NOVEL NEXT Chapter 21
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Episode 21
City of Magicians (6)
“You… are absolutely sure you’ll win?”
Becky asked with a trembling voice.
Riley calmly nodded and replied.
“Yes.”
“……”
A moment of silence passed.
In that time, Becky’s expression changed five or six times.
She glared fiercely, then displayed a flustered look, stared blankly, and then shot her glances like death before.
“Ah, ha….”
After such a whirlwind of emotions, the last feeling Becky showed was pure joy.
“Ah, ha ha ha!”
“……”
“You’re going to win? For sure? You? Against me?”
Her hostility and murderous intent had completely disappeared.
Becky began to smile leisurely like a predator with its prey in sight.
“Wake up, kid. I’m a middle-tier magician at the peak of my level. Compared to me, you’re just a rookie who’s barely at the low-tier.”
“……”
“Still don’t get it? This isn’t just a simple gap between levels. There’s a difference that can’t be described in words between us.”
Becky too was confident of her victory.
For a magician, the ‘gap in levels’ was absolute.
An apprentice could never defeat a low-tier. A low-tier could never defeat a middle-tier, and a middle-tier could never defeat a high-tier.
Even if someone claimed a victory, it would merely be due to sheer luck.
This was a widely accepted fact in the magical world.
The amount of magical power one could wield at a time, the strength of their mana heart, their detailed operating capacity, and even the speed at which they cast spells— these metrics would significantly increase with each rise in level.
Most magicians blindly trusted this system of ‘levels’ for precisely this reason.
The gap created was not something that could easily be bridged with any trickery.
“The gap in levels. There it is again.”
But…
Riley was a being who disregarded such systems.
“Earlier today, someone spoke those very words to me.”
With a faint smile, she continued.
“Right now, that person is lying in an alley in Wilhelm. With a hole in their chest.”
Indeed.
Riley knew how to use her advantages to fight against stronger opponents and win.
And she had already accomplished this multiple times.
Her duel with Rich.
The seven chimeras dealt with in the hideout.
And the fight against the man posing as a guide in Wilhelm today.
“……Puhah, haha!”
Upon hearing Riley’s words, Becky erupted with laughter.
She looked at Riley with disdain, laughing until tears came out.
“Ahahaha, haha!”
“……”
[……]
How long did they laugh like that?
Finally catching her breath, Becky muttered in a subdued voice.
“I want to attack you right now…”
“You’re welcome. Go ahead and try.”
“Shut up, you insufferable brat. Do you think I don’t know your scheme?”
Becky shot a glance at Riley.
“I don’t want to ignore the warnings from the manager and find myself disqualified again.”
“That’s a lie. You’re running away because you think you’ll lose to me.”
“……You little brat!”
It was truly a childish provocation.
But as basic as it was, there was no more effective taunt than this.
As I said before, magicians were a race with an incredibly strong sense of pride and competitiveness.
Becky, with her eyes wide open and exuding killing intent.
However, recalling the manager’s warning, she quickly retracted her fierce demeanor.
“Haah…”
With a sigh, she continued.
“Alright, Riley. Let’s definitely meet during the exam. Definitely.”
“……”
“And when we fight for real, we’ll see who will win. Got it? We must find out.”
Becky quietly let out a laugh to herself.
“Ah, this was truly fun. Meeting such a weirdo before the Selection Test.”
“I also had fun.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, Becky, I’ve gained a lot of useful information.”
“……”
Becky smiled an ambiguous smile and continued.
“Well then, really take care, Riley. Stay healthy until the exam.”
She smiled brightly.
“I had a great time today. I’m serious.”
“……”
Woooon─.
With those words, Becky’s figure blurred.
Her body slowly dissipating like smoke. Becky, who had turned to a small amount of magical power, vanished from our sight.
As if she had never been there.
Riley, who quietly watched the scene, muttered.
“She was just a clone after all.”
[Yeah.]
A fact she had already grasped.
The being before us was Becky’s clone.
Through the bizarre flow of magical power that wouldn’t flow in an ordinary creature, we knew this fact.
