The judge wanted to ask why he brought a sword for the magic duel, but the shape of the sword was somewhat strange.
—The tip of the sword was blunt, and the thick blade looked like it was an object meant to strike, not to cut.
It was more like a magic staff in the shape of a sword instead of an actual sword, so in fact, the danger and killing power of the sword itself were both close to zero.
The judge contemplated on it for a while before letting it slide, thinking that it would be okay.
"Alright. Get in your positions, you two."
At the judge's instruction, Aidan and Jevan stood at opposite ends of the stadium.
The audience, which was shouting out loud, also shut their mouths and became quiet.
Silence fell in the second training ground.
At the center of the training ground, Aidan and Jevan stared at each other with intense gazes.
"Start!"
As soon as the judge's shout was heard, the two aimed their staves at each other.
At the same time, they weaved their mana like threads to cast their magic spells.
The first spells were to check whether they could deal damage to the other person.
The most fundamental aspect of a match between wizards was for each to analyze the gap between the opponent and themselves.
It was done with a first-tier spell exchange.
Zaap!
The spell that Aidan casted was a first-tier water property release-type spell, Flowing Water.
On the contrary, the spell Jevan casted was Shooting Fire, a first-tier fire property release-type spell.
"Oh. They're fast."
"Is it the same speed?"
Their spells were casted at the same time with no way obvious way to tell who had implemented their technique faster.
In other words, Aidan, whom people had originally thought the duel would be disadvantageous for, had implemented his spell technique faster than expected.
And there was also a difference in the elements that were casted by the two.
Aidan had shot water…
On the other hand, Jevan had shot fire.
It was needless to ask which attribute had a greater advantage.
'As expected!'
Aidan exclaimed inwardly with joy.
In order to take away the dominant position from the opponent in the first exchange, it was necessary for him to occupy the advantageous position with the correct elemental property.
It was a sort of rock-paper-scissors, but it wasn't just determined with luck.
'I already thought that Jevan would use a fire element spell.'
If Jevan hated him and had a fiery personality, Aidan predicted that it was highly likely that the magic he used first would be fire magic.
And he was absolutely right.
Aidan had read the opponent's magic in advance through psychological warfare and had prepared the magic that would counter it.
Some students might have thought that it was just a coincidence, but the professors were different.
"Ooh. He's already leading the fight from the start."
Hugo retorted sharply while not hiding his expression of discomfort from the principal's side, who spoke joyfully.
"The winner has not been decided yet."
Just as Hugo said, the situation did not lead to Aidan's victory.
Water and fire… When the two magics collided in the air…
Contrary to peoples' predictions, it was the flame that eliminated the water magic.
"Oh my Gosh."
"What? He beat the water with fire?"
"Is the difference in their mana that big?"
No matter how dominant one property was over another, if the opponent's mana was higher, even such dominance would be ignored.
Jevan was exactly like that.
The flame evaporated the water in an instant and soon flew toward Aidan.
Aidan hurriedly bowed down to avoid the flying flame, and his incredulous gaze was directed at Jevan.
"Haha. Did you see that? This is the difference between you and me, you petty commoner."
Jevan didn't stop utilizing his mana, even when he was talking.
While Aidan moved to avoid the flame, he immediately prepared the next spell.
Aidan also immediately invoked his spell as he fixed his posture.
That time, each of them casted first-tier magic again.
Jevan shot out a lightning element, and Aidan shot out a fire element.
Boom!
The two spells collided and cancelled in the air.
However, if there was an evident difference, the place where the magic was cancelled was a little closer to Aidan.
Aidan was being pushed back.
"Haha! Is that everything you can do?"
Jevan used his mana again, and so did Aidan.
Both spells collided again in the air.
Aidan knew that he was almost being pushed back by Jevan's firepower, so he put in more mana and casted his spell.
Boom!
The third collision happened right under Aidan's nose.
He was getting pushed back.
"Urgh!"
Aidan stumbled due to the shock of the magic explosion.
"Aidan was pushed back!"
"As expected, is there nothing he can do as a commoner?"
Jevan was excited to hear those people chatting among themselves in the audience seats.
