༺ Duel – Interlude ༻
Fortunately, the plan was successful and turned out smoothly.
With Professor Fernando on my back, I stepped through the exit of the rooftop, and after I was sure no one was nearby, I carefully placed him on the ground.
I then took off the Cloak of Disguise and placed it in my magic pouch, and carried him back down the stairs.
When I was certain we were close enough to the arena, I gently placed him in the hallway.
I took out ‘firecrackers’ from my magic pouch. Since I had to go around hiding my identity, I made sure to stock up on tools that would distract others.
Then, using a [Fire Generation] scroll, I lit the fuse and placed the firecrackers nearby. If the firecrackers exploded, the proctor or security guard who heard the sound would immediately notice and rush here.
After everything was set up, I ran down the hallway and headed for the window. Could it be because of the hellish PT performance? I jumped out the window like a stuntman and quickly ran away. If I couldn’t hear the sound of the firecrackers anymore, then nothing more needs to be said.
I sprinted all the way to the first floor training room.
Since the aisles were wide open, I was able to enter naturally and blend in with the students.
A few moments later, I realized my plan had worked when I heard that Professor Fernando had been sent away.
I also heard that dueling evaluation was suspended, and it was easy to guess the reason.
Professor Fernando probably said something like this to his associate professor, ‘If I do not come back for a certain period of time, stop the dueling evaluation and go up to the roof with the combat troops’. It was a guess I had made earlier, but I guess I was right. It would have been fine if I had just left him on the roof.
Still, I didn’t have a choice. Unless there was concrete evidence, speculation was just speculation.
Anyway, let’s consider the result. Things worked out the way I thought they would, right?
‘Well, a good thing is a good thing.’
I didn’t feel the need to overthink it.
Suddenly, an announcement was made that the dueling evaluation would resume after the truth of this incident was clearly revealed.
A few days later…
The findings of the Truth Investigation Committee’s investigation were posted on the bulletin board in Orphin Hall, a dormitory building for the Magic Department.
The Truth Investigation Committee investigated the statements of those involved in the case, the traces of mana, and more. They were able to conclude that a demon appeared and was eliminated.
The person who played an active part was the suspicious individual who had appeared during the class placement evaluation. That would be me in the form of a black monster.
The details of the investigation were kept secret, so it was unclear who was involved in the case or what happened.
In any case, it was fortunate that there was nothing about ‘Isaac.’
‘Now the atmosphere is getting worse.’
The atmosphere of the academy had sunk to an all-time low. Demons, who were considered once-in-a-lifetime natural disasters, had appeared several times in such a short period of time.
The students had repeated discussions about why demons appeared so often. Some suggested that ‘It was just bad luck’ while others believed that ‘It’s because people with high mana gathered together, which attracted the demons.’
By the way, once again, the academy authorities were planning to make a concerted effort to settle the issue regarding the frequent appearance of demons.
However, after the Thunderbird Subjugation, the situation would spiral out of control, and eventually, even the Imperial Knights would be called in to investigate the case.
My condolences to the faculty and the academy authorities, who would be facing an even harder time in the future.
‘Ah, that’s right, something like that happened.’
I suddenly remembered what Kaya had said to me when she came to me with a shocked expression.
“Sir Isaac! The black monster appeared during the class placement evaluation and now again…!”
“Huh?”
“Could it be that it’s a demon who betrayed the other demons?!”
Of course, she was an idiot, so I just let it go.
———————❖———————
[Status] Name: Isaac
Lv: 56
Gender: Male
Year: 1st
Title: Freshman
Mana: 1100/1300
– Mana Recovery Speed (C)
– Stamina (C+)
– Strength (C+)
– Intelligence (C)
– Willpower (B+) Potential ❰❰Details❱❱ [Combat Skills] Elemental Series 1: Ice
– Elemental Firepower (B-)
– Elemental Efficiency (B-)
– Elemental Synergy (B-)
Elemental Series 2 (Locked) [Owned Skills] Active
– (★1) Ice Generation (B-) / (★5) Black Ice (B-)
– (★2) Ice Curtain(C+)
– (★1) Cold Divergence (B-)
– (★1) Basic Protection Magic (D)
– (★4) Frostfire (C-)
– (★4) Ice Wall (C-)
– (★5) Frost Explosion (D)
– (★2) Frost Wave (C-)
Passive
– (★7) Psychological Insight
– (★5) Demon Detection
– (★9) Ice Sovereign Skill Tree ❰❰Details❱❱ [Unique Attributes] – Hunter
In the middle of the quiet night, I once again came to the corner of the butterfly garden to train.
