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Chapter 25

Arkadia (4)

Garon Theobalt had been through the valley of death and life on countless battlefields. He had experienced phenomena similar to this countless times before.

However, the opponents from back then were all high-ranking individuals just like himself, not mere lower-tiered, childish girls like this one.

‘Am I… feeling such tension that my entire body is rigid from this girl?’

The moment he felt confusion about whether the fear he was experiencing was real.

Suddenly, a warning bell began to ring in Garon Theobalt’s head.

It’s dangerous.

If this continues, I will die.

‘What in the world is the problem…? Ah…’

Only then did he realize.

The mana shield he had just deployed was gradually, almost imperceptibly, fading.

It was Dispel.

That girl was dispelling his defensive magic.

Quietly.

So that no one would notice.

‘…Damn it.’

Having belatedly recognized the truth, Garon Theobalt instinctively cast a new spell.

Boom—!

“…Hah.”

It was a very close call.

Garon Theobalt barely managed to fire an offensive spell in time to intercept the magic missile that Riley had launched.

‘I was careless.’

If his response had been just a moment slower, he would have sustained a fatal injury.

‘…Could she have meant to do that?’

He quickly raised his head to look at Riley.

No way.

Did that girl intentionally launch a straightforward attack to bait his complacency?

Did she strike back using that to land a surprise attack?

‘…I’ll have to keep an eye on her.’

Garon Theobalt’s gaze shifted.

The confidence she had shown until now was not simply youthful bravado, it seemed.

Thus, he decided to face Riley with greater solemnity.

Hummm—!

Bang!

“Haah…”

However, after barely blocking Riley’s second attack, Garon Theobalt could be certain of one thing.

It was different.

That girl was truly unlike any promising candidate he had seen before.

During the process of defending against Riley’s magic, Garon Theobalt’s body was pushed back just slightly.

Of course, that movement was so subtle that Riley likely didn’t notice it, but Garon Theobalt, who had directly blocked the magic, felt considerable shock.

‘…She pushed me back?’

Despite deploying a defensive magic he was proud of, Riley had attacked precisely at the vulnerable points.

‘This was a countermeasure no one had noticed until now…’

For a mere lower-tiered magician to notice such gaps was no small feat.

Just how exceptional was her affinity for mana to have picked up on this weakness?

No, more importantly…

How outstanding was her understanding of magic that she could capitalize on a weakness instantly?

He felt a chill run down his spine.

“…”

Carefully rubbing his numbed hands from the backlash of defense, Garon Theobalt thought inwardly.

‘This is as if…’

As if a seasoned archmage was guiding Riley on what to do.

The method of attack and the patterns were expertly crafted.

And undoubtedly, this was a skill that could not come from an inexperienced young girl.

‘…A genius.’

Yes.

This was genius.

An overwhelming talent that easily surpassed the difference in their ranks.

‘Astonishing.’

At this point, Garon Theobalt could only acknowledge it.

That girl would survive the Selection Test.

No.

Beyond merely surviving, she would be chosen by the Five Great Towers.

Although Riley’s magical realm was merely lower-tiered, she already possessed skills beyond that.

Despite her young age, she had the experience to face off against magicians of higher standing.

‘I have lost.’

Did he mention he would concede three attacks?

But now all that became meaningless.

Having assuredly believed that Riley would survive the Selection Test, there was no longer any reason for Garon Theobalt to hold her back.

Her attacks were already far beyond the realm of lower-tiered magicians.

Moreover, having even landed effective hits on a high-tier magician like himself, Riley surely had enough competitiveness amongst the other candidates.

Hummm—!

Just as Garon Theobalt was deep in thought, Riley began to cast magic for her third attack.

‘As I thought, she still doesn’t know that her second attack pushed me back.’

In that case, there was only one thing he needed to do.

Garon Theobalt quickly shifted his steps to the side before Riley’s next attack could come flying.

Thud—.

Thus, Riley once again made him move. Garon Theobalt had neatly acknowledged his defeat.

“…?”

However, despite having won against a high-tier magician, Riley showed no signs of joy at all.

Rather, she gazed at Garon Theobalt with a slightly incredulous expression.

“I still have one more attack opportunity, you know?”

“Is it really necessary to continue the duel when the outcome has already been decided?”

“…Huh?”

To ensure Riley could understand his words, Garon Theobalt slowly explained further.

“Your second attack already pushed me back. Thus, that constitutes your victory.”

“….”

“As promised, I won’t interfere further. You have already earned enough qualification to enter the Selection Test. I sincerely apologize for being overstepping.”

With those words, Garon Theobalt bowed his head in acknowledgment of his mistake.

It was an apology for his rudeness and a sign of respect, recognizing Riley as a magician.

