Magicapita

Leonora's expression remained composed even as she felt tremendous magical power emerging from the powerful master mage before her. His body glowed with extraordinary power as the air around him crackled with the sheer flux of magical energy radiating from him. His muscular body seemed to grow even bigger as he body-cast some body enhancement and enlarging magic, making his body bigger.

It was an extremely powerful form of body enhancement magic that made him bigger than he normally was. It was a specialized body-casting martial magic that very few mages in the world could wield.

The strips of cloth that ran across the upper half of his body tore apart, revealing a profoundly muscular body with muscles that seemed to be bursting at the seams. So much so that one could question if even having that many muscles was pragmatic in martial arts.

The perilous aura that hung in the air, boiling with tension, however, darkened the atmosphere despite the bright light of the afternoon Sun high in the blue sky.

Any students or staff that was in the vicinity had already long run away, getting as far away from the place as possible in a fearful frenzy, including guards and mages who were paid to keep the peace.

No salary could possibly get them to stand between two scary master mages.

Miranda's eyes widened with horror as her legs gave out under her with raw terror at the sight of the bloodlusted father seeking vengeance for his daughter. Her body went limp as the view of the world grew blurry. Her eyes rolled up as she fell unconscious.

Leonora didn't even bother trying to catch her daughter. The pavement was not going to inflict as much pain on her daughter as the bloodlusted man walking towards her.

RUMBLE…

Each step he took shook the world, spreading tremors across the entire magicademy while his eyes blazed with magical power. His body gained a regal yet vicious aura, resembling that of a lion.

It was no wonder that he was known as the Durmen Lion.

"…" Leonora's violet eyes sharpened.

She knew she couldn't defeat him in close quarters. While there were some healer mages who were able to apply their healing magic to combat, they weren't the norm. She was also certainly not one of them. She had used her skill as a healer mage to gain a stronghold in much of Elendir's healing magic industry.

If they fought, especially if they fought head-to-head, her defeat was all but guaranteed. Yet, that wasn't the worst outcome as far as she was concerned. In fact, it was a rather welcome outcome. If the Durmen Lion lost his cool and attacked her then and there, then she would gain a powerful piece of compelling evidence to convince many people of her side of the story.

It was a horrible look that a master mage of the Durmen Principality had come all the way to Elendir and then attacked a native non-combat master mage.

The only problem with such an outcome was that there was a chance that she or her daughter could die, which made the plan quite risky.

Master Leonul sharpened his eyes as they flickered with bloodlust.

And yet, just before he could attack, a powerful burst of light pushed him back.

BOOM!

He guarded, skidding away from Leonora, having guarded against it with his bare arms and not having suffered even a single wound. He gazed up knowingly at the expected interference.

"…That's enough, Master Leonul." Headmistress Lenolia's voice was heavy.

Her purple eyes bore deep into his with a powerful glare.

"You will cease your violence right away, lest I be forced to use force against you."

Her tone was unyielding.

She was entirely serious about doing justice to her warning should the need have arisen.

She was not going to tolerate such behavior within the campus of her magicademy.

Master Leonul smiled. "As entertaining as that would be, I will heed your words out of respect for you as my daughter's educator, Headmistress Lenolia."

WHOOSH

In the blink of an eye, all the devastating pressure he released disappeared as he returned to normal as he returned to his normal state. A smug smile emerged on his face as he gazed at Master Leonora's serious expression. The shift was so drastic, in fact, that it was clear that he was doing it on purpose.

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"Master Leonul, please let Lady Leonora pass through, and please join me in my office right away." Headmistress Lenolia's tone was not one of pleasure.

The man shrugged, following the Headmistress back to her office as he passed Leonora.

"There is more from where that came from."

It was the softest remarks with a heavy Durmen accent.

One that only Leonora would hear.

And she heard it loud and clear.

She turned, catching a glimpse of him from the edge of her eyes. "…It appears so."

She had underestimated how calculating the master mage could be, especially since he had the vibe of being a muscle-brain master mage. She would need to be more careful about the way that she did things from this point on.

She picked Miranda up in her arms impassively as she carried her daughter away in her arms herself while a luxury magicar awaited her outside the gates.

Meanwhile, Master Leonul found himself in Headmistress Lenolia's office.

"This was not the agreement that we had, Master Leonul." Headmistress Lenolia's tone was stern.

She took her seat while the powerful master mage sat opposite her. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table as she steepled her fingers. "I thought I warned you that deploying your power was unacceptable. I think I was rather clear that under no circumstances could you confront Lady Leonora if you wanted to set foot in my magicademy as a foreign national master mage."

