Chapter 170

Chapter 170
Chapter 170
## Chapter 170: Old Hero (5)

The magical energy that flowed from Sirine’s fingertips condensed into a rose of colossal proportions before fading into the mist. Although Melberot was aware of the young woman’s great mystical potential, he never imagined that her mastery over mana had reached such a degree of subtlety. The man remained seated at his desk, observing the scene with his eyes slightly narrowed.

“It is not only her capacity for transformation; her confusion and combat spells are close to evolving. Although Derek’s 4-star level still feels distant… I suspect it is not an unreachable goal.”

“—…Sirine. How long has it been since your last stay at the Ravenclaw Barony?”

“—Eh? I think… a little less than a year?”

Melberot crossed his arms, thoughtful, while brushing his lips with his hand. The calculations confirmed his daughter’s words. In that brief period, Baron Ravenclaw had not only stabilized Sirine’s magical flow and calmed her impetuous nature, but he had also instilled in her high noble etiquette and raised her combat and confusion prowess to the 3-star rank. There was no other young noblewoman on the continent capable of mastering three distinct disciplines at that level at her age.

“I must give credit where credit is due.”

Melberot, a man whose arrogance rarely allowed him to express his emotions, had always considered Derek a suitable mentor, but he had never foreseen such amazing results.

“—It seems the time invested in the Ravenclaw Barony has been extremely profitable.”

“—Certainly. However, there is a drawback to his growth.”

“—What do you mean?”

“—When I first set foot in the Rocheste Territory, he was just an instructor surrounded by rumors. But now his fame has grown so much that… a multitude of noble ladies seek him relentlessly.”

Apparently, getting a personalized lesson had become a Herculean task. Melberot grimaced with distaste upon hearing it. As Sirine’s protector, he could demand that Derek dedicate himself exclusively to her, but such an action would unleash the fury of other powerful lineages whose daughters also studied under his tutelage. Despite being a national hero and the Lord of the North, the students’ families—Duplein, Belmierd, Beltus, and Renuel—possessed an influence that forced even him to act with caution.

“—It is logical that he has become so coveted. An aristocrat who combines such refinement with such magical skill is an exceptional find.”

“—Perhaps… but father, the real reason why Derek commands respect is not his elegance.”

Sirine straightened her back with pride, as if boasting about a treasure of her own. “—Have you never seen Derek commit himself to a real battle?”

Melberot only knew the official reports on the order measures Derek applied in the Rochester Region. What could Sirine have witnessed during her stay under the Baron’s guidance? Intrigue began to take hold of him.

“—Derek is… achoo!”

Just as Sirine was about to give details, a small, cute sneeze cut the thread of the conversation, leaving behind a silence charged with awkwardness.

***

—Boom! Crash! Bang!

The servants watching the confrontation between Derek and Kalimford began to grow pale. At first, they thought it would be a light practice from which they could profit by betting, but the intensity of the magical clashes increased, forcing the spectators to hold their breath.

—Burst!

Derek managed to dissipate Kalimford’s pressure and retreated to gain distance. He had to stop exchanging such dangerous direct attacks. He picked up a stone from the ruined wall and began to run at high speed along the edges of the combat area.

—Swish!

Kalimford waved his staff. Until that moment, he had increased the power of his spells only to test his opponent’s resistance, but then he decided to use real war tactics. He knew that if he released his full potential, the entire mansion would succumb, so his next move was predictable to an expert eye.

—Burst!

Kalimford sank his staff into the ground and closed his eyelids. A mage capable of casting complex spells without blinking was now concentrating to the maximum, a sign of imminent danger. Derek threw the debris he was carrying while jumping backward; his eyes did not lose a single detail of his rival’s gestures. Before magic of that caliber, interrupting it was the only salvation.

Hiss!

However, Kalimford anticipated the maneuver and finished the enchantment just as the projectiles flew toward him.

—Swish!

A stone struck Kalimford’s left temple, opening a gash. As the trail of blood ran down his face, the mage opened his eyes and gripped his staff tightly.

—Plink! Swish!

The echo reminded one of a drop hitting a calm pond. Immediately, the structure of reality was altered. The environment inverted and vibrated violently: the snowy field and the ruins disappeared as if they were smoke.

—Rumble! Crash!

5-star transformation magic: “Battlefield Recreation.”

Suddenly, Derek found himself on an endless lake, whose waters acted as a perfect mirror of the firmament. The inability to sink was only the first challenge of that environment. With every movement, ripples spread until they were lost from sight. In the midst of that sepulchral silence, Kalimford’s silhouette could be seen in the distance.

“He has me trapped.”

Derek drew his longsword and went on guard, reinforcing his position with defensive magic. A 5-star transformation spell is capable of rewriting the laws of the physical world. Although these mages are not usually seen as front-line warriors, their strategic value in armed conflicts is the reason why the Empire considers them indispensable.

Kalimford’s intention was evident: to use devastating magic without reducing the mansion to ashes.

Hiss!

