Ellente (3)
When Aiselin stepped into the magic sparring ground of the noble district, there were already quite a lot of people gathered.
Basically, magic sparring among noble families was nothing more than an old-fashioned hobby-like activity where they checked each other's magic achievement, honed their skills, and also served as a form of social gathering.
Even so, whenever there were rumors that the children of influential families would be having a magic sparring match, countless people would gather to watch, and they could largely be divided into two groups.
First were those who were purely interested in magic itself, and second were those who harbored schemes of trying to build some connection with nobles.
In the former case, they were often members of magic academies from the southwestern region or guests from the Imperial Palace, while in the latter case, they were often wealthy merchants or children of influential families.
When people gather, knights and soldiers inevitably gather as well to maintain safety, and accordingly those who command the scene also mix in, so it cannot help but become crowded.
Children of influential families always end up drawing people around them. Even knowing that fact, Aiselin often felt burdened by scenes like this.
'Since it's a magic sparring match between the Duplein Ducal House and the Belmiard family, I suppose more people will inevitably gather ...'
Even so, it is just a practice sparring match.
Results like these can be overturned as much as one likes over time. Nevertheless, gossip-loving people would whisper about the results of even such trivial magic sparring.
Aiselin disliked the attitude of such short-sighted people, but she did not show it.
She was a person who was kind to everyone.
"Hello, Young Lady Aiselin. The cold has eased quite a bit."
"Yes, Young Lady Taniem, please take good care of your health especially at times like this."
"I looked into the book you told me about at the last tea party, Young Lady Aiselin. Just as you said, the emotions in the expressions and descriptions were really vivid."
"Oh my, you really read it. I'm so glad that you liked it, Young Lady Rakail."
Aiselin greeted the clinging followers with a bright smile, but her walking speed did not slow down. She wanted to go prepare for the sparring right away, warm up her body, and quickly finish the magic sparring with Young Lady Ellente.
The lower-rank noble followers who followed her flinched at her busy-looking figure, but even so, if not now, they would not have any chance to talk with her.
Among the people who wanted to exchange at least one word with her somehow, crossing the old-fashioned corridor quickly was quite a struggle.
As she was heading toward the center of the sparring ground like that, a boy who was flipping through a small book in the corner of the corridor caught her eye.
"…..!"
When Young Lady Aiselin sharply turned her head, the followers and servants following her stopped in their tracks.
"Excuse me for a moment."
Young Lady Aiselin apologized to the girls who were chattering and following her, then quickly crossed through them and walked over demurely.
And so she approached the boy who was mixed in among the crowd in the corner of the corridor of the sparring ground, reading a book about the history of magic.
The snow-white hair, the red eyes, and the facial features that looked kind yet revealed a resolute spirit upon closer inspection were the same as ever.
"Mr. Derrick!"
When Aiselin spoke to him with a bright expression, the boy's pupils trembled slightly.
Because the surroundings were so crowded, he must not have noticed, and the boy turned his head in slight surprise.
There, as always, Young Lady Aiselin was dressed neatly in a simple yet elegant dress and was speaking to him in a lively tone.
Behind her, all sorts of lower-rank nobles, followers, and servants were looking over.
The boy had to rack his brain for a moment to judge the situation.
"It has been a while, Young Lady Aiselin."
For now, the correct answer was to bow politely.
They had parted in late spring and now it was late winter, so it had indeed been quite a long time since he had seen Young Lady Aiselin.
"You came to watch the sparring, Mr. Derrick. It's been so long, yet you haven't changed at all."
"Yes. Young Lady Aiselin is as beautiful as ever. You've become even more elegant."
"Oh my, that's too much praise. Mr. Derrick has become quite skilled at complimenting ladies. Is it because you've been working in the noble district? Ufufu."
It was not strange that Aiselin looked this happy.
Derrick was the person who had solved the most difficult worry that Aiselin had carried for several years, and he was also someone with outstanding magical skill.
His character was also well-formed, though he had the roughness unique to a mercenary.
Young Lady Aiselin accepted that roughness not as rudeness, but as free-spiritedness.
