed a shockwave that swept through the main hall.
Amid the tempest of raging mana, shattered furniture and bricks flew every which way.
How much time had passed?
Finally, the clash of fire and ice began to die down into a stalemate.
The flames enveloping Raymond gradually lost their power and flickered out.
The magic circles hovering above Lunaris dimmed, faded, and vanished.
The mana vortex like a storm subsided, leaving only thick smoke from the dying blaze and pale frost filling the space.
As the smoke cleared, the devastated main hall came into view.
Walls were gouged deep where they had frozen and melted; the floor was a mess of debris and frost.
Scorch marks everywhere, frost blanketing the center of the space.
There stood Lunaris and Raymond, facing each other, breathing raggedly.
Sparks flickered like fireworks around Lunaris’ body.
Unused residual mana was leaking out.
“No more other spells, Lunaris?”
Raymond waved the drifting smoke aside and asked.
Behind her forced calm voice lay exhaustion piled high.
Honestly, she was at her limit.
She’d already exploded her mana to escape the telekinesis crushing her body.
And now summoning a primal spirit on top—it had drained her completely.
She couldn’t go further...
Please say it’s over...!!
“I think... I can still manage a little more.”
A flame flickered to life on Lunaris’ slender palm.
Raymond flinched and straightened her stance.
Her head started spinning.
Dizziness hit, her vision darkening.