Chapter 110: Love is Blind (3)

“A duel?”

“Lady Mastien has just challenged someone to a duel!”

“Who’s the opponent!?”

“Never seen him before… Looks about her age, though…”

“Is there even anyone her age who could match her?”

Even if it were just a fight, people would still flock to watch it.

But this one featured none other than a high noble lady admired by the entire banquet hall.

Everyone practically lost their minds over Lady Mastien’s sudden display of showmanship.

I guess that’s what it means to be a true superstar, driving people mad, whether they love or hate you.

Which is probably why I was about to lose my mind too.

A duel…?

Lady Henya Ye of House Mastien stood tall and proud.

She claimed she had also reached the 5th tier.

In other words, Henya believed that I was still a 5th tier mage.

A logical assumption.

When we last met, I was at the 5th tier.

And that had been only about a month ago.

“What? Don’t believe me? Hmph. You thought you were the only special one, huh?”

Whatever she interpreted from my flustered reaction, her confidence only grew.

Damn it.

Why do I feel so guilty?

I needed to get out of this situation.

If I had still been at the 5th tier, like Henya assumed, we could have put on a close and thrilling duel that’d wow the crowd and end in roaring applause.

But right now, the gap between me and her was just too great.

If I compared it to my duel with Sir Meltas, it would be like pitting a child against an adult.

To go ahead with a duel under those circumstances?

The real question would be: how gently can I pretend to fight her?

It would be an uncomfortable show for both the participants and the audience.

“Why aren’t you answering? Are you thinking, ‘What if I end up humiliating the Lady of House Mastien in front of all these people? How do I clean up that mess?’ or something?”

“…”

“Thought so. Ugh, so cocky. Still… I’ll admit it. You’ve earned the right to be that cocky.”

“Well…”

“But! Let me make one thing clear: things aren’t going to go the way you think. I’m not saying I’ll beat you easily, but I definitely won’t lose easily either. No. I won’t lose. I’ve changed. And you’re going to feel it! Every bit of it.”

Her green eyes sparkled even brighter, glowing with the clarity of a true prodigy’s confidence.

But this confidence wasn’t like before.

It felt stronger, more positive, more real.

It even made me feel a little excited just watching her.

“Well? Hurry up and get ready. I can’t hold back any longer.”

Henya’s emotions were rising, perfectly tuned for a duel.

But how the hell was I supposed to kill her excitement?

“…”

After a moment of thought, I gave Henya a glance.

Then raised my hand, at an angle only she could see.

“…?”

Her eyes followed my hand.

Five open fingers.

Then I began to fold them, one by one.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

And then six.

“…?”

She looked confused.

“What are you doing?” her expression said.

“…!?”

And then, it changed.

Her eyes practically shouted, “Quit joking! That’s a lie, right!?”

Then she began interrogating me with her eyes.

…

With a conflicted sigh, I raised my hand again.

And began wiggling my seventh finger—my index—bending and stretching it.

“Hey!”

She finally exploded.

Looking as betrayed as a child denied a treat.

“D-Don’t joke around! That’s not possible!!!”

“…”

Wiggle. Wiggle.

I just kept moving my index finger in despair.

“I don’t believe it! No—I can’t believe it! That’s just not something that can happen!”

Even as she said that, her body told a different truth.

Whether she interpreted my signal correctly or not, I could feel her dueling spirit shrinking fast.

“Y-You… coward… unfair…”

Meanwhile, her resentment was rapidly rising.

Her voice turned into a whine.

The proud challenger was now just a pouty little kid.

“Alright, alright. That’s enough now.”

That was when her older brother, the Young Lord of House Mastien, stepped in between us.

There was weight of authority that people could subtly feel.

Drey of House Mastien smiled warmly, but Risir could still feel the subtle pressure behind it.

“Henya, that’s enough. Can’t you see he’s troubled? Sorry about this. My sister must’ve startled you.”

“Oh? No, not at all.”

“Still, that was impressive.”

“Eh?”

“It’s rare for Henya to show that kind of competitive drive toward someone else. Do you two… have some kind of relationship?”

Drey looked Risir up and down.

“Ah, we’re colleagues at the Mage Tower.”

“Really? Wow. That’s surprising. Knowing Henya, I never thought she’d make friends at the tower.”

“W-We’re not friends or anything!”

Henya suddenly blurted out in panic.

Which shocked Risir in turn.

“Huh!? I thought we were friends!?”

“Uh…?”

Flustered, Henya averted her gaze and fiddled with her fingers.

“W-Well… I guess… if you really want that… then… I guess it’s okay if we say we’re friends…?”

Drey burst into laughter beside her.

Clearly loving how adorable his sister was being.

“A momentous day indeed. Henya’s got a friend now. First time ever, as far as I know.”

“Drey! Stop saying weird stuff!!!”

“All I mean is, it’s rare for you to accept anyone. Right?”

“…”

“Eek.”

Drey dodged her glare and turned back to Risir.

“Since you’re Henya’s friend, I can speak casually, right?”

“Huh? Ah, of course.”

“I’m Drey Ye Mastien. And you?”

“Risir.”

“Just… Risir, huh.”

Drey’s expression changed.

From that of a protective brother—

To that of a nobleman assessing an outsider.

Unlike Henya, Drey was actively involved in House Mastien’s affairs.