However, the gazes of the followers and servants around her had become quite meaningful.
They were people who had been clinging to her, working hard just to receive her attention even once, so a person whom Aiselin suddenly greeted so warmly became both an object of envy and of caution.
"…."
Derrick looked like an ordinary person on the outside.
A tight-fitting tunic and pants, leather boots, a robe thrown over instead of a cloak, a dagger at his right waist, and a longsword on the other side.
Though he still retained a bit of a boyish look, he was already at an age running toward adulthood.
The reason why Aiselin was greeting such an unremarkable commoner so brightly could be easily understood by listening to their conversation.
"I told you I would treat you to some good tea and asked you to visit the mansion at least once, but before you know it, it's already winter."
"I'm ashamed. I truly appreciate that consideration, but I've been too busy just trying to make a living."
"I heard that you've been looking after Young Lady Ellente's magic."
"You're well informed. We happened to cross paths for a bit, so I taught her a few things."
The people around finally realized that the wandering magic master Young Lady Ellente had spoken of was this man before their eyes.
The mercenary who had reformed the scoundrel of the Duplein family, and whom Young Lady Ellente had fully entrusted with her magic sparring lessons, was this very person.
However, Young Lady Aiselin wore a rather worried expression.
"... You weren't too harsh on her, were you ...?"
"...?"
"Lately, Young Lady Ellente has been looking very tired ... so I was a little worried."
Through the testimony of her younger sister Delia, Young Lady Aiselin knew well that Derrick's magic lessons were not the kind that an ordinary noble young lady could endure.
It's not like she was going off to knight training, yet who would push such training, barely manageable even for ordinary soldiers, onto a refined and beautiful young lady.
However, Derrick was someone who would not hesitate in means or methods in order to achieve a client's goal.
Derrick looked at the worried Aiselin for a moment, then said,
"You don't need to worry, Young Lady Aiselin. No, rather, worrying too much about your opponent is not a good thing."
"Yes ...?"
"Do not let your guard down too much."
After saying that, Derrick offered a polite greeting.
Young Lady Aiselin was also busy, and the gazes gathered around were too burdensome.
Realizing belatedly that this very situation could be a big burden on Derrick, Young Lady Aiselin said to him with an awkward smile,
"Th-then, please come to the mansion next time and let's have a chat, Mr. Derrick. I have my next appointment, so I'll be going now."
"Yes, please take care."
Derrick pulled up the hood of his robe and walked off in the opposite direction from Young Lady Aiselin.
He was a boy who still had a year left until his coming-of-age ceremony, yet he often looked like an old man who had already gone through all the ups and downs of life. Truly a mysterious boy.
*
Young Lady Aiselin had also vaguely noticed the inferiority complex that Young Lady Ellente harbored toward her. In fact, it would have been stranger not to know.
But she did not attach excessive meaning to it. She was broad-minded.
For someone standing at the top, envy and jealousy are things one naturally lives with. In the first place, it wasn't only Ellente who harbored envy toward her.
Ellente was particularly severe and persistent, but there were plenty of others who were worse and tried to stain Aiselin.
Only by knowing how to stand tall amidst such countless checks and restraints could one truly be called the young lady of the Duplein family.
Therefore, the feeling Aiselin had toward those who envied her was pity.
She wished that those who were being eaten away by negative emotions would escape such a pointless shackle as soon as possible, even if just a day earlier. It wasn't good for her, nor for them.
The same went for Ellente.
Futile jealousy only eats away at oneself.
She wanted to urge her to quickly throw off that shackle, sit together, have conversations, cultivate refinement, and become fair rivals. However, she also knew well that it was not as easy as it sounded.
"Hello, Young Lady Aiselin."
"Have you been well, Young Lady Ellente. You haven't been coming to the salon gatherings much lately, have you? I heard you've been focusing on preparing for the sparring ... I suppose I should be nervous too."
"…."
In the eyes of Young Lady Ellente, who had come up onto the sparring stage, there was a vicious glint.
On the large sparring stage, in the spectator seats, all kinds of influential figures and noble young ladies were gathered, discussing magic.