He was going to take the opportunity and end the duel completely.
They had used magic at the same time not long before, but in their next exchange, Jevan was much faster.
Jevan casted his spell again.
Aidan straightened up his posture and tried to aim his staff for defense but immediately corrected his action.
'No. It's too late to use magic now!'
Jevan had already entered into a stage of spell implementation.
Even if he tried to catch up to Jevan in a hurry, Jevan would still cast his spell first in the end.
If he was focused on speed and used a simple spell, his magic was highly likely to fail.
Jevan's power was also overwhelmingly dominant.
In that situation, if he had Ludger's Source Code, he could cast a spell first to knock down his opponent.
'Because it's impossible in the first place.'
Before that, he realized that their speed of spell technique implementation was the same, so it was time for him to take a different method.
'From here on, I'm going to use what I learned from Professor Ludger.'
He had been practicing hard until he had torn himself apart in the last three days for that, after all.
Instead of aiming with his staff, Aidan stormed out of his spot and rushed toward Jevan.
"What?!"
"Is he going to run over there?"
"Did he give up?"
There were bursts of confusion everywhere.
Most of the audience thought Aidan was giving up everything and just throwing his body at his opponent.
The fact that he used his body was an unwise judgment as a wizard.
Was he going to rush in and punch Jevan?
"Barbaric. So commoner-like."
"Aidan… What on earth are you going to do?"
While everyone was either looking down on Aidan or feeling ashamed.
Jevan's spell had been completed.
"Hah! Are you giving up because you know you can't win in the end?!"
Jevan used the second-tier spell Burning Thunder with a cruel smile.
It was a very powerful spell among second-tier spells that pierced the opponent's body like lightning with a quick bolt.
He wouldn't die because he had a safety device on his body, but considering the overflowing mana in it, the spell could make Aidan feel pain as if he were dying.
Jevan aimed the spell exactly at Aidan's forehead.
"Take it!"
Aidan was running fearlessly towards him.
'Commoners are commoners, after all.'
'That must have been Aidan's limit.'
Jevan thought so while invoking the Burning Thunder.
Zzzzzzt!
* * *
* * *
The yellow current in the air soon became an arrow and flew toward Aidan.
Everyone watching the scene thought the duel was over.
'It's over. Jevan won in the end.'
Chris smirked as he watched the duel go in the direction that he expected.
He had already looked back at Ludger while looking forward to what kind of ruined face he would show.
"…What?"
Ludger was just staring silently at the duel with his casual face.
—As if the duel wasn't over yet.
"…!"
Chris's eyes rushed to look to the stadium.
In his eyes…
At the same time, he saw Aidan responding to the magic that was flying at him.
Aidan avoided the magic that was flying straight at him while he was running by turning his upper body and head sideways.
Zzzzt!
"Uurgh!"
The Burning Thunder flashed past Aidan's cheeks and shoulders. Aidan's face was slightly distorted due to the pain, but that was all.
Aidan didn't stop.
Chris was inwardly shocked to see the sight.
He noticed how Aidan had avoided the attack.
'Even in the midst of his disadvantage, he didn't take his eyes off his opponent?'
Usually, when new students engaged in a magic duel, those who were not yet familiar with fights between wizards tended to act like beginners.
They might turn their eyes away from their opponent, or they might close their eyes and raise their arms instead of defending themselves against the magic.
When they realized that pain was approaching, their body instinctively moved.
That couldn't be helped.
—Because it was a human being's instinct.
There was no way to reduce that but to train for a long time.
But Aidan was a freshman who had just entered the Academy. He was a beginner who didn't know much about magic.
Wasn't he a commoner who didn't have the environment to receive education like others?
'But…'
Aidan was not scared and did not stop running while not averting his eyes even though the magic flew toward his forehead.
He did not simply avoid the magic by luck.
—Courage. A strong will to overcome pain.
It was possible because there was confidence that he would avoid the magic which was accompanied by courage.
'No. It will still take time for him to get back into his position and use magic from over there!'
Chris's judgment was correct since Jevan still had the lead anyway.
As if to live up to his thoughts, Jevan also took action.
