Chapter 110
Chapter 110
As Alter looked around the Lebhardin Magic Society, he realized it had become quite deserted.
It was likely that, with the announcement of the next great mage, some disciples had decided to withdraw.
Furthermore, there were a few who had occasionally caused uproars, disagreeing with Alraune's decision.
'That side became a disciple through a different route... so I suppose their position is different.'
Although great mages typically select their own disciples directly, sometimes they receive recommendations for separate candidates from other society heads.
Since personal judgement might not always be sufficient, additional disciples would be recruited from outside.
However, from the other society heads' perspectives, profit and loss always came into consideration, so even this could only be accepted with protest.
'Still, it seems most people have accepted it. Was blocking the breath attack just that impressive?'
Alter suddenly recalled that battle, his expression turning subtly complicated.
Had Tiksa the Frostbane not intervened, he would never have been able to neutralize that breath.
Was it really right to be acknowledged for his skills based on a fleeting moment of luck?
'Even if I try it again, I wouldn't have enough mana...'
"It's much quieter than before, isn't it? Finally, the society looks as it should."
"... Mr. Dewin."
Alter couldn't help but feel uneasy as he faced Dewin.
Dewin was the top disciple of the great mage and considered the most likely candidate to become the next great mage.
However, since Alter had suppressed that possibility, Dewin surely held at least a little resentment toward him.
"Right now, we can focus more on magical training. No more struggling to find an open spot in the training halls."
"I thought you would leave the society."
"That's certainly one option... but should the top disciple be the first to go?"
Dewin looked up to Alter as a mage.
He was younger than Dewin and had started studying magic in earnest even later.
Still, with overwhelming talent, he had reached great heights and was ultimately chosen as the next great mage.
"Don't you feel wronged?"
"Hmm... if I'm honest, I have had those feelings. But it just means I lack the qualities and skills. I, for one, could never have blocked the breath like you, Lord Alter."
"It was nothing more than luck. And by my standards, Mr. Dewin, your skills don't seem lacking at all."
"It is truly gratifying to hear that from the next great mage. That's why I did consider leaving and working formally, but I judged it's not quite time yet."
Of course, Dewin needed to earn money for his family as soon as possible.
But given the current uncertainty, while other disciples hurried to expand their activities, Dewin intended to wait until circumstances settled before firmly establishing himself.
"Is there somewhere else you had in mind?"
"Becoming a royal mage seems the best, don't you think? The salary is high and the social world treats you well. By then, I'll likely be able to marry."
"Is this because of your family obligations?"
"I can't spend my whole life pursuing magical training... Now I believe I need to fulfill my duties as head of the house."
"So you'll be leaving soon."
"I suppose there's no way around it. Even as the top disciple, I can't ignore reality."
Dewin had already received some offers from society heads and other mages.
But as the great mage's chief disciple, he couldn't just abandon his society.
For his own honor and pride, he could not let himself be swayed by narrow desires.
"So you'll inherit the position of family head soon."
"It's been postponed for quite some time. Once I've established a foundation, I'll have to put my house in order immediately."
"Then, will you marry after becoming head?"
"Ah... That's something I'm still considering. But after that, marriage will probably be easier, don't you think?"
"Even becoming a royal mage shouldn't make marriage difficult, unless your standards are unreasonably high."
"Haha... I'm a man too, so of course, I hope to form a bond with a beautiful lord's daughter. In that regard, I envy you, Lord Alter."
Dewin had once glimpsed Alter's fiancé in passing.
She was a true beauty and even radiated the dignified grace of a knight.
Anyone would have fallen for such a woman, and Alter had her all to himself.
"... She's more than I deserve, really."
"What are you saying? Lord Alter, you yourself are exceptionally handsome. There was a time when only your name echoed through society gatherings."
"Uh... I doubt it was that remarkable. I was just briefly in the spotlight."
"At the time, people even joked they wished you'd break off your engagement. If your fiancé had heard, she'd have been furious."
Alter returned a faint smile to be polite. Dewin was probably complimenting both him and Brillie Illenat on purpose.
He needed to downplay the fact he wasn't chosen as great mage.
In other words, Dewin was showing proper courtesy to the next great mage.
'Things are going to get noisy over this. I'd better keep a low profile for a while.'
* * *
Brillie Illenat sought out Megarexor and politely requested a sparring match.
Without even asking the reason, Megarexor immediately picked up a wooden sword.
She had likely recognized her own shortcomings through the wars fought in the northern and eastern territories.