Becky’s true body, well, her main body, was likely on the opposite end of Wilhelm.
“What an impressive cloning technique.”
It was undeniable.
Most people would likely fall for Becky’s cloning technique.
It was that refined. If you weren’t sensitive to mana like Riley, you probably wouldn’t have figured it out at all.
Perhaps she had made illusion-type magic her main weapon.
“Thinking about it now, she’s really an odd person.”
[That’s true.]
The perception of illusion-type magic wasn’t very good.
Magicians generally believed it was better to become stronger directly than waste time learning to deceive others.
Most who practiced this type of magic were treated as strange.
And, well…
If we alter the correlation slightly, it’s exactly the kind of quirky people who end up learning illusion magic.
[That’s why I warned you not to get involved with her if possible. I told you she’s a considerable weirdo, that she’s dangerous.]
“I can’t resist free food!”
[……]
No.
You should try and hold back.
Please.
“I can’t hold back.”
[……]
Alright.
You do as you wish.
I simply cannot comprehend Riley’s mental state, choosing to dine with a murderous lunatic just to snag a free meal.
“By the way, I think I understand now.”
[What?]
“Why Becky took an interest in me.”
Riley continued.
“She wasn’t curious about the abilities of a fellow first exam passer like herself.”
[Oh?]
“Yeah. Ah, sure, that might play a slight part. But that couldn’t have been the main reason.”
After a brief silence, she slowly opened her mouth again.
“She was just curious. I wonder when this kid will realize I’m a clone.”
[Ah.]
“She probably enjoyed the thrill. What would happen if I were to get found out? What expression would that kid make? What reaction would she have towards me?”
[…….]
“At the same time, she might have subtly wanted to get caught. The reason why the flow of that strange mana would sometimes intensify was likely for that. She was signaling me to please notice her.”
Uh, um.
So… why?
Why would you do such a thing?
“It’s fun.”
[So why is that fun?]
“Enjoying that thrill of being almost discovered. It’d be incredibly fun for me!”
[……?]
What is this?
Is it just me who doesn’t understand?
I truly cannot comprehend why that would be entertaining…
[Ah.]
No.
Got it.
I understand now.
[To decipher the mindset of such a crazed person. You’re truly remarkable. Well done, Riley.]
“Of course.”
It seems kindred spirits recognize each other.
Perhaps there’s some kind of connection among the mad ones.
I still cannot comprehend their code, as I haven’t lost it yet.
[Well, I guess I was worrying for nothing.]
Seeing someone more outrageous than Becky right beside me, I’m left pondering what I was even worried about.
Unless others should be cautious of Riley.
“But we did gain a lot from following Becky, didn’t we?”
[……Well, that much is true.]
I didn’t want to acknowledge it, but as Riley said, we did acquire a lot of information through our encounter with Becky.
And by information, I do not mean the “useful facilities in Wilhelm” that Becky had rambled about earlier.
[It was fortunate we could gauge the overall levels of the candidates before the main test.]
While dining, Riley and Becky continuously explored each other.
Without letting the other notice, using concealed mana.
Through such processes, we were able to decipher the fact that Becky was a clone.
Additionally, we could estimate Becky’s approximate abilities.
[So, Riley.]
“Yes?”
[You still think you can defeat Becky?]
Riley’s golden eyes were directed towards me.
She smiled faintly and whispered with a voice brimming with confidence.
“Of course.”
*
In a building in Wilhelm.
A magician was slowly turning pages of documents by candlelight in a dark room.
“Hmm….”
The man smiled with intrigue.
With wavy brown hair and thick glasses, this young man was a high-tier magician and an elder at Irantes Magic Tower.
Moreover, he was one of the ten administrators overseeing this year’s Selection Test.
As he flipped through each document, he began reviewing the names and notes about individuals requiring attention.
【 Garon Edward von Theobalt, 68, Male 】
– Retired commander of the Western Front’s magical forces.
– ….
– ….
– An individual currently under scrutiny by all five great towers.
