The Weight of an Insult
Kyle Valerius Airid.
A branch member of the Airid family and the captain of the Remnant Shadow Unit, one of the family's five military forces.
Having reached the 6th Circle at the age of thirty, Kyle was one of the most prominent talents within the family. Highly trusted both inside and outside the clan, he had been entrusted with the heavy responsibility of escorting the family head to this year's council in the capital, Aurelion.
It was truly a matter of pride.
Kyle felt immense pride that he, the captain of the prestigious Remnant Shadow Unit, had been chosen for the escort duty over all others.
However.
"...What did you say?"
Immediately after the council concluded, Kyle received unbelievable news.
"The family head... passed on our signature magic formula to the son-in-law of Benheim?"
Hearing the full story from his servant, Kyle doubted his own ears.
A family's signature magic formula was its very root and identity. To hand it over to another family—and to a commoner-born son-in-law, no less.
As both a mage and a noble, it was an utterly unacceptable act.
What Kyle feared most of all was the possibility that Benheim's son-in-law might have caught wind of the Airid family's deepest secrets.
Currently, the Airid family maintained a secret cooperative relationship with black mages. As a high-ranking member of the family, Kyle was well aware of this fact.
If Raygan caught on to those inner workings, it would trigger uncontrollable repercussions.
The honor of the Airid family could plummet to the ground.
He had to stop it.
Kyle immediately sought out Oswald to voice his opposition, but the family head merely shook his head.
In the end, Kyle resorted to intimidating Raygan directly.
His intention was to scare him off.
And with good reason—Kyle's realm was the Mid 6th Circle. On the other hand, Raygan von Benheim, the son-in-law of Benheim who had barely reached adulthood, was only at the entry level of the 5th Circle.
Because the difference in their circles was so stark, Kyle was certain Raygan wouldn't dare utter a single peep.
"I challenge you to a duel. Follow me outside quietly, you bastard."
But Raygan had suddenly challenged Kyle to a duel instead.
That wasn't a particularly welcome situation for Kyle either.
Normally, it was best to avoid duels between those with a significant difference in circles.
Because the lower-circle mage had no chance of winning.
And because it brought no honor to the higher-circle mage.
This is troublesome.
Even if he won a duel with such a massive gap in circles, it was highly likely to reflect poorly on him.
However, it was Raygan, not Kyle, who had initiated the challenge.
If he refused a duel initiated by an inferior, that would be disgraceful in its own right.
This brat... has caused a real headache.
He couldn't tell how far ahead the young man had thought before acting.
But the die was cast.
Kyle clicked his tongue and spoke.
"Fine. I'll break that lofty pride of yours."
The duel's venue was the empty lot behind the villa, enclosed by high stone walls.
Since they carried the names of Benheim and Airid respectively, a fight to the death was out of the question.
They agreed that victory would be decided by surrender, or by the judgment of Oswald Airid, who had taken on the role of referee.
"Let's set some conditions," Kyle shouted toward Raygan from across the lot.
"If I win, Raygan von Benheim, you will seal away your Spectrum Magic forever."
"Seal it? How do you plan to enforce that? Are you telling me to destroy my mana core?"
"You only need to seal your origin color. Then you will never be able to use Spectrum Magic again."
Sealing the origin color.
To an Airid mage, this was a severe punishment akin to a death sentence.
Assuming Raygan would naturally refuse, Kyle quickly added, "Of course, it would be beneath my dignity as a 6th Circle mage to go all out against a 5th Circle like you. Therefore, I will only mix two colors at most. I will face you using only 5th Circle-level Spectrum Magic and common spells. Well? That should make things fair enough, shouldn't it?"
If he fought with such self-imposed handicaps, his honor wouldn't be tarnished even if he won. It was a proposal born of careful calculation.
Upon hearing the conditions, Raygan merely shrugged.
"Kyle, was it? You'd better not let your pride get the best of you."
"What?"
"You'll get seriously hurt that way."
