Chapter 22

Chapter 22
## Chapter 22

Among the influential families in the western part of the empire, the youngest, Belmiard, the Marquis of the Frontier, was a perfect man.

Ruling the entire southern coastal region of the Belcos Peninsula, he personally managed sixty percent of the trade routes to Ebelstain. In the northern part of his territory lay the largest magic academy on the continent: Drest Academy.

Not only that, but he also oversaw the vast granaries that stretched north along the coast. People used to joke that the annual income of the Belmiard Marquisate could fill the ocean with gold coins.

Literally, he was a man swimming in a sea of gold. However, even he, whose life had always been on the rise, lacked something: the blessing of children.

His eldest son, Linus, gave himself over to gambling and debauchery, wasting his days in vanity, while the youngest, Leonard, suddenly decided to consecrate himself to the divine will and departed on a pilgrimage, appearing rarely except on holidays and major family events. It was enough to drive anyone crazy.

At least the second child, Ellen, was sensible and obedient, becoming the sole treasure of Marquis Belmiard, whose sons caused him constant trouble.

***

“It is time to practice your magic duel, Lady Ellen.”

“…Isn’t it a bit late?”

Lady Ellen, the favorite of Marquis Belmiard, had arrived in the noble district of Ebelstain long ago to prepare for her debut in society.

She was sitting in the hallway of an imposing vaulted building next to the noble district square. Known among the nobility of Ebelstain as the Cultural Corridor, it was a place where various salons and small clubs gathered to cultivate friendships and forge relationships.

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Ellen, who only frequented the Salon of Roses, had just finished a meeting and was taking advantage of her brief free time to read letters with news from her circle.

“I heard there is a tea party at Viscount Belorn’s residence. If you intend to attend, I can postpone the duel training.”

“There is no need. I have no desire to waste time on childish games like that.”

Although her coming-of-age ceremony was still a year away, the girl was already mature.

Marquis Belmiard had introduced her to various practical matters. She oversaw the sowing and harvesting in the granaries, reviewed livestock management, and even participated in financial tasks such as reviewing leases and resolving disputes, as well as military duties like managing the private army and weaponry.

It was rumored that she harbored ambitions to change the traditional family motto and inherit the title to become the head of the family. If true, she would be the only Marchioness in the Western Roman Empire.

“…”

Although she was still in the stage of gaining experience under the tutelage of veterans, she had already learned enough about domain administration. For her, those social games often seemed childish, the pastimes of naive young ladies.

Still, she fulfilled her duties as a noble lady, but every time she received marriage proposals, she couldn’t help but scoff.

Reading the letters from conceited men with flowery language, trying to win the heart of a girl who hadn’t even debuted in society, she thought, “So this is what they call empty pomp.”

The young woman aspired to be a ruler, not to submit to any man. As if to prove it, she rose from her seat, letting her red hair fall in a cascade, creating an imposing presence.

“I feel good today. I might even be able to cast a two-star spell.”

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“Do not be greedy. Mastering magic is something built with firmness and constancy.”

As Lady Ellen muttered to herself while leaving the hallway, her elderly magic instructor followed her, calmly offering advice.

***

Entering the magical duel arena located northeast of the noble district, Lady Ellen felt a question arise and asked:

“But as far as I know, there is no magic duel scheduled today… Who am I going to practice with?”

“Today we have specially arranged for a commoner to be your opponent, so that you may practice offensive magic with greater seriousness.”

“What?”

As Ellen, her dress billowing behind her, entered the magical duel arena, she cast a glance at her elderly instructor.

The old master was a man named Felmier.

He had been trained directly by high-ranking followers of the family of Prince Belmierd of the northern empire, a former mage of the Maxton domain. Although he was a three-star exploration mage, he was also quite skilled in combat and invocation magic. Furthermore, he was deeply rooted in aristocratic ideals.

Ellen was also immersed in aristocratic society and could not be said to lack a certain sense of privilege or elitism. However, she had some points of conflict with that old magic instructor named Felmier.

Like the current problem.

“The person before you in the arena today is a simple commoner, so you can practice your magic as much as you want. A few wounds can be compensated with gold.”

“Felmier, did you come all the way from the cold north to Ebelstain to teach me how to hit common people?”

“That is the meaning of a duel.”

“Was it not you who taught me that I must always show courtesy, refinement, and elegance?”

