novelraw Chapter 59 : Toward Class 3 (2)
Chapter 59 : Toward Class 3 (2)
Chapter 59: Toward Class 3 (2)
I immediately set fire to Hapert’s wand, and unable to withstand the heat, Hapert dropped it.
The moment the wand touched the ground, it turned into a handful of ashes.
At the same time, the Fire Shroud he had manifested vanished as well.
I didn’t follow up with another spell right away. Instead, I deliberately waited leisurely.
“Don’t tell me, a mage from a noble family can’t even manifest magic without a wand?”
“Artel! You bastard!”
Judging by how he only shouted uselessly, it seemed that might actually be the case.
No, perhaps he really couldn’t.
But shouldn’t he at least try?
Hei and Kiena had always lived in desperation, so they at least made the effort to overcome obstacles with their own strength—
Even if the results didn’t meet their expectations.
Banshi was the same.
In the second sparring match of the first semester, she had said she’d never manifested such a large spell before, yet she still tried with her own power despite the strain.
But look at Hapert, backed by the firm support of his noble family.
How could that possibly be called a mage of the family?
He had lived life far too comfortably.
“I’m disappointed. Those commoner mages you look down on at least understand what effort means. You, on the other hand, are just a child who can’t do anything unless your family teaches you.”
I walked toward him with measured steps.
Even though I took my time, Hapert still failed to manifest even the simplest spell in the meantime.
When I was close enough to reach him, I stopped and summoned a small flame in my hand, pressing it against his measuring device.
“I don’t think there’s a place for you in this academy.”
Bang!
Hapert’s measuring device exploded, and the duel ended anticlimactically.
‘Next opponent—Russel.’
With that thought in mind, I turned toward the exit.
As soon as I stepped out of the dueling arena, Nide asked,
“Already finished?”
“Yes.”
“Didn’t even take two minutes, huh… You know you’re the fastest in Class 1, right?”
“I’m a Double Caster. This much should be expected.”
“Confident, aren’t you? But have you ever considered that your advantage might only work in Class 1?”
“Of course I have. But I get the feeling it won’t be any different even in Class 3.”
“You sound awfully sure you’ll get a special admission.”
“I’m a Double Caster, after all.”
“Heh, interesting. Now get to class.”
But I didn’t move.
Right in front of Nide, I activated Mob and was about to send a duel request to Russel.
“The Light Element class is in session. You can’t have your duel approved right now.”
“If there’s a duel, students can enter class late, right? If it runs long like Hei’s did, they might not even attend at all. So shouldn’t I still be able to send a duel request during class?”
“That’s because that duel was approved before class started. Duels can’t be approved during class. That’s school policy.”
Nide’s voice was cold and firm.
It seemed to be a rule that wasn’t announced to students but applied only to teachers and professors.
Or maybe, since students didn’t know the details, they just used it however they pleased.
Either way, calling Russel out now was impossible.
So I’d have to attend the Dark Element class first and start afterward.
“I’ll see you later then.”
It meant he should wait—since I’d be back once class ended anyway.
Nide didn’t reply, and I headed off to class.
As soon as class ended, I sent the duel request to Russel and returned to the arena.
Now that all afternoon classes were over, the dueling ground was much livelier than before.
Including Russel and me, there were four teams currently dueling.
The arena was now fully active.
Russel stood at a distance, raising his wand toward me with a fierce look in his eyes.
“Let’s see if you can cast magic without that thing too. I’m curious.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You don’t need to know.”
Fwoosh!
“Ugh!”
The instant his own wand caught fire, he reflexively dropped it.
The fallen wand turned into black ash and vanished instantly.
Up to this point, it was exactly the same as with Hapert.
‘Now then, what about you?’
I didn’t intend to train him, but I couldn’t help being curious about how he’d react.
“I don’t need that thing anyway. Good—was getting tired of carrying it around.”
He actually seemed more confident now.
‘Oh? Just from this, the Mihael Family looks better than the Nohill Family.’
The two students were about the same age and both from prestigious houses.
The only difference was the element they used.
Mages completely attuned to their element sometimes took on aspects of its nature.
For instance, Fire could be passionate, gentle, or wildly fierce.
Darkness was just dreary and unpleasant to be near.
Light loved to shine and always sought to be the center of attention.
When among others, it always had to stand out.
Such traits often showed in elemental mages, and Russel seemed to embody his particularly well.
He always needed to be the one shining.
Even back in Class 0, when Vice Headmaster Former visited for a speech, he tried to show off his connection with him.
And in Class 1, though it wasn’t right, he mocked Kiena, Hei, and me to draw his friends’ attention.
That same personality seemed to be showing again now.
While others relied on tools to manifest magic, he stood there boldly, as if he had practiced doing it barehanded.
“How long are you going to keep acting superior just because you’re a Double Caster?”
Then Russel spread both hands wide and began to manifest his magic.
Flash.
Flash.
Soft sounds accompanied the spell.