I checked my status window. The ultimate buff skill of the ice element, the 9-star passive skill [Ice Sovereign], was still on my list of skills.
Regardless of the [Hunter] effect, I had acquired it after fulfilling the acquisition conditions.
‘Awesome.’
It was a great outcome.
The day I defeated Leafa the Illusive, I noticed that [Ice Sovereign] still remained in the status window, so I started shadowboxing while kicking up a fuss.
If I could handle [Ice Sovereign] properly, my power would increase by leaps and bounds.
‘I already have the Elemental Bracelet.’
The Elemental Bracelet was a magic tool that, when worn on the wrist, would greatly increase one’s resistance to any single element except for the light and darkness elements.
I tried it with a 2-star magic scroll right away, but the scroll wasn’t very effective, which made it difficult to accurately test.
After the dueling evaluation, it was time for 「Act 3, Chapter 2, Familiar」of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ to begin. At that time, when I have my own familiar, I’ll have to ask them to cast spells on me, so I could test it properly.
Using the newly acquired stat points, I invested 10 in [Physical Training Efficiency] and 10 in [Learning Efficiency], and with that, they increased to B+ and C+ grades respectively.
Now, the rate at which my stamina and strength will develop would be faster than most of the Knight Department students who regularly worked out.
“Whew.”
I took a deep breath and calmed my emotions.
It was time to retest the [Ice Sovereign] skill that I had recently tried out.
I’m nervous…
I almost high-fived Great King Yeomra1Yeomra (also known as Yeomra-Daewang) was the Korean god of the dead. He was the fifth of the ten Kings of the Underworld (called Shi-wang) and was believed to be the supreme ruler of the Underworld. the other day when I unleashed the power of [Ice Sovereign].
Still, it was critical to continue testing it and to eventually make it my own, especially since [Ice Sovereign] was the ultimate buff skill of the ice element.
‘Focus.’
I touched something cold that was nestled deep inside my body. It was the trigger to draw out the power of [Ice Sovereign] that laid dormant inside of me.
As a rule of thumb, I raised the power of [Ice Sovereign], which had been reduced to 0%, to a rough estimate of about 1%.
At the same time.
“Ugh!!”
An excruciating pain shot through my entire body, it was as if every cell in my body was being stabbed by a needle.
“Agh… ugh…”
I immediately suppressed the power of [Ice Sovereign] to 0%. The pain subsided as if nothing had happened, but before I knew it, I had collapsed on the lawn, groaning. I must have blacked out for a moment.
‘Ugh, I think I’m going to get PTSD….’
It hurts so much…
I still had a long way to go. Right now, I couldn’t properly handle [Ice Sovereign] with my normal body.
Perhaps, it would be better to try it again properly after I trigger [Hunter].
After I composed myself, I got up and started training other spells as usual.
In the meantime, while I was doing so.
“What are you practicing?”
“…!”
I was startled when someone poked me in the back.
I quickly turned around and saw a schoolgirl wearing a witch hat, covering her mouth and suppressing her laughter.
Soon after, she started giggling.
“Nihihihi…! Oh, what was that reaction? The President is cute.”
———————❖———————
I was feeling a little nauseous, but I gritted my teeth and endured it after seeing her face.
“What are you doing this late at night?”
“The stars are so beautiful tonight, I was watching them and suddenly thought of you, so I came to see you! You’re still training, huh!”
The sky was embroidered with beautiful stars. The stars appeared in great abundance due to the cloudless sky.
“I had a feeling. Our President is diligent~”
Dorothy mischievously opened her half-closed eyes and smiled slyly.
I felt uncomfortable for some reason.
There was no clear basis for it, but my experience of playing ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ told me that this person didn’t come here because she suddenly remembered me.
“…Senior, do you have something to say to me?”
So, I probed her at once.
I couldn’t read Dorothy’s mind because it was protected by starlight mana, so I had no choice but to find out this way.
Dorothy was still smiling. But the silence that followed was no different from affirming my words.
Only then did I know the true nature of the sense of my discomfort. Dorothy’s always natural, pretentious smile was showing a falseness that shouldn’t be there. It meant that her mind was a little disorganized.
“What makes you think that?”
Don’t underestimate me because you’re my favourite.
“It just seems that way.”
Dorothy thought about it for a moment.
Then, with a wry expression, she looked me straight in the eyes.
“You’re sharp, President. It’s only been two weeks since we’ve known each other, yet you know me very well. It’s like we’ve known each other for a long time.”
It was because I saw you a lot in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱
Of course, I couldn’t really answer that, so I remained silent.
