Chapter 82 – Finals (2)
The final match was on a completely different level from everything so far.
When Jack swung his sword, a fierce wind rose, and sword aura flew out, while Verden responded with a variety of elemental magic he had not shown until now.
A spectacular and powerful sight.
Though only a short time had passed, there was nothing lacking to call it a fierce battle.
The clash of magic and swordsmanship drew everyone in without exception.
They reacted to the movements of the participants they supported, and enjoyed the match itself. Those who had wagers placed shouted as they cheered.
Watching the scene, the Grand Duke of the Principality spoke to Perd.
"What do you think? Of Asher's skill as you see it."
"…Quite formidable. Even though it seems he still has something hidden, I didn't expect it to be this much. It seems to be true that he subjugated the Soul Tree. More than anything, it's impossible to predict what kind of mage he will become in the future."
A mage who did not rely solely on magic, but diligently pursued many paths.
He was utterly different from the current generation, who placed importance on background, whether academy or magic tower.
"I don't know what it is he seeks to achieve, but it doesn't seem like a skill built simply for power and wealth… it's like looking at the mages of the past."
Just a few decades ago, there had been many such old-fashioned mages.
Those who built their towers step by step, carrying their own dreams. That was why Perd could not help but feel anticipation for Asher's future as a mage.
In this world, where children were tested for their tier limits from a young age, and their places determined accordingly, there were far too few who pursued dreams. That was all the more reason.
"I too once dreamed like that… but it could not be achieved. It was only natural in such a world."
"So do you resent it? This present age?"
"I once did. But thanks to that, am I not here serving Your Highness now?"
Perd's tier limit was the 5th tier.
Once, he had wanted to break free of that cage, and strove until it bled. Forcibly depriving himself of sleep, he once stayed awake for nearly two weeks before collapsing.
At times, he even risked his life on reckless experiments.
But of course, he could not escape.
That was what limit meant. The vessel given to each at birth. The position of a 5th-tier magus was the ceiling Heaven had bestowed upon Perd.
In the end, he accepted reality and gave up.
But he had not abandoned life as a mage. Once, he looked up to the sky, then lowered his head, and sought a place he could belong.
What he found was the Principality of Riviant, newly independent.
"Yes, thanks to you, we were able to stabilize quickly. Though many years have passed, they say even now those who remember that scene still can't breathe when they see a mage."
"I was a bit excessive at that time."
In the resort city of Briente, Perd had been quite remarkable.
No matter the opponent, he swept away the trash who settled in back alleys and sucked the lifeblood of the people, all on his own.
He was stained with much filthy blood, but he saved far more innocent lives, so he cared not at all. On the contrary, he felt proud.
Most of the back alleys had become seas of blood, and so dark rumors had spread.
Through such processes, the current Principality was built.
More ideal, more peaceful.
The Grand Duke of Riviant looked over the nobles of the Principality.
So full of vigor, utterly unlike before. Faces never to be seen in a country such as the Kingdom of Estiria.
For the Principality.
The vow made at the time of independence was still carried on, even after twenty-two years.
And it would continue.
And he hoped it always would.
***
The match had reached a brief lull.
Jack's breathing had grown rough. So too was it for his opponent, Verden.
Jack fixed his gaze on Verden.
Despite such fierce movement while using flight, he still had strength left. For a mage to have honed his body to this degree, it was worthy of admiration.
'And more than that…'
His opponent was not using his full strength. He had yet to show the kind of magic that could subjugate an abnormal species rivaling special entities.
What's more, if not for this limited space of a magic circle, such a close fight would not even be possible.
The rules and the enclosed arena were to Jack's advantage.
Yet even when he had gone all out, he had not managed to inflict any real damage. He had refrained from lethal strikes, but so had his opponent.
This man was on a different level from any 4th-tier mage Jack had seen until now.
Effort and talent, not one mage so far had equaled him.
Continuing the match like this was pointless.
However dazzling the fight appeared, Jack would only be gradually pushed back, and gradually defeated. Though he had lived through countless battlefields as a mercenary, such a pathetic ending did not suit Jack's nature.
He would not drag this out any longer.
Jack raised his sword sharply.
As if this were the end, a menacing aura erupted, and on the blade shimmered a vague, formless something.
Qi without color.
Unlike the aura that normally glowed red.
Verden's eyes narrowed.
'So he intends to end it in one strike.'
The Desired Sea
Verden, likewise, gathered vast magic power into his staff. Blue currents spread in all directions, and at the same time, pieces of the shattered ground floated into the air and clustered together.
A spell that required Verden to concentrate his mind completely, even more so than Flame Plague.
Fwoooosh!
Flame and earth, a massive spear of rock glowed red-hot, and its heat spread through the air. Even the magic circle that had sealed the space inside and out could not withstand it, the searing waves spilling outward.
