First Real Combat (2)
“Looks like it's over.”
The massive bulk of the Grand Chimera Dragon crashed heavily to the ground, bristling with colossal shards of ice impaled deep into its flesh.
It had been an entirely one-sided slaughter. The moment Merna unleashed her true magic, the dragon lost its wings and plummeted from the sky. From that point on, it ceased to be a fight and became butchery. Had Merna paid no mind to her surroundings, the battle would have concluded in mere seconds. With peerless, surgical control, she had directed every devastating spell strictly into the creature's body to prevent unnecessary destruction.
The beast had tried desperately to mount a counterattack, but every attempt proved futile. The instant it parted its jaws to unleash a lethal frost breath, a piercing spell struck true into its maw, immediately followed by a merciless barrage of subsequent ice magic. It couldn't even be called a battle. A one-sided hunt—that was the only fitting description.
What made the feat truly absurd was that she had chosen to use ice magic against an adversary naturally attuned to biting frost. Even under such a self-imposed handicap, her victory was absolute.
“Thank you, Lady Merna.” Felix bowed his head in deep gratitude as Merna strode back from the battlefield.
“Don't mention it. It wasn't that big of a deal.”
“Haha... of course.” Felix could only offer a wry, bitter smile.
To be frank, Eron deeply sympathized with the man right now. Though his master had praised him for exceeding expectations during his trial, witnessing her battle firsthand made the reality crystal clear. He finally understood what it truly meant to be an Archmage, and just how staggering the distance was to his ultimate goal.
“Eron? Are you feeling all right?”
“Yes, I'm feeling a bit better now.”
“Sheesh~ what a weakling! Collapsing over just that?”
She was worried sick a moment ago, but the second I look half-decent, she goes right back to teasing. Eron had a dozen retorts lined up for Ifrit, but with so many witnesses present, he swallowed his words and kept silent.
“It's likely because it was your first real battle,” Merna remarked casually. “You put too much strain on your nerves.”
While channeling Spirit Magic alongside a spirit consumed physical stamina rather than mana, it had never drained him to this extent during practice. So this is what real combat feels like. Eron keenly felt the irreplaceable value of actual battlefield experience.
“You will improve with time,” Merna continued. “Though building up more stamina will be essential as well.”
Even if utilizing spirit mana was incomparably more efficient than traditional casting, physical stamina was still steadily depleted. Rigorous conditioning was an undeniable necessity. Wait... a mage doing physical conditioning? Isn't that a little bizarre?
“We shall take our leave now.” Having verified Eron's condition, Merna turned back to Felix.
“Are you departing already? Please, return to the castle through the magic circle first. I will have fine mounts prepared for your journey.” Having witnessed Eron's astonishing potential, Felix extended the invitation in hopes of building even the slightest connection with the young talent.
“No need. We planned to travel near this area anyway. We will head out directly from here.”
“Is that so? Very well. In that case, we shall return first. I will handle all matters regarding this child as swiftly as possible.”
“Good. I'll take your word for it.”
Felix considered pressing a little further, but quickly discarded the thought. Knowing Merna's eccentric, resolute temperament, he judged it wiser not to push his luck.
“And make sure to dispose of that properly,” Merna added, nodding toward the fallen monster. “It may not be a true dragon, but its draconic blood runs thick. You must handle it with utmost care.”
“Yes, I intend to dispatch a disposal team immediately.”
There was an old truth that draconic blood drew demonfolk and monsters like moths to a flame. The moment Merna had declared she would slay the beast, Felix had already begun preparations to safely dismantle the carcass. Years ago, Felix had lost both his parents and his elder brother to a catastrophic monster incursion. His wife, too, had suffered terribly at the hands of demons. When it came to anything capable of inciting another monster or demon incident, Felix was more vigilant than anyone alive. Naturally, he was ruthless and meticulous in eliminating potential sparks.
“Is that so? How do you plan to handle it?”
“First, I'll mobilize mages capable of purification to dismantle the carcass, and then the materials will be—ah...” Realizing the subtle intent behind Merna's inquiry, Felix's mental abacus clicked furiously into motion. “Do you... need something from it, Lady Merna?”
“Mm, I appreciate a quick wit. My disciple performed admirably today, so I was thinking of gifting him a little something.”
“Ah, is that so?”