I wasn’t sure how my emotions were coming across right now, but Dorothy looked doubtful.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Ask me anything.”
“Will you answer?”
“I’ll answer whatever it is.”
“Nihihi, okay.”
Swish.
Dorothy suddenly leaned toward me and stuck her head out.
I had already gotten used to her act of leaning her face close to mine.
I stared at her in silence, not pulling my head back.
Soon after, she asked.
“Why is the President working so hard?”
“…?”
What is she talking about?
“Is there some reason you have to train yourself to death?”
…I’m definitely nearing death with all this training.
So, to a person who was gifted with exceptional magic talent such as Dorothy, someone like me might be a rare breed.
My goal is to defeat the Evil God Nephid and knowing just how powerful Nephid was in Hell difficulty, I simply can’t afford to neglect my training.
I couldn’t rely on the Master Fainter, Ian Fairytale.
Of course, I could confide in a Munchkin like Dorothy Heartnova that the Evil God Nephid would resurrect in the distant future. It would seem reasonable on the surface.
But.
‘I can’t.’
Dorothy was cursed to die within the next year.
In addition, the curse is accelerated when she comes into contact with a being whose ‘origin’ comes from demons. For example, the ‘Fictional Creatures’ that I fought a few days ago, a miscellaneous mob created by a demon.
It was one thing to fight with someone like ‘Thunderbird Galia’ who became a demon on the day of the end-of-semester evaluation.
However, if she got into a fight with ‘Vera the Summoner’, a demon by birth, she would surely lose her life in no time.
Other natural demons were no exception either.
‘If I told you, you’d undoubtedly sacrifice your life to protect the academy. That is not what I want.’
She would treat her life as expendable, since she was going to die anyways.
“There is no reason.”
I lied on purpose.
Dorothy should have known right away that I was lying.
“It’s just that it’s good to be strong.”
“Hmm.”
Dorothy looked at me with a disapproving expression.
But she didn’t bother to dig into my answer and just laughed.
“You’re no fun, President.”
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, but she looked disappointed. It didn’t matter.
I don’t want to put you in danger.
I’m going to save you, my favourite, anyways. After that, you’ll just have to help me.
Soon Dorothy turned her back and began to walk away.
“Senior, are you leaving?”
Dorothy just waved her hand without answering.
Then, as she disappeared among the trees, I began to hear the sound of grasshoppers.
‘Ah, it feels strange.’
It was a very uncomfortable feeling. I didn’t do anything wrong, but I felt a faint sense of guilt, like the kind you feel when you say or do something wrong.
…Let’s just focus on training.
I slapped my cheeks hard with the palms of my hands to drive away any distracting thoughts, then started pouring mana into my hands.
———————❖———————
In the dorm for the top students of Märchen Academy, Charles Hall.
A certain room was dark, illuminated only by the moonlight shining softly through the window.
Dorothy, dressed in her nightgown, was lying on the bed, her head turned to the side.
In silence, she stared blankly at the moonlight shining on the floor.
“…”
She had countless questions for Isaac.
Why are you so strong? What is the reason you’re training so hard, pretending to be weak and not using your full strength?
What is your reason for antagonizing the demons while hiding your identity?
He was already strong enough to be considered an Archwizard, which made it impossible for Dorothy to understand his eccentricity. It didn’t even feel like he was honing his basic skills like ‘a great master perfecting the fundamentals.’
Above all.
‘Why do you feel that way…?’
Earlier, Isaac had lied. He didn’t reveal the real reason for training to death like that.
Why, then, did she see emotions of ‘concern’ and ‘affection’ on his lying face?
Her [Emotion Detection] could never be wrong. Isaac was clearly worried about her.
‘You lied to me, for my sake…?’
What connection could there be between Isaac’s lies and his concern for Dorothy?
‘Besides, I’m not someone to be worried about…’
In the first place, it was ridiculous that he, the most powerful person at Märchen Academy, would be worried about her.
It was comical.
[Dorothy. What are you doing up so late?]
A graceful voice rang at Dorothy’s bedside.
As she turned her head, a white cat with a pink ribbon on her tail reflected in her eyes.
It was her 5-star familiar, ‘Ella’.
[You’ve been tossing and turning ever since we got here… Oh my, are you in love or something?]
“You still haven’t digested the firecrackers yet, what are you talking about?”
[Didn’t I tell you not to talk about firecrackers? Just thinking about it makes me sick…!]
Dorothy said teasingly as she opened her half-closed eyes, Ella was furious.
