Chapter 79. Agency (2)
Rumble, rumble, rumble...!
The wide garden outside the banquet hall slowly began to move.
The two splendid fountains were shifted to the sides without a scratch, and not a single blade of grass was out of place.
Before long, in the middle of the garden, a vast clearing of brown earth had appeared. Verden could not help but admire such control.
Unlike the Terrain Manipulation that Verden himself often used, this magic was far more efficient and delicate. It was as if the land itself were alive.
This was magic outside the existing tiers. Which meant, it had broken away from established law.
The court Magus called Perd must have pioneered his own way of magic related to earth.
'If I were to face him in a magic duel, what would happen?'
Between Mage and Magus, there existed an unbridgeable gap.
It was true that Verden's skill was far above what his tier suggested.
But that was because he could freely wield various elemental attributes, if restricted to a single attribute, his power would drop to less than half.
Verden's ability was wide and vast, but compared to the depth of a Magus who had established his own field, it was shallow.
Of course, that didn't mean he would be crushed without resistance, but he could not be certain of victory.
At least, not unless he reached the Fifth Tier.
While Verden was lost in thought, the stage was completed.
The other court mages inscribed magic circles and infused them with magic power, a translucent dome enclosed the entire clearing.
Its purpose was to prevent the shock inside from being transmitted outside.
Then, a knight approached and distributed numbered plaques to the participants.
Verden's number was 16, the last one.
"Today, we'll hold the first and second rounds, tomorrow, we'll have the semifinals and finals. You'll have time to rest and recover from injuries in between, but it's best to pace your stamina."
Lake, the captain of Bastio, explained the schedule of the matches.
Verden turned his gaze to check the other participants' numbers.
The scarred man was Number 1.
And the former Academy professor was Number 13.
'So I'll meet Number 13 in the second round, and Number 1 in the finals?'
It seemed Verden's guess was about right.
"Number 1 and Number 2! Step forward!"
And so, the first match began.
***
Jack, the scarred man, held a heavy greatsword.
His opponent was a woman with fierce eyes, wielding two shortswords, Ruwien.
Physically, there was a vast difference, yet Ruwien didn't care.
Simple strength alone couldn't match superior speed.
Confident, she twirled her swords and smirked.
"Got a lot of drawings on your body, huh? Then it's fine if I carve a few more, right?"
"..."
"What, are you playing the taciturn type? Boring."
Despite her words, Jack didn't move an inch.
He only stared at her with a cold gaze. The psychological warfare failing annoyed her, but since it was already like this, she'd just crush him with skill.
Soon, the principality's court mage signaled the start.
She activated her qi, reinforcing her body.
Launching off the ground, she charged at Jack, her body twisting, the sword tips aiming at both his knee and shoulder.
Jack, who had stood still, lightly swung his sword.
Clang!
The heavy impact sent Ruwien flying backward. She landed safely on the ground, but her wrist tingled.
'What ridiculous strength. I'll have to get as close as possible.'
Due to sword length, close range would be to her advantage.
She kicked up dirt toward Jack's face, then lowered her body as much as possible and rushed in. She thrust her shortsword hard toward his side.
"Too slow."
"What?"
Crunch!
Jack caught the blade with his steel gauntlet and hurled Ruwien far away.
She barely managed to roll and lessen the impact, but Jack's movement was far quicker than her recovery.
In an instant, he grabbed Ruwien by the neck and smashed his fist into her face.
"Kyaaak!"
A young noble lady watching covered her eyes tightly.
Fortunately, he seemed to have held back, her face wasn't crushed, only a light bruise. Laying the unconscious Ruwien on the ground, Jack stepped outside the magic circle.
It hadn't been flashy or drawn-out, but it was overwhelming.
Several nobles, impressed, gathered to talk.
"A scarred veteran warrior, quite the look he has."
"Shame we didn't get to see his swordsmanship, but his strength alone seems remarkable."
"And he didn't subdue his opponent more than necessary, so he seems gentlemanly as well. I'll bet on this fellow's victory."
Verden listened to their conversation.
It seemed after the first round, the nobles roughly gauged the contestants' skill, then bet on how far each would advance.
As nobles, of course, the sums exchanged were not small.
The matches continued.
No one displayed overwhelming prowess like Jack, but since they were all brought by nobles, their level was higher than expected.
The clashes of different techniques and magic were quite entertaining. One contestant who achieved a dramatic comeback even received applause from the nobles.
Soon after, the match between Number 13 and Number 14 began.
Luke Nun, holding a slender staff, adjusted his monocle and spoke to his opponent.
"I'll say this once. If you don't want to disgrace yourself, it's best to surrender now."
"What?"
It was an absurd statement.
The warrior scoffed and spat on the ground with a growl.
"Typical Academy fop, huh. You think that scares me?"
"It was a suggestion for your sake. Instead of thanks, you show no manners."
"Manners, my ass. Does that feed me?"
Whoosh!
The warrior swung his hand axe.
"Here, victory is dignity. I don't expect to win the championship, but, at the very least, I cannot lose to an unlucky bastard like you."
" Tsk, tsk. How foolish."
Further conversation was meaningless.