“That applies to duels between nobles.”

Ellen stopped walking toward the arena and looked at her old master with a piercing gaze.

In an era where the level of magic among common people was so low that it barely required supervision, even the best commoners who received attacks in exchange for a few coins were, at most, one-star, and most likely had not even mastered basic magic.

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Felmier remained upright, hands behind his back, unperturbed by the girl’s gaze.

Felmier knew Ellen’s character well.

She considered it shameful to use full strength against an inferior and barbaric to cast spells on an opponent who could barely defend themselves.

Unlike Felmier, who saw common people as something between animals and humans, Ellen believed they should at least be treated as people.

“Even so, I have summoned a commoner who can handle one-star magic. He won’t be able to resist for long.”

“And you call that a reason…?”

“If you truly respect your opponent, give your best. Is that not the etiquette of the arena?”

Felmier was a tutor whose words flowed like a crystal-clear mountain stream. Ellen could only sigh deeply.

“Then, today, let us focus on mastering combat and confusion magic among the one-star spells.”

“If it feels wrong to me, I will stop.”

“With that attitude, you will never improve.”

Ellen let her master’s words go in one ear and out the other as she made her way into the arena.

***

“My goodness, he is still just a child!”

Ellen could not help but frown again.

The boy sitting on the other side of the training field, adjusting his boots, looked no older than Ellen’s peers.

Commoners, even first-class mages, were usually older. Only nobles could master high-level magic at a young age.

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It was obvious he was simply someone who had barely managed to manifest a little magical power, or had gotten lucky.

He looked like a mercenary.

Apparently, Felmier had submitted a request to the mercenary guild in the tavern district and had brought someone.

“…”

Noticing Ellen’s arrival, the boy shook the dust off his boots and stood up, giving a polite bow.

His impeccable tunic, his leather belt, the metal part of his scabbard at his hip, and even his belt buckle and tunic buttons shone; it was evident he was no street beggar.

His hair was white as snow and his eyes, like Ellen’s, were red.

For some reason, his appearance was strange. He was undoubtedly a boy of Ellen’s age, but there was an inexplicable maturity about him.

‘…He isn’t anyone important, right?’

“My name is Dereck.”

“Ellen.”

Ellen did not bother revealing her full name. He did not deserve such formality and, besides, it seemed he already knew it.

However, curiously, the name Dereck sounded familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before. It must have been a name she had heard in passing, but it felt like a distant memory, hard to recall.

Ellen touched her chin several times, absorbed in thought, but unearthing buried memories was not easy.

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There was always a reason why Ellen remembered a common person’s name. There had to be a reason why that name also sounded familiar to her.

She tilted her head several times, pensive, but nothing in particular came to mind; she only felt how her red, wavy hair tickled her neck from time to time.

“How much magic can you use?”

“I can handle first-class magic to some extent.”

So he had learned high-level magic.

Considering the boy’s age, it was quite an achievement, but he was clearly far behind Ellen, who was already approaching the threshold of second-class magic.

Ellen thought about telling the boy to leave and sought Felmier’s approval. But Felmier, with his eyes firmly closed, shook his head. The stubborn old man always managed to make Ellen sigh.

“Do you know the basic rules of a magic duel?”

“Yes. I only know the basics, but I have seen and heard enough.”

“Fine, how lucky. Hold on as long as you can. I will make it quick.”

Power began to emanate from Ellen’s fingertips. The influence of her magic made her red hair flutter and the ornaments on her luxurious dress billow.

Among the nobility, she was known for her rapid magic progress, and as she grew, her magical power manifested clearly. Without a doubt, she possessed exceptional talent.

***

Showing off before a random boy who frequented the mercenary underworld would only stain her dignity. The girl invoked her magic mechanically, without a trace of emotion on her face.

It would be better for both if this ended soon. For Ellen, it wouldn’t leave a bad taste in her mouth, and for the boy, it would mean an easy gain.

It was then that Ellen began to release more magic.

“Hold on as long as you can… What do you mean by that?”

“What?”

“It would be useful if you specified the required level of resistance.”

Ellen looked at Dereck in incredulity at his words.

Even when a one-star mage was building up magic right in front of him, the boy showed no signs of tension.

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“I am a mercenary. As you know, mercenaries take pride in fulfilling their clients’ objectives.”

