I had expected the jeers from the crowd.
When people think of a typical mage in the Aizen Arena, they usually expect a bit of showmanship.
They anticipate dazzling spectacles that combine flair with artistry, amplifying the magician’s skill.
But the spells I could use were purely utility-based and far removed from such theatrics.
…..
“You despicable bastard! Did you think you could play with my daughter’s heart and walk away with glory?”
“You even threw a tantrum after losing at the casino, and now you’ve turned into a full-blown con artist!”
“That idiot calls that magic? He must’ve rigged something. The Magic Tower must be investigated immediately!”
What can I expect when I already have karma attached to this body?
“L-Look at that guy! He’s laughing!”“Ugh, that piece of trash…”
It wasn’t even my wrongdoing, and I felt no guilt, so I just smiled.
Suddenly, a sharp pain struck my solar plexus.
It was the price of using the telekinetic wave spell that took down Torel.
It hurt like hell, but I had to endure it.
Using healing magic in front of this many spectators would clearly reveal I was a special-type mage.
The absence of information was my advantage.
Some might have already noticed, but it still held enough value to give me the upper hand in this psychological game.
I calmly walked out of the arena, burning away the remnants of noble blood in my veins.
My next opponent was Wisdom, a renowned magical powerhouse.
Of course, the odds of us winning were extremely low.
Even for the sake of the narrative, it was proper for Frost Heart to lose.
But I, at least, was determined to win no matter what.
I opened my palm and removed my glove.
The skin that had often come into contact with my staff was calloused.
Since preparing for the Aizen Arena, I’d always wondered.
How far would my refined magic take me, and how much could I prove?
There was no better opponent than Wisdom to find out.
Of course, only if Frost Heart had truly beaten Ever Blaze…
As I approached the participant waiting area, the others came up to me.
Limberton and Silla were chattering.
“…Honestly, I thought you’d lose.”
“It was really unexpected.”
Their tone wasn’t mocking.
It felt like genuine admiration, different from usual.
The other members reacted similarly.
“I get that you learned some strange magic, but I heard from Professor Rockefeller that it has major limitations. You still won despite that.”
“Did Bellman really say something like that?”
“Excuse me, Ricks—Ahem, brother—I was honestly impressed.”
I get the sentiment, but can you please move aside?
I felt like blood had just risen up my throat.
“Everyone, clear the way. I have something to discuss with him.”
The one to calm the situation was Dorosian.
She practically dragged me inside the building.
Immediately, blood started trickling down from the corner of my mouth.
“Was it really necessary to push yourself that far just to win?”
As a mage nearing monstrosity, she could sense it just by watching.
“It wasn’t that bad. A simple healing spell will fix it.”
When I waved my staff, the pain gradually began to subside.
Dorosian let out a shallow sigh and leaned her back against the wall with her arms crossed.
Then, with magic, she wiped the blood off my face and clothes and tidied up my appearance.
“Thanks.”
My words of gratitude didn’t last long.
Dorosian furrowed her brows and was about to say something.
I thought a scolding was coming, but after a few seconds of silence, she brought up the scenario.
“What was supposed to happen originally? The outcome of the Aizen Arena, I mean.”
That much I could tell her.
Dorosian also wanted to avoid destruction, just like me.
“Valient came in first. Wisdom was second. Ever Blaze was fourth, and Frost Heart was supposed to come in last.”
“And yet you boldly chose to disrupt the outcome?”
“I just thought it was fine as long as the disruption was within reason.”
“Really?”
Dorosian suddenly let out a soft chuckle.
“Hmm?”
“It’s just… one of those things.”
Why is she acting so scary all of a sudden?
…I really hope I didn’t mess something up.
***
Hersel was walking down the hallway.
Dorosian absentmindedly watched his back.
Just as he was about to cross the threshold, Dorosian glanced toward the inner hallway.
“What were you talking about that required a silence spell?”
The sound of high heels clicked closer, followed by a woman’s voice.
“It’s probably because he hates rats eavesdropping, don’t you think?”
A woman with dark circles tied up her black hair and smiled sweetly.
“Surely, you didn’t mean me when you said ‘rat,’ right?”
“If you don’t want to hear things like that, then learn to completely mask your presence.”
It was clear the woman had tried to eavesdrop using magic.
When she pointed that out directly, her expression flattened.
Dorosian, annoyed by her, poked at her nerves.
Of course, she also knew exactly what buttons to push to provoke her.
The woman’s name was Arshian El Grice.
She was the eldest daughter of a prestigious mage family and had always viewed Dorosian as her rival since childhood.
“From your complexion, it looks like the professor job is draining you. What a shame. You used to work so hard just to outshine me with your looks, at least.”
The fake smile on Arshian’s face crumpled immediately.
Dorosian expected her to shout “How dare you!” and get knocked down by a spell, but perhaps she had matured a bit—Arshian quickly composed herself.
“You’re still spouting those pathetic provocations.”
Should she poke her one more time to see if she’s really okay? Just as she thought that—
Dorosian’s brow twitched.
“That man just now—he was Hersel Ben Tenest, wasn’t he?
Well, no sane person would be hanging around with someone like you.”
“What?”
“Still, as your older sister, let me give you some advice.
I don’t want someone like that disgraceful delinquent getting involved with our family.”
When Dorosian looked at her in disbelief, Arshian leaned in and whispered into her ear.
“It’s because there are no men around you. This is just like that—put a pair of lab rats in a cage and they end up mating.
It’s not true affection, just a logical response to a lack of options.”
Dorosian’s mind went blank.
She didn’t know what kind of misunderstanding was going on, and she had no way to respond.
“Hmph, you must have it rough. Without even a guy like that, you’re destined to die alone.”
