Chapter 15: Imam (5)
26hdbpAmong the servants, murmurs could be heard.GZJf
uqzj30NDiella was hiding beneath the damaged platform, and Leigh, using his magic, was preparing a first-tier spell.37s3
E38kThis was no longer a formal magic duel where etiquette and magical skill were exchanged; it had become a real fight. Chief Steward Delron swallowed hard as he watched.yesRb1
fvTTechnically, the magical duel still didn’t meet the criteria for being stopped. No one had crossed the boundaries, and the protection circle hadn’t been triggered either.0DXOE
GjTBut could this still be called a magical duel? Was it right not to intervene in a situation where the fighters were now emotionally battling each other?pWy
mRbkTNo orders came from Duke Duplain, who was watching from the balcony. He simply watched the duel with a serious gaze.pbZnH
0oN1dSteward Delron considered intervening under his own authority, but the determined expressions of the two combatants, gritting their teeth in battle, stopped him.Cf2
MIEHCrash! Crack!MYqx
989Leigh dashed between the ice pillars, organizing his thoughts. If he tried to break through the floor of the platform to chase Diella, she would sense the magic and launch her attack.7TX
wM6qAt that moment, Leigh would have to halt his spell or switch to defensive magic. The stalemate would continue.cT1PVXU
NZpsAmid this mental tug-of-war, Leigh realized something. Diella was prolonging this stalemate to exhaust his magic power.ZI9A
5RGL3m7Leigh, recklessly casting first-tier spells, and Diella, merely repeating basic magic.3IIWE
HKQtOThough their magical abilities differed, it was clear who would tire first.5jXq6Yl
xtlk1AUSwish!NKAR
4J55t9Leigh jumped up onto the platform.2Dy1
WrwKLTEven though his footsteps echoed below, Diella didn’t materialize her magic. As expected.Eu7tBR
CfwKDiella only intervened when Leigh began casting, clearly forcing a war of attrition.V8r6yH
9T4g6d‘Smart move! But… it’s just a petty trick…!’sKikEIv
SPtQSWvA magic duel is essentially a test of magical power, but in this situation, there was no need to stick to etiquette and rely only on magic.iGJA
JvmLeigh struck the platform wall and grabbed the flagpole on the edge.SnW
PtyRVsLThe Duplain family banner waved from the pole. Without hesitation, Leigh kicked the base of the pole upward, muscles in his arm bulging with veins.byVh1eP
UlwVwMYDiella’s attacks only reached the top of the platform. If he went higher, she couldn’t strike an unseen target through the platform. From up there, even if bombarded by magic, Diella wouldn’t be able to respond.fazqq
VKpHowever, there was a drawback. Clinging to the flagpole made proper spellcasting difficult, reducing both his magic and mobility.SNHkfF
fglexkcIf he used magic now to break the platform, he’d become an easy target for Diella’s spells.pdUwh
HH7XpTMaybe Diella was counting on this. But Leigh went one step further.5qPu0
peHfrfYLeigh untied his cloak and wrapped it around the flagpole.JF71
o9oRThen, he gathered his magic and imbued the base of the pole with the first-tier spell Magic Arrow.ewuq
QgyfyBang!gQnq
90At1Crack, creeaak!USBHlk
QyGdWXThe flagpole, struck hard at its base, almost toppled. Ignoring the gasps of the servants, Leigh shifted his weight toward the platform, gripping the cloaked pole. He was directing the fall of the pole toward the platform.hh0L
KMpfOUsing the collapsed pole, he would smash the platform to pieces. Without using magic to break it, Diella wouldn’t have time to react, and he’d also create an entrance to the space beneath the platform where she was hiding.kgqpkZg
NA4bDLfIn this moment, Leigh was confident in his victory. His resolve wouldn’t waver even if the sky split in two.xseWD
21ZCreeak!W9aOCb
xcEZNjkBang!17ShSd8
e505Thus, the flagpole crashed into the platform, kicking up a cloud of dust.kDO
rOKLeigh, on the verge of falling, leapt aside and rolled across the stage. Covered in dust, he ignored it and looked to where the pole had embedded itself.fMf1J1
N5hOne side of the wooden platform had collapsed. The geographical advantage that had protected Diella was now gone.DDS
YdZ4HWithout hesitation, Leigh dove into the rubble.KLYZkko
F8pTjTrCrash!fkoQC9
3n0Ue1It wasn’t difficult to anticipate the landing.BIweFpY
Jo9giOdThough the ice pillars summoned by Diella surrounded him, Leigh quickly used magic to destroy them. Brushing off his hands, he looked around to locate Diella.Ln5l
t5xBeneath the damaged platform.VDXlb