Looking into the boy’s eyes, which remained as serious as ever, Ellen wondered what he was trying to say.

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“I came here in response to a request to help with magic skills. That being the case, how much resistance should I offer to best help with Ellen’s magic training?”

Ellen hadn’t realized it, but Dereck had perfected this principle through countless mercenary jobs. After all, he was an experienced mercenary.

A mercenary’s primary directive was to fulfill the client’s objective. Whether it was killing monsters, facing bandits, or escorting caravans, every action and decision revolved around the client’s wishes.

If the client’s wish was to improve their magic skill and they had paid a fair price, Dereck would act to achieve it. That’s why he looked at Ellen with such sincerity.

He could have indifferently said that receiving a few hits and losing was enough, but if the true goal of the request was to master magic, Dereck’s approach would change completely.

And that sincerity was what made clients seek Dereck out among so many other mercenaries. Not just anyone could make a name for themselves in the ruthless world of mercenaries.

But that was a story for the lowest echelon of the mercenary hierarchy. There was no reason or need for a noble lady flying among the clouds to understand such things.

“Ha.”

Ellen mocked and replied indifferently:

“Didn’t I tell you already? Resist with all your strength.”

“Understood.”

—Whoosh!

Ignoring Dereck’s nonsensical question, Ellen began to cast a powerful spell from her hands.

Even among one-star spells, the quality varied according to the user. And the magic aura emanating from Ellen’s hands undoubtedly had a different quality than that of an average one-star spell.

“Oh, wind that sweeps the earth…”

In an instant, Ellen continued her incantation, summoning the one-star spell ‘Shockwave’.

Although most combat spells took an elemental form, this one was purely kinetic, designed to blast the opponent away.

***

In most combats, mages who needed to maintain distance primarily used this spell. In duels like this, it was often employed to eject the opponent from the combat area and decide the contest quickly.

Without proper preparation, one wouldn’t even realize what happened before being thrown beyond the fence.

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In a dignified magic duel, where courtesy was paramount, such a violent spell was not permitted; but Ellen’s only goal was to send the commoner flying, give him a gold coin, and send him home.

In this way, the spell launched from Ellen’s hands headed toward Dereck.

Dereck’s red eyes widened instantly. Ellen felt a strange dissonance in 그 moment.

-Swoosh!

With a light lateral movement, Dereck dodged the shockwave.

Because the shockwave had no visible form, one had to quickly perceive the magic and calculate its range. This was natural for those who mastered magic, and required agility to dodge.

In that moment, Ellen narrowed her eyes and quickly reassessed Dereck.

«He’s not just any commoner, is he…?»

Quickly accumulating more magic, she created one-star ice spears.

The one-star ice spears that Diella had just learned were small and sparse, but Ellen’s, now more advanced, were larger than a person’s torso and easily exceeded a dozen.

‘But…! I don’t want to waste energy unnecessarily, so I should end this quickly…!’

If many ice spears were launched without blind spots, there would be no escape.

One or two could be neutralized with cunning, but against a multitude, a mercenary’s agility meant nothing.

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Then Ellen turned her gaze toward Dereck to aim the spears—

—Clang! Clang! Crash!

Before she realized it, all the floating ice spears surrounding Ellen had shattered.

-Crack!

For an instant, time seemed to slow down.

The broken ice fragments gradually faded. The flickering glints reflected in Ellen’s wide eyes.

What Ellen saw was Dereck, with his fist raised and clenched tight. She had just witnessed the consequences of his control over the magic flow.

Had he, in that brief instant, fired as many magic arrows as there were ice spears and destroyed them all?

The problem was that none of these processes had been visible. No chants, no awkward delays while controlling the magic.

The magic flowed without interruption, making it impossible for the opponent to detect it.

From the precise impact of multiple magic arrows on each ice spear, a different caliber of skill in the use of magic could be perceived.

Hadn’t he claimed to be a one-star mage?

Even if one were a one-star mage, could one reach such mastery with extreme training?

The boy opened the fist he had clenched, and then seemed to loosen his wrist, shaking it slightly.

Ellen’s eyes narrowed even further.

Then, with great force, she jumped back, summoning her magic once more. Her expression was now completely serious.

The girl, gifted with a sharp magic intuition, had understood it in just two exchanges.

He was not someone to be taken lightly.