On either side of his head appeared small, indistinct forms—yet clearly, they were swords of sealed light.
‘Oh? That?’
The Sword of Sealed Light could be called the signature spell of the Light Element.
Even though he was still a Class 1 student, it was impressive that he could mimic it, however imperfectly.
I didn’t like the brat, but credit should be given where it’s due.
Though I did wonder when exactly he learned that.
The most likely explanation was that he had taken private lessons from his family during the vacation.
‘Still, he can only manifest two, and even those are mere imitations in form.’
Basic spells would be more than enough to subdue him.
Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
To match his attack, I too summoned two will-o’-the-wisp–shaped fire spheres.
They were nameless spells.
At that moment, the luminosity of the Swords of Sealed Light that Russel had manifested began to flicker.
Like a broken lamp struggling to stay lit, the swords dimmed and wavered, barely holding their shape.
‘As expected, his proficiency is abysmal. Well, he’s from Class 1, so that’s understandable.’
It meant that manifesting that spell alone was already too much for Russel’s current ability.
This was a fight I couldn’t possibly lose.
No— even if I faced a hundred Class 1 students like Russel at once, I wouldn’t lose.
“Let’s see each other again sometime.”
The outcome was already decided.
I cast my spell directly at Russel.
He was already too exhausted maintaining the Swords of Sealed Light to even react, and my spell struck him squarely, destroying his measuring device.
Bang!
[Ranking Board]
Kiena - 102
Artel - 102
Lamic Vir - 101
That was the Class 1 ranking board that remained unchanged until that evening.
A week had passed since the school rules were amended.
Today was also the day Hei was scheduled to be discharged.
While resting in the dormitory, I casually checked the rankings.
[Ranking Board]
Kiena - 118
Banshi - 116
Lamic Vir - 114
Nohill Hapert - 109
Mihael Russel - 108
Artel - 107
Even without doing anything, Kiena was constantly receiving duel requests— and she hadn’t lost once.
On top of that, there were no signs of burnout.
‘As expected, Kiena isn’t someone I need to worry about.’
It was a solid performance for the first week.
With Hei rejoining after his discharge, raising points shouldn’t be difficult.
There was just one concern.
Would he fall into burnout again if he faced Lamic Vir once more?
‘Still, he said he felt confident he’d win next time. I should trust Hei for now.’
It wasn’t baseless confidence.
He must have realized and gained something during that grueling two-hour duel— that was surely why he could speak that way.
To begin the day, I quietly ate breakfast alone in the dining hall.
‘Come to think of it…’
I glanced at the seats beside me.
Up until last semester, Kiena, Hei, and Banshi were usually with me. But now, with all the constant duels and mismatched class schedules, we often acted separately.
‘Why am I getting so sentimental?’
In my past life, I had always been alone at the top. Even as a child, I never knew the warmth or faces of my parents— only solitude.
I was an orphan.
I was used to being alone, yet now, acting alone again somehow felt lonely.
‘Am I really starting to take on the kids’ emotions? Thinking about pointless stuff like this…’
They said humans were creatures of their environment.
Whoever said that sure had it right.
“Did you hear? Three Class 1 students were expelled last night.”
“Huh? Who?”
“One each from Wind, Summoning, and Earth courses.”
“Why suddenly expelled?”
“I don’t know either. Even the teacher wouldn’t tell us.”
While I was eating, that conversation from some nearby students caught my attention.
‘Expelled? Suddenly?’
The amended school rules clearly stated that only the bottom ten students would be expelled—
Meaning, expulsions would only happen at the end of the semester.
But it had only been a week since the term began, and already three students had been expelled. Something was off.
‘What’s going on this time?’
If anyone at this school should’ve been at risk of expulsion, it was me, Hei, or Kiena— not random students who had nothing to do with us.
I didn’t know the reason, but it was definitely something I needed to find out.
As always, in the Headmaster’s Office of the Ed Branch School, Former and Etar were present.
“That damned Tyrant… He started that battle just to pull something like this…”
Etar was seething with anger.
On the table between them lay a single sheet of paper.
Written on it were these words:
[Underworld Territory Agreement]
The Underworld shall be divided evenly between two factions— the Mages and the Swordsmen.
The divided territories shall be called the ‘Mage’s Quarter’ and the ‘Swordsman’s Quarter,’ respectively.
Each faction’s ‘Quarter’ is its exclusive domain. Therefore, anyone whose status does not match their faction cannot enter or reside within the other’s territory.
In accordance with Clause 3, if any student within either faction’s training institutions— that is, their schools— violates these terms, they shall be expelled immediately.
The leaders of both factions solemnly swear to uphold these four clauses.
—Archmage Draco Tyrant
—Grand Swordsman Vulcathos Milton
At the bottom of the agreement were the clearly written names and signatures of the two faction leaders.
The reason three students were urgently expelled last night was because of Clause 4.
Now, the Underworld— much like the world above— had been divided into separate territories.