Chapter 94 October 3, 2022
Chapter 94 – Magic Duel (2)
From the audience’s response, it was clear that they had no idea what was going on.
The duel, which they’d believed would be fierce and drawn-out, had ended too quickly with a one-sided victory.
“Is… is this possible?”
“I heard his opponent is a professional hired by the Luke Company.”
They stared at Ludger with incredulous eyes.
From before Ludger had entered the duel until then, his posture of raising his staff hadn’t changed even a bit.
His expression also hadn’t changed, as if it was obvious that he would win.
“The winner! Ludger Chelysie!”
Elisa Willow’s cheerful voice announced the end of the duel.
The atmosphere of the banquet hall, which had been engulfed in silence and astonishment, was then returned to its original state.
Clap. Clap.
People began to clap their hands one by one.
Just like a drop of water dripping into a serene surface and causing a ripple, the clapping sound spread contagiously, filling the entire banquet hall.
Clap clap clap clap clap!
“Oh, my God, that’s surprising! Is this the ability of a Sören professor?”
“The wizard hired by the Luke Company wasn’t a common person, but it couldn’t even be called a battle.”
“What the hell were those spells just now? How could he cast such spells so quickly! I couldn’t even see him casting the spells. ”
“Were the rumors that he used unusual spell techniques true?!”
Unlike what they’d expected, the duel itself had ended too quickly.
But still, the audience was happy because the event happening so quickly gave them quite a lot of entertainment.
“This is really surprising.”
Theodor looked at Elisa, who was smiling as if she knew things would turn out like that next to him.
“The aide I gave to my son, he was quite a famous wizard, but I never thought he would be beaten like that in an instant. Are all of Sören’s professors like that monster?”
“Ahaha. No way. In fact, Professor Ludger is indeed a particularly unusual person.”
“Hmm. I see. Indeed, I don’t think there are other people like him. I don’t know if there is someone worse than him.”
“I’m sorry, because I’m a worse person than him. Rather than that, are you okay? It can’t be easy to see your child behaving like that in front of everyone.”
Theodor smiled and shook his head.
“You don’t have to worry about it. It’s my fault since I have a lacking son. This was a fair duel, and as a notary, I will accept this defeat neatly.”
As the chairman talked like that, he looked at Ivan pathetically, who was still sitting in his spot with a desperate face as if his defeat was unbelievable.
“That idiot won’t be able to take his defeat and will create a fuss, but you don’t have to worry about that part because I’ll step forward and stop him.”
“As expected from Chairman Theodor. It’s good that we can communicate well.”
“That’s why I want to ask you a favor…”
Elisa shook her head sharply as Theodor Luke secretly tried to get to the point.
“I can’t do that.”
“I haven’t said anything yet.”
“You’re asking me to introduce you to Professor Ludger, aren’t you? Eey. It’s obvious without you having to tell me that. I’m sorry, but please refrain from reaching out to our professor.”
“…Hah. If you say it like that, I can’t help it.”
At Elisa’s gentle warning, Theodor had no choice but to raise his hands and make a neat declaration of surrender in the end.
Ludger was clearly a coveted talent, but he decided that he would not meet with him if that would make him look bad to Sören’s principal.
Theodor was a great person who had a huge influence on the Empire and the world regardless, but there were still some people who even he could not mess up with.
The woman in front of him, Elisa Willow, was one of those people.
“Well, it’s quite brazen for me to say such a thing…”
As Theodor said that, he glanced at the entrance of the banquet hall.
“But I don’t know if they’ll be so obliging.”
“…I see.”
Elisa followed Theodor’s stare to the entrance of the banquet hall and her expression stiffened.
She saw faces that were not very welcome entering the banquet hall.
* * *
‘This is really…’
I was flustered inwardly as I saw Ivan Luke’s aide, who had been sent sprawling to the ground in front of me.
Still, I had thought he was someone who looked quite decent, but who knew that he would fall in vain like that?
‘I was serious about this, too, because he looked so strong.’
It was also true that I was a little worried about what kind of magic my opponent would use.
To my surprise, however, my duel partner was a wizard who specialized in speed techniques.
The most important thing about wizard duels was the speed at which they implemented their spell techniques, no matter what others said.
Considering that, the man in front of me was, in some way, a man who specialized in one-on-one duels, and he was close to a first-class talent if I looked at him highly.
That was why he’d stepped forward to have a duel with me so confidently.
He must have been convinced that he could defeat his opponent the moment the duel started using his special speed techniques.
‘But… Why would he be like that after having a duel against me?’
This was why I felt that it was ridiculous.
I knew how to use Source Code.
