Chapter 29: Manavil (4)

A combination of Ignite and Grease had induced a weakness, which had been ruthlessly exploited by Wind Cutter. Theo had created a decisive result with just 1st and 2nd Circle magic. If this had been a battlefield, Philip’s head would be rolling in the mud.

Philip touched his neck to reassure himself he wasn’t hurt before he scrambled to his feet, cursing, “Y-You bastard! Don’t you know how shameless it is to use such coarse magic, you hillbilly!”

“What?”

The moment Philip stood, Theo fired the magic he had been preparing.

Crackle!

A bright blue bolt shot toward Philip. The 2nd Circle magic, Lightning Bolt, was as fast as its namesake. If one waited until the lightning spell was shooting toward them, it was already too late to defend.

However, Philip wasn’t that incompetent.

He roared, "Don’t expect to surprise me twice!"

Philip may have been talented and born into a family that could support him generously, but he had still needed to put in effort to become a magician. He may not be as knowledgeable as Theo, but he was talented enough to discern the nature of the spell Theo had fired before it was visible. Philip’s magic power reflexively moved through the formula for Shield. Philip opened his mouth to triumphantly cast Shield.

Puk!

“Shie- Gyaa!”

The stone beneath Philip’s right foot suddenly gave way and reformed around his ankle. The sudden disruption shattered his concentration and he lost his grip on the magic formula for Shield. As his magic power dispersed uselessly, Lightning Bolt struck Philip’s forehead, snapping his head back.

Philip’s hands flew to his face as he collapsed in a heap. It was truly a sight to behold.

Tch-ack!

The second crystal absorbed the damage from Lightning Bolt and shattered. If Philip’s last crystal was broken, he would be defeated and his tokens forfeited to Theodore.

Theodore stared at his opponent in mild surprise.

He’s so… inexperienced. Perhaps he’s in the majority?

As Theo studied his opponent, he realized that students who went to academies or had a private tutor would rarely get a chance to experience a true fight. The closest they could come to that would be a relaxed spar or a battle where they were thoroughly guarded. They had never experienced a battle where their life was put on the line.

After absorbing Alfred’s experience and his own battle with the hobgoblin, battling Philip was child’s play.

However, Philip’s thoughts ran differently. “You damn hillbilly! Can’t you fight fairly!? It’s low to use 1st and 2nd Circle magic in an honorable duel!”

“... I didn’t hit you in the head that hard, did I? Why does the Circle matter if the magic is effective?”

Vince, who was sitting in the stands, nodded in agreement. Flashy spells were rarely used in battle. After all, Fireball would kill just as effectively as Hellfire. A magician on the battlefield was useless without magic power, so they would try to extract the maximum effect from simple spells.

On the other side, Loren smacked his forehead at his disciple’s stupidity. He was starting to regret focusing his lessons just on battle magic.

Theo’s next words only enraged Loren further. “If your teacher taught you differently, can you really be proud of such a teacher? Or maybe you haven’t learned this part yet?”

“Kuk!” Philip gritted his teeth. Theo had hit the nail on the head.

The expressions of the two magicians watching the argument were interesting. A slight smile broke through Vince’s poker face, while Loren’s face was now an alarming shade of purple. He almost looked like he was about to explode.

A wise man once said that a man who lost a battle of words had two options. They could swear, or throw a punch.

Philip Gullock made his own choice. “Shut up! Soldiers from the frozen ground, hear my call!”

As he drew angrily on his magic power, frost began to spread across the smooth stone floor. If Philip completed the magic formula, Theodore Miller would find it hard to block the 4th Circle magic, Frozen Orb.

That is, if he was allowed to complete it.

“Don’t you know not to use long spells?”

Theo snapped his fingers like he had been waiting.

Ttaak!

It looked like he was casting Ignite again.

Does he think I’ll fall for it again?

Philip scoffed as he sidestepped. He wasn’t about to fall for a trick he’d already seen. If he didn’t step back, he wouldn’t fall, and his spell wouldn’t fail.

It was a crucial mistake.

Puk!

“Kuh... Uk?” There was an inexplicable pain in his side. While the crystals could absorb damage in place of their holder, they couldn’t completely erase the pain.

Tch-ack!

The pain was starting to get so overwhelming that Philip didn’t even care that his last crystal had broken. He looked down to find a sharpened stone stake extending from the ground behind him and penetrating his side.

Mitra’s collaboration with Theodore had been a complete success.

