CH 21

“…Dangerous.”

Georg muttered. Nella had just burned another Hornhog. I shook my head at the acrid, charred smoke and looked at Georg. I sniffed at the odor wafting through the acrid smoke and recognized the smell of roasting pork belly.

“What’s so dangerous?”

“At this rate, we’ll have to kick Daphne out of the party.”

With a snap of her fingers, Nella roasted five more Hornhogs on the spot while Daphne, walking behind her, had yet to cast a single spell. Just like when she trained with me, tiny sparks of magic flashed from her hands, but they didn’t turn into spells. There hadn’t been a single monster she’d been able to defeat.

“Are you worried about her? I thought you wanted Nella to win?”

Georg’s eyebrows arched uncomfortably at my question.

“I was merely making a suggestion that would be acceptable to both of them to stop them fighting. I wasn’t looking for anyone to win.”

It was a lie. It was no secret how Nella treated Georg. If Arjen was a mere object of desire, Georg was a meat shield. He would never want Nella back in the party. Making a competition with a clear winner and strict conditions. It was a duel, and Nella would have a better chance of winning. I can’t tell whether he is an idiot or a terrible masochist.

“I honestly want Daphne to win, that’s for sure.”

“Then why did you allow the match of skill?”

Georg asked me accusingly. I narrowed my eyes and looked at Daphne. She was still spilling mana, sparks flying from her hands. But it felt different. I smiled at Daphne’s growth, then answered Georg’s question.

“Daphne said she’d do it. So I’ll take her word for it.”

Daphne always looked dejected when she failed to manifest her magic. It was a look that spoke of her disappointment in herself and her sorry for me. She would dwell on her failure, try again, and her movements and expression would become even heavier when the spell failed yet again.

However, Daphne’s expression was completely different now.

“A bitch with four circles can’t even use magic.”

She completely ignored Nella’s taunt. Daphne’s eyes focused on something, like an artist on the verge of an idea. The reflection in them was not of the charging monsters and not of Nella.

Phazik!

It was different. Daphne’s eyes were relaxed, but Nella’s eyes began to waver as she looked back at Daphne. She seemed to recognize that something had changed in Daphne. Nella turned to me and exclaimed urgently.

“Shouldn’t we be done with this?! Do you need to see more?”

I smirked and shook my head in disbelief. You should have seen Daphne take down the wall properly.

“This is only the beginning.”

Nella’s face contorted with anger and despair. I noticed that Daphne’s mana, which had been wasting away, had suddenly disappeared completely. The violet eyes that had been so intensely focused, as if searching for something, returned to their natural color. I smiled at the violet-glowing orb of magic in Daphne’s hand.

Her first step.

The dwindling mana gave way to a single burst of light. Daphne stretched her hands out in front of her and muttered a spell.

It was a violet bolt of lightning. A surge of magical power, writhing like a dragon, began to blow through the forest with a roar.

In the aftermath, Georg and I were knocked backward, and Nella hastily deployed a protective spell to shield herself. The wind kicked up dirt and sand in waves. After the dust settled, Georg’s mouth dropped open as he looked at Daphne’s magic’s devastation.

“…Was that really a Lightning Bolt?”

I looked at Daphne, feeling inwardly proud. Around her, the purple current sparked like a suit of armor, and in front of her, as if someone had taken an eraser to the forest, everything that her magic had touched was gone. The trees, the ground, the creatures.

“Daphne’s magic is special, but I’m not surprised. It’s only going to get better.”

I replied, trying to sound nonchalant, barely resisting the urge to run over and high-five Daphne. Georg stared blankly at the wreckage, then turned to me, a look of disbelief on his face. An equally disbelieving look on his face.

“…Did you always know this would happen, Elroy?”

I shrugged. I knew it all along. Of course, it was purely on Daphne’s merit that she’d come this far, smashing through her wall. I had merely watched the process from the sidelines.

“When you look at a person, you must look at them properly. Well, Daphne worked hard for it.”

“…What the hell are you saying….”

Georg was looking at me with a bizarre expression. It’s creepy, and I wish he’d stop looking at me like that. He sighed and then sighed again.

“I see. I suppose all of this is possible because you believed in her from the start.”

I smirked at Georg before returning my attention to the wizards. Now, the real battle was about to begin.

“… You’re getting cocky when you’ve only just gotten to the point where you can use magic.”

Nella said in a low voice as she looked at Daphne. Five circles versus five circles, simply by the numbers. But Daphne’s five circles of magic were far ahead of Nella’s. And both Nella and Daphne seemed to realize it.

“We should probably stop this before it gets any uglier.”

I muttered to myself and walked after the wizards ahead. It was a one-sided competition, with one side massacring everything in their path. Except, this time, it was Daphne taking the lead.

[Lightning bolt.]

Daphne repeatedly used the same tiresome spell. Every time she reached out, a lightning bolt would strike, leaving Nella helpless to do anything but watch as the creature disappeared. Nella gritted her teeth and unleashed fourth circle offensive magic, finishing another monster before Daphne could.

