Chapter 28 : Responsibility

My impression after witnessing the magic duel unfold before my eyes was brief.

“A fierce battle of strategy.”

In the end, elemental magic inherently involves affinities—some elements are stronger or weaker against others—and to overcome those, mages engage in intense strategic combat.

Since the amount of mana one can use is limited, each spell is precious, and wasting even one could determine the outcome of the match.

That’s why every move involves a fierce battle of wits.

“…It’s not fun.”

Being able to read the moves wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t enjoyable either.

It wasn’t as flashy or impressive as I’d imagined.

“Is it still not over?”

“It’s almost done.”

“…Who’s winning?”

“Elysia.”

Though the duel wasn’t over, the result was already clear.

The opponent was ranked within the top ten among the freshmen and was countering Elysia’s moves fairly well, but ultimately, the one with the edge was Elysia.

Answering Nia’s question casually as she approached, I stood up without hesitation.

I’d already learned a lot, but there was no point in watching any further.

As I said before, it wasn’t flashy, and there wasn’t much thrill in observing.

One thing to be cautious of, though, was that this was a match between cadets.

If their mana reserves increased, their firepower could grow to dangerous levels.

Of course, that only applied to battles between magic users.

In fact, people like Ophelia or my father were said to have the power to wipe out a small country if they went all-out.

“That kind of stuff… is useless against spirits.”

“…Yeah, I know.”

Spirits had a perfect advantage over magic in terms of compatibility.

That was something I had experienced firsthand, so I had no intention of denying it.

However…

That didn’t mean I could blindly rely on it.

There are always variables.

If I became complacent, thinking spirits always trump magic, I could end up getting blindsided.

The fact that I never managed to consistently win against Ophelia in duels was also one of the factors that kept me sharp.

Just as I let out a long breath and was about to leave the dueling grounds, I was forced to stop—
because of the shadow that fell in front of me.

Standing there was…

“Hey. Finally found you.”

It was Leonhardt.

It had been a long time since a man came looking for me, so it felt a little awkward.

Especially since he was the one I had mercilessly beaten down just the day before.

But, as if my awkwardness didn’t matter at all, Leonhardt smiled brightly and held out his hand to me.

“Seriously, that was amazing.”

‘…Thanks.’

Swept up in Leonhardt’s energy, I ended up taking his hand, and the moment I did, he shook it enthusiastically and continued talking.

“Might sound like bragging, but it’s rare for me to lose in a single strike. I really didn’t expect to be defeated so perfectly like that.”

“….”

I was flustered.

I didn’t know what to say, and with Leonhardt talking so excitedly, I could only force an awkward smile.

First of all, it had been over three years since I’d had a conversation with someone my age—let alone a guy.

In fact, I hadn’t interacted with anyone much over the past three years, so I didn’t really know how to respond.

Second, Leonhardt was way too cheerful for someone who had been knocked out cold by me just the day before.

“That was a spirit, right?”

“…Yeah.”

Leonhardt suddenly lowered his voice as he asked.

Though I’d already made sure no one was nearby, it seemed he hadn’t.

I answered his question honestly.

I had no intention of hiding the fact that I was a spirit summoner—and I didn’t think I could, even if I tried.

Hearing my reply, Leonhardt nodded and stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“I thought so. I remember seeing something about it in a book once. So it was a spirit.”

It was rare for someone our age to even know what a spirit was.

It seemed Leonhardt had been studying hard in addition to training with the sword.

Maybe because he was a knight, or maybe because he was just the rare type not to have silly prejudices, he didn’t treat spirits like “devil’s minions” or buy into those kinds of superstitions.

Seeing his eyes light up with curiosity at the mention of spirits, I couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh—at least in my mind.

‘He’s exhausting.’

Leonhardt’s bright personality didn’t mesh well with mine, which leaned darker.

Or at least, that’s what I thought.

Still nodding to himself, Leonhardt suddenly snapped back to reality like he remembered something and continued,

“That’s seriously incredible. Not just anyone can do that, right?”