"Hah!" the man snapped with a scoff. "Did you really think that I would let that woman go? Her daughter almost killed mine, and now she is slandering my daughter, me, and my family!"

He folded his giant, muscular arms, laced with scars, across the dark skin of his body. The strips of linen covering his upper body were gone, revealing a bare, yet hairy, masculine upper torso.

Headmistress Lenolia wasn't pleased by the inappropriate attire, but given cultural differences, his status, and the circumstances, she put the matter aside for now.

"Master Leonul, if you violate your word to me one more time, then I will instantly close all cooperation between us regarding the matter of justice for your daughter," she coldly stated, making it abundantly clear that she didn't have any intention of tolerating his nonsense. "Am I, in any way, ambiguous about this?"

"…Not at all, Headmistress." He grew serious at those words. "I do apologize for my wrongdoing."

He wanted to send a message, but he was not willing to lose the support of a powerful political ally within the Democratic Republic of Elendir, perhaps his only ally.

She heaved a sigh. "…With that out of the way, what were your impressions of Leonora? I believe that this was the first time you have met her."

His red eyes sharpened as his expression grew grim.

"She is a psychopath. That thing does not deserve to have offspring. Now, I do not even feel as angry about the girl herself. How can a child possibly grow up to become a sane person when raised by that monster?"

His tone was severe.

The tension in the atmosphere grew.

"…For what it's worth, my impression of her matches yours." Headmistress Lenolia heaved a soft sigh. "She is… too detached. Regardless, you have given her some ammunition. That is not good. You're impeding your own side."

"We will win," he gruffly declared. "The young man is willing to testify, even if he irked me with his conditions."

Headmistress Lenolia smiled as her expression softened. "…If I had to conjecture, I would hazard a guess that he asked you to support a new business venture."

"You know him well." The man frowned. "Is he that dedicated to business despite being an elite talent in magic? Why in the world would he need to run a business to get money when he has the talent that he does?"

"I'm afraid I am not aware of his underlying motivations. It has struck me as odd that he is so inclined towards engaging in business ventures," she remarked with a mystified expression herself.

"It is a foolish choice." The man scoffed. "Anybody can start a business, but very few can wield magic. And even fewer have elite-level talent."

"Not only does he have elite-level talent, he also has hexaelemental affinity."

"…That makes his actions even more unfathomable," the man grunted. "I'm supposed to entrust my plans to expand into Elendir healthcare to someone as incomprehensible as him?"

Headmistress Lenolia frowned. "…Elendir healthcare?"

"That is indeed what he proposed to me," Master Leonul remarked. "It was rather unexpected, but he essentially sought my generous investment in his healthcare venture."

"…I see," Headmistress Lenolia said with a thoughtful tone. "I must confess that is rather… unexpected."

"Tell me about it," the man grunted.

"However…" she gazed at him. "I would recommend putting your trust in his abilities."

Master Leonul raised an eyebrow. "That is quite the recommendation from someone like yourself. You are telling me to let a twenty-five-year-old man from the slums run a business with my money for me?"

"Yes, actually."

"…Is he that capable?"

"Look into his record," she remarked. "I entrusted him with a duty in a little political battle of my own, and not only did he not let me down, but he also exceeded my expectations significantly. He is sharp, competent, and truly able to think in a way that most people wouldn't. I don't know how he intends to fight in Elendir's healthcare market, but I'm sure that it will be highly effective. You can trust his capabilities."

Master Leonul recalled the observation that his wife had made about his composure.

"Perhaps I have been underestimating him…" Master Leonul remarked. "I will definitely look into him immediately and judge for myself. But I highly doubt it would change my decision. I must ensure that justice is served for the attempted murder of my daughter…"

His eyes sharpened.

"No matter how much money I must pay."

He turned towards the Headmistress knowingly. "What does the Mendel administration think about all of this?"

He was not foolish enough to disregard the opinions of the leading political party in the Democratic Republic of Elendir. If they weren't on his side, then he could expect a lot of political interference. However, as long as he could get them to remain relatively neutral, then he was confident that he could ensure that the criminal trial was a perfect success.

"They are not pleased by this development, naturally," she replied knowingly. "This disrupts the relationship between the two nations. However, they understand that they cannot deny you justice if you choose to seek it. What they might hold against you is how you go about it."

"…Will they obstruct me?"

She shook her head. "The current administration is formed from a coalition of heavy industrialists; they have not paid much attention and have even clashed with the healthcare industry. They will not intervene to protect the Walyn Family.

Master Leonul sharpened his eyes.

"That is all I need."