The day Isaac defeated the demon, Ella ate the firecrackers he had left near Professor Fernando.
It was to give Isaac time to escape. If the firecrackers had exploded on time and the academy’s personnel who heard the sound had come running, Isaac would have been caught in the act.
The academy’s personnel weren’t stupid.
‘I’m worried…’
Dorothy stroked Ella’s soft body, and Ella closed her eyes, enjoying her touch.
‘I wonder if the President knows about my curse?’
Isaac seemed like an ordinary man on the surface, but he was the strongest person she had ever met, far beyond Dorothy’s wildest assumptions. If so, there was a high possibility that he had also figured out the true nature of the curse she possessed.
If there was a connection between Isaac’s lie and Dorothy’s curse, it might be related to the ‘demons’.
“Hmmmmm.”
Dorothy had been stroking Ella and thinking for so long that her brain started to overheat.
[Dorothy? Dorothy!]
As if her brain had been pushed to the limit and exploded, she started spacing out.
Using her brain was her Achilles’ heel.
———————❖———————
The dueling evaluation had finally resumed.
I thought things must have gone according to the original scenario, except for the appearance of Leafa the Illusive. But while having lunch with Amy Holloway, I heard that Luce had knocked Ian out with a single blow…
‘Why…?’
Why on earth?
Ian was supposed to reveal that he was a light element user during the duel and leave a lasting impression on the students.
This was because of one of the official heroines, Ciel Carnedas. She had already been involved with Ian during his practical training.
She was shocked to see Ian’s light magic. Because the ‘Promise with the Heavenly Beings’ had been passed down through her family.
‘If you find the Child of Light, please bring him to the Heavenly Realm’.
That was the promise Ciel’s great-great-grandfather made with the Heavenly Beings when he went to the ‘Divine Realm’.
Thus after that, Ciel approached Ian and they became involved with one another. As they continued to interact, her fondness for him grew, and later she told Ian how to go to the Divine Realm, that is, Heaven.
Ian would need to travel to the Heavens to obtain the ultimate light elemental weapon, the Luminous Sword. Even though Ian was a Master Fainter, there would come a time when only he could help. Especially later on, when the demon with immunity against all elements other than light appeared, the bad ending would become a foregone conclusion if Ian didn’t use [Expelled from Paradise] with his Luminous Sword.
“Whoa, what was that?”
“Am I not mistaken…?”
“Did you just use that… Is that light magic—?”
Fortunately, Ian successfully demonstrated the use of his light magic in his duel against the dueling applicant Mateo Jordana, and Ciel Carnedas was also among the crowd of students watching.
Only after seeing her eyes widen in surprise, could I finally breathe a sigh of relief.
‘You must’ve been scared to death…’
In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, when Ian was dueling with Mateo, he was determined not to use light magic.
However, after being easily defeated by Luce this time, he seemed to have changed his mind, thinking, ‘If I don’t use my light magic first, I won’t stand a chance.’ Of course, I figured out that idea through [Psychological Insight].
Anyway.
There were no longer any problems with this scenario. Hooray!
Now, regardless of the original story, I could focus on the duel.
Mateo was defeated by Ian’s unexpected use of light magic, but he grasped the hand that he held out to him, creating a heartwarming scene.
“Hmph, as expected, no one can touch the strength, greatness, and mana of my being!”
Tristan Humphrey was in a depressed mood at first, but his bravado and self-esteem were boosted by his easy victories in his duels against other students.
“…”
Luce Eltania won, winning casually with water magic.
“Is this all your strength?”
During the course of the tournament, the groups were switched each time, so I got to see Kaya Astrean’s duel as well.
Just like Luce, she easily subdued her opponent with wind magic, but she showed her opponent a degree of mercy in giving and receiving attacks.
“Aaahhhhhhhhh!”
Amy Holloway ran away in terror, but when she was cornered, she squeezed her eyes shut and unleashed a barrage of fire magic at her opponent.
Her opponent collapsed, looking like a burnt chicken, leaving Amy looking visibly flustered.
“Huhu. I didn’t expect someone from Class C to challenge me to a duel. Was this all for the sake of panting like a dog? Aaah, how pathetic, how unsightly… But I’ll give you credit for having some courage. Great. To a nasty pig like you, I’ll give you the honor of being trampled under my feet.”
Rose Red Rivera laughed with a, “Hoho,” and began to excitedly stomp on her opponent, a male student, with her foot as he fell to the ground.
The faces of the students who were watching were priceless.
The expression of the boy who was being trampled on was very happy. He looked like he could die happy right now.
