As the battle on the stadium slowed, the audience members finally remembered to breathe. They had been caught up in the ferocious exchange, cheering and whooping at every close call. The Pupil Tournament had long been treated as a children’s festival; no one had expected a competition of this level!
The crowd started to re-evaluate Theo, who had opened the battle with such a fiery attack. His explosive attacks had captured their spirits.
“That kid on the left, was his name Theodore? His first attack was powerful. If he was battling against a different opponent, he might’ve taken two points.”
“Blaze Shell and Gale Force are both basic spells from the Red Tower, but he had applied them quite skillfully.”
“If he continues in this fashion, he will become an Average soon.”
However, Sylvia’s counterattacks were also the subject of much discussion.
“Hrmm, but I would rate that Liquid Snake even higher. I know some Blue Tower magicians who wouldn’t be able to control it with such skill.”
“As expected from Blundell’s disciple. Drawing the opponent’s eyes upward with ice arrows, closing the distance with a unique movement technique, and finishing off the opponent with a staff blow at close range. It’s a classic example of Blundell’s combat style.”
“Although using fighting techniques in a magic contest is a bit… Well, her opponent did lose a point.”
A person who didn’t know real magic might opine that a weapon hit shouldn’t count as valid, but every war magician would retort that there was nothing strange about it.
Maintaining distance from the enemy was combat 101 for magicians. Every war magician had to factor in their opponent’s movement speed and their range before deciding what to cast. Every magician knew that they were vulnerable in close combat, so it was only a mark of a magician’s inexperience or an opponent’s skill if a magician allowed their opponent into close range.
Blundell had a rare expression of surprise on his face as he watched the match.
“… I remember that spell.”
Blundell Adruncus was the Blue Tower Master, and he was over one hundred and thirty years old. He had been a youth when Alfred Bellontes had stormed through battlefields with his signature spell. In fact, Blundell had even fought in the war against the Bellontes Principality, and he would never forget the chill that ran down his back when a blue flash appeared on that rainy battlefield. Blundell hadn’t died that day, but the wound Alfred left throbbed every time it rained.
Snap!
Blundell flicked his fingers and covered Vince and himself in a sound barrier made of water and air. Blundell glanced at Vince.
“Did you reproduce Alfred’s Magic Missile?”
“No. It’s his talent.”
“… Your eye for talent is truly impressive.”
Vince recognized Blundell’s motives in activating a sound barrier. The Blue Tower Master was not the type to exploit a mere child, and didn’t want the word to spread.
Blundell patted his wallet as he grinned. “I’ll accept your bet. If he has that much skill, then there’s a chance he’ll win.”
The two magicians joined the audience’s betting pool. Now that Blundell had bet three hundred gold and Vince added another hundred gold, there was nearly a thousand gold in the pot.
Most of the bets were on Sylvia’s victory; however, a few people chose to bet on Theodore in hope of a jackpot. If they won, they would make six times of what they had bet.
However, Blundell wasn’t focused on the stakes.
“… Too much talent makes people lonely.”
Vince glanced at him. “Huh?”
“Sylvia, that kid isn’t good at making friends. She was so different that the other children just ignored her.”
The old man’s voice had turned melancholy. Despite being her only family and teacher, Blundell hadn’t been able to alleviate her loneliness. His disciple had lost all traces of childhood at the tender age of seventeen. Perhaps this had been the psychological wall keeping her from breaking through the 5th Circle. However, the wall was now collapsing in several places.
How is it? Is it fun playing with a friend?
When he saw the bright smile from her, Blundell couldn’t help smiling as well—she had never shown him such a smile before.
“Yes, play as much as you want.”
Until you make up for everything.
***
Down on the stadium floor, the battle between the two had only gotten more intense after they had lost a point each. Fire arrows and ice arrows rained down on both sides of the battlefield as white lightning was parried by translucent shields.
Sylvia didn’t miss the opportunity the newly soggy ground gave her.
“Icicle Growth.”
“Earth Wave!”