Kalimford wiped the trace of blood from his wounded eye and focused his power on the staff. As he rose from the ground, a gale began to roar around him. His staff, a piece of common oak, began to yield under the immense pressure.

—Crack! Boom! Swish!

The fury of the waves broke the peace of the lake. The mystical whirlwind created an impregnable shield. Among elite mages, there was a maxim: if your enemy raises an impenetrable defense out of thin air, hit him immediately or prepare to die.

Then, the light went out. It was not dusk, but something colossal blocking the sun.

—Roar!

A celestial body of terrifying dimensions descended from the sky, casting a shadow of death. It was the same spell that decided the end of the Dawn War by annihilating Noir. A legendary, 6-star combat spell that had redrawn the geography of the North. The simple heat it radiated instantly dried the sweat off Derek.

Derek’s eyes widened to the maximum and…

—KABOOOOOM!

The roar of the detonation plunged him into absolute deafness.

—Hiss! Pow!

The world created by Kalimford vanished, returning them to the practice arena. The meteorites and hellfire had been nothing more than a perfect illusion.

—Gasp… gasp…

Exhausted after chaining 5-star and 6-star spells, Kalimford had to lean on his staff to avoid falling. His body, weakened by age and effort, could barely resist. With blurred vision, he managed to see Derek kneeling on the ground.

In the last breath, Kalimford had diverted the impact so as not to mortally wound Derek. His goal was for the young man to experience the pressure of facing a 6-star mage, a natural disaster before which theory is of no use; only experiencing helplessness teaches true resilience.

However, upon regaining consciousness of reality, Derek whispered:

“—Next time… I will dodge it…”

“—What?”

Hiss!

—Bang! Whoosh!

A burst of fire bolts emerged from the void, flying toward Kalimford. Thanks to his reflexes, the old man avoided most of them, but one set his sleeve on fire.

—Fwoosh!

The flames licked his arm as he looked at Derek in total astonishment. Derek’s mana should have been at zero. That counterattack was theoretically impossible. Had he prepared it before the environment changed? But it was too late to regret it.

Kalimford understood: before the illusion began, he himself had shown an “echo attack” by taking advantage of residual magic. Derek had not only assimilated it with a single explanation, but had executed it with astonishing tactical precision. As he wiped the blood from his forehead, the mage understood the whole play.

Derek had calculated everything since he picked up that piece of stone. Anticipating that Kalimford would need concentration to alter the environment, he created a distraction to set this delayed attack. Even the leather sheath on his leg, designed for daggers, had been a decoy.

It was empty.

If he had had a real weapon, the result would have been lethal. That was the pure instinct of a combatant: to seek victory even against the most adverse odds. Kalimford wiped away the blood, remembering that he himself had asked him to attack with the intent to kill. Perhaps it was overconfidence.

“—Coughing… catching my breath… Shall we continue?”

Derek’s question, as he tried to stand up, left Kalimford speechless. How could he ask for more after being hit by 6-star magic? It was not just about courage; it was a survival logic that surpassed instinctive fear, a gift possessed only by those who have lived with the grim reaper since their childhood.

“I finally understand it, Phee.”

That obsessive fixation with mystical art, a disturbing serenity, and mental quickness out of the ordinary. Kalimford swallowed hard as he watched Derek’s battered body and, finally, closed his eyes.

“—No, that is enough for today. If we continue, dinner will be completely ruined.”

Kalimford was aware that Derek would soon reach the 5-star level, placing himself on par with the great family leaders.

***

“—Has dinner been canceled?”

After receiving the mana control lessons from Kalimford and concluding the practice, Derek returned to his quarters only to find an unforeseen notice. The servant who gave him the news avoided looking at him, probably intimidated by Derek’s bare torso, covered in bandages from the combat wounds. However, the pain did not seem to affect him.

“—That is correct. While they were treating your injuries… a state of alarm was decreed. Lord Melberot himself gave the order; the residence is a hive of activity.”

“—How? A beast attack?”

“—We do not have the details… but Lord Melberot demands your presence urgently.”

For Melberot to show himself “desperate” was unheard of. A leader capable of standing firm in the face of a global catastrophe would not alter his plans for any triviality. Derek dressed with haste and a serious countenance.

—Click.

Upon leaving, he ran into Melberot, who was advancing at a rapid pace through a tide of employees. The sovereign’s agitation was a harbinger of tragedy. By his side, Kalimford showed a similar paleness. Seeing two 6-star masters, capable of protecting the mansion effortlessly, sweating from pure anguish, made Derek prepare for the worst. Despite his wounds, he adjusted his equipment and approached.

“—I am here.”

“—I was treating my injuries. What has happened?”

“—It is something unprecedented. Honestly, I do not know how to react.”

Melberot seemed beside himself. Kalimford, for his part, had a lost gaze.

“—I… I have never seen myself in such a situation… I do not know what to do… damn it… How do we proceed?”

If anything could terrify two mages of such a level, the disaster had to be of an epic scale. Derek prepared for the worst.

“—Please, tell me… what has happened?”

“—Sirine… has fallen ill with the flu.”

“—…?”