chapter 26
26 – Caught by the Evil Woman
I didn’t just sit still in the hospital room. I wondered how Duke Jespen knew of the mage master’s dirty personality.
Through the conversation with Sael, I was able to find out about the relationship between Duke Jespen and the Mage Lord.
It is said that since becoming the Tower Master, he has often challenged Duke Jespen to a duel.
Until now, Duke Jespen would have ignored the Mage Tower lord who was arguing with him. It would have been like that in the novel too.
But not anymore.
According to rumors, it is said that the lord of the mage has again challenged Duke Jespen to a duel. And Duke Jespen accepted it.
As the deadline approached, I headed straight to the arena with Shael.
A very huge arena. It was absurdly huge for a place where only two people could fight.
A lot of people came as spectators. It was strange. The Master of the Magic Tower hides his power in front of the general public as much as possible.
It was because of the female lead, Clie. In the novel, Clie hated the battles of the Master of the Mage. So, the mage lord fought most of his fights in private.
Of course, if the Mage Tower lord is angry, even the reason for being Clie won’t work.
So, this time too, did the owner of the Mage Tower become so angry that the reason for Cleera was ignored?
Contrary to my thoughts, the mage tower lord seemed calm. No, he was having fun. He seemed happy that the fight against Duke Jespen was finally established.
Then why the hell are we fighting in such a crowded place? In response, I looked at Clie, who was sitting far away.
She didn’t seem to think much about the fact that the mage lord would be fighting. She just sat there, expressionless.
It was questionable, but I dismissed the thought. The battle between the Mage Tower Lord Aren Jagers and Duke Jespen was about to begin.
*
The fight started at the signal of an old man.
Lord of the Magic Tower, Aren, was gathering her magical energy in her hands. Duke Jespen watched this quietly.
It was a battle between wizards and wizards. No one in the seat could know the outcome of the fight. I just cheer for the spectacle that I will never see again.
The beginning was Aren. He hurled a giant steel blast at Duke Jespen. The onlookers were so overwhelmed by this that they stopped cheering.
It was the sound of steel thrown by Aren, losing her strength and falling to her floor. Seeing this, Aren began to gather her mana.
Speed was the lifeblood of magicians’ battles. How fast to attack and how fast to block.
So Mage Tower Lord Aren had her confidence in this fight. Even in the Mage Tower, Aren became the owner of the Mage Tower at a rapid rate of magic.
Of course, the intensity was also excellent. People clapped their tongues at the magic tower master’s steel magic. Duke Jespen stood still.
Aren stared at him with her magical energy concentrated in her hand. There must have been some ulterior motive. It wasn’t good to rush into magic.
Why the hell are you standing still? The Duke of Jespen wasn’t even gathering his mana. Aren thought of Clie who was watching over him.
Never, never lose. Aren said arrogantly.
“Don’t play around, why don’t you do it quickly?”
Duke Jespen let out a sigh at this. That’s what you say to the elders.
Duke Jespen raised his hand. He was facing Aren. Then something in the air came towards him.
It was an unknown curse magic. Aren did not know how to use detoxification magic. He was the one who only used combat magic. Although his work at the banquet hall has awakened him to some detox magic.
He grinned. Then, as if showing off, he met Duke Jespen’s curse.
A ring handed down from the Mage Tower. If there is only that, no curse will work. So was the medicine. It was the reason why he could not learn detoxification magic.
After taking it off for a while at the banquet hall and being punished, he had been wearing this ring unconditionally.
Duke Jespen’s curse was crushed as soon as it touched Aren.
“It doesn’t work.”
I was about to tell Duke Jespen that his curse couldn’t work. Duke Jespen was shooting wind magic at the ring.
Aren quickly dodged it. If the ring is taken away, he will be cursed.
Even though he learned the detoxification magic himself at the banquet hall, that’s all. It was not enough to decipher Duke Jespen’s curse.
So I had to protect the ring. Of course he was sure of that. That’s why he didn’t learn detox magic.
Aren looked down at the ring for a moment, that fleeting moment.
Quaaagh!
Aren was knocked out by a rock that flew from somewhere. Was she quietly waiting for the time? Aren stood up, holding her stance.
“⋯ね.”
Her side hurt. She was careless However, if this amount of magic was used in a short moment, the recoil would have been quite large.
Aren looked at the Duke of Jespen and began to prepare his magic. But it was a mistake. A hot fireball was flying from Aren’s side.
Touuu!
Aren quickly summoned steel to block it. That wasn’t the end. The wind was blowing from Duke Jespen.