I’m not bragging, but even if a wizard with more than five ranks came at me, they wouldn’t be able to keep up with the speed of my spells due to the Source Code that I used.
I could show a speed at which I would not lose to anyone as long as the spell was within the first three tiers of spells.
I couldn’t believe someone who specialized in speed casting had come out against me in a duel.
At that point, I was so confused that I thought he had come out only to lose deliberately.
‘Did he not know?’
When I showed the Source Code spell in my first class and deliberately leaked the rumors, at that point, wouldn’t people know about it?
Even so, I had no choice but to think that the man in front of me hadn’t known about the magic I was using, as I had already won the battle.
No. Even if he knew it, he probably wouldn’t have believed that it was real.
There were so many wizards that would snort while saying that such magic didn’t exist in this world.
My pride felt a little hurt.
‘Does it not matter now that I’ve won?’
The fallen aide was carried out by the bodyguards of the Luke Company.
Ivan, who was arguably the main culprit of it all, was still showing a stunned face, as it was unbelievable for him that he had lost the duel.
“You…!”
Soon, he looked at me and clenched his fist with his eyes widened.
But he couldn’t yell like he had done before.
It wasn’t that he had the ability to learn, nor did he realize something from his previous defeat.
—It was because his gaze was heading over my shoulder.
“Are you Ludger Chelysie?”
There was a voice from behind my back.
I slowly turned my head to see the owner of the voice.
There was a hale old man with a long white beard who was standing while holding a cane.
He was an unusual old man.
Because, in a place where everyone was dressed in stylish suits and dresses, he was wearing robes that were large enough to make him stand out alone.
In fact, his attire was so strange that it wouldn’t have been off if the guard at the entrance had kicked him out because he did not fit the dress code.
However, if there was a logo on the robe that symbolized a particular organization, then the story changed.
“Are you from the Magic Tower?”
“Hoo. You recognize it right away.”
The old man’s eyes glowed at my words and he roared with laughter.
The iconic logo of a high tower that was placed within a golden-coloured circle…
The old man in front of me was a wizard from the Magic Tower.
He was a wizard with a quite high status as well.
Even Ivan Luke, who was very much an idiot, couldn’t step forward recklessly as he recognized the existence of the Magic Tower.
“So why did you come to visit me?”
He hadn’t even come alone.
He was accompanied by five other wizards behind his back.
“I saw the duel a little while ago very well. Your opponent’s skill was quick, but you’re much quicker than him. I’ve never seen anyone cast such spells so quickly in my life.”
“I see…”
“Is that the Source Code spell that the rumors were talking about?”
I was wondering why he’d come to visit me, so it was because of that.
I nodded because it wasn’t something to hide anyway.
“You are right.”
“Ooh! I see! I knew it!”
The old man reacted fiercely like a little child who’d just found a great toy.
As the old man, who had wrinkles all over his face, suddenly showed a strange reaction, I frowned without realizing it.
“So why did you come to visit me?” I asked in a slightly dry tone.
“Oh? Hoho. Oh, my. Look at me. Come to think of it, we haven’t even introduced ourselves to each other, have we?”
The old man did not answer my question but instead immediately started to introduce himself.
“I am Altego Dantes, the head of the Magic Tower’s Senate.”
“…I’m Ludger Chelysie, a Sören professor.”
“I know. The reason why I visited this kind of trivial place to begin with was to meet you in person.”
Trivial place? It was a banquet full of honorable guests, so I thought it was quite a harsh remark.
“Me, you said?”
“Yes. Eyy, anyway. I was going to visit Sören myself, but who knew that vile fox would interfere with everything and stand in my way?”
Ludger immediately recognized who the fox that Altego spoke about was.
“Oh my! Isn’t that you, Chairman Altego?”
Because the person who was supposed to be the said fox, or who was certain to be the fox, stepped forward directly with a smile on her face.
Chairman Altego recognized the person who spoke to him and blatantly frowned.
“Elisa Willow. So I see you in a place like this. Is it okay for a person who is the principal to step forward in this kind of place? Your behavior is cheap, so won’t it be better for you to step back?”
“Then what kind of business does Chairman Altego have in this kind of place? You said that such a luxurious place that required people to dress up did not suit you. Did you pretend not to, but secretly actually like the fact that this is a place where there are so many young people gathered?”
“Should I reveal my reasons to you one by one? I just came because there was someone else I had to meet.”
“Ahaha. Your intention is blatantly, Chairman. Are you here to see our new professor?”
There was strength in her tone when she said “our”.
The principal’s atmosphere, who had been consistently playful until then, had sharpened since she’d started facing Altego.