At the center stood Young Lady Ellente and Young Lady Aiselin, the two protagonists who would clash today.
When the two beautiful roses adjusted their attire on the stage, neat applause poured down toward the platform.
Protective magic was spread around the elegant sparring ground.
As always, the rules of the sparring were to decide the outcome within 10 minutes, and if the protective magic engraved on the young lady's accessory activated first, it would be a loss.
"Then, I look forward to it."
Young Lady Aiselin gathered her mana and greeted Ellente.
Ellente returned the same words and quietly raised her head. The chill in her eyes felt like something she had seen somewhere before.
"…."
An indescribable sense of incongruity was rising.
Young Lady Ellente was, as always, just standing calmly with her beautiful red hair hanging down.
However, in the gaze she directed at Aiselin, there was an unfamiliar sense of unease.
Aiselin looked quietly at Young Lady Ellente while calmly sinking into thought.
Before long, she was able to grasp the true nature of that unease.
Whenever she had conversations with Aiselin, there was always a strange emotional agitation in Ellente's eyes.
However, now, in this place, looking demurely at Aiselin and focusing only on magic, there was no such sign at all.
The eyes of Young Lady Ellente, which had been burning hot like fire, had somehow become cold like ice. She was concentrating on the sparring.
Could it be that Ellente had finally escaped from that envious heart that had tormented her for so long?
Could Derrick, an excellent person as a teacher, have pulled Young Lady Ellente out of that dark and gloomy period?
It was the moment such hope welled up.
However, it did not take long to realize that was not the case.
When she closed her eyes once and opened them, her entire field of vision turned red.
Only then did Young Lady Aiselin realize that Young Lady Ellente's blazing Flame Arrows were covering the entire battlefield.
From the midst of the flames, the figure of Young Lady Ellente with blazing eyes was rising up like fire.
*
– "If you take it into a contest of pure magic skill, you will never win. Pull the flow of the battle in a different direction."
–"... Pull it in a different direction? Then in a magic sparring match, if not magic skill, what decides victory and defeat?"
Ordinary noble young ladies train magic elegantly with famous teachers in practice halls with smoothly polished floors.
However, Young Lady Ellente, in the middle of a labyrinth filled everywhere with the smell of blood and rotting slime, sat down on the ground and looked up at Derrick to ask.
Her whole body was already exhausted, and after watching monsters' limbs being cut off all day, she had ended up vomiting. Her face was completely haggard, as if she had accepted that this must be the hell Derrick had spoken of.
Even in that haggard state, Derrick continued his teaching without concern.
He was a person who always carried out the requests he received.
–"Mental strength."
Hearing that, Young Lady Ellente made a dumbfounded expression.
Who in the world doesn't know that mental strength is a good thing?
If one could win a magic sparring match with mental strength alone, then why would the star ranks of magic exist, and why would mages' sense of elitism exist?
However, Derrick was not a person who spoke meaningless words.
Over the past few weeks, as she had gone along with Derrick's lessons, Young Lady Ellente had become certain of that.
There must be a meaning contained in those words.
–"You've repeated the experience of scraping together your mana to the very limit, over and over, while training with me, haven't you?"
–"That's true ... I thought it was just your bad hobby."
–"I have no such hobby. When both sides' mana is completely exhausted, more often than not, victory and defeat are decided by that person's mental strength rather than by magic skill itself."
Derrick's voice became even more serious.
–"Scatter your magic as splendidly and grandly as possible and drag it into a battle of attrition. At the very end ... make it so that the one who somehow draws out mana that seems like nothing more could possibly be scraped out will win."
–"... What if Aiselin's mana amount is greater than mine?"
–"Then you lose."
–"…."
–"Of course, a person's mana amount is largely something they are born with, but Young Lady Ellente, who has inherited the blood of the Belmiard family, won't be at too much of a disadvantage. So ... believe in yourself."
Derrick was covered in the blood of monsters.
He had just slaughtered a spider larger than a human body by himself with a sword and burned it with magic.
When he kills monsters, he looks like a different person.