A mysterious curse, a huge rock, and a hot ball of fire. Up to the gale there. Are you dealing with various magics as the head of a famous magic family?
Hwaaah!
The wind was sharp. A cold wind scratched Aren’s body. In the place where the wind passed, only red scars existed.
Aren was enduring the wind that attacked him with his bare body.
“Oh, heh.”
I didn’t use magic to defend against the wind. Aren was enduring his pain and gathering his mana.
It was a number that I treasured and cherished. Magic that compresses huge steel and throws it at high speed. If it penetrated Duke Jespen’s body, Aren’s victory was certain.
It was also a magic that could lead to the death of Duke Jespen. Of course, it didn’t matter to Aren. It was common for people to die in duels.
When the wind stopped scratching you. Aren gathered the mana he had been gathering. Then she looked at the Duke of Jespen.
He was watching Aren from his place. As if pitying himself, he stood motionless.
That arrogance defeats you. No, it will lead to death. Aren aimed a small piece of steel at Duke Jespen’s heart.
Duke Jespen was still motionless. Aren thought while shooting magic.
There is no countermeasure. No matter how fast you summon defensive magic, you can’t block this magic with anything clumsy. It was such a strong and fast magic.
And the destination of that magic was the heart of Duke Jespen.
He will die.
Pooh Woowookㅡ
A small piece of steel pierced Duke Jespen’s heart. Blood flowed from him. Aren’s victory, Duke Jespen’s defeat, and death.
Looking down on Aren and being careless. That is Duke Jespen’s sin. Aren smiled.
“⋯Keuk, heuheu⋯⋯.”
Duke Jespen was slumped over. Well, you should have done it right.
As usual, Aren stroked my ring. It was an old habit that Aren did every time he won a duel.
‘⋯⋯ Ring.’
The ring was missing. When receiving wind magic from Duke Jespen. It was clear that the ring had been taken away then.
Aren turned his gaze to the fallen Duke Jespen. Then she walked towards him with haughty steps.
I was very dizzy. It seemed that too much blood had been spilled. For now, he was thinking of getting the ring back from Duke Jespen.
Even so, Aren blinked at his tired body.
“⋯.”
Then the one who fell down was herself. Duke Jespen, who had been pierced through the heart, was still standing in place.
She couldn’t find any scars on him. Even the wounds that had apparently been pierced had completely disappeared.
“⋯⋯ね.”
Curse. Was it the curse of seeing hallucinations? Aren had been deprived of the ring and was cursed. Aren looked at Duke Jespen.
Tooung
It was the sound of a ring being snapped. Duke Jespen gave the ring back to Aren. Aren quickly grabbed the ring.
The curse was completely lifted and the dizzy energy disappeared.
“Do you want to do more?”
These were the words of Duke Jespen. Aren didn’t answer. He checked his remaining magic power. Only a small amount of magic power remained in Aren.
It’s ugly. You can’t even inflict a single wound. Aren squeezed out the remaining mana. Aren strengthened his own body.
His pride did not allow him not to be hurt. Even if he was wounded by his magic, he intended to blow himself and punch the Duke of Jespen in the face.
Tooooong!
It was the sound of Aren stepping on the ground and pushing. The body, which was strengthened by squeezing all remaining mana, was extremely fast and strong.
Before he knew it, the Duke of Jespen appeared right in front of him. He was the same as before. He was just staring at Aren.
The Duke of Jespen was not ready for his magic. Judging by the presence of the ring, Aren wasn’t cursed again.
Aren threw up her fist.
Wow!!
Aren thought. With a sound this loud, he wouldn’t even be able to show his face for a while.
However, contrary to Aren’s thoughts, it was the sound of Duke Jespen’s fist striking Aren’s face.
Aren had an unsightly fall. He lost his mind
*
I watched a brutal battle. Duke Jespen continued to give Aren a chance. Are you even considerate of your enemies?
He wasn’t trying to bully the tower lord, he was really giving the lord a chance. It was something that showed how kind Duke Jespen was.
⋯Is it right to be nice?
Blood can’t lie, and it seemed like she knew a little bit about where the wicked character of the villainess came from.
Of course, the problem with the villain is that unlike Duke Jespen, her personality is dirty even in normal times.
I looked at Clie, who was sitting far away. She was covering her mouth with her hand. Is it to cover her surprised mouth?
⋯No, she was picking out ridicule. Laughing at the fainting tower master? However, considering the work at the banquet hall, it was understandable.
But she was ignoring even her crown prince beside her. I wondered about this and watched Clie carefully.
“⋯⋯Where, look.”
This was what Sael said after confirming my gaze toward Clie.