“…So the only magic you know how to use is a three-circle lightning bolt, huh?”

Daphne frowned and looked down at her hands, which made Nella chuckle. Daphne clenched and unclenched her fist and shook her head.

“No, you are right.”

“…?”

“It might be tough to win with Lightning Bolt alone.”

“What…?”

Daphne summoned mana from her hand. This time, the flames rose like petals floating in the wind. Nella’s expression shook as she watched the magic. It was the fifth-circle spell she had cast earlier, Pillar of Flame. However, the magic at Daphne’s fingertips was different from her own.

“I will make you regret everything you said before.”

Daphne muttered, then squeezed her hand. The spark in her grip faded. The same fire seemed to appear in Daphne’s violet eyes. An Ashen Bear burst through the grass. Daphne’s eyes locked onto it, and with a roar, the bear charged at the trespassers of its territory.

Suddenly, a massive pillar of fire rose up and engulfed the bear. The fire burned fiercely through the bear’s thick hide and fur. The bear screamed in agony and stumbled backward. It was incredible; it didn’t die immediately.

“…Not enough.”

Daphne drew her mana again. A glowing spear of ice pierced the bear’s flailing head. It wasn’t enough as the bear raised its arm, even as its head was shot with an icicle. Daphne snapped her fingers again, her eyes expressionless.

The ice spears pierced quickly through its hide, softened by the pillar of fire. Belly, back, front, and hind paws. The Ashen Bear turned into a Burned Hedgehog and bled to death. Considering the little trouble I had against it, the ease with which Daphne now took on the bear was frightening.

(If you relax, you’ll be left behind by that kid.)

Holy Sword said lazily. ‘As if she hadn’t already surpassed me.’ I looked at Daphne with a bitter smile as she stood majestically before the fallen Ashen Bear.

“Do you want to see more?”

Nella clenched her fists at Daphne’s taunting question. Her defeat was apparent. But Nella shook her head in defiance.

“I’m not done…”

Nella drew up her mana. Unbeknownst to Daphne, she was on the limit of what she could do. She had been fighting monsters constantly up to this point and was forced to continue without rest. Most other fifth-circle wizards would be out cold at this point, but Nella persevered.

“…yet….”

A glow of magic floated above Nella’s head. It seemed to protest that she could still fight. Then, Nella and Daphne’s eyes met.

Suddenly the magic hovering around Nella disappeared with a crackle of electricity. It was a magical discharge. Nella looked at Daphne in confusion. Daphne looked back at Nella with a questioning stare.

‘This is her limit.’

(No, I’m sure she had some spare mana left to use.)

‘She had mana to spare?’

(Mana capacity is not the only thing that affects a wizard’s use of magic. We can’t ignore the psychological factor. Right now, she is probably intimidated by Daphne.)

‘Intimidated?’

(Yes. Demoralized. Nella’s mind may deny it, but her heart knows. She realized that no matter what she did, it wouldn’t end well for her. She knew she couldn’t beat Daphne.)

It quieted down. The two of them had wiped out most of the nearby creatures. A mountain breeze blew in, and the ashen remains of the monsters blew with it.

“You lost.”

It was Daphne’s victory. Nella shook her head, unable to deny or acknowledge the obvious outcome.

“Keep your word.”

“You…bitch…….”

Nella turned around, shaking like a Bear caught in a pillar of fire. Her footsteps trampled the ashes heavily as she walked.

“Elroy… is this what you wanted to happen?”

Nella hissed as she stopped before me. I looked down at her and let out a small sigh.

“I’ll keep you in the party if you can fix your attitude. Otherwise…”

“Don’t bother, Hero. Go back to hunting Disasters.”

Nella breathed out a deep fury and walked past me. I watched her disappear with my eyes, then turned at the sound of footsteps behind me.

“Elroy…”

Daphne was standing there with a smile. A natural smile that made me feel like all the tension had been released. She stumbled toward me, but then her legs gave out. She slumped forward. She must have used every ounce of mental energy she could muster to escape the trauma that had held her back, and she was exhausted. I picked Daphne off the ground, the faint scent of her body wafting past my nose.

“I did it.”

Daphne said in a proud voice mixed with a giggle and a laugh. Her cheeks were slightly stained with ash and dirt. Her tired violet eyes shone with joy.

“Yep. You did it.”

“Thanks for believing in me…El….”

Daphne didn’t finish her sentence and fainted. She seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep, exhausted to her limit. As I picked her up, Georg approached with a bittersweet, wistful look.

“Well done, Elroy.”

With those brief words, Georg started back down the path. ‘No more suffering for that upright fellow.’

“El…roy….”

Daphne whispered in her sleep, a faint smile on her face even in her deepest sleep. One of her trials was over. I brushed a stray strand of hair from Daphne’s face, purely rejoicing.

“Good job, Daphne.”