Chapter 27: The Duel That Shattered Expectations

Sion stepped onto the circular arena.

Facing Estroza, he steadied his stance.

The moment Professor Mehden gave the signal, they would bombard each other with spells.

‘Stay focused. Even if I’m not going all out… I need to take this seriously.’

His opponent was Estroza Farawell—one of the heirs of the Farawell family, which Patrick had mentioned as one of the Empire’s Three Great Magic Houses.

Rumor had it that the Farawell family had produced multiple court magicians.

If that was true, then Estroza had likely received elite training from a young age.

There was no room for complacency.

‘What’s the most efficient first move? If I assume her spellcasting speed is faster than mine, Barrier is probably the safest bet. I’ll use Barrier with my left hand while attacking with Fire from my right… Or maybe Wind would be better since it’s the fastest spell…’

As he simulated different strategies in his mind—

“Sion.”

“…Yes?”

Estroza spoke to him first.

With a gentle smile, she looked at Sion.

The duel was about to begin. What was she up to?

“Before we start, I have a request.”

“A request?”

“Yes. You seem quite nervous before the match.”

Estroza continued speaking with a warm smile, her noble and elegant demeanor resembling a painting.

…If Patrick hadn’t described her as the “Queen of Sugar-Coated Words,” Sion might have been fooled.

Placing a delicate hand over her chest, she spoke again.

“I would like to yield the first move to you.”

“Yield…?”

“Just as I said. You might not know, but among nobles, it is customary for the higher-ranked individual to grant the first move to the lower-ranked one in a duel.”

She covered her mouth slightly with her hand, chuckling softly.

“Oh, of course, I don’t mean to imply that you are lower-ranked, Sion. I just thought you seemed nervous… If I’ve offended you, I sincerely apologize.”

“…”

Her crescent-shaped smile remained unwavering.

Sion met her gaze.

Was this what Patrick had warned him about?

‘So, she thinks of me as the lower-ranked one. And by apologizing first, she leaves me no room to argue… That’s a clever move.’

Estroza still wore a kind and gracious smile.

But when he looked closer, he noticed something.

Though her lips were curved into a gentle smile—

Her eyes weren’t smiling at all.

“Understood. I appreciate your generosity in yielding the first move.”

“Oh my, not at all. Thank you for accepting my selfish request.”

“Then, I have a request as well.”

“Please, go ahead.”

Sion grinned.

Not a carefully crafted noble smile.

But a confident, bold grin.

“Try to last as long as you can.”

“…!”

Before Estroza could even react to those words—

Mehden’s voice rang out.

“Then, begin!”

Professor Mehden Demourniza’s signal echoed through the arena.

Vrrrrrmm!!

The mana inside Sion’s heart surged.

It rushed through his body, almost tearing through his right arm.

Sion extended his palm forward.

“Fire.”

1st Circle elemental magic—Fire.

A spell that summoned a small flame, no larger than a fist.

It was mainly used to light campfires or candles, or to throw at an opponent as a weak offensive spell.

Every first-year magic student was familiar with Fire.

“…That’s Fire?”

Someone murmured.

The entire circular arena was suddenly engulfed in flames.

A wave of fire erupted from Sion’s palm.

It spread outward in a wide, fan-shaped arc.

But that wasn’t his only move.

‘Fire is just a smokescreen.’

While keeping his right hand extended, continuously unleashing flames, Sion began preparing another spell with his left hand.

The reason he chose Fire as his opening spell was to obscure vision and disrupt incantations.

He couldn’t see past the flames either—but that didn’t matter.

Vrrrrrmm!!

Mana condensed in his left hand.

At the same time, rocks began forming around him.

A modified version of 1st Circle Earth magic.

‘Stone Cannon.’

Shhhwaaaak—!!

The same Stone Cannon spell that had torn goblins apart rained down.

Each projectile was a conical rock, honed to a razor-sharp edge, spinning at high speed like a drill.

He launched them at every location where Estroza could possibly be.

‘…She’s not there?’

As the Stone Cannons pierced through the fire, gaps formed in the flames.

Yet, there was no sign of Estroza in those gaps.

It was only then that Sion realized his mistake.

‘She’s advancing…!’

She must have dispelled the flames with magic and was already closing in.

If she had deployed a Barrier in advance, this would have been an easy maneuver.

Sion immediately leaped backward and halted the Stone Cannons.

“Water…!”

Splaaash!!

A torrent of water surged from his left hand, crashing forward in a powerful wave.

As the water met the flames, thick steam billowed into the air.

The wave swept across the arena, covering every inch of the battlefield.

Sion cut off both his Fire and Water spells.

The collision of the two elements had produced a dense fog, obscuring everything.

But that worked both ways.

Vrrrrrmm!!

He drew upon the last bit of his mana, channeling it into both hands.

He envisioned blades—sharp and deadly.

Then, he released them all at once.

Whooosh!!!

A storm of razor-sharp wind blades tore through the mist.

The 1st Circle Wind spell sliced through the white fog, clearing it entirely.

Sion caught his breath, scanning his surroundings.

But—

“…?”

Left.

Right.

No matter where he looked—

Estroza Farawell was nowhere to be seen.

What?

Why wasn’t she in the arena?

Had she used some kind of invisibility magic?