7W6OSunlight occasionally filtered through cracks in the broken wood, but most of the area was dark despite the bright day. He looked for Diella, but she was nowhere in sight.rtt
Piy‘…What? Did she climb out?’7gO
qkzyyAs Leigh examined the area, he saw the hole Diella had previously sealed with ice was open again.mspTxk0
Ai2Beneath the hole were remnants of ice pillars that looked like they had been stepped on.Xbq
vY7When Leigh had shown signs of breaking through the platform and descending, Diella had prepared to ascend instead.u8OXGvk
EeB‘That… damn cunning rat…!’qSL7cs2
hY1nqbShe had no intention of fighting on equal footing. If there was a gap in skill, she would use terrain and tactics to disorient her opponent.9bSK1EM
Tk5tThat was the fighting style of a mercenary—living a life where one never knew when or where they might face a stronger enemy.6vP0U
UHQZKNEAbove and below the platform. Their positions had reversed. Now, Diella stood atop the platform, and Leigh was below. The situation had completely flipped.kAjYJ
BpACLLeigh stayed calm. As he had just experienced, climbing up onto the platform and indirectly revealing his location was a significant disadvantage. Now that he occupied the space beneath, he had the upper hand—or at least, no worse off.lVN
adPSVKHe could either climb back up or locate Diella from below and bring her down with one strike.y4S7
b4zqBjAs soon as he heard her footsteps, a magic arrow shot toward them.iieNH
tEJ9iyrCrack! Bang!kPGIP
2r4gHThe magic arrow hit just beneath Diella’s feet, shattering the platform.jAkra
oe9AWAt the same time, Diella, who had been standing above, was forced to fall.cX5hV
LZrZJCrack! Thud!eMsSb
hySDWhen Diella landed beneath the platform, another cloud of dust rose.Loo6V
3RTmmThe thick dust made it hard to see, but her presence could be felt nearby. Leigh prepared three more magic arrows and fired them at Diella’s location.BoiLE
urqSBang! Bang! Bang!yb5
tMc46v9The impact dispersed the dust, but the protection circle didn’t activate. He had missed.YOJ
q5iGnLeigh quickly stood and ran, cursing under his breath. Before Diella could reposition and resume her hit-and-run tactics, he gathered his magic, determined to end it now.OSN7o
eF66xAnd there she was, visible through the dust.m7QV
lpTfwwWIn that moment, Leigh’s pupils trembled.0qVh
kDr1dwBlood dripped down one side of the girl’s forehead—probably a wound from the fall.5ttfo
RNKShe moved fine, so it wasn’t serious, but Leigh understood the significance of even a scratch on a noble lady’s body. Covered in dust, she shook her cloak, once again channeling magic. Her eyes were filled with venom.sgQh5E
3mDgYes—venom. Since childhood, Leigh had seen that venom in Diella’s eyes—a relentless drive to achieve her goal by any means.SmJcs
pzNLA3eSometimes it was in painting, sometimes in magic. The girl would push herself to death to reach something, but always ended up grasping at air. When sincerity bore no fruit, the extraordinary retaliation was an endless void.BMi
Z0XdAnd when she had nowhere to turn, that venom turned inward, tormenting the servants just to maintain her noble authority and hold on to her last sense of value.QrMju8F
S0XekAs always, she would sit in the pavilion, eyes hollow, letting the days slip by meaninglessly.gUu33i
EiBRaOOWatching her, Leigh had always thought: that’s just who Diella was. But the direction of that venom was everything.NOGAU
G7EtcIf guided properly, it could become wings on someone’s back.quTP9
JHd4Creak!8Hw0
YIUWzLDefending herself with ice pillars, Diella looked exhausted. Unlike Leigh, summoning magic repeatedly was significantly more draining for her. She seemed to have reached her limit.67tBgR
4vLUnfortunately, Leigh wasn’t someone who showed mercy just because someone was bleeding.LZDLd
oGkyOHJAs he approached, ready to launch his final magic arrow—jfixo4
zy8xgPk“Aargh!”3Q4KyyD
3j5Diella grabbed a fistful of dirt from the ground and flung it into Leigh’s eyes. A tactic no noble would ever consider. As Leigh stumbled back, clutching his eyes, she kicked him in the stomach, sending his cloak flying.CsG2f
ZYgg45xCrash!UL6rAjH
PYnkSVmShe tried to strike him with an ice pillar, but he, eyes red and teeth clenched, blocked the attack.JrHK
vIeTSwish! Thud! Thud!Gqz
DMdThrough the shattered ice pillars—destroyed by Leigh’s magic—Diella’s strained expression could be seen.3v9uG
7RWLeigh could clearly read her determination.6J5SDrC
2s07She wanted to win.64yegR
