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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Give Up, Big Sister
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The magic duel with Camilla had begun out of nowhere. Right now, I was standing before the girl who would one day be called the worst archmage.
"...Hey, you okay?"
"Yeah."
For some reason, Camilla—who had suggested the duel first—didn't look pleased at all. I worried she might be feeling ill, but her response was as dry as could be.
"If my magic even grazes your clothes, you'll grant my wish?"
Camilla's eyebrow twitched slightly. At the same time, her vacant gaze fixed on me.
"Yeah, sure."
It wasn't a bad deal from my perspective.
I didn't care much whether I shared a room with Camilla or not. But if I won, I could someday call in her help.
"Then... I'm attacking?"
Camilla nodded quietly.
I slipped my hand into my right pocket and pulled out a single scroll with two fingers. As the incantation activated, a brief flicker of teleportation sent a fierce gust of wind rushing toward her.
"Ater."
Camilla closed her eyes and murmured softly. A thick black mist rose around her, forming a shield that brushed off my gale like a mere breeze.
There was no time to marvel. Her spell didn't stop there.
"Duo."
With her voice, another layer stacked atop the black curtain.
"Tri."
Then another layer of a different color overlaid it in sequence.
"Quint, Quintal, Sept."
Short commands erupted one after another, stacking countless barriers around her until they took on a tangible form.
"Hey! You, wha... what...!"
I could only gape at the sight.
Her barriers—too many layers to count—had soon formed an impregnable fortress.
"This is cheating! How am I supposed to break through that?!"
"You absolutely can't."
Was it my imagination?
Camilla rarely showed emotion, but right now, she almost looked a little angry.
"Sept."
With Camilla's final incantation, the massive defensive magic circle was complete. Towering to the ceiling, it loomed before me with overwhelming presence.
It was the kind of intimidation that made me feel like even hundreds of my magic scrolls wouldn't scratch it.
"Fine, you wanna play it like that?"
But backing down without even trying wasn't my style.
I reached into my right pocket and yanked out a bundle of scrolls at once. Without giving her a moment to breathe, I unleashed a barrage of spells.
Fire, lightning, ice, wind. Magic of every element crashed against Camilla's curtain, erupting in blasts and flashes. But not a single attack left a mark on her barriers.
"Give up, Big Sister."
Camilla stared at me from beyond the curtain, her face expressionless as she spoke.
But those words only fueled my resolve. I gritted my teeth and reached for the small pouch on my left side.
"You know I hate that phrase the most?"
Unlike the right pocket filled with scrolls made from mana herbs mixed in water, this one held just a single scroll, set apart.
This was the scroll infused with my Divine Power.
I aimed it at the highest point of Camilla's barrier—the top section—so that even if it broke through, it wouldn't harm her.
The scroll glowed brightly.
A flame the size of my hand soon shaped into an arrow and shot forth. The fiery arrow traced a path straight toward Camilla's curtain.
Kwajik—!
The first layer of Camilla's fortress-like barrier shattered to pieces. Before long, the second layer crumbled like glass before the arrow.
Layer by layer. The arrow slowly pierced and burrowed through Camilla's barriers.
Did she never expect her own defenses to break? Bewilderment flickered in Camilla's eyes for the first time.
Kwang—!
Another layer shattered. Now, only two barriers remained around Camilla.
I quickly pulled out another scroll. The moment that arrow broke the final layer, I planned to graze her clothes with a strong wind spell.
But Camilla wasn't one to just watch. As the arrow arced toward the remaining barriers, she thrust her hand in its direction.
A thick black mist coalesced into the shape of a giant hand. It snatched the incoming arrow in one grab.
Bright light leaked from between the clenched fingers. When the black hand opened again, the arrow had vanished without a trace.
"..."
I watched the scene in silence.
Even the magic infused with my Divine Power hadn't reached Camilla's clothes. It wasn't unexpected, but seeing it with my own eyes left me hollow.
Still, that didn't mean I was giving up.
"You win, Camilla."
There was no way left to pierce her barriers. I lowered my hands and admitted defeat with dignity.
Camilla dispelled her magic. Her eyes seemed more subdued than usual as she stared right through me, then slowly spread her arms wide.
"Come here, Big Sister."
"Huh?"
"We fought. Time to make up."
It caught me off guard.
Was she suggesting a reconciliation kiss or something?
"We didn't fight... It was just a duel."
"A duel is still a fight."
Camilla was firm.
She probably didn't want to disobey Roselia's rule about kiss-and-make-up after every fight. Camilla always followed Mother's words to the letter.
I didn't particularly mind if our lips touched or not. But there was one thing that bugged me.
"Why do I have to come to you? You should come here. I'm older than you."
Walking over to Camilla on my own two feet bruised my pride. It felt like I was crawling to her.
I was the elder here; I couldn't do that.
But despite my words, Camilla didn't budge. She just stood there with her arms outstretched, her empty eyes fixed on me.
Something about that sight sent a chill down my spine, making me shiver involuntarily.
"Hey... If you want it, you come over."
I swallowed hard and raised my voice, but Camilla didn't so much as twitch.
It wasn't my imagination. Her eyes were definitely more sunken than usual. I couldn't even guess why her mood had soured, leaving me flustered.
"No... Normally you'd come to me, of course!"
In the end, I couldn't stand the suffocating atmosphere. I took a cautious step forward first.
"I lost the bet too, so just this once, I'll come to you."
I grumbled under my breath as I approached Camilla.
Yeah. Me going over was purely because I lost the bet.
Definitely not because I was scared, or because the suddenly changed Camilla freaked me out.
Absolutely not.
Considering reincarnation, the age gap was huge. No way I'd be afraid of Camilla.
Soon, I stood before her. I gently closed my eyes and pursed my lips.
Chok—
A moment later, Camilla's lips met mine. By now, I knew the feel and even the taste of her lips all too well.
Our lips parted. Thanks to the reconciliation kiss, her expression seemed much softer.
Though... was it my imagination?
Today, her lips lingered a bit longer than usual.
After the sisters' magic duel ended, Bella returned to her room.
Camilla, who had remained in place, stared at her own hand only long after Bella's presence had completely vanished.
Her hand trembled faintly.
On her palm lingered the trace of an impact she couldn't withstand. A faint burn mark on her pale skin was proof.
"...That wasn't an ordinary scroll."
Most of the scrolls she'd used earlier weren't worth much attention.
But the last one was different.
That final scroll far surpassed ordinary levels.
Of course, top-grade scrolls with immense power existed aplenty in the world. There was no need to be overly impressed that it pierced her incomplete barriers.
But for a child who had studied scrolls for barely a year to wield one of that caliber... it was hard to accept.
A thought flashed through Camilla's mind.
What if.
What if Big Sister grew stronger than her. If that day came, what feelings would she hold?
The day she surpassed not just her, but even Mother. What path would Big Sister take then?
'Help me become independent someday.'
Camilla clenched her palm fiercely. Flames danced in her violet eyes.
That light, which seemed to devour the empty void, was ironically close to fear.
The little ray of sunshine she believed would always stay by her side. The fear that it might one day leave.
"Big Sister... can't get stronger than me."
The Black Altar massacre.
For Camilla, who had lived her whole life for that one goal alone.
This was the moment her second goal was born.
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