A Duel That Ended in Confusion

“Sion.”

Step. Step.

Professor Mehden Demourniza walked up to the arena.

“Estroza Farawell has been ruled out of bounds and has lost the match.”

“…Out of bounds?”

As the heat of the battle faded, Sion’s vision returned to normal.

He glanced toward the audience, and only then did he spot Estroza.

She was covered in dirt, her face pale as she stared at him.

…Out of bounds?

‘Judging by her dirt-stained uniform… Did she jump out of the arena?’

The arena’s elevation was about two meters—equivalent to the second floor of an apartment.

It wasn’t high enough to break bones, but—

Why would she voluntarily throw herself out of the arena mid-duel?

Thud.

While Sion was lost in thought, Mehden placed a heavy hand on his shoulder.

“…Under normal circumstances, Estroza would be ruled out of bounds. However, you should be disqualified instead.”

“…Me?”

“Yes. Didn’t I say that only 1st Circle magic was allowed?”

“??”

Sion tilted his head.

“I only used 1st Circle magic, though.”

“…Do you seriously believe that what you just used was 1st Circle magic?”

“Yes. I used Fire, Earth, Water, and Wind… all 1st Circle elemental spells.”

Fire to obstruct vision.

Earth to launch stone projectiles for a follow-up attack.

Water to sweep the battlefield after suspecting Estroza had advanced.

Wind to disperse the mist and secure a decisive strike.

Rapid situational analysis, backed by precise spellcasting.

And most importantly, every spell he used was a fundamental 1st Circle elemental spell.

But what Sion hadn’t considered was—

“That ‘flamethrower’ you used was at least 3rd Circle magic.”

“…? Flamethrower?”

“The Stone Cannon and Wind Blades were also 3rd Circle magic. The Water Wall was, at minimum, 2nd Circle magic.”

“???”

Sion blinked in confusion.

The spells he had cast—

They weren’t 1st Circle?

They were, at the very least, 2nd or 3rd Circle magic?

Sion stepped down from the arena.

As he walked, the students parted like the Red Sea.

Their gazes, filled with disbelief and caution, burned into him.

“He cast 2nd and 3rd Circle magic effortlessly—without incantation…?”

“No way. Even second-year students can’t pull that off…”

“He used those spells against Lady Estroza without hesitation—H-Hic! He looked this way!”

“Is this what happens when you underestimate a commoner?”

“I-It’s practically a declaration of war…! E-Everyone, look away!”

The murmurs of the students pierced his ears.

Many seemed to think he had deliberately used Estroza as an example to send a message—

That a commoner like him could crush a noble.

Fear flickered in the eyes of the noble faction as they looked at him.

‘Wait… What? Why are they making up their own stories?’

Sion was bewildered.

Not only was he being treated like some kind of monster, but the professor’s accusation that he had used high-circle magic didn’t make sense to him either.

“I said quiet down. …Next duel, proceed.”

Ignoring the commotion, Mehden continued the lesson.

With all first-year students required to duel, time was limited.

Scratching the back of his head, Sion sat and watched the next match.

“The primordial water, answer my call and reveal yourself. Water!”

“Mother earth, lend me your strength. Earth!”

A small sphere of water and a fist-sized rock flew at each other.

It looked more like a children’s playfight than an actual duel.

Sion stared blankly at the scene.

“Win!”

“Fight harder!”

“Yeah, this looks normal.”

“Ooh… this is intense. Who do you think will win?”

Some students were watching with excitement.

It was only then that Sion realized his mistake.

‘Wait… Is this the average level of a first-year magic student?’

He wanted to deny reality—

But he sighed, lowering his head.

He had severely underestimated his own strength.

Against students who were using spells like this…

He had unleashed massive flames and drill-like stone projectiles?

“Sion.”

“Ah, Estroza… Miss.”

Estroza approached him.

Her usual gentle smile remained.

However, her uniform and face were speckled with dirt, giving her a slightly disheveled look.

Up close, Sion could see the slight tremble in the corners of her lips.

“Our duel was quite unfortunate. Because of your powerful flames, I lost my footing and accidentally stepped out of bounds.”

She spoke with a bright, elegant smile.

As always, a few followers lingered around her—

But for some reason, they were keeping their distance.

Did they want to avoid getting involved with him?

‘She might be planning something with her words again… But there’s something I have to say.’

Understanding Estroza’s true intentions without Patrick’s analysis was difficult.

Maybe this conversation was another way for her to trip him up.

Even so—

There was something he needed to say.

“Miss Estroza.”

“I’m sorry!”

“…What?”

Sion suddenly bowed his head.

There was only one thing he could say to her.

An apology.

“I used magic that was too strong against you. I thought I had controlled my strength, but I must have failed.”

“The purpose of this duel was for the professor to assess our abilities. But because of me, that objective was disrupted… I’m sorry.”

“Will you accept my apology?”

Sion extended his hand for a handshake, his head still bowed.

He waited for her to take it.

‘…Why isn’t she saying anything?’

But Estroza neither took his hand nor responded.

Curious, Sion peeked up slightly—

And—

“…!”

He sucked in a sharp breath.

Estroza, who always wore a kind and gracious smile—

Her expression had twisted into something utterly sinister, like a malevolent spirit.

To be continued.