BSS 75

Chapter 75

Since I had spread the fog, no one would be able to see us.

“Ador!”

[It’s been a while, Master!]

The one whispering back was my secret weapon, the electric spirit Ador, which I usually didn’t summon in front of people knowledgeable about spirits. I had used him in front of the Shabel Mercenary Corps, but they were ignorant of spirits, so that was an exception.

[Focus. There’s an enemy in the fog.]

[What should I do?]

Ador wasn’t quite as in sync with me as Undine was, so directing him was tricky. I had to explain everything in detail.

[The enemy is holding a sword, so attack there.]

[How?]

[Unleash electricity!]

[At what intensity?]

[With all your might! 10% of my mana!]

It was infuriating that he couldn’t grasp what I meant in such a critical moment.

Ador seemed to understand vaguely and flew into the fog.

We were in thick fog where we couldn’t see an inch ahead, only barely hearing the faint crunch of Robenin’s footsteps as he silently tracked me.

Then lightning flashed directly to my right.

How had he gotten so close without me noticing?!

“Ugh!”

A shallow groan reached me, along with the smell of something burning.

Robenin, soaked from the water and moving in the damp fog, had been caught off guard. He hadn’t expected an electric attack and had faced it unprepared while holding his sword.

Ador’s attack was clearly effective.

Holding a sword in front of an electric spirit was like holding a lightning rod!

[Ador, again!]

[10%?]

[20%!]

Once more, a massive amount of mana surged out, and through the fog, I heard Robenin drop his sword.

At that point, my mana was almost depleted, so I recalled Ador.

I thought Undine alone would be enough to deal with a lightning-struck Robenin.

—What on earth is happening in there?!

I foolishly began worrying about what excuse I would make for using an electric attack as a water spirit if I somehow won.

Yes, thinking I could win was exactly what brought my defeat.

[Are you okay, Master?]

I heard Undine’s voice.

I was still invisible, and I had commanded it that way to conserve every bit of mana.

[Undo invisibility, Undine.]

I figured it would be fine since we were still in the fog.

Undine appeared right before me, and I strained my ears to locate Robenin.

Where are you, Robenin?

It was only for a moment. I had been standing still, focusing on sensing him.

And if I was right, he was just behind me.

I turned back in a rush, stepping backward—but Robenin, sword raised, moved through the fog faster than I could react.

‘It’s over.’

It was too late to escape.

His sword was completely blackened, and a deadly aura radiated from it.

I was so startled by his sudden appearance that I couldn’t make any rational decisions.

I had little mana left, and no time to shout commands.

All I could do was strongly will it.

I had to make Undine understand immediately.

Protect me, Undine.

Protect me.

[Master!]

I braced myself, thinking it was better to be stabbed than surrender and live unscathed. I squeezed my eyes shut.

Then came the sound of tearing.

I wasn’t hurt.

But my whole body was covered in goosebumps. A foreboding I had never felt before swept over me.

Helplessly, I felt tears streaming down my face, not knowing what had happened, and I opened my eyes in panic.

And I saw Undine, torn apart.

[Master…]

Her small body was shredded…

“Undine!”

The spirit’s body, slashed by the sword, had been utterly destroyed.

The scene filled my vision.

This wasn’t what I meant by “protect me.”

Robenin raised his sword at me again, but I narrowly avoided its path.

I didn’t really dodge—it was more that my body collapsed helplessly.

The shock made it impossible to breathe.

For the first time, I heard the sound of a spirit being torn apart. The forced recall of Undine from shock, the overwhelming mental impact—it made the blood rising in my throat barely register.

I slumped onto the marble floor, vomiting blood.

“Ugh…huff…”

I continued vomiting over the puddle of water.

No matter how much I tried to stop it with my hands, the blood kept flowing from my nose and mouth.

My consciousness flickered.

I could tell the internal injuries were worse than before.

It felt like my internal organs were being squeezed and torn apart.

What I was feeling was only a fraction of the pain Undine had endured.

While crouched and vomiting blood, a familiar embrace caught me, slapping my cheek.