“That, cooperation, ha… ooh.” Philip’s voice trailed off as he fainted away from the pain. It was a rather gruesome injury for someone who wasn’t used to pain.

Even the staff member was pale as he walked over. Theo scratched his head.

“Mitra, let’s make the end a little more blunt next time.”

[Huing?]

Mitra emerged from the ground and peered curiously at the collapsed Philip.

***

Philip looked so terrible that the staff member eventually called for a stretcher to take him away for proper treatment. Since the crystals usually did a good job of absorbing damage, he had never seen such a terribly wounded contestant before.

The staff member tried to keep a professional look on his face as he addressed Theo, “Theodore, congratulations on your first victory in the Pupil Tournament.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“You have achieved one victory and obtained Philip Gullock’s four tokens. It doesn’t matter if you lose them, but you are responsible for any damage to the tokens, so please be careful.”

It was only when Theo held the four tokens in his hand that he realized that they were heavier than they looked. Theo stared blankly at the symbol of his victory until Vince walked over.

“How was it? Easier than you thought?”

“Yes, it wasn’t a big deal.”

“That’s the difference experience makes. Alfred’s memories have familiarized you with battle, so students brought up in a greenhouse won’t be a match for you.”

This was why Vince had allowed Theo to participate in the Pupil Tournament. Skilled war magicians were like grim reapers on the battlefield as their spells struck precisely at the gaps in the armor and helmets of knights and soldiers. Practical experience made a world of difference, and Theodore’s perception was not much different from the intuition of a warrior who had spent decades on the battlefield.

Vince didn’t expect him to face any difficulty in a tournament of this level. As the two of them started to walk away, someone called out to them.

“Hey, Vince Haidel!”

“Hmm?” Vince, who hadn’t felt the person’s presence, looked behind him with a confused expression.

He immediately drew a sharp breath. He had never expected this particular person to appear here.

Vince’s face distorted strangely as he asked, “Aren’t you usually too busy to come to a place like this?”

The stranger’s white beard and hair stood in stark contrast to the bulging muscles under his blue robe. His forearms were as thick as logs, and he seemed like he could easily crush someone’s head with a single hand. His thick, heavy staff was slung over his back. If he had been carrying a sword instead of a cane, he would’ve been mistaken for a warrior, not a magician.

The muscled old man grinned and slapped Vince’s shoulder jovially. “Hahaha! Don’t be like that when I haven’t seen you in such a long time!”

Vince yelped as he tried to dodge. “Gah, that hurts!”

The old man scoffed, “A man should at least have this much strength. Now, introduce me to your disciple!”

Vince massaged his stinging shoulder as he grumbled. Even his trained body couldn’t withstand this old man’s strength. The Terror of the Blue Tower wasn’t known as the Muscle Master for nothing.

Vince introduced Theo reluctantly, “This is Theodore Miller, a student from Bergen Academy.”

Theo bowed. “It’s nice to meet you.”

The old man laughed. “Yes, yes! Nice to meet you as well!”

The old man’s laughter faded into a contemplative silence as he examined Theo. His gaze seemed to be similar to Myrdal’s where it seemed to look right through Theodore.

“... Interesting. Did you get picked up from some battlefield? It’s an insult to call you a greenhorn.”

The old magician’s gaze was so sharp that Theo turned to Vince in an attempt to escape. “Professor. This is...?”

However, his efforts were in vain as the old magician interrupted, “Hmph! Why are you asking Vince instead of me? You shouldn’t be ignoring me just because I’m an old man, you know?!”

Theo hastily stammered, “I-I'm really sorry.”

The old magician burst into laughter. “Huhaha! Well, it doesn’t matter!”

He was like a hurricane. He grabbed Theo’s hands in a hearty shake. Theo could feel the sheer strength in the old man’s arms as his hands were energetically dragged up and down. A corner of his mind idly wondered if the old man could actually just pick him up with one hand.

As Theo tried to find his bearings, the old man let go and stood back with a faux important demeanor. He squinted at Vince as he gestured for him to speak.

Vince was already feeling worn out as he introduced the old man to Theo. “Don’t be too surprised. This man is… the Supreme of the Blue Tower, Blundell Adruncus.”

“Ah, of cour- Huh?” Theo looked up in shock.

Vince whispered to Theo in a voice the old man couldn’t hear, “This old geezer is the Blue Tower Master.”

Theodore stared in utter disbelief at the most important person he had ever met in his life.