Chapter 9 – End of the Battle

Spell Boost, which accelerated the proper time of a target.
Within this time that had been stretched out, Mr. Gawain and I continued to fight.

It was all that I could do to keep up.
I could not let my guard down for even a moment.

With just one small mistake, this balance that I was barely able to maintain would crumble completely, and I would be thrown to the ground.

However, this nervousness from being able to barely keep up with an opponent that was stronger than me, it reminded me of those fights I had with Luke when we were students.

Ah, Luke. He used to be so viciously strong, and I was beaten so many times.

It annoyed me so much that I trained even harder and thought of ways of dealing with him. And then the next time, I was the one to beat him to the ground.

We had fought like that so many times that I lost count.
And that time gave me strength now.

I was not alone.
Right now, I was fighting with Luke’s help.

However, as the magic flew back and forth, something became clear to me.
Even if I didn’t want it to.

…I could not win.

This was a professional when it came to magic combat.
The difference in battle experience as a magician was too great between us.

It would be me who found that I could not keep up soon.

In that case, what should I do, now that I understand that?

…I did want to win.

That side of me who hated to lose was shouting within my heart.

That’s right.
Back then, it meant nothing to me if Luke was supposedly a genius.
I just didn’t want to lose, and that drove me to continue to overcome any high wall that was in my way.

While that had not served me in society, I wanted to be like that again. I wanted to work hard enough to make Luke groan in defeat.

And so, I’m sorry.

I might not be able to last for sixty seconds.

Forgive me.

Instead, I’m going to go and get something that is much bigger than that…

I stepped forward.

Closing the gap between us.

So close, that a hit could cause a fatal wound.

However, the counter I would release would also be of the greatest power.

The top of the kingdom’s magic world.
I would exceed a Magus-rank magician…

Abandoning any thought of surviving for sixty seconds, I instead moved in for the win. Mr. Gawain’s lips curled into a smile.

This reckless newcomer was now trying to surpass someone so obviously superior to her. He could not help but find it terribly amusing.

Flashes crossed through the air.

The magic circles seemed to fill the area in every direction.

Mr. Gawain’s raging flames and my violent winds clashed.

Great shockwaves blasted my eardrums.

And after a while, the dust clouds that had enveloped the training grounds began to settle.

My magic had not reached Mr. Gawain.

But his had not reached me either.

“Interesting.”

Said Mr. Gawain with a grin.

“Thank you. It’s been a while since I last fought someone who didn’t break, even when I went all out.”
“Not at all. I am the one who should be thanking you. I feel like I’m back to being like my old self. More light-hearted.”
“Really? That is a good thing.”

Mr. Gawain said with a nod.

“Now, how about a round two…”

But a voice that was as cold as ice suddenly intervened.

“The sixty seconds are up.”

Mr. Gawain scowled as he opened his mouth.

“But we were just about to get to the fun part.”
“You are a Magus-rank magician. You should not be having so much to begin with. Especially against a newcomer.”

Said the tall and slender man with silver hair.
There was something about his overall appearance that made me think of a beautiful bird. And I knew just who he was.

The Ice Magician, Chris Sherlock.

Like Mr. Gawain, he too was a Magus-rank magician.

“Surely it is fine. Just a for a short while.”
“You set the rules, and you would make a poor example to your subordinates if you break them. Besides, Prince Michael is watching. I would ask that you act with moderation and common sense, so as not to harm the reputation of the Magicians Order…”
“Fine. If you’re going to insist so much. I’ll stop.”

Mr. Gawain said as he scratched his head.
And then he looked down at me and said,

“You. You pass.”

It was only when I heard those words that I finally realized it.

I did it…!
I had passed…!

The spectators must have not been expecting this either.
As they were all stunned into silence.

Hehe! Did you see that, Luke!

I smiled with a sense of accomplishment, and then I turned to Luke with a smug expression, as if to say, ‘how’s that!’

Next Chapter

Expelled From a Black Magic Item Craftsman Guild I Was Picked up as a Royal Magician