~Chapter 78~
There were many foreign nobles and even the King of Edelheim at this event. Any mistake could lead to severe consequences.
‘I’m not nervous. I’m not trembling…’
But even though I told myself that, my heart wasn’t exactly calming down. I gulped down water when suddenly, the door opened.
“Inspector Guffero?”
A red-haired investigator walked in confidently.
“How long are you going to keep calling me that? Just call me Felix.”
He muttered as he raised something in his hand.
“Now, smile.”
“Huh?”
Before I could react, there was a flash of bright light, followed by the sound of a camera.
“What—what is that?”
“I just took a commemorative photo. Good job with the demonstration. See you later!”
Then Felix vanished just as quickly as he appeared, as if the only purpose was to take a picture.
“What the hell… is he crazy?”
Now that I thought about it, things had been feeling strange lately.
Aska was Aska, Felix was Felix, and Reyester was Reyester.
‘They keep exchanging looks while watching me.’
It felt like something shady was going on behind the scenes, but with the magic demonstration right in front of me, I couldn’t ask about it immediately.
‘I’ll ask about it once this event is over.’
A loud trumpet blared, and the sound of fireworks went off as the door to the waiting room opened.
It was time to enter.
‘I’ve prepared well.’
Since I had been practicing with Aska, I was confident that it would go smoothly without any issues.
The plan was already set, and even though this was just a demonstration, I had been thinking about how to catch Aska off guard.
After intense consideration, I came up with one method.
‘There’s a risk involved, but if it succeeds…’
I might finally be able to end the long streak of defeats.
I stepped into the arena, which was flooded with light and dazzling effects. On the opposite side, Aska stood like an insurmountable wall.
“The pride of Edelheim, two great magicians will now face off in this very arena!”
The announcer’s voice began to fade, and the crowd seemed to blur in my vision.
I focused solely on Aska.
And then…
“…Start!”
***
The VIP seats in the arena were divided into sections with partitions, so I could comfortably watch the match without worrying about being stared at.
To prevent any potential damage, the front of the arena was protected with defensive magic.
Shiz, who had been seated in the VIP section, was reunited with the Duke and Duchess of Willovis after a long time.
“How have you been, little Shiz?”
“Good.”
“You look so nice in that outfit.”
Today, Shiz was dressed in neat ivory-colored pants and a crisp white shirt, her hair tied up high. A cute sky-blue teddy bear hung from her back like a bag.
“Philippa, everything’s been alright?”
At the Duchess’s question, Philippa, who had been waiting nearby, smiled warmly.
“I have plenty of stories to tell.”
“Oh, really?”
The Duchess’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Meanwhile, Shiz was struggling to climb onto her seat. Due to the elevation, she couldn’t see the arena properly.
“Come to think of it, Shiz, since you’re so small, you probably can’t see from here.”
Seeing Shiz craning her neck, the Duchess tapped her knees.
“Why don’t you sit here? You’ll be able to see better.”
“Can I really?”
“Of course.”
A lap seat… Shiz, who had always dreamed of sitting on an adult’s lap, blushed and sat down on the duchess’s lap.
Sure enough, sitting on an adult’s lap, Shiz could see the arena much more clearly.
“Mom! Aska is over there too!”
Shiz excitedly kicked her legs as she spotted Relshiz standing on one side of the arena and Aska on the other.
The Duchess patted Shiz’s head lovingly.
“Are you going to fight your mom and Aska now?”
“Oh, don’t worry. It’s just for show. It’s not dangerous.”
The Duke, sitting beside her, explained calmly.
“I see.”
So, it’s like a play, Shiz thought to herself, and then focused back on the match.
The Duke and Duchess shared a similar thought as they closed their eyes tightly.
‘Please go easy on her, my son.’
After a long moment of tense waiting, the announcer raised a flag.
“…Start!”
Immediately, Shiz’s eyes grew even wider.
‘So fast!’
It all happened in an instant.
A huge flame shot out from Relshiz’s side, and sharp ice shot out from Aska’s side.
With a loud crash, the heat from the flames reached even the VIP seats. Shiz couldn’t even close her mouth in awe.
“Wow…”
Every time mana collided, pieces of broken magic arrays glittered in the air like jewels.
The beautiful sight was enough to make Shiz forget any grievances she had with Relshiz for being so busy lately.
“Isn’t it amazing?”
As if reading Shiz’s thoughts, the Duchess asked.
“Relshiz is truly an amazing magician, Shiz. If you work hard, you can become someone just as incredible.”
“A magician…”
Shiz muttered softly. How much effort must it have taken to become like that?
‘Did my sister also do all those endless dictations every day to become like this?’
Learning magic was really fun. At first, anyway. As the things I had to learn increased, my interest started to fade.
‘Dictation is boring, and I can’t do cute magic like Aska…’
There were so many things I couldn’t do, and the expectations from adult Relshiz were way too high.
‘Shiz, you don’t want to live being ignored, do you? Just think of it as learning now for what you’ll need to do later.’
Shiz was slowly feeling the weight of her future. She couldn’t just run away.
‘Sister must have gone through a lot when she was growing up. She doesn’t want me to go through the same hardships…’
Sigh. Shiz watched Relshiz performing the magic demonstration with a distant feeling.
‘…But sister, why does your expression look so scary?’
Relshiz’s face while countering Aska’s magic seemed somehow off.
Shiz, who didn’t understand the situation, tilted her head.
***
‘Aska, you bastard!’
I cursed inwardly as I deflected the incoming ice.
‘This isn’t what we agreed on!’
This crazy guy started using different magic, going completely off-script and disregarding the plan we had.
What started as a demonstration had turned into an actual duel.
He didn’t seem to be thinking much; he was just smiling faintly.
I hastily countered Aska’s magic while quickly accessing his channel.
‘Hey! What’s going on?’
[Well done, Rel. Your skill has improved.]
He sounded pleased.
‘Stop joking, and from now on, stick to the plan. Got it?’
[… ]
There was no reply, and the channel was closed.
‘Ah, so you’re just trying to have a go at me?’
My anger flared like oil on a fire.
There were signs that things were off. Something had felt strange lately.
‘Is he trying to completely crush me here and humiliate me?’
I wasn’t going to let him have his way. I wouldn’t let myself be humiliated like in the old academy days.
The ice shards Aska had created quickly rushed toward me. I rolled back, preparing the magic I needed to counter it.
Within just a few seconds, there was a fierce exchange of attacks.
‘Damn, I can’t afford to look weak here.’
This fight wasn’t just about Aska and me. It was a battle between the Master of the Dawn Tower and the Royal Court’s top magician.
If I, appointed by the king to keep Aska in check, couldn’t even land a single blow on him today, it would be humiliating.
At that moment, Aska’s eyes sharpened.
Unlike me, he seemed to be enjoying himself. It was a look I had seen before when we fought.
“This reminds me of the old days, doesn’t it?”