"You know, don't you? When a woman faces off against a man, there are many physical disadvantages, and that's why you're getting pushed back."
Megarexor knocked away Brillie's wooden sword with ease and spoke leisurely.
If it was a contest of strength alone, he would obviously have the advantage.
Brillie was hanging on, just barely, by skillfully applying techniques from various fields.
"Haaah... There's no room for such excuses on the battlefield."
Brillie panted heavily and charged in again with her wooden sword.
If she wanted to grow as a swordsman, she couldn't be limited by her weaknesses.
All she could do was keep challenging herself, relentlessly, until she succeeded.
"For your strength, you're decent, but against truly strong opponents, that will show as a weakness—and that's why you have to supplement it with mana."
"And if mana isn't enough, you have to rely on technique, right?"
"Technique is only as good as the strength backing it. Without raw power, technique doesn't matter. Did your techniques work against the dragon?"
"... Of course not."
Brillie stabilized her breath a moment later, but her expression was sullen.
Approaching a dragon at all was never easy.
If you got hit directly by its breath, death was certain.
Against that kind of foe, you didn't win with technique, but with overwhelming force.
"In life, there's plenty of times to cut corners. But those tricks are just cheating—try pulling one before a dragon and you only shorten your life."
"... My fiancé withstood a breath. Me, I would have just dodged however I could. Can I achieve anything at this level?"
Brillie still couldn't forget that moment.
She had only been away from Alter's side for an instant.
But the breath had come down, and she couldn't even react.
If Alter hadn't neutralized the breath, she would have been tormented by regret for the rest of her life.
"Hey, Sword Flower. Are you misunderstanding something here?"
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
"Even I would have tried to dodge the breath if I'd been there. You just made a mistake, that's all—it's not because you lacked skill. Are you really comparing yourself to the youngest son of the grand duke's house? Good grief..."
With a sigh, Megarexor listlessly lowered his wooden sword, his motivation gone.
He understood at least a bit what Brillie was feeling. But her frame of reference was wildly off.
She was clinging to a modest hope, nothing more.
"I'll give you my honest opinion. That ducal brat is truly terrifying—he's got talent with magic, second to none. That's why he became the next great mage so young."
"...."
"And you aren't any different—do you really think you lucked into your title? That's something I can't even entertain as a joke. The blows you showed back then were genuinely fierce. Even compared to that damned kid, you didn't fall short."
"By 'damned kid'... you mean the next Sword Saint?"
"Yeah, that punk. Who knows what he's up to now..."
Absent-mindedly, Megarexor furrowed his brows as he thought of Lang Couster.
If only the kid had polished himself a little more, he would have surpassed Megarexor long ago—and yet, with the pinnacle so close, he had vanished, and now his very fate was unknown.
"I worried about it a lot too... but it's time I told you."
"Hmm? Do you know the whereabouts of that damned kid?"
"I didn't see his face—but when I crossed swords with him, the style was so familiar that I just knew."
"... Don't tell me, he's sided with the monsters?"
"You've heard of the Knight of True Flame, right?"
"You're saying he's the Knight of True Flame?"
"That's my guess, at least."
"..."
Megarexor was filled with emptiness and sorrow.
The one who had longed for the Sword Saint's title so much had ended up twisted into a monster instead.
If someone else had said this, he'd have dismissed it, but since it was Sword Flower herself, he had to believe it, at least a little.
"So... was he a match for you?"
"My fiancé and I joined forces to barely drive him back. With the way he wielded fire, he must have gained some enormous power somewhere."
"Foolish bastard, he's gone completely mad. Anything else?"
"Also, when the dragon was near death, he appeared and drained its mana. He must be even stronger now than he was then."
"This crazy bastard... Is he really determined to give up being human?"
Brillie, deep down, agreed with Megarexor.
Only by destroying your own humanity could you make such a choice.
Perhaps the next Sword Saint, Lang Couster, had already reached a point of no return.
"It's not certain yet. It's just my guess..."
"No. You used to run a knight order with that guy, didn't you? With your skills, you'd know for sure."
"Even if I'm right, there's nothing I can do at this point."
"What can you do? He's someone I acknowledged—so I'll have to deal with him myself."
From those words, Brillie inadvertently sensed a killing intent.
Megarexor must still harbor a mixture of longing and betrayal toward Lang Couster as a Sword Saint.
That was why he could never forgive him—and why he was determined to handle it personally.
'Sword Saint is strong, but could even he handle the Knight of True Flame? With dragon mana as well, it'll be even more difficult than before...'