‘Having received the acknowledgment of a high-tier magician, that girl’s confidence must have increased significantly…’

Hoping her confidence would not turn into arrogance, Garon Theobalt slowly lifted his head.

“…Hmm?”

However, contrary to his expectations that Riley would feel pleased, she remained expressionless.

With her usual calm voice.

She quietly spoke.

“I already knew that.”

“…What?”

“I knew that my second attack had already been effective.”

At those words, a sudden question arose in Garon Theobalt’s mind.

‘…Then why was she so eager to continue the duel?’

At this point of confirming victory, any further duel would have been a waste of time.

“If the attacking opportunity is three times, then…”

“…”

“There’s still one more thing I want to confirm, so please take your defensive stance quickly.”

Hummm—!

At those words, Riley began to gather her magical power once again.

The momentum was on a completely different level from her previous attacks.

Due to the resonance of magic, the surrounding air began to tremble.

In that moment, Garon Theobalt could only feel a rising sense of panic. Riley’s earlier words quickly flashed through his mind.

“Wait a moment.”

What exactly did that girl just say?

-‘I still have one more thing I want to confirm, so please take your defensive stance quickly.’

‘…She still wants to ‘confirm’ something?’

Does that mean, up until now, that girl had merely used the life-or-death duel against the high-tier magician as nothing more than an opportunity for testing?

Especially considering she had even used her ‘validated’ attacks which would likely be more than insufficient?

‘Then…’

If her first attack had indeed been a bait to induce his carelessness, and the second one showcased a level of experience unbecoming of a candidate…

If all of that had merely been part of the ‘confirmation’ she wished to undertake…

‘This is insane…’

Ka-boom—!

Riley’s final attack charged toward him with terrifying speed and intent.

*

[Ugh….]

To cut to the chase, Garon Theobalt’s defensive stance could not withstand the strike.

With rotational trajectories, tactical use of residual magical power to mislead his senses, rapid shot speed, and enhanced piercing abilities…

Despite using all of it…

Sure enough, Garon Theobalt, a battle-hardened veteran with decades of experience, demonstrated his majesty as a high-tier magician and successfully defended against it.

Even though he must have been startled, he defended so well.

Indeed, the level of a high-tier magician was distinct.

[By the way…]

Muttering to myself, I turned my attention back to Riley.

She was leaning on a nearby desk, catching her breath.

“Hah, hah…”

Although they had only exchanged three strikes, Riley seemed quite worn out.

And it was no surprise.

In battles between magicians, countless moves pass within a heartbeat.

Unlike the sword fighters who indiscriminately slash around, their fights are executed through meticulous calculations.

Thus, inevitably, much mental energy gets consumed during that process.

It could be expected that magicians might become exhausted after just a few exchanges.

Ah, of course.

The higher the rank of the magician, the lesser the backlash from such battles.

Garon Theobalt stood firmly even after fighting alongside Riley because of that very reason.

“That was quite an unconventional attack.”

“…”

“If only the amount of magic power you could handle was slightly higher, my life would surely have been in jeopardy.”

The meaning of his words of advice was simple.

While the technique was impressive, there was still a shortage of magical power to support it.

Truly a high-tier magician’s insight. Garon Theobalt shared the exact same thought as me.

Indeed.

As I had felt before in the lich’s hideout, Riley’s combat capacity clearly was low.

This was only to be expected.

Riley had yet to undergo the “elemental awakening” of her second awakening, and her only attacking spell was a magic missile.

In the realm of blank (無) elemental magic, all we could do was play around with various techniques while adding peculiarities to our attacks.

Certainly, through numerous practical combats and innate talent, Riley had acquired operational power and techniques that were unbecoming of a lower-tier magician…

Yet sadly, she could not overcome the chronic problem of damage output inherent in non-elemental magic.

Of course, despite that, I didn’t harbor grievances over this fact.

No.

I actually considered it natural that Riley’s attack power was low.

After all, we had been concentrating solely on Dispel and defensive magic over the past six months.

In any case, during this Selection Test, we just needed to utilize her specialty in defense well.

By using Dispel to deflect attacks and then striking when the opponent is caught off guard.

With that alone, we would be able to navigate through the upcoming obstacles.

Given that it was a pattern that had even troubled high-tier magicians, this attack would surely pose a threat to other participants as well.

[Things are going smoothly.]

I smiled inwardly.

A good intuition came over me.

I had a feeling that we would pass the Selection Test without any further difficulty.

*

Creeeak—.

The library’s gate opened.

The outside scenery slowly came into view.

Wilhelm’s sky had been tinged with red.

As a city located at the northernmost point of the continent, the sun seemed to set quickly, even though it was still early evening.