“Genie!”

Was it Teacher Irito? I wasn’t sure.

“Pull yourself together!”

The clear sky came into view as I finally opened my eyes.

The fog had lifted since Undine had disappeared.

The last thing I saw before losing consciousness was Robenin.

The expressionless Robenin Pedri.

He looked completely disinterested in me.

—The fog lifts! So… the winner? As expected, the pride of our empire! Behold, everyone. The winner! Robenin Pedri!

When I opened my eyes, I was crying.

I had been dreaming a nightmare the whole time.

Undine.

Undine.

No matter how desperately I called her, she didn’t come to me.

The more I called her name, the emptier it felt, and the realization that she wouldn’t come tore me apart.

She should have been by my side.

She had never ignored my call before. I couldn’t bear it, and I kept crying.

“Teacher.”

“Genie…”

“It’s no use. I can’t summon her. She won’t come.”

I called for Undine without rest, fell into despair without pause, and clung to Teacher Irito, losing consciousness repeatedly over several days.

I spent my days buried in the fear and sadness that Undine might have been destroyed, crying into my pillow.

Some days, I cried as if I were about to vomit from guilt and remorse.

“We choose our master.”

Rai’s words kept coming to mind.

“An immature master will destroy us, but that too is the consequence of our choice.”

“A master’s weakness returns entirely to us.”

“Master, the vow of a spirit is like staking our life—like a human putting their life on the line.”

There are countless kinds of sadness in losing something, each with its own depth. But as a spirit mage, as someone who bonded with spirits and felt them as part of myself, there was no sorrow like this in the world.

Some spirit mages compared it to the despair of losing a child.

It was a kind of sickness unique to spirit mages.

Our weakness and flaw.

If I were just a mage, I wouldn’t have to endure this tearing pain and grief.

“I… I love my master.”

“I’ll be stronger!”

“My master.”

Through the tears, I reached a conclusion.

Robenin Pedri.

That bastard.

Even after returning to Dmitri, I had to recover for over a month.

Once I finally healed, I received more congratulations than comfort.

The principal called me in front of the entire school to award me, but I ignored it and locked myself in my room.

Winning the kindergarten division tournament meant nothing to me.

All that remained was the humiliation I never wanted to feel again.

“Genie, you did enough. Truly! It’s been ten years since Drike Academy had a champion. You should be proud.”

The only person who even partially understood my feelings was Teacher Iel, another spirit mage, but even he only sympathized with the fact I had lost Undine.

“No. I’m frustrated and furious.”

“Who could beat Robenin Pedri? That fight was destined from the start.”

“You don’t understand, Teacher!”

“Genie.”

“If I hadn’t acted like an idiot, I could have won! Undine wouldn’t have ended up like that!”

No one blamed me or mocked me for losing to Robenin.

In fact, people praised me for even being noticed by him for a duel and for enduring as long as I did.

But that only made me angrier.

“Don’t blame yourself. Everyone thinks you’re amazing…”

“I don’t care what people think! Losing alone is humiliating enough!”

“Of course, I understand that. I know how proud you are, Genie. But Prince Pedri is considered a genius who will become a Swordmaster before he turns twenty.”

“Who decides that? Who says it’s okay to lose to Robenin Pedri?!”

I was furious, and that name was like a curse.

Friends and teachers tried to soothe me, but no one could truly satisfy my temper.

For a while, I became like a festering sore in the academy.

“See! Have you seen the gifts sent by His Majesty to honor Genie? He was delighted and said to support her in anything she needs. The emperor’s reward is huge too, you know?”

“I don’t want any of it.”

“Come now… haven’t I told you how proud I am to be your teacher?”

“Just give me paper. A pen.”

“What will you do?”

My simmering rage didn’t subside until two months after returning to Dmitri.

“I will write a letter to His Majesty the King.”

After hearing hundreds of compliments—whether for me or Robenin—I said,

“I’ll request a training room.”

There were high-ranking spirit mages capable of commanding high spirits, evaluated on par with Swordmasters.

If Robenin could do it, so could I.