“Next! Class D Isaac, Class C Donnelly Jenkins, forward!”
The referee called my name and I stepped up onto the arena; across from me was a Class C male student with which I had applied for a duel.
He straddled the fine line between Class B and Class C, and was a perfect opponent to measure my combat power against.
“All skills are unrestricted! Surrendering is prohibited for one minute. Now, show respect to your opponent and engage in a duel.”
Kaya’s sparkling eyes…
Luce’s meaningful gaze…
Mateo’s tense eyes…
Amy’s supportive eyes…
Tristan’s inferiority complex flaring…
Rosé’s annoyed glare….
Ian’s focused eyes…
…They all turned to me in unison.
“Ready…!”
Even though I was the weakest, I was able to become stronger by playing an active role in teaching those demons who the person in charge was.
I was sure I could compete with the top Class C students now.
“Begin the duel!”
With the referee’s shout, I conjured [Frostfire] in both hands.
❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ Act 3, Chapter 1.
The dueling part was coming to an end.
———————❖———————
“Hey, you worked hard!”
“You worked hard, Enoch!”
“Hahahahaha! Enoch, your sword skills are as good as ever!”
It was an eerie night when a party of four adventurers – two warriors, one wizard, and one cleric – were on their way back to their inn after a day of dungeon exploration.
Today’s harvest was quite abundant. From Halkori’s claws to Demyrus’ wings, and even the gold and silver treasures that the monsters were hoarding in the storerooms. The bags of harvest held by the two strong warriors looked very reassuring.
Now that the quest received from the guild office was safely completed, it was time to celebrate by throwing a party and drinking to their heart’s content.
In the midst of all the excitement, the group was walking through the forest when they suddenly came across an open space bathed in moonlight; the group of adventurers felt a presence and stopped in their tracks.
“Wait.”
The next words were unnecessary, for their gazes turned to the same place – a woman around 3 meters tall was strolling along the beach; her tattered dress and ashen skin seemed to ooze with age, but in her open mouth, the number of sharp teeth were too numerous to count.
Stop.
The woman’s feet stopped. In an instant, her head bizarrely twisted toward the group of adventurers.
They held their breath at the chilling spectacle.
Suddenly, the woman’s mouth was stretched open, forming a grotesque smile.
[Good morning, everyone!]
Under the dark night sky, the woman greeted them cheerfully.
[Can you hear the birds chirping? How cute, how cute!]
Despite the woman’s excessive hand gestures and body language, there was no chirping of cute birds. There was only silence.
The adventurers’ group sensed an unusual aura and drew their weapons.
Soon, the hoot of an owl rang out.
[Yes, this sound! Hoot, hoot, hoot, hoot!!!!!!!!!!!!]
The gray-skinned woman swayed her body from side to side like a trumpet.
She whispered rapidly, then began to make a duck cry, blood splattering from her mouth.
[Ah! Cute thing! Do you have any cute ones too? It’s cute, it’s cute, it’s cute!]
Then, as if the woman’s cries were a signal flare, the adventurers’ familiars were forcibly summoned
“What is this…!”
“Zordyk!!”
The familiars were engulfed in darkness mana with pained expressions.
Soon, countless familiars were summoned around the woman; an army of animal-like and hideous-looking magic beasts were under her command.
All of them were magic beasts who had once been someone’s familiars, and as they drained the darkness mana, they looked like puppets that had lost their will.
Even the adventurers’ familiars forgot their masters and flew toward the woman. After being consumed by the darkness mana, the familiars became no different from the rest of the woman’s magic beast army.
[From now on, I am your new owner. Aah, how cute, how cute, how cute…]
The woman caressed the four new familiars, and her eyes took in the branding on their bodies, evidence of their contracted master-servant relationship. The sight made her uncomfortable, so she frowned in annoyance.
[Alas, there’s no use, it’s okay, this stepmother will set you free!]
Soon, the army of familiars closed in and attacked the adventurers. It was a one-sided battle.
The four adventurers, who seemed to have bright futures ahead of them, fell prey to their familiars and departed from this world.
The woman summoned her familiar army back and in an instant, the army of familiars was engulfed in darkness mana, and their figures disappeared.
[Smells better…. It’s cute, smelly…. Does the Child of Light have a cute one?]
Vera the Summoner, a demon with absolute domination over familiars.
She walked back to Märchen Academy, staggering with each step.
Footnotes:
1Yeomra (also known as Yeomra-Daewang) was the Korean god of the dead. He was the fifth of the ten Kings of the Underworld (called Shi-wang) and was believed to be the supreme ruler of the Underworld.