"..."
Kyle's face contorted.
Of course, he had heard plenty of rumors about Raygan's outstanding talent.
He had even heard that the head of the Arkamen family was showing interest in the youth.
But still...
"Arrogant bastard."
Just because he had reached a high circle at a young age didn't mean he could behave so insolently. Magical talent and real combat were entirely different matters.
As Kyle's expression turned grim, Raygan chuckled and nodded.
"Sure. I'll accept those terms. You'll only use magic up to the 5th Circle. And if I lose, I'll seal my origin color."
"Glad you understand."
"Then what do I get if I win?"
Kyle hesitated at Raygan's question.
Since he hadn't even considered the possibility of losing, he hadn't thought about it at all.
"Hmm... What is it you want?"
"Take back what you said earlier. And apologize."
"What I said earlier? Which part?"
"For insulting my origin color."
"...Is that all?"
Kyle frowned.
He couldn't comprehend why Raygan was getting so worked up over such a thing.
To be sure, having one's origin color insulted was a grave offense to an Airid mage.
But this guy wasn't even an Airid mage.
Was he really challenging him to a duel and risking the sealing of his origin color over such a trivial matter?
"If you think that's too trivial, you can throw in that stick of yours too. It looks quite expensive."
Raygan's gaze locked onto Kyle's waist.
The prism-embedded wand—the Eclat.
As a treasure symbolizing the captaincy of the Remnant Shadow Unit, it was absolutely not something that could be handed over to an outsider.
"..."
But Kyle didn't believe for a single second that he would lose to Raygan.
Above all, the family head, Oswald, was watching this duel from the terrace. Even though it was a duel against an inferior, it was clear that the family head was watching with considerable interest.
Who knew? If he demonstrated an overwhelming difference in skill in this duel, he might catch the family head's eye and rise to an even higher position.
If he was lucky, he might even become Lady Yusefin's partner.
Kyle wore a sly smile.
...This is my chance to make an impression.
Having made up his mind, Kyle lifted his chin, playing the part of an honorable mage.
"Very well. The scales must be balanced. I accept those terms. If I lose, I will sincerely apologize for my remarks earlier and hand over this wand."
"Good."
Raygan nodded.
Soon after, the sound of a magical whistle signaling the start of the duel echoed across the empty lot.
Flash!
Kyle immediately channeled his mana.
I will absolutely not lose.
There was a reason for Kyle's absolute confidence.
No matter if he only used magic up to the 5th Circle, the difference in their circles was vast. In particular, the gap between the 5th and 6th Circles was several times larger than the gap between the 4th and 5th.
Furthermore, having mastered the Airid family's mana breathing technique, Kyle's casting speed was on an entirely different level compared to Raygan's.
In an instant, the split colors of mana scattered into the air. Even at that moment, Raygan was still in the middle of gathering his mana.
I am much faster.
Kyle combined Red and White.
"Rose."
Red and white blended together, forming a dense, deep pink haze of light.
A boiling flame. In an instant, the empty lot was enveloped in sweltering heat.
Even though he had suppressed it to the 5th Circle level, the power stemming from his mastery of Spectrum Magic was absolute.
Kyle believed Raygan would never be able to respond to his attack.
However, Kyle's expectations were completely shattered.
"...Hmm?"
Though late, Raygan was already combining his colors.
The two colors shimmering at his fingertips were Blue and Yellow.
Raygan spread his hands and murmured softly.
"Jade."
With that single word, space itself seemed to freeze.
A jade barrier unfolded.
The heated air hardened like solid crystal.
The offensive magic Kyle unleashed failed to pierce Raygan's barrier.
Does he already understand the elemental hierarchy of the colors?!
Kyle was inwardly shocked.
Red was weak against Blue, and White struggled to pierce the solidity of Yellow.
Raygan had chosen the exact colors needed to neutralize Kyle's magic.
It was an outstanding achievement—and beyond that, a perfect understanding.