0iUTo win no matter what. To prove her worth through victory. Protecting her teacher or whatever came next was secondary. Right now, Diella simply wanted to win by any means. Her eyes blazed with a fierce desire for victory.45Rure0
CSKph4Could this really be the same girl—the one with cold, empty eyes who had once been locked in the pavilion?2a4ajv
MMp92aJLeigh swallowed hard and clenched his teeth. But that didn’t mean he could afford to lose.jUTbJ
DBiRTaking advantage of Leigh’s hesitation, Diella kicked the broken flagpole and climbed it. Her movements were nimble, befitting someone who once painted landscapes and roamed forests—but still, it was a futile struggle.LoZxR06
BcAcyOEvery variable she had prepared was completely neutralized. Leigh followed, kicking off the pole and ascending the platform.qhE
0Q9There, Diella waited, gathering the last of her magic.fnWZ7e2
PUvXR“Think of it as a painting.”sy5Y
dBLEcVUnder the night sky, a white-haired former mercenary once said.QgDQGr
uB4JdxDGazing at the stars, dense as salt, he used the vast sky as a canvas, tracing lines with his finger.WpHA
KnDAs he drew constellations between the stars, magic had already begun forming at his fingertips.SHOkS
Ov0gThe girl, her eyes full of starlight, watched the world, longing to capture it in her art.TN72d
oMhfShe stood before a canvas, brush in hand, gazing into the forested night. As she painted the solitary moon above, it seemed she could see the magical essence in all things.cO7LE
jyUWvebA warm night breeze. A lone zelkova tree in a grassy field.jt36NU
hzDhf2Spring. Night. And stars.XEiIm
6wVPZQIf magic was the act of materializing one’s imagination into reality, how was it different from painting? Magic was her art, spells her brush, and a single painting was magic made manifest.1l5OU8
OR5wAnd so, the girl painted the world with a brush soaked in color.erUnZoc
7pYbhSwish!WiK
3IdsYmIAs her white-haired master had suggested, she drew a stroke of magic. She loved the moment she placed the first stroke on a blank canvas. The magic forming at her fingertips surrounded her body, and with a squeeze, it gathered at her fingertips and bloomed into a flower.s5a
uPHTILeigh, preparing his magic on the platform, opened his eyes in surprise. Covered in dust, stripped of any noble dignity, and with a streak of blood across her eye that added fierceness to her gaze.XYvK
cwWLsThe servants, who had rushed to the stage thinking it was time to intervene, now froze in place.GGl
XtLXSwish!N9F
IAIoFrom the girl’s fingertips, the one-star spell Ice Lance was born. The frozen spear floated around her and then shot toward Leigh at an incredible speed.onU3BAe
3zSzaWThe lance, too fast to follow with the eyes, filled Leigh’s vision.EDtV
m9tKO“Argh!”o0wKz
c5v3NLeigh clenched his teeth and began his incantation. A one-star spell, launched so suddenly by Diella—someone he didn’t believe could break through his defense.HeniO
6r3TAwIt was unexpected, but all he had to do was block it and counterattack immediately. Diella had likely used up her last reserve of mana and had no defense left.UqhCoq
RPwSo Leigh lowered his stance and gathered mana. He focused all his thoughts on dodging the Ice Lance and firing a mana arrow at Diella.6p7WnsF
tdwlkBang!iE1wcK
JzxOnce again, dust exploded across the stage, and in the center of it, a protective spell activated.X3R80
A0Flg3The appearance of the protection spell meant the duel was over. The followers and servants, who had been silently watching the rising dust, swallowed hard.e7e
Ty9Everyone wondered about the result of this desperate fight.k4Nw176
GyVThen… the dust slowly began to clear.v2ON
iOtiUghkyOnNk
OhvAnd the one whose protection spell had activated… was Diella.x3rrG
LoxExhausted, she collapsed, clenching her teeth as her protection spell triggered.YCpmMSG
Ylj5DtGasp… gasp…sQg
P9BwLeigh rolled across the ground, having narrowly dodged the Ice Lance. Somehow, he had managed to fire his final shot at Diella.uDus2W
sPUCompletely spent, Leigh struggled to rise. Soon after, tears began to stream from Diella’s eyes as she lay gasping on the floor.6Lus
1xjD1KIt was Diella’s defeat.wnb
7gW“…”kSe
TcAQ69And then, so overwhelmed by her loss, Diella began to sob uncontrollably. Leigh could only stare in astonishment.WTRFQ
mvR5***KwQpXu
gWBMp7‘She used a one-star spell…?’sX6dl
wUcr6The duel itself hadn’t lasted long. Only a few minutes.pD1J
uL8FmBut in that brief time, the stage had collapsed, dust had flown, and a fierce battle had erupted in an instant.nEDVOR