At the mention of a gift for her apprentice, Felix shut down his mental calculator and immediately shifted gears.
“I can pay you if you wish,” Merna offered casually.
“Oh... no, absolutely not! Take whichever parts you require, free of charge. Lady Merna and this boy subdued the beast yourselves; we couldn't possibly accept payment.”
“Hm, is that so?”
There was no need to nickel-and-dime over coin here. Felix calculated that leaving a favorable impression on the two of them—especially on Eron—would yield infinitely greater returns down the road.
“Then I shall accept with gratitude.”
“In that case, until the dissection crew arrives, if you would wait—”
“No need. I'll harvest it myself, so don't fret.”
“Ah... understood.”
To Felix's quiet dismay, his attempt to detain them just a little longer was foiled once again. Swallowing his disappointment, Felix addressed Eron warmly.
“Your name was Eron, correct? Are you feeling all right?”
“Yes, I have recovered. It seems I merely overtaxed my nerves.”
“I see. I do not know when our paths will cross again, but let us meet once more when that time comes.” Felix offered a gentle smile and extended his hand.
“Of course, Lord Administrator.”
Eron accepted the handshake, bowing courteously in strict accordance with the noble etiquette forcibly drilled into him by his former personal maid, Abel. I used to wonder why she was drilling this into me, but it really does come in handy. Abel probably hadn't anticipated a situation quite like this either, but Eron felt a surge of gratitude toward her all the same.
“Haha. It might be inappropriate of me to say, but... you are quite different from your father.”
“I'd rather not even be mentioned in the same breath as that man.”
Felix was slightly taken aback by Eron's unhesitating, razor-sharp disdain, but it only evoked deeper sympathy within him. He didn't know the full details, but he could easily imagine the sort of abuses Jaylen was capable of inflicting.
“Indeed. One could never compare you to such a man.”
“Not at all. Please forgive my discourteous outburst.”
Felix found himself fond not merely of Eron's talent, but of the young man's character. Considering everything Eron must have endured in his past, Felix couldn't help but marvel at how admirably the boy had grown.
“Go on, then. Until next time.”
“Yes, Lord Administrator.”
Felix offered one last respectful bow to Merna before stepping onto the magic circle and vanishing back to his castle. As he departed, his thoughts raced toward the future—scheming for the day Eron would return as a fully matured mage. How could I entangle him with my daughter? The gears in Felix's mind clicked once more, calculating every possible angle.
“Let us be on our way as well,” Merna said.
“Master? Where are we headed now?”
“Originally, I intended to show you more of the wider world, but I've decided to adjust the itinerary.”
“Adjust it... how?” A prickle of dread ran down Eron's spine, his mind instantly flashing back to the grueling training of the past few days.
“Hey... something feels off,” Ifrit piped up anxiously. “That woman is scheming something crazy again!” Despite being completely invisible to Merna, the little fire spirit instinctively ducked behind Eron's shoulder.
“Don't give me that look,” Merna said, catching the panic on her apprentice's face. “You won't face training as harsh as last time again—unless it is truly necessary, of course.”
“Which means she will do it whenever she feels like it!” Uncharacteristically sharp, Ifrit caught the loophole right away.
Well, if it's truly necessary, I'll endure it. He had ventured out into the world with that level of resolve from the start. Even though the training over the past few days had tested his sanity to its limits, his determination remained unshaken.
“Eron, what did you think when you watched me battle that Grand Chimera Dragon?”
“I realized just how far away my goal truly lies.”
“Did you now?” Merna smirked, clearly amused by his response. “Hmph. Just recognizing that is more than enough for now. It's only natural. It hasn't even been a month since you began learning magic; it would be abnormal if the peak seemed close.”
“Yes, Master.”
When he thought about it, she was entirely right. No matter how extraordinary it was to channel the boundless mana of spirits, expecting the realm of an Archmage to be within arm's reach already made no sense.
“Then shall we pick up where we left off in our previous lesson?”
“Right here, right now?”
“No better time than while the experience is fresh in your mind.”
“Understood, Master.”
With the colossal corpse of the Grand Chimera Dragon and the precipitous cliff edge looming right beside them, Merna began an impromptu lecture.
“I previously explained the two primary branches of magic, did I not?”
“Yes. You said magic is broadly divided into Natural Magic and Special Magic.”