‘Indeed. A young genius wizard like the principal was literally like water and oil to the elders’ council of the Magic Tower, which are all aged and rotted.’
The elders’ council was a symbol of the Old Magic Tower.
On the contrary, it was the opposite of the principal, who’d come from the New Magic Tower that wanted to accept change and develop more things.
It was like that just by looking at their sharp reactions toward each other.
“But this place is not a suitable place for someone like you to come to, Chairman. What on earth were you trying to obtain by coming here?”
“A lady fox must have blocked my path. That’s why I came here by myself. Get out of my way. I have no business with you.”
Having said that, Altego openly attempted to ignore the principal.
He spoke to me.
“I won’t be able to talk long anyway, so I’ll talk to you straightforwardly. Won’t you join our Magic Tower Society? I promise you that you’ll have the best treatment from us.”
“Chairman!”
As she didn’t know that he would try to attract me so blatantly, Elisa yelled all of a sudden.
Altego showed a reaction as if he’d heard a dog barking somewhere.
I was also surprised by Altego’s straightforward remark.
—Because his attitude was very rude.
Altego continued speaking while ignoring the reactions around him.
“Should a wizard as great as you waste your talents by teaching a bunch of little wizards? When I first heard the rumors about Source Code, I was uncertain, but I was convinced after looking at the duel. You are a suitably talented person for our Magic Tower. ”
“…”
“So what do you say? I’ll write you a letter of recommendation myself. If you come to the Magic Tower, you can occupy a particularly high position.”
From his reaction, it appeared that he had been trying to contact me before, but had been pushed back by the principal’s continuous interference.
Then, he’d come to see me like that while using the chance of the banquet party event.
“It will be a good thing for you, too. Who will acknowledge you if you’re working merely as a professor at an academy? What about the students? Do you think those green little kids know even the most basic thing about magic? But the Magic Tower is different. It’s the place where every wizard on the continent wants to go the most!”
Altego was so excited that he couldn’t overcome his excitement, and it made him babble when he talked about the Magic Tower.
To summarize what he was talking about, it was this:
The Magic Tower was the best, and every other place was rubbish.
It was a really arrogant remark, but it wasn’t exactly wrong in some ways.
The Magic Tower’s dignity was certainly great enough for him to be proud of.
I opened my mouth after pretending to be contemplating for a moment.
“If I say I’ll go to the Magic Tower, what can you do for me?”
“Oh…”
“Professor Ludger?”
Altego felt delighted as he knew that it would turn out like that.
Principal Elisa raised a question incredulously.
“Hoho! What do you want? Do you want a lot of money? The amount of support that comes to the Magic Tower every year is close to Sören’s! I don’t know how much they’re paying you, but we can give you more than three times your payment!”
“…”
“Or do you want power? If you be my person and submit magic theses, you’ll be guaranteed to be selected as the chief wizard of the Senate! Or do you want some great artifacts? If you want that too, I can bring them to you!”
“Then…”
I got to the point.
“If I ask for one seat at the 12th Council of the Magic Tower, would you give it to me?”
“What?”
Altego’s face twisted foolishly at that moment.
It was the same for the five wizards who were listening to the conversation as they were lined up behind Altego.
They soon realized what I was talking about and began to exude their hostility.
“…What does that mean? A seat for the Senate?”
“It is exactly as I said.”
“Are you crazy? When you enter the Magic Tower, you should say ‘Thank you’ and know how to enter. We even pay for it! But what? A Senate position? Don’t you know what kind of position it is?! ”
“I am aware of it. In fact, I know it extremely well.”
How could I not know what kind of position that was?
How could I not know?
“Isn’t it the place where old people pretend to talk as if they’re great while not actually having any real ability?”
“…Are you being serious about that? You’re not just drunk and spitting out something recklessly, are you?”
“I’m perfectly sane.”
“Sane, you said?”
Altego’s face changed and resembled a pigeon who’d gotten shot by a bullet.
He ground his teeth as he glared at me.
“How dare you refuse the Magic Tower’s proposal and even show a blasphemy to the name of the Magic Tower’s Senate Council? And you said you were sane when you said that? Did you mistakenly think that you had become something great with the development of your new spell?!”
The old man, who had been chatting happily until a while ago, was nowhere to be seen.
Altego’s forehead was full of veins, and his face had turned red.
“There are words to say and words not to say…!”
“I guess my way of speaking is a little difficult.”
“What did you say?”
“So the point of my words is this…”
I looked down at the old man in front of me who had been stained by elitism.
“No matter what kind of bribe you offer me, I won’t go to a place like the Magic Tower.”
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