After being bewildered for a moment when he realized that his attack was off the mark, Jevan prepared the next magic.
There was no time for Aidan to use magic, as he was still moving…
"…!"
However, Jevan was bound to open his eyes wide when he saw Aidan's spell technique was being formed under his nose.
It was the same for Professor Hugo, Mary, and the principal, who whistled with interest.
Not to mention Chris.
He immediately noticed the technique that Aidan used.
"M-Moving Magus!"
Moving Magus.
A skill for actual fighting that war mages learned to use by casting magic while moving their bodies.
Chris turned his head and looked back at Ludger.
The man hadn't taken his eyes off the duel since a while ago.
He had a slight, faint smile on his mouth.
'No way, did he teach this to Aidan?'
Since it was a victorious spell, there must not have been enough time for Ludger to teach such a thing, so there must have been a limit to Ludger's method when he was teaching it.
That was why Chris had handed over the mana-boosting drug to Jevan.
It was alright for him to act cowardly. Just win the duel.
But Ludger wasn't like that.
In a short period of three days, that man had taught that commoner the Moving Magus, a skill that put him one step ahead of his opponent in the duel.
'He learned that only in three days?'
No. Of course not.
It wasn't that Ludger had taught him in three days
Aidan had mastered the Moving Magus in only three days.
'A mere commoner was born with that talent?'
Chris didn't know how hard and fiercely Aidan had been practicing under Ludger's teaching while Jevan and Chris had already spent their time complacently and were drunk on the toast of victory.
He didn't know how much they had worked behind the scenes to change things when Chris and Jevan had hastily concluded that nothing would change.
He would never know about it.
He probably wouldn't know even after someone told him that.
That was how ridiculous he thought the current situation was.
'Jevan! You stupid brat! Stop your spell!'
Chris wanted to shout it out, but the last remaining rationality that he had kept his mouth shut.
If he shouted to give instructions toward Jevan there, it was an act that would ruin the fair duel and undermine his own image.
He had no choice but to just wish that Jevan would notice by himself and take another action.
'I was wrong.'
Chris closed his eyes tightly.
Jevan was preparing for the next spell, as he never expected Aidan to use magic while running.
It would have been better for him if he had been puzzled by Aidan's dodge and stopped preparing his next attack.
However, Jevan's natural ability became a shackle to his ankles in the middle instead.
He had quickly responded to the abnormal situation that he encountered for the first time.
There was nothing wrong with his judgment, but Jevan could not respond at all to the abnormal situation that was unfolding not only once but twice in a row.
"Oh?"
After belatedly witnessing a completed spell technique in front of him, Jevan realized that the situation was going awry.
However, there was no way he could complete casting the current spell technique first.
The spell that Aidan shot was the Shining Stone that he had practiced so much.
It was a simple first-tier spell technique.
—But it was very deadly, as it was a spell that was casted amidst an opponent's carelessness and surprise.
Boom!
The shining stone penetrated through Jevan's spell and destroyed it. The spell did not stop there, but it also hit Jevan's forehead hard.
"Aargh!"
It was not fatal, but it did not completely erase the pain.
The giddy shock in front of his eyes caused Jevan to fall backward.
His movements slowed down, and the accident froze him as if he was submerged in icy water.
The short attack didn't even take five seconds.
The attack played a decisive role in determining the outcome of the fight.
Jevan stood up hesitantly.
But…
Aidan, who had taken over the opportunity to attack, did not just stand still and watch.
'So it's over.'
Ludger was pleased at the sight.
The flow of the fight completely leaned toward Aidan.
If it were a brawl that was decided with fists, there would still be a possibility for Jevan to win somehow.
But a magic duel didn't flow that simply.
It was a fight that was thoroughly decided by flow.
From the moment a wizard lost his condition and lost the flow of the fight, their defeat was already set.
Aidan aimed his staff at Jevan.
"Now it's my turn."
"N-no!"
But despite Jevan's cry…
Aidan's spell, which had been invoked immediately, hit Jevan's body countless times.
As soon as the total amount of defensive mana armor surrounding Jevan's body reached zero, the outcome of the duel was decided.
____