Chapter 41: The Ancient Grimoire (1)
Henya froze, momentarily stunned by the outcome of the duel. But it didn’t take long for her to recover. With her usual sharpness restored, she cleared her throat and turned to Risir, addressing him.
“I’ll admit it, Risir. You seem to have a talent. A special one, just like me.”
“...”
“Yes! Maybe you’re even slightly, marginally more special than me. But did you know? I think your sense of humor is terrible.”
Just moments ago, Henya had braced herself for Risir to revel in his victory. After all, she would have done the same in his position.
But Risir hadn’t gloated. Instead, he’d approached her with a serious expression, extending his hand in a gesture of respect.
For a brief, fleeting moment, Henya had been captivated. She’d even entertained the idea of acknowledging him as a rival.
But it turned out she was mistaken. This wasn’t an honorable mage’s handshake, but a shameless loan shark’s demand for payment.
“Did you really have to ruin the moment with such a dreadful joke? Honestly, I was this close to being genuinely impressed.”
Henya scolded him, arms crossed. The spark of pure admiration she’d felt was thoroughly extinguished.
“But I wasn’t joking.”