Icicles sprang from the ground in the same instant as a wave of earth rolled over it. However, the silver-haired girl was undeterred by her buried icicles and formed another ice road.
I’m sorry, but I’ve already seen that trick!
Her speed was scary, but the ice road gave away her path, so Theo didn’t find it difficult to counter. His index finger tracked her figure racing toward him. Reversing the opponent’s offensive was also a tactic, and Magic Bullet could break through any trick.
Piiing! 𝚍ｏ𝚟𝚕.ｏｒｇ
The blue light flashed through the air faster than an arrow… and harmlessly pierced through Sylvia’s sleeve.
Sylvia’s smile grew wider. “… You already showed me that trick before.”
Theodore wasn’t the only one who had grasped the opponent’s abilities. Magic Bullet sacrificed size for pure penetration power and lethality, so it could be easily avoided if the opponent knew its trajectory. Alfred had compensated for that weakness by creating Magic Bullets that were incredibly fast, but Theo’s Magic Bullet was still lacking. Therefore, Sylvia was able to dodge the oncoming spell by using Haste to supplement her incredible reflexes.
Huoong!
Sylvia’s staff seemed to have hit Theo. However, he had scattered like smoke instead.
She gaped, “Eh?”
It was Illusion Track! This was the skill Theo had obtained from Night Prowler’s Mirage; it produced a lifelike illusion of the user, and the illusion had indeed lived up to its reputation.
Theo clapped his hands together and a pit opened up beneath Sylvia.
Kururung!
As Sylvia fell, three stone spears shot out from the walls of the pit at her. She twisted in mid-air, dodging two of the spears. However, she couldn’t avoid the spear that attacked from her blind spot.
Tch-ack!
The second crystal shattered loudly. Theo was now a point ahead, but he sprang back quickly, readying himself for a counter attack.
Right on cue, Sylvia burst out of the pit and landed in front of him.
She’s coming. Don’t turn your eyes away from her. Her first move will be…
She had used ice arrows and steam to close in once already. If Theo kept a close eye on her, then he would be able to cope with whatever Sylvia did. Theo’s eyes turned gold, and he focused.
Sylvia suddenly clapped her hands together.
Puk!
“Guh!”
An icicle pierced into Theo’s back and a crystal shattered. It was the exact same spot that Sylvia had been struck in!
This girl, did she learn my tricks?
While Sylvia was clearly superior when it came to casting speed, Theo had managed to keep an even footing throughout the battle thanks to his battle experience and practical application of magic.
However, she was learning at a terrifying speed.
He grinned. “Hoo, what a troublesome opponent.”
***
On the other side of the stadium, the girl could hardly contain her happiness.
He doesn’t hate me. He isn’t afraid. And he has so many surprises!
It was the first time Sylvia had encountered someone like Theodore. She didn’t see the slightest hint of jealousy or disgust in his eyes. He felt like a peer and a worthy opponent.
This is so much fun!
The clear smile she had lost during childhood reappeared on Sylvia’s face. She had never been approached by another child her age. The girls in her village were jealous of her silver hair and beautiful face. While Sylvia had not been of noble birth, she was a natural genius when it came to the use of magic; this had made her status murky. If Blundell hadn’t passed through her village by chance, her talent may have been buried forever.
– Why can’t she speak normally?
– Isn’t she just trying to show off?
– Tell me if you don’t want to teach me.Don’t lie.
– You’re just different from us. Why don’t you find another genius and play with them instead?
People had either hated her, misunderstood her, or were jealous of her.
And everyone else had simply turned away from her.
So Sylvia decided to distance herself and closed off her heart so that she wouldn’t get hurt. She had given up on trying to approach others and never extended her hand first.
Blundell and the other Blue Tower elders took care of her, but they couldn’t be considered her friends. Their age gap meant that they were more like her parents. Therefore, the psychological wall that she had created since childhood became a real barrier that prevented her from reaching the 5th Circle.
It had already been a few years since she had made any progress.
– Hoo, what a troublesome opponent.
Theo reached out to her from beyond the crumbling wall.