“I just got lucky.”

I answered, but I was also convincing myself.

The fact that I could use spirit magic, and that I had such a strong talent for it—it was all just luck.

So now, I wouldn’t rely on luck. I’d hone my skills with my own effort from here on out.

“Would you duel with me again sometime? I feel like I’d improve really fast if I keep sparring with you.”

As I looked at Leonhardt, thinking those thoughts, he smiled at me once again and made his request.

Knowing how hard it is to say something like that to someone who just thoroughly beat you, I couldn’t help but respect his courage.

“…Sure.”

Sparring with a skilled knight would benefit me, too.

Thinking that, I gave him my answer.

Leonhardt lit up again and nodded enthusiastically.

“Great! I’ll count on you next time!”

“Alright.”

I stuck to short replies, while Leonhardt seemed perfectly fine chatting on his own.

But he looked satisfied just with that.

‘If he’d just come up and asked to duel, I would’ve said yes anyway.’

It wasn’t like we didn’t both have something to gain.

Thinking that, I shook my head slightly and began to walk away.

[Ah, youth…!]

Ignoring Nia, who was muttering something incomprehensible…

Inside a dark room.

Around a circular table, several figures sat with grim expressions, their eyes locked on one another as someone finally spoke.

“Based on our assessment, it is indeed a spirit.”

“…A spirit, you say.”

An elderly man murmured under his breath after hearing the report.

Most mages had been taught—and believed—that spirits were minions of demons.

But high-ranking mages… those at the top, including the Tower and similar positions of authority, knew that this wasn’t true.

That included the Chairman of the Academy.

The reason spirits were rejected and persecuted was simple: magic could not win against spirits.

It was a painfully simple, efficient reason.

Magic was considered the pinnacle of all disciplines.

And anything that could rival or surpass it simply should not exist.

And so, spirit summoners were hunted down, and spirits were painted as the world’s most dangerous beings—erased from existence.

That was the beginning of the spirit purge.

“How could such a thing reappear in the world?”

At the bitter murmur of one man, silence fell over the room.

Every mage present agreed.

Spirits had never truly disappeared.

That much, they all knew.

But the summoners—they were all gone.

There were no longer any who could tell whether they possessed talent for spirit magic, and with no new summoners appearing, spirits had no way to manifest in the world.

The mages had believed that was enough.

“…On top of that, it seems the spirit in question was powerful enough to defeat the academy’s top freshman in a single blow.”

“Weren’t this year’s students supposed to be especially gifted?”

“Gifted or not, they’re still cadets. Even I could overpower them with a single move.”

“Then are you saying this spirit summoner is your equal?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

But things were different now.

A spirit summoner had reappeared.

And now that they’d realized that summoner’s talent was extraordinary, they could no longer sit by.

“Silence.”

At that single word, all the mages—including the chairman of the academy—fell silent, turning their eyes toward the one who had spoken.

A man who had, until now, never once spoken.

With cold, sunken eyes, he looked around the circular table at each of them, then opened his mouth.

“Bring Ophelia.”

The one who stood at the pinnacle of all mages.

The one who resided at the very top of the Tower.

The Tower Master’s words made every mage in the room nervously swallow.

Ophelia was a being of an entirely different class—even among mages.

Despite her young age, she possessed talent and achievements that far outstripped most others.

Combined with her reckless personality, she was said to be unstoppable—even by fellow mages.

But there was one person she listened to.

The Tower Master.

Not because he had done her a great favor.

When she wiped a small kingdom off the map—the very kingdom that destroyed her family—he had merely testified in her defense, claiming her actions were justified.

That alone was enough for Ophelia.

So long as nothing major stood in her way, she would listen to what he asked.

This time would be no different.

The Tower Master planned to summon her to confirm the truth for himself.

And at the same time…

“Someone must take responsibility.”

He intended to hold someone accountable for raising a spirit summoner.