“Natural Magic channels mana to invoke the forces of nature, manifesting them into geometric shapes prescribed by magic circles. All elemental magic falls under this domain.”
In essence, Natural Magic called forth the fundamental aspects of nature—fire, ice, darkness, and light—through the medium of mana. Consequently, its destructive power could fluctuate depending on the surrounding environment. Most of these elemental spells had been formulated in ancient times, and newly invented ones were exceedingly rare.
“Special Magic encompasses everything else—phenomena unrelated to natural elements. Disciplines like Space Magic and summoning fall into this category.”
Unlike Natural Magic, Special Magic saw the continuous development of novel spells, which often became the definitive signature of the mages who pioneered them.
“Eron, the Spirit Magic you wield belongs to Natural Magic. And—”
“And that is both its greatest strength and its weakness, correct?”
“Precisely.”
Spirits were incarnations born directly of nature. Thus, a spirit's mana was nothing less than nature's raw force itself. Natural Magic invoked through the boundless mana of a contracted spirit possessed destructive potency leagues beyond standard spells. Yet that very foundation meant other forms of magic were completely inaccessible. Because Eron cast magic in partnership with Ifrit, a fire spirit, he could cast nothing but flames.
“To be sure, relying on a single element can be a crippling flaw for a mage. But that only holds true for mediocrities.”
“Pardon?”
“Did you not watch me fight that creature?” Merna gestured toward the battered, lifeless form of the Grand Chimera Dragon.
She's right... Master took it down using nothing but ice magic. Facing an adversary that commanded lethal cold, she had met frost with frost and pulverized it into oblivion.
“If you hone even a single element's power and application to its absolute limit, you can reach the apex of magic. Especially in your case—the sheer destructive potential of your spells can ascend to heights no ordinary mage could ever rival.”
Could it be that she fought that way on purpose, just to demonstrate this principle to him? The realization struck Eron with sudden clarity.
“While it isn't impossible for you to contract other spirits in the future, there is no guarantee. For now, focus entirely on mastering the applications of fire magic and accumulating real combat experience.”
“Yes, Master!”
Merna nodded in deep satisfaction at Eron's spirited reply, which was louder and firmer than ever before.
“Conveniently enough, I have just the gift to aid you in that endeavor.”
“A gift?”
The unexpected offer caught Eron off guard, but despite his surprise, the corners of his lips twitched upward into an involuntary smile. Though Eron was a reincarnator with a lifetime of experience that far exceeded his physical years, the word "gift" never failed to stir a quiet flutter of excitement in one's chest.
“Behold.” With an air of quiet pride, Merna summoned an object into view.
“Is that... a staff?”
“Indeed. A staff. A fine staff is of immense help in circulating mana and shaping spells.”
The staff—perhaps the quintessential symbol of a mage. He had certainly wanted one for himself.
“Since you cannot cast Space Magic, you will have to suffer the inconvenience of carrying it on your person, but the benefits far outweigh the nuisance. Especially now that we've chanced upon such exceptional crafting materials.”
“Exceptional materials? Do you mean... that?” Eron pointed back toward the sprawling carcass of the Grand Chimera Dragon.
“It's a slight pity it isn't a true dragon, but even with this hybrid, we can fashion a magnificent staff.”
“Thank you, Master!”
“You seemed dissatisfied with your performance, but you did more than enough today. You deserve this reward.”
Watching her apprentice beam with joy, Merna smiled with fond warmth. Though she had spent years adamantly refusing to take on an apprentice, having taken Eron under her wing, she had become thoroughly enamored with the joys of nurturing a disciple.
“Now then, let's harvest the material before moving on.”
“Which part do we need?”
“The heart, of course. I took great pains to restrain my magic during the battle specifically to avoid damaging it, so it should be in pristine condition.”
The heart...
Wait, so she wasn't holding back to protect the surroundings—she was holding back to preserve the heart?
I did wonder why she fought with such exaggerated restraint... Wait. The heart?
“Eeeek! KYAAAAAAAH!”
Eron's fleeting foreboding hit the mark with pinpoint accuracy. Extracting a heart from the gruesome corpse of a Grand Chimera Dragon was, quite naturally, not a sight meant for polite company. Caught completely off guard by the gory spectacle, Ifrit's shrill, terrified shrieks echoed endlessly across the windswept cliff.