The falling snow accompanied by the sunset gave the entire city a feeling as if tiny stardust were floating around.

“…I always feel this way, but it’s truly a beautiful city.”

Garon Theobalt stood at the entrance of the library, quietly observing the landscape.

How many minutes had passed like this?

Finally, shifting his gaze to Riley, he began to speak with a cautious tone.

“By the way, my friend.”

“…Yes?”

“Could you keep it quiet that we had a duel?”

It seemed he wanted to hide the very fact that he had dueled with Riley.

Well, I could somewhat guess the reason.

Most likely, it was because of the management’s warning to avoid conflicts with other candidates until the next test.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“…Hmm?”

“When did we ever duel?”

But we also had no intention of spreading that around.

“I only have memories of reading in Arkadia.”

“…Hmm? Ahh.”

Only then did Garon Theobalt understand the meaning of Riley’s words and he chuckled lightly. Laughing, he slowly nodded and replied.

“Right, you are correct. It seems this old man has gone a little senile. We were simply reading in Arkadia. Yes, indeed.”

Afterward, while walking along Wilhelm’s streets, Garon Theobalt suddenly asked.

“Where are you staying?”

“Me? I’m currently at an inn. It’s called Sky Whale’s Rest.”

“…Sky Whale’s Rest?”

Garon Theobalt’s reaction to Riley’s answer was peculiar. He frowned slightly and continued speaking.

“Why did you choose that place out of all the many accommodations available?”

“I was recommended it by someone I know.”

Upon hearing that, Garon Theobalt clicked his tongue.

“The person who recommended it must not be a very good friend.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because Wilhelm is filled with better accommodations than that.”

[Huh.]

What does that mean?

Based on my experiences over the last three days, Sky Whale’s Rest was a pretty decent place to stay.

“Do you have your belongings over there?”

“No. What I’m carrying in my backpack is all I have.”

“Then just follow me.”

With a confident smile, Garon Theobalt continued speaking.

“I can guarantee that the place we’re heading to will be at least a hundred times better than Sky Whale’s Rest.”

[Hmm…]

With those words, I had no choice but to have mixed feelings.

[Honestly speaking, isn’t an inn just an inn?]

How different could it possibly be for him to be so particular about it…?

*

[…It’s incredibly different.]

Correction.

Garon Theobalt was right.

As he had claimed, what lay before us was a place far superior to Sky Whale’s Rest.

I truly wondered if such places could even be called inns.

The place he introduced was more akin to a luxurious hotel.

“Welcome to the ‘Arfel-Stingwood Grand Resort.’”

[Oh….]

A lobby and front desk located on the first floor.

Staff dressed in suits and maids cleaning the rooms.

Seeing this, Wilhelm seemed to have developed quite a bit. Three hundred years ago, such modern facilities were unimaginable.

Just like Sky Whale’s Rest, this place ‘Arfel-Stingwood Grand Resort’ also offered free meals and accommodation.

This was thanks to the privileges granted to candidates of the Selection Test.

Anyway, after checking into our room, Riley headed down to the dining area with Garon Theobalt.

Even from the entrance of the restaurant, the tantalizing aroma of mouthwatering food wafted through the air.

Of course, I didn’t have a mouth or saliva. It was just a figure of speech.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“A little.”

“Then look forward to it. The real deal starts now.”

Creeeak—.

Before he could finish his words, the door to the room opened.

Simultaneously, a lavish meal was wheeled in on a cart.

It was a spread of dishes that couldn’t even compare to the meals at Sky Whale’s Rest.

“…”

Riley’s eyes widened at the sight.

Although they had been living together for almost half a year, this was the first time she showed such an intense emotional reaction.

‘How could anyone claim Sky Whale’s Rest is the best while leaving places like this aside?’

[…….]

‘Becky tricked me. I believed her.’

Could it be that she felt she wouldn’t have been able to enjoy such meals if she hadn’t met Garon Theobalt?

Riley showed a highly disgruntled expression.

‘This can’t stand.’

Suddenly, Riley shot up from her seat.

I hurriedly called out to her.

[No, why are you doing this again?]

‘I’m going to find her right now and give her a good whack…’

[Hey.]

Hold off on that.

Please.

And it’s also our fault for believing her words without checking for other information in the first place.

‘Not at all? This is completely Becky’s fault!’

[……]

Regardless, that’s a bit shameless.

[If so, get your revenge in tomorrow’s Selection Test.]

“Aha.”

Upon hearing that, Riley plopped back down into her seat.

Garon Theobalt paused mid-meal and looked at the suddenly standing Riley with a puzzled expression.

“…What are you doing?”

“I just felt a bit stiff.”

“Hmm.”