The Frugal Mage

'No…! This can't be—' Cedric thought desperately, as his body began to weaken.

He still had a lot of tricks up his sleeve! He hadn't even used his four most powerful Spells after becoming an Adept.

He was just trying to show the mid-level Spells that he had, so the crowd could understand how powerful his latest Spells are!

He also prepared special Magic Scrolls to reveal any forbidden drugs that Rayven might've used in order to win against him.

However, all of it was about to disappear.

He couldn't help but glare at Rayven…

'I can't lose here… Not with all these people watching!'

He hated Rayven to the bone… Although it was not prohibited to use magic items in a duel of mages, he couldn't believe that Rayven would be so sneaky and use some kind of poison to defeat him!

From the stands, most of them had also failed to notice the darts that Rayven used…

They only realized what had happened after Cedric kneeled to the ground and struggled to stay conscious.

"What happened?"

"Did he get hit by that Mana Flick? Impossible… That Spell isn't even that strong."

"It has to be backlash! Rayven's staff must have some kind of curse attached!"

However, some others, like the Mage Guild Representative, Secretary Hyo Jin from the City Martial Governance Bureau, and the middle-aged man from the Continental Martial Union, had noticed the Sleeping Darts immediately.

"Hmm… Concealment, huh… What do you think, Sir Rashad?" Hyo Jin asked as he glanced at the gray-haired man from the Union.

"If not for the Stone Skin, this trick would've completely failed. He even mastered it to the highest degree…" Rashad muttered. He wasn't impressed with Rayven's quick Spellcasting since it was possible with a rare treasure. However, he was impressed with the strategy he used to defeat an Adept Mage who had a slower casting speed.

Rayven knew how to take advantage of his strengths and exploit the weakness of his opponent.

He must've researched a lot about Cedric's Spells and his behaviour during combat.

In the meantime, as soon as Cedric fell unconscious, Albert could no longer contain his excitement!

The battle had ended a lot faster than he thought! Furthermore, Rayven seemed to be perfectly fine…

"We won!" Albert shouted even before the referee announced the winner. He was simply that happy!

***

After a few moments of celebration from Rayven's side, the Veltham Family checked Cedric's condition and confirmed that he was merely sleeping. They tried to wake him up by slapping him a few times, but that didn't work either.

Then, the Mage Guild's representative repeated the stakes they had.

"By the agreement of both parties, the stakes of this match are clear… The losing side shall withdraw all business interests from Hesa City and its territories. They must also pay one thousand gold coins in restitution to the victor. Veltham Family's representative lost the duel--"

There was no need to continue listening as everyone knew the result.

The Veltham nobles had ashen faces as they shifted uncomfortably from their seats. They had believed Cedric's victory was certain. That was why they invited so many influential figures in the first place…

Now, with their champion lying unconscious, the consequences they had never prepared for were coming at them.

"We… we must protest!" One of them blurted with a trembling voice… They needed to do something about this.

"This duel—"

But he didn't continue as he also realized their mistake. They couldn't really complain since they themselves had invited these grand witnesses, hoping to flaunt their power, to humiliate the Golden Coast before influential eyes.

'This is a mistake… There's no way we could've lost that!' The Veltham noble couldn't help but hatefully look at Cedric, who had lost the duel.

Unfortunately, their arrogance had caused their downfall.

If Albert had been alone, they could have twisted the outcome, accusing Rayven of underhanded methods, framing him for cheating. But with the Bureau, the Union, the Mage Guild, and the Adventurer's Guild all present, every avenue of deceit was sealed.

If not one of them notices any cheating, how could they even claim there was one? They would just struggle helplessly.

Of course, they also considered calling out Rayven's trick…

But Rayven's darts weren't prohibited since they didn't kill Cedric. They were also magic items, like how Cedric's robe, necklace, and staff were also considered one...

At this time, Albert finally stepped forward confidently and bowed lightly to the gathered figures.

"Esteemed representatives, I trust you have all witnessed the outcome. As per the terms, we request the Veltham Family's immediate withdrawal and restitution."

The Mage Guild representative nodded as he also didn't like the Veltham Family's abuse of power. It was tarnishing the reputation of their guild!

"The terms are clear. The duel was witnessed and fair. Golden Coast Trading is entitled to its winnings."

Secretary Hyo Jin also nodded. "The Bureau will see to it personally. Veltham's businesses shall be withdrawn from Hesa City without delay."

The Veltham nobles paled further… They couldn't even utter a sound argument to stop this from happening.

To argue now would mean defying not only their rival but the very institutions they had flaunted.

Albert's grin widened after seeing their expression. He had been unable to do anything because of their influence… Seeing them suffer had greatly improved his mood.

'Thank you for coming back, Rayven…' Albert thought as he hugged Rayven.

Then, after whispering a few words, Albert approached the Velthams again to gloat about their loss.

He just couldn't help but feel excited now this.

It was definitely a good thing that the Velthams had foolishly thought of finishing them off with a Mage Duel.

Rayven just came out of nowhere and turned around their situation for them!

In the meantime, as the crowd was watching the Velthams signing various documents to ensure that they'd really leave the city, Rashad from the Union approached Rayven directly…

"Rayven Holt… That was a clever move you did there."