The Duel
Has there ever been such a ruckus across all the magic towers?
When the Exstep Alliance had just crushed the frontline of the Boulian Republic, it had been nothing compared to this commotion.
At the time, everyone had been convinced the war would end in the Exstep Alliance’s victory, with mages chatting endlessly about nothing but that.
Unfortunately, the Boulian Republic had unleashed its hidden power and pushed the alliance back.
Anyway.
The level of explosive force one mage had demonstrated now was precisely that.
When the tide of war seemed about to flip, the noise had spread throughout the entire magic towers.
“Beldora!”
Tower lords rushed into the Iron Magic Tower like a tidal wave.
Each tower lord who entered cast a glare at Beldora.
In contrast, Beldora kept her eyes gently closed.
Though her small frame and closed eyes made it look like she was just dozing, today was different.
Even Beldora’s crossed arms suggested deep, heavy worry.
“Beldora! What the hell is going on right now?!”
Starting with the Earth Magic Tower lord, Rock Smith’s shout, other tower lords followed suit.
“Are you kidding me? Even if it is, this isn’t okay! A single apprentice mage challenging an Archmage? What kind of joke is this?!”
“It’s not the challenge itself. You’ve lowered the Archmage’s status! How dare you say such insulting things?!”
“This is clearly an issue the Iron Magic Tower must take full responsibility for. No matter what, an apprentice still bears the duty to answer for it.”
“You crazy bitch, I always knew you’d end up causing trouble someday. All that genius crap.”
“……”
Beldora said nothing.
She knew they were right.
Dam’s actions had always crossed lines, but this time it was beyond the pale.
Essentially criminal behavior.
Risk to the very foundation of the towers, threatening the entire system.
That was Dam right now.
“The Archmage will never lose, of course, but just in case—.”
The Lightning Magic Tower lord, Herald Bringer, closed his eyes tightly in alarm.
Other tower lords around him questioned the absurdity of it.
What if the Archmage really lost?
The towers’ order would collapse.
She wouldn’t simply take the Archmage’s seat just because she beat her in battle.
Conversely, an Archmage defeated by a single apprentice would lose the aura she showed now.
“She even said she’d accept the challenge. Do you realize this is a win-lose situation for the Archmage?”
“I can’t figure out why the Archmage would accept the challenge. If someone challenges an Archmage, what happens?”
They all shouted in agitation, yet Beldora heard only the distant blur of their voices.
“Beldora, what do you plan to do?”
Chiron, the Fire Magic Tower lord with ties to Dam, asked with a heavy sigh.
Beldora slowly opened her eyes.
On her desk lay a bundle of papers—Dam’s Knight Armor design and the subsequent spell notes.
For a mage, research was as vital as life itself.
The invisible weight of this small pile of papers felt crushing.
Beldora didn’t dare touch it.
Dam entrusted this to me.
She didn’t need to overthink the meaning.
The woman who had thrown her life into the Knight Armor project had eventually stopped and left it behind with her.
Dam…
Recalling the past brought headaches, but also warm memories.
……
…………
………………
“Huh?”
Why wasn’t it coming?
Was there really something good?
Startled, Beldora cleared her throat awkwardly.
She tried to hook the memory, but nothing surfaced.
[Ah, fuck! That bastard—! Hey! What the hell are you doing?! You’re a mage? That guy’s just supposed to sit in the furnace 24 hours a day!] [Say it again. Tell me what my brain is. Not good enough? Switch my left and right hemispheres?] [What kind of Tower Lord gift is that? Give it here. I’ll make you a new one with a better material. This time a whole new series in the construction category-] [Jealous of your small chest. You even forgot what my soles look like. Why wear shoes at all if it’s like this?]
Nothing emerged under the “good memory” filter.
This was weird.
The atmosphere had been emotional, yet Beldora’s nose twitched as she looked at the tower lords.
“Ah, what can I say? I did it, didn’t I?”
One lesson learned: if someone is too brazen, the other side will just give up talking.
***
Last Exchange Day, the vast courtyard where all mages had gathered.
Dam had called it a school sports field, but no one was exercising there.
In the center stood the Archmage.
Mages crowded around her like a swarm.
The sealing barrier blocked all approach, turning the area into a mana cage built solely for this duel.
“Hmph.”
The Archmage’s sweeping of her beard carried a carefree rhythm.
Even as the duel was about to begin, she sipped tea from her study just like always.
On the opposite side stood the woman.
Dam showed no bare skin.
Wrapped in the Knight Armor, she released mana in waves.
“I see you have great confidence in your research results.”
The Archmage spoke calmly, praising her.
Despite insulting her and facing a lower-ranked opponent for the duel.
Her tone and every gesture carried absolute superiority and courtesy.
And the opponent, Dam.
Thud.
Silently raised her middle finger.
“……”
Thud.
Twice.
Gasps erupted from the mages. How could Iron Tower mages train their juniors to make such disrespectful gestures toward a great Archmage?
“She’s gotten too arrogant lately.”
“Wow, she’s really insane.”
“This is why one must succeed to understand. Look at how raw the Iron Tower spirit is.”
The Iron Tower, ignored by the four elemental towers.
Even more so, those towers circulated that their magic lacked versatility compared to lightning or darkness.
But Dam’s arrival had completely upended the order, making the Iron Tower the hottest and most stock-rising among them.
That was why people whispered more.
Once it worked, they got cocky.
The world had a ceiling; even tall people bowed if it touched their heads.
We’re done for.
But we didn’t do anything.
I never imagined Dam would go this crazy.
Naturally, the Iron mages cursed her inwardly.
Overnight she became the towers’ public enemy—what kind of situation was this?
Dam had raised the Iron Tower’s status, but when crushed, she fell infinitely harder.
[This woman is a demon.]
One of the Iron mages had said it before.
Alluring appearance that made people dream, then dropped them into despair in an instant.
Dam truly fit the description of a demon.
She’s probably from the Seong-un, right?
They’d love her.
Dam, please…
Just then, a plea to kneel and beg had surfaced.
Unfortunately, the duel had begun.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Dam charged toward the Archmage with lightning speed.
“Heh.”
The Archmage smirked.
As her staff leaned forward slightly, mana chains shot out from the air and entangled Dam.
CRACKLE! CRACKLE!
“Come on, let’s see how durable that armor really is.”
Mana chains wrapped her entire body.
Thanks to the Knight Armor’s solidity, she held on, but breathing properly was questionable.
The Knight Armor glowed blue.
BOOOOOOM!
It exploded.
The mana barrier dissolved into smoke and flames.
Mages outside saw nothing.
Too sudden for any reaction; they stood frozen.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions echoed inside multiple times.
At this distance, that kind of explosive power—
Did Dam, with her death-willing spirit, intend to blow herself up alongside the Archmage?
The thought struck.
“Ah, fuck.”
From the crowd of mages, a sky-blue-haired woman cursed aloud.
The Knight Armor was a decoy.
She had tried to detonate it to kill the Archmage.
“The final move always goes like that. Mech breakdown or self-destruct. That’s how it ends—.”
Dam snapped her fingers, distorting the barrier.
Smoke rose high, revealing the inside.
“……”
There stood the Archmage unharmed, looking cool.
“Old man, no sense at all.”
“How does that comeback move feel?”
Calm questions, mocking and provocative.
Dam met her gaze and grinned.
“Not impotent, then?”