For someone who had only studied it for five days, he was far too proficient.
But it was still too early for Kyle to be surprised.
"...What?"
Because the moment he blocked the attack, Raygan was already charging straight toward him.
By the time Yusefin Anastasius Airid regained consciousness, the sun was already high in the sky.
As Yusefin sat up in bed and remained still, a servant noticed and approached her.
"Lady Yusefin, are you awake?"
"...Yes."
"You have been asleep for a full five days."
Yusefin nodded, understanding why.
No wonder her stomach felt completely empty.
But instead of asking the servant for food, Yusefin placed her hand over her lower abdomen—specifically, over her mana core.
"The treatment... seems to have been successful."
"Yes. We were told the treatment was perfect, and that there would be no lingering side effects."
Pure, cleansed mana was circulating smoothly through Yusefin's body.
The silver mana flowing through her was so pure and vibrant that she felt as though she could break through the barrier to the 4th Circle at any moment.
Ever since she had fallen ill two years ago, Yusefin's mind had never been as clear as it was today.
In the end, Raygan von Benheim had successfully pulled off that absurd treatment.
"..."
While Yusefin was marveling inwardly, her fingertips brushed against something.
Turning her head, she saw a small flowerpot sitting on the nightstand.
"What is... this?"
"Lady Lunia Erahan von Benheim left it behind. She said it was a token of friendship."
"And this flower?"
"It is called a desert rose. They say it symbolizes wishes for a speedy recovery."
Lunia of Benheim.
They had only crossed paths a few times in social circles, and she had no memory of being particularly close to her.
Yet, it seemed Lunia considered them friends.
Was she just naturally friendly?
Yusefin gently pulled the pot with the blooming desert rose into her arms.
"...Did anything happen during these past five days?"
"Well... it would be a bit difficult to say that absolutely nothing happened..."
The servant's voice trailed off.
An awkward silence followed, allowing Yusefin to catch the commotion coming from outside the building.
Thud.
A low vibration.
Supported by the servant, Yusefin stumbled over to the window.
The moment she pushed the window open and looked outside, her eyes widened.
In the villa's empty lot, two mages were fighting.
One was Kyle Airid, the captain of the Remnant Shadow Unit.
And the person facing him was a familiar gray-haired young man.
The man who had cured her—Raygan von Benheim.
"Why...?"
"From what I hear... Raygan von Benheim challenged him to a duel."
"No, not that. Why is...?"
Yusefin's question was not about the circumstances of the duel.
It was about the state of the battle itself.
And with good reason...
"Why... is Raygan winning?"
Because Raygan was skillfully pushing Kyle back.
Rumble!
Five-colored light erupted from Raygan's fingertips.
Spectrum Magic.
The signature magic formula of the Airid family.
Raygan was expertly combining colors to neutralize the spells Kyle threw at him. But that wasn't all.
On Raygan's legs, the Benheim rune Raidho (ᚱ) was engraved.
Explosive mobility.
Moving more like a beast of prey than a mage, Raygan slipped into Kyle's blind spots.
"Urgh!"
Flustered, Kyle deployed a defensive spell, but Raygan combined Red and Yellow Spectrum Magic to heavily shave down Kyle's barrier.
"...This is impossible."
It was shocking enough that Raygan was using the Airid family's Spectrum Magic, but the fact that he was overwhelming a 6th Circle Airid mage with it was utterly mind-boggling.
"I heard Lord Raygan demanded the signature magic formula as compensation for curing you, my lady."
The servant explained the details, but Yusefin's gaze was already completely stolen by the battle in the empty lot.
"..."
There was no hesitation in Raygan's movements.
His gestures were filled with absolute certainty, as if he were walking toward a preordained future.
Yusefin felt something swell deep within her chest.
"I'll have to... work hard."
Yusefin murmured softly, her fingers gently caressing the flowerpot in her arms.
"I don't want to be left behind."
The successor of the Airid family, Yusefin Airid, renewed her resolve once more.