Every moment of following him around the labyrinth made her think that if there were truly a real monster, wouldn't it be this boy?
This was not a magic sparring ground where safety was guaranteed, but a monster nest where lives were at stake with a single moment of carelessness.
If one had lived in a place like this all their life, sparring on a platform would feel like nothing more than child's play.
Only in battles where one stakes their life can a person draw out their limits.
Only on a razor's edge where everything can be lost with a single mistake does a human draw out all the power hidden in their unconscious.
That sensation cannot be easily learned even if one were given untold riches.
That was why Derrick pushed Young Lady Ellente into the labyrinth.
He made her use magic all day.
He made her dodge axe swings among charging goblins, and burn the noses of trolls.
Life and death. The scene in between.
The pressure that even the layers of protective magic wrapped around her could be shattered at any time.
Cold sweat rising even if she just stood still. Two legs trembling. Vision growing hazy.
Only in such an environment can one taste, even a little, the sensation of drawing out all the strength left at rock bottom.
There are realms that can never be realized by always sitting in an elegant mansion and playing at refinement.
Flowers in a greenhouse never know, even until they die of old age.
They can never learn the sensation of scraping everything out down to the very bottom and standing back up.
As a teacher, Derrick was someone who knew how to awaken such things.
–Whoosh!
–Boom!
The spectators who were watching the magic sparring near the platform all cried out in admiration.
No matter how outstanding one's magic utilization is and how vast their mana amount is, the limit of 1-star magic is ultimately fixed.
Even so, Ellente's flame magic, unleashed so magnificently that it covered the entire platform, was dazzling to the eyes.
–Swish!
Aiselin quickly wrapped mana around herself to protect her body and hurriedly rolled her eyes to pinpoint Ellente's position.
On the platform filled everywhere with flames, in the scorching heat, Ellente, with her whole body wrapped in fire like a witch, was staring straight at Aiselin.
What lay in those eyes was, as expected, jealousy.
Toward the perfect Aiselin in every way, it was a grand-scale envy, mixed with just a tiny bit of self-loathing.
Reading those eyes, Aiselin realized.
In one way, emotional to the extreme, yet in sparring, never losing her reason, those eyes were exactly what her younger sister Delia had shown when facing Raig.
Derrick's disciples hold a hot fire in their chests and a cold chill in their eyes.
What that teacher instills in his disciples is a burning desire for victory along with a cold reason that looks at the match.
It is a gaze where heat and cold clash fiercely.
A demonic air flows that makes the one standing as the opponent swallow dry saliva.
Only then did Aiselin think she understood why Raig of that day had to fight with all his might against Delia.
Derrick's disciples are different from ordinary noble young ladies from the very will with which they step into a match.
When one first faces that obsession-like tenacity, no matter who it is, they cannot help but take a step back at least once.
However, the one standing on the opposite side was Aiselin Eleanor Duplein.
'Still ... I'll win.'
She was not someone who went around showing off her achievements, but she had more than enough confidence in her own ability.
No matter how much she is Derrick's disciple, Aiselin is someone who is right on the verge of 2-star.
Even if Ellente is the same 1-star mage, the difference in their level is considerable.
If she decided to go into a contest of pure skill, she was confident she would never lose.
And so, ice magic filled with chill began to rise from Aiselin's body.
At the same time, Ellente widened her eyes.
An enormous number of Flame Arrows, so many they could not be counted, began to pour out from the opposite side.
"…."
Ellente had looked over the world Derrick had lived in over the past few weeks.
The traces of the world she had glimpsed were reflected in her eyes.
Most of them were blood. The rest were also horrific.
Clinging fluids, stinging stench, severed monster arms, poisonous spider eggs, sprawled corpses, the chill of stone floors, traces of slaughter, seas of blood spread out, the screams of monsters.
After climbing back up again from among such things and standing straight in the place she originally lived, everything looked like a peaceful, warm grassland.
Even this sparring ground where countless spells were being fired was the same.
The girl was calmly grasping every situation even in the midst of this grand storm of mana.
And so, as mana and mana collided, a huge radiance began to envelop the sparring ground.
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