The nobles, startled by the sudden burn on their skin, quickly retreated.
"..."
"..."
Verden and Jack.
The two faced each other.
It was Verden who struck first.
< Spear of Magma >
The spell shook the entire arena.
Jack, enduring the oncoming heat and pressure head-on, opened his eyes wide.
Moo-Seom, Flashless Strike.
Kwaaaang!
The formless sword aura and the spell collided. The impact sent gusts raging, and cracks spread through the already strained magic circle.
"Repair the magic circle at once!"
At Perd's command, the royal court mages rushed in.
If left unchecked, nobles could be injured. They hastily created a new circle to reinforce the broken outer shell.
But the nobles, ignoring all of that, still could not tear their eyes away from the match.
The sight of a magma-forged spear clashing against sword aura.
Where else could such a scene be witnessed? Not a single moment could be missed.
Then, the sword aura pierced into the magma spear Verden had conjured.
Verden's magic, on the verge of shattering, seemed to have decided the match. Yet, it ended there.
The magma spear swallowed the sword aura, and then bore down on Jack.
"...!"
No escape.
Jack barely managed to drive his sword into the ground and shielded his body with its blade.
Kwadududududuk!
The magma spear slammed into him, sweeping Jack away. His legs, barely holding, carved gouges into the earth, and only after smashing through the circle did the spell finally dissipate.
The ground hissed and steamed.
For a moment, the nobles thought Jack must have perished.
But as the dust settled, Jack still stood, shielding his body with his blade. With sheer physical strength, he had endured the spell head-on.
His sword glowed red-hot.
Jack slowly lifted his head, raising his sword, exuding an even more oppressive aura. But the instant he stepped toward Verden, his body collapsed.
Lake immediately rushed in to confirm his condition.
Thankfully, he was breathing fine, his life in no danger. Not even a mortal wound. It was merely that he had fainted from the shock of the impact.
The match had been decided.
"Victor, Asher!"
As Lake declared the final over, Count Rodenmeyer rose from the nobles' seats and applauded. With a faint smile of genuine joy, something rarely seen on his face.
The nobles who had bet on Verden joined in the applause, as did those who had lost their wagers.
Asher's name rang out through the garden.
Verden, who had seized victory, let out a small breath.
'Fortunately, the calculations weren't off.'
The earth-element spell, strengthened by the magic tome, had far greater power than before, forcing him to lower the potency of the fire element.
Had his opponent been an enemy, had Verden gone all out, Jack might not have died outright, but he surely would have been gravely wounded by the heat.
To end it this cleanly was, for Verden, the best outcome.
Lake approached, grasped Verden's wrist, and raised it high.
As if to declare to the world that the victor of this great event was Asher.
And so, this year's grand tournament came to a close.
***
"It was a result beyond compare."
Count Rodenmeyer did not openly heap praise, as if to restrain himself, but his voice brimmed with a liveliness never before seen.
After the tournament, the Count treated Verden to the finest of meals, rivaling those of the grand banquet, along with all manner of privileges.
Without needing to step outside, whatever Verden asked for, the servants promptly delivered to his chamber.
'Just what kind of reward is he expecting, really.'
Well, he would soon find out.
Several days later, an invitation arrived from the royal palace.
It was a summons to directly receive the prize of the tournament from the Grand Duke himself. Verden boarded a carriage alongside Count Rodenmeyer and made his way to the palace.
At the palace gates, Jack, who had taken second place, stood with Count Voldiane, who had brought him. The third place finisher was also present.
And there was one Count unrelated to the tournament.
Count Rodenmeyer spoke.
"The Grand Duke has prepared six prizes in total, yet only four nobles to receive them. That must mean two among these three will receive both the tournament's prize and the domain evaluation prize. Perhaps the first place in the tournament and the evaluation might be one and the same."
"Hmph. Hardly. In all the Principality's history, that has never happened once. Be satisfied with winning the tournament. The first place of this year's domain evaluation will be me. Better cast aside that vain hope for your own sake."
Count Voldiane declared.
Losing the championship was painful, but he was confident the evaluation of his domain would more than make up for it. With that confidence ringing in his voice, Count Rodenmeyer gave a small, mocking laugh.
"That alone won't be enough."
"…Tsk."
Clicking his tongue at the unpleasant sneer, Count Voldiane grew irked.
For Rodenmeyer to reveal his intentions so blatantly meant he had his own certainty.
What's more, Voldiane had already learned from palace insiders that this year's prize was unprecedentedly grand, leaving him deeply unsettled.
The other nobles ignored the two Counts' clash.
To get involved would only invite trouble.
Soon after, a messenger from the palace arrived.
An administrator of the royal court had come in person.
"You've all waited long enough. Come, follow me."