Even after hearing something worthy of killing someone over, Dorosian could only stare blankly at Arshian’s retreating back.
And by the time she came to her senses, she realized she had been completely insulted and called her name in a murderous tone.
“…Arshian.”
She immediately raised her staff.
But then a thought struck her.
‘Would just scolding her really be enough?’
Dorosian began to contemplate the best way to mess with Arshian.
Arshian was a professor at Wisdom.
Not just any professor, but the head professor who led Wisdom’s elite group in the Aizen Arena.
Truthfully, Dorosian had always wanted to crush her from the start, but only fantasized about it out of narrative restraint.
But Hersel had said something that made her reconsider.
—First place was supposed to be Valient.
—Second, Wisdom.
—Ever Blaze was fourth, and Frost Heart was supposed to be dead last.
—Yet you boldly chose to shift the outcome?
—I just thought a moderate disruption would be fine.
“Wouldn’t second place still be fair game for disruption?”
No one really remembers who came in second anyway.
Those were things she’d noticed in Arshian’s life—always losing to Dorosian.
Of course, the world’s survival came first, and it was best not to be driven by emotion. Still, the thought kept circling in her head.
‘Maybe it’s fine if it’s just the Magic Division?’
The Knight Division had Aslay, Limberton, Riamon, Leana, Silla, Erucel, and Mircel—seven members total.
Even assuming Erucel and Mircel secured victories, the other five were essentially guaranteed to lose, based on Hersel’s tone.
If even one loss occurred in the Magic Division, the overall win would go to Wisdom.
‘Even if I support them, a clean sweep for the Magic Division is highly unlikely. Their opponent is Wisdom, after all.’
However, if that happened, the prestigious academy Wisdom’s reputation would crash to the ground.
And Arshian’s career, built on training the best talents, would be shattered.
They might lose the tournament, but they would win using their pride—magic.
For this reason, Dorosian put her plan into action.
The Aizen Arena was located near the empire’s heart.
Not far from the mansion of the House of Grice, often called the Empire’s left arm.
Three days were allotted between the match with Ever Blaze and the next.
‘Time’s tight, but maybe possible?’
Dorosian headed off, thinking of the magical artifacts stored in her family’s treasure vault.
It should be fine to borrow them for a bit.
She had no choice about the potions, though…
***
When I returned from healing, Riamon was on his way to the dueling arena.
His next opponent: Evian, the shield swordsman.
Can’t really say he got lucky.
The best way to counter a shielded swordsman is to exploit gaps with a fast, accurate weapon.
But Riamon’s weapon was a greatsword—easy to block.
I had hoped to make sure the match-ups followed the original bracket and avoided this clash, but because of variables like herself, Mircel, and Erucel, the order had become completely mixed up.
‘Hmm, a greatsword versus shield. To win, he’ll need to show a level of power on another scale.’
I tilted my head at Donatan’s remark.
It wasn’t wrong.
If he could exert overwhelming destructive force even when blocked, that would make good use of the greatsword’s advantages.
But his opponent’s aura usage wasn’t ordinary either.
Evian’s “Unbreakable” ability as a shield-user was of a high standard.
Unless Riamon cloaked himself in an aura of superior power, victory would be difficult.
…A pity.
‘So this makes two losses confirmed?’
That’s how it was supposed to go.
Clang!
Evian blocked Riamon’s strike with his shield and scraped his boot on the floor as he retreated.
“Not bad. I thought I could knock you out of bounds in one hit.”
Why is he saying something so arrogant when he’s the one under pressure?
“What… what is this power…?”
Why are you delivering that line, not the one being overpowered?
I blinked in confusion.
Meanwhile, Donatan’s excited voice rang out.
‘Yes, that’s it! Releasing all the latent aura at once. It’s the basics of using a greatsword!’
‘What did you do while I was asleep?’
‘Hm? What do you mean?’
He used to be a terrible liar.
I nearly believed him—but considering the circumstances, there was no one else it could be.
Frost Heart had a hidden sword manual, but it had turned to ash when it was destroyed.
‘Tell me the truth, Donatan.’
‘How absurd. If you doubt me, show proof.’
This bastard—who did he take after to become this shameless?
While I was contemplating how to deal with that cursed magic sword, the match ended with Riamon’s victory.
The impact was greater than expected.
“Hm, Riamon Sel Rebeqtura, was it? To produce such a gap against Evian—how curious that we hadn’t heard of him before.”
“Wait a second. Isn’t the Rebeqtura family known for hunting magical creatures?”
“Huh?”
“You know, those vampire hunter stories in literature? They say the inspiration came from an ancestor of the Rebeqtura family.”
Rebeqtura—a family more suited to hunting monsters than people.
His entry into Frost Heart had been a natural progression.
Judging only by his entrance exams, there was a reason he had started off as Frost Heart’s top playable character.
Though his growth was faster than expected, I couldn’t deny it stirred some nostalgia.
“To think that kid who shattered his greatsword against the entrance trial’s guardian has grown this much…”
Riamon seemed to overhear my muttered thoughts and gave a small chuckle.
“Yeah, that’s how it was back then.”
His words made me realize just how quickly a whole year had passed.
A year that felt both long and short.
So many things had happened—it somehow felt longer.
“Anyway, well done.”
I offered a brief word of praise, and Riamon took his seat.
Next up was Mircel.
The moment he stood, the crowd’s attention instantly snapped toward him.
To read Chapters ahead 👇
CH 226-230 (Who am I?) $3
CH 231-235 (Frostheart Vs Wisdom) $3
CH 236-240 (I want to lose) $3
CH 241-245 (Finals) $3
CH 246-250 (Vs Valient) $3
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