【 Rebecca Duncan, 27, Female 】
– A graduate of the “Dolores School” specializing in illusion magic.
– ….
– ….
– Disqualified for murdering an administrator in a two-year-ago exam.
– Disqualified last year for excessive slaughter.
【 Arphel Mage Stingwood, 29, Male 】
– Second son of the prestigious Stingwood family.
– ….
– ….
The young man who was engrossed in reading the documents let out a quiet chuckle.
Then he muttered towards the crystal orb before him.
“As my senior said, this year really has an unusual number of interesting people.”
[Really?]
From the crystal orb, a gentle woman’s voice emerged.
[How far have you read?]
“Up to the second son of the Stingwood family.”
[Aha. Must be nostalgic, huh?]
“Indeed. It feels like just yesterday when I taught my student since he was four years old.”
As he reminisced, the young man continued.
“I still remember the first time we met at the manor.”
[Set those memories aside and turn to the next page. The most interesting part is still ahead.]
“Oh really?”
Could there be anything more interesting than his old student?
With such thoughts, the young man flipped the document.
Rustle─.
He paused.
“……?”
And in that moment.
The smile lingering on the young man’s lips began to freeze.
He read the document with a serious expression.
【 Riley, 15, Female 】
– Low-tier magician.
– Special admission to Lutemis.
– Dropped out during the first-year course at Lutemis.
“……”
Compared to the dozens of lines describing other candidates, this meager explanation was pitifully scant.
Yet, even that was sufficient to leave the young man dumbfounded.
“Low-tier……?”
[Isn’t it interesting? And she’s from Lutemis too.]
The man, staring blankly at the document, murmured in a cold voice.
“……It seems Lutemis didn’t explain the meaning of the recommendation from the five great towers properly.”
The recommendations were not merely an entry ticket for the Selection Test.
They served as guides for young magicians.
“Work hard towards the goal of entering Irantes Magic Tower, whether by joining a school, working as an adventurer, or belonging to other mid-tier towers. Just become strong and ultimately enter Irantes Magic Tower.”
This ‘recommendation’ was given to open another possibility for students who faced setbacks and were discouraged.
Yet, coming to take the Selection Test right after dropping out of Lutemis?
I didn’t know the details, but clearly, there must have been inadequate explanations regarding the recommendation.
[That doesn’t seem likely.]
“Excuse me?”
However, the voice from the crystal orb seemed to have a differing opinion.
[There’s no way they wouldn’t have explained something so crucial at Lutemis?]
“Then……”
[This was simply that girl’s choice. She must have wanted to take the Selection Test as quickly as possible.]
“……”
Hearing that, the young man fell into a brief silence.
“How arrogant. Just like someone from Lutemis.”
[Well, I don’t think so.]
“Do you believe that the girl’s confidence has a justifiable reason behind it?”
[Yep.]
The woman’s voice echoed from the crystal orb.
[Do you know how long it took for that kid to pass the first exam?]
“She barely passed, I’m sure. She must have wandered around Wilhelm for almost three months.”
[Nope.]
“……?”
[That girl arrived in Wilhelm this afternoon.]
“……”
[It took her less than half a day to find the management center.]
Less than half a day.
Less than half a day…?
“……The fastest record was four hours, right?”
[Yep.]
“That was also a result produced by Rebecca Duncan using twenty clones to stir things up in Wilhelm…”
Most first exam passers usually meandered around Wilhelm for about a week trying to locate the management center.
Even Garon Edward von Theobalt, who had reached the high-tier level, had taken a full day to find it.
“……So essentially, this kid Riley is first place?”
[Yep.]
After hearing the response from the crystal orb, the young man wore a look of disbelief.
First place.
And that’s from a low-tier magician who dropped out of Lutemis in her first year.
‘……I think I’m losing it.’
How extraordinary must her potential be for that to be possible?
It was incomprehensible.
“It is amusing.”
[Did I not tell you? This year will have plenty to see, right?]
“Haha….”
Indeed.
This year would surely provide a lot to observe.
“……In various senses.”