Chapter 74
Soon, Lord Abellus raised his hand.
All the mana in the space began to whirl around, drawn toward his right hand as its center.
The explosion cores that had filled the air could not withstand the rotation and shattered, scattering sparks.
Crackle—
The detonation was imminent.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
The azure flames were scorching, yet silent.
Before I realized it, the deafening blasts had quieted, leaving only the crackling sound of melting objects collapsing into ash.
As my body slowly descended to the ground, I opened my eyes.
Three people lay sprawled across the scorched-black floor.
So this is what perfectly tempered Azure Flame is like…
My body trembled at the unbelievable power.
It was on a level entirely different from the authority I had once seen as a child.
Back when Lord Abellus’s control had been clumsy, every time his mana burned, it had erupted with deafening noise.
But this time, there was neither sound nor recoil.
So all that daily control training was for this…
As I walked through the air that had already cooled, I recalled the searing, all-encompassing flames that had just swept across this space.
Ignitus’s ideal of “fire.”
Hotter and more embracing than anything else.
The very power I had always longed for.
When the barrier around the arena vanished, the servants waiting in the stands rushed in and hurried to their masters.
They treated the collapsed boys as if it were routine, calmly covering them with the Authority of Frost.
“Ah—cold!”
Tophus was the first to regain consciousness.
“Ugh… my head…”
“Haha, couldn’t endure it again this time.”
Next, Pavonius and Exi woke up in turn.
“Are you okay?”
I rushed to Pavonius, who was holding his head.
But instead, he smiled to reassure me.
“I’m fine. This happened yesterday too.”
“What?”
I turned to Lord Abellus in shock.
“You mean he did this yesterday as well?”
“Yes. It’s a form of training.”
“Oh, and that game I mentioned earlier? It’s called Beat Lord Abellus. Since the arena opened, not a single person has ever succeeded—it’s infamous for its extreme difficulty.”
That was Exi, who had come to stand beside me.
Soon after, the four of us sat cross-legged on the arena floor, reviewing the battle.
Of course, the ones revising their strategy were only the three boys—not Lord Abellus.
“Ah, I didn’t think he’d attack at that moment…”
“I should’ve withdrawn the core sooner. I didn’t have enough mana to withstand Azure Flame.”
“Tophus, the heat on the ground kept bending my attacks. We need to revise our movement routes.”
Pavonius’s attacks didn’t bend…
It was because I had blocked them with my shield and deflected them.
Did he not notice? Or… were they bent to begin with, and that’s why I could block them?
While I hesitated, I missed my chance to mention my own role.
The three were so absorbed in their discussion that it felt awkward to interrupt now.
Despite trying so hard, they had never once defeated Lord Abellus.
…Amazing.
I gazed at Lord Abellus with deep admiration.
By chance, he looked at me at the same time.
But strangely, his expression seemed tinged with sorrow.
It was subtle, but I noticed it.
Why?
What lingering unease was he hiding behind that expression?
The thought made me uneasy too, but since he was clearly trying not to let the others notice, I forced myself to pretend I hadn’t seen it.
The ride back to the mansion in the chariot was quiet.
Unlike on the way there, Lord Abellus left the driving to a servant and sat beside me.
I kept silent the whole way.
Partly because I was tired, but mostly because of the expression I had seen earlier, I couldn’t bring myself to speak rashly.
As the noisy air of the arena faded away, all my thoughts turned to him.
Why did he seem unhappy?
Then—
“Well done, Calidora.”
“Eh? What do you mean?”
I blinked at the sudden praise.
What did I do well? All I had done was cling to his arm…
“You blocked all of Pavonius’s attacks.”
“Y-you noticed that…?”
“You didn’t think I wouldn’t, did you?”
Of course. He would’ve felt the vibrations too—it would’ve been stranger if he hadn’t known.
“And it was good that you didn’t tell Pavonius. I still don’t fully understand him, so I didn’t want him knowing your true strength yet.”
Lord Abellus recognized what I had done!
And he even praised me for it. It felt like a dream.
“Woooow…”
Overwhelmed, I couldn’t answer for a while.
Clatter, clatter.
Even after my small gasp of joy faded, the chariot continued rattling along.
“How was the arena?”
Lord Abellus asked me.
I couldn’t tell whether he was genuinely curious or just trying to break the silence.
“Um, well…!”
It had been nothing short of incredible. What word could possibly capture all the emotions welling up inside me?
Unable to decide, I trailed off instead.
Then I simply turned and looked at him.
It felt faster to just show him a smile.
At that, the gloom on his face lifted into a faint smile of his own.
…Still looks sad though, doesn’t he?
Why?
I tried to recall the Abellus I knew, to guess the reason.
Could it be that he disliked the idea of his friends ganging up to fight him?
For someone who cherished others as much as he did, that seemed plausible.
“Lord Abellus, why do you look so sad?”
I gathered my courage to ask directly.
I only wanted him to feel better by confiding in me.
“It’s nothing.”
He answered briefly.
“Is it because you can’t cooperate with your friends?”
“What do you mean?”
“Because you’re too strong alone, the three of them have to team up against you.”
At that, he chuckled softly, as if amused by my naive thought.
“That’s not it. We’ll cooperate when it comes to a real battle.”
“Then why do you feel bad?”
He hesitated for a long moment.
Finally, a faint, weary smile crossed his lips.
“How curious. Things I can’t even recognize in myself… you always seem to know.”
And then, his answer surprised me.
“…Perhaps I was worried about how you might see me.”
Me?
It was because of me?
It sounded sincere, yet I couldn’t understand.
“…?”
I tilted my head in silence.
“Since the day I first revealed my Authority, no one has ever seen my power without reverence. And none have ever failed to fear it, either. That’s why I wanted to keep you from coming to the arena.”
He lowered his head as he said this.
“I’m sorry. I always said it was for your safety, but that wasn’t the whole truth.”
Shocked, I clutched tightly at my dress.
He thought I would fear him?
“Why would you think that?”
I forgot my manners and burst out.
“I told you—you’re the most amazing of all! Why would I ever suddenly be afraid of you now?”
His eyes widened in surprise.
“You remembered saying that to me?”
It seemed only now he recalled hearing those words long ago, on Mount Ardeo.
‘Lord Abellus is the most amazing!’
Yes, I had said that.
Back then, he had been just a boy without confidence in himself, and I had needed to say those words.
Of course, things were different now.
He had grown, and he no longer doubted himself.
But he still hadn’t realized that I would never, ever fear him.
Holding back tears, I nodded firmly.
“I thought it would be just a fleeting memory for you, since you were so young.”
“I wasn’t too young then.”