The two stood at opposite ends of the stage. At the sound of the start signal, the warrior drew his arm back with all his strength. Muscles bulged, his weight shifted to one side.
Throwing technique.
If that axe, thrown with full force, hit, a thin limb like that would be severed easily. It was just the right way to teach this man some manners.
"Take it and die───."
Suddenly, the warrior's vision warped.
The axe missed its target entirely, not even grazing Luke Nun, flying off in a completely different direction. Startled by the strange sensation, the warrior looked down at his hand.
"What the...."
"It seems there's no more to see, let's end this here."
Luke Nun's staff swept through the air.
It was like the movement of a conductor leading a performance.
The moment the spell was cast, the warrior screamed, his eyes rolling back.
Then he collapsed to the ground, convulsing violently, as if trapped in a nightmare. Soon, foam spilled from his mouth, his consciousness fading, and the match ended just like that.
Luke Nun stepped out of the magic circle.
He flashed a proud smile at Verden, as though showing off.
'Mental-type. So it's true, he really was an Academy professor.'
The mental branch, one of the enchantment schools.
Magic that directly acted on the mind, its difficulty of acquisition was considerably high. Moreover, mental magic of the Fourth Tier and above was extremely dangerous if abused for crime, so it could not be learned without a separate license.
The spell Luke Nun had just demonstrated was Fourth Tier.
If one's mental strength was weak, resisting it was almost impossible.
At that moment, Verden felt a gaze from the side.
In the distance, Count Rodenmeyer was glaring at him. Clearly still displeased over the words exchanged at the banquet.
If Verden were to lose, or even win with difficulty, it would be quite humiliating.
And if that happened, Count Rodenmeyer, who had put Verden forward in the tournament, would also suffer disgrace.
'Worrying for nothing.'
Unfortunately for him, that would not happen.
There was no need to say it aloud. He would prove his ability in the next match.
"Number 15 and Number 16, step forward!"
At last, it was Verden's turn.
***
Verden and a mage stepped up before the stage.
The knights returned the staff that had been entrusted beforehand, and handed it to Verden.
Lake, the captain of Bastio and referee, spoke.
"Victory will be decided by unconsciousness or surrender. Inflicting deliberate, near-lethal injuries will be punished severely. The same for death. Remember, this is not a battle to the death, but a sparring match. Asher, and Robin. Do you both understand?"
"Yes."
"Of course, Captain Basilion."
"Then, take your positions."
Both stepped into the stage simultaneously.
Facing each other across some distance, Robin frowned when he saw Verden's face.
'Damn it, that guy is supposed to be the one who subjugated Soul Tree? No way.'
Robin was a Fourth Tier mage.
He had clawed his way upward through all kinds of experiences. His limit was Fourth Tier, but his skill was notable even among his peers, enough to have made his name known.
He was participating in this match as well as preparing to enter the service of Count Huwe's house.
Naturally, he could not view Verden favorably.
Much younger in age, yet already at the same Fourth Tier, and with an appearance so mysterious that Robin couldn't even compare.
It was unfair beyond reason.
'He must be a fraud.'
In Robin's heart, inferiority and jealousy exploded.
He would personally expose that mage's true face, and utterly trample him. Then, he would prove here and now just how great a mage he truly was.
He would show that tiers were just numbers.
His emotions were overheated beyond normal, but since his nerves were focused solely on Verden, he did not notice.
He raised his magic power, waiting for the start signal.
───Begin!
A spear of water shot toward Verden's chest.
If it struck, a frail human body would be easily pierced. It was an attack aimed clearly to kill.
But it did not hit. It could not.
Shrrrk!
An Earth Spear, instantly cast, shattered Robin's spell head-on.
Eyes wide, Robin hastily cast Flight, throwing himself to the side.
The stone spear shot past where he had just been, crashing into the magic circle and breaking apart.
'What in the world....'
The casting speed was absurd.
And for his own magic to be smashed so easily without resistance—swallowing his panic, he turned his head, only to find Verden gone.
'Behind me!'
Instinct honed by experience. Immediately, he raised a mana barrier.
The staff descended from above, colliding with a deafening roar. But something felt wrong.
Crack.
"What...!"
A fissure traced across the barrier.
That a single blow from a mere mage could damage his barrier—Robin gasped, hurriedly dispelling the barrier and retreating backward.
'Wasn't he supposed to be elemental-type?!'
He couldn't understand. All he could think of was to widen the distance and regroup.
But in the blink of an eye, Verden closed in and seized him by the collar. For a mage to display such power and speed, there was only one explanation.
The enchantment branch of magic.
Whoosh—!
Verden descended, slamming Robin down.
Robin tried to resist, but against the strength enhanced by enchantment magic, he could not focus his mind at all. The last thing he saw was the empty sky above.
Bang! His back slammed into the ground.
"Gahhh!"
Indescribable pain ripped through his nerves.
Robin's body trembled uncontrollably, then went limp. He wasn't dead, of course, only unconscious. It would take a while for him to wake.
Thus, a well-known Fourth Tier mage was defeated without ever showing his true strength. The nobles murmured, astonished at such an unorthodox fighting style, so unlike that of an elemental mage.
Verden, without breaking a sweat, lightly dusted his staff, and in less than a minute, stepped calmly out of the magic circle.