vtCIn the heavy atmosphere, during the sudden turn of events, Duke Duplain had not bothered to order a halt.bwrji
sDfHe had stopped himself with the intuition that he had to watch what would unfold.iiB1t8
MV8“What is this…? What is going on…! Is this even reasonable?! So reckless and filthy…!”iAc
Mi02rJ“…”jFsUis
Yb022jMiriela, watching beside him, ground her teeth and exclaimed.fsv
e2KhAa7“No dignity, only dirt—and they call this a magic duel…!”wSM
fjKGI“…”eNRxr
M6fr0“I can’t just stand here and watch this anymore! That so-called magic tutor. Did he teach all of this to Diella? To a noble lady of our Duplain family, who must always remain dignified and aristocratic—he planted such nonsense in her?!”hN2Rm
w6ZGdKMiriela rushed out onto the balcony, breathless, and the nearby servants hurried after her. She looked ready to grab Dereck by the collar and confront him then and there.ma1XIe9
SjwfDsThe Grand Duke Duplain did not let Miriela’s anger reach his ears.vOhSIYk
zCZbvRegardless of her words, he only watched Diella crying on the stage.uxf81
q42MRaymond Oswald Duplain, head of House Duplain, had walked the battlefield since his youth.cOuekZv
neWUAs an imperial noble, he had fulfilled his duty in war and met many people before becoming head of House Duplain. Those born with noble blood and achievements often had shining eyes. But many did not.jt0
8QPH1Some smiled because their dreams came true and they succeeded, others cried because their dreams faded and they despaired. That was the world.GXZQ
G7P“…”owkDHe
asF3The dissonance he felt watching Diella, gritting her teeth and using every trick to defeat Leigh, was because the youngest daughter he knew had changed so much.TYFI
JhRJuHHe remembered the girl who, after countless frustrations, had hidden away in the pavilion, staring at the wall with vacant eyes. Experiencing too much disappointment at too young an age often caused that. As time was often the best remedy, the Grand Duke of Duplain had tried to support her as best he could.hvj
YzqouKyBut that didn’t mean his heart as a father didn’t ache. He had brought Diella into the manor, hoping that someday the light would return to those hollow eyes.5YdYFE7
HtETHe watched her wander, believing that eventually she would find her way back. That was all a father could do for a child who had lost their way.upLHw1
91DOkBut now the girl had resolve. In a duel where everyone expected her to lose, she fought with every means she had to win.thsbhO1
gHyMvThe tears she shed in frustration revealed a burning desire to compete and be recognized. It was unthinkable that she had once sat in a thorny room, staring at the wall with empty eyes.XB7
8QUubLHandling magic and learning a few ceremonial spells were things that could be done with time as she matured. Born of the Duplain line, it was only a matter of how fast or slow she progressed—but eventually, she would reach a certain level.DZXx3U
OCNo7eTherefore, Dereck’s early encouragement of magical manifestation might not be considered a great contribution in the long run.rJqfn
CQWA07But he had shown Diella that she could do it, and even in a duel where everyone foresaw her defeat, he gave her the chance to possibly win. He constantly reminded her that if she wanted something, she had to reach out and take it. That’s when the Duke realized:DHpKvO
jZjWhat the boy Dereck had taught Diella wasn’t just magic. What Dereck had taught her was ambition. He had lit a fire in the girl’s heart.RKL8a3Z
aHUAcqIn the dark slums, amid the filth, he had absorbed the ambition of a boy who reached for the starry sky.eW6FQ
hxPmLThat ambition now burned brightly in her eyes—even in the midst of battle—and was something that many never grasped, even through endless frustration.7rz8
MIxThe value of learning a few spells was nothing compared to it. The Duke knew well that this burning ambition, like molten lava, was one of the most important forces in shaping a person’s path in life.Qaed
hGp0“…”WUdQY6
2794QhJThe Duke watched calmly as Miriela, furious and gasping, descended toward the platform. His gaze narrowed, and shortly after, he furrowed his brow. Duke Duplain closed his eyes tightly. After a long silence, he finally opened them and called the head maid.OzVNqg
SzJ“Katarina.”AYtB3i5
I3M6xf“Yes, Your Grace.”ARB
rVu“I must go to the stage as well.”rXI8DG
LzRhH0“Understood.”JHCIQj0
0o5pWith that, he descended the stairs from the main hall, each step heavy with meaning.Bdxvzu
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