He forged relationships with promising individuals or factions, always looking for potential allies.

Some called his work “talent collecting.”

And Drey was rather fond of that term.

Because his approach to people wasn’t unlike that of a collector cherishing each unique piece.

Right now, Drey found himself intrigued by Risir.

What made Henya take interest in him…?

Considering how rare it was for Henya to show interest in anyone, Drey figured her standards must be even harsher than his own.

And so, as a collector, he wanted to know:

Risir. Where does your value lie?

After a quiet moment of evaluation, he spoke.

“Did you know? Henya just reached the 5th tier.”

“Ah, yes. I just learned that.”

“Impressive, right? Barely a year since she started learning magic. Even reaching the 4th tier would’ve been astounding, but the 5th? You’re a mage yourself, right? Be honest, does that growth rate sound even remotely normal to you?”

Pride and affection poured from Drey’s voice.

If anyone else had Henya’s talents, Drey would’ve done everything to “collect” them.

“Drey… please stop…”

Henya murmured in a trembling voice.

Drey assumed she was just embarrassed by his doting.

Modesty was a virtue for those of average talent, but not for someone like Henya.

And he knew she knew that.

Blushing because her friend’s watching, huh?

That was how Drey interpreted it.

“The 5th tier…? After only a year of study…?”

“She might truly make history…!”

“The prestige of the Gray Tower will—“

Surrounding murmurs made Drey even more pleased.

“You know, I heard you’re also a 5th tier mage like Henya?”

“Uh, well—“

The crowd buzzed louder.

“What, him too? At that age!?”

“Well, unlike Lady Henya, he probably started practicing as a child…”

“Even so! There are mages who never reach the 5th tier their whole lives!”

Compared to the uproar over Henya, this was more muted.

Which also reflected Drey’s thoughts.

A 5th tier…

As a noble and a collector who had met many talents—

Risir’s achievement was respectable, but not enough to make Drey feel the need to “collect” him.

Still, the curiosity remained:

What did Henya see in this man?

Is it because they’re in a similar position…?

Eventually, Drey came to that conclusion.

It was just a small commotion caused by Henya, who had found herself in a new environment called the Mage Tower, and was simply trying to adapt.

Not long ago, Henya had only reached the 4th Tier.

That’s why she must’ve found Risir, a peer who had already reached a higher tier, intriguing.

But now Henya had reached the 5th Tier.

She could no longer look at Risir the way she used to.

And the same likely applied to Risir as well.

The feelings a genius evokes in an ordinary person are nothing short of a natural disaster.

Considering Henya’s personality, I doubt their relationship will last very long.

The collector of talents had satisfied his curiosity and lost interest in his subject.

Returning from collector to Henya’s older brother, Drey smiled at Risir.

“To be at the 5th Tier at your age… that’s impressive. You must not have rested on your natural talent, but worked hard for it. I saw Henya again after a long time and was relieved, she seemed to be doing really well. I’m sure that’s in part thanks to you. I’d like to thank you for that.”

He gave Risir a friendly pat on the shoulder.

Drey’s demeanor toward Risir was warm and open, as if he could talk with him all day.

“I hope you’ll stay close with our Henya from now on too?”

“I would like to, but considering Lady Henya’s personality… I believe that’s something she’ll have to decide for herself.”

“Hahaha! That’s true! Well then, I’ll take my leave—”

But Drey casually wrapped up the conversation with Risir.

After all, the reason he attended today’s banquet hosted by the Golden Barley Trading Company was solely for “talent collection.”

He had no more time to spare for Risir.

“Lord Drey.”

“Yes?”

“The guest has arrived.”

“Ah, has he?”

Right on cue, a servant came to deliver the long-awaited news.

The former Master of the Blue Mage Tower, “Frozen Breath,” had arrived.

Soon, he would head to the Trading Head’s VIP lounge.

“Lord Eron…!”

At that moment—almost simultaneously—Caria, came running to Eron with the same news.

For the Guild Master’s daughter to be that affectionate… Ah, of course. That must be the Saint.

Drey, back in his collector mode, turned his gaze to where Risir and the Saint stood together.

His attention was focused solely on the Saint between the two.

“If you don’t mind, would you accompany me?”

The Saint exchanged a glance with Risir and then gave a small nod.

Together, they made their way toward the VIP lounge.

“Oh? You all are—”

Drey, walking and conversing with Eron, arrived at the guest reception room.

The moment he entered, his eyes lit up.

The Red Tower’s Valrod.

The demon hunter, Maldad.

Shakan of the Skytride tribe.

Not one, but three figures who stirred his collector’s instincts were already present.

“Sir Drey.”

They immediately rose and gave him a respectful nod.

Drey returned the greeting and was about to continue the conversation when—

“Risir!”

The three of them lit up and rushed over to Risir.

“What brings you here?”

“Oh, just happened to get the opportunity. And you all?”

“If you put it that way, what can we say? We just happened to get the same chance.”

“We’re also in a position where we’re waiting for things to be resolved, like you.”

“Honestly, I just meant to drop by quickly to take care of Lan’s request and leave. Not sure how it turned into this.”

“I feel a bit bad. I think I might’ve contributed to that.”

Pat pat!

Shakan slapped Risir heartily on the back.

“It’s fine! No need to apologize! Thanks to you, we’ve gained some very valuable connections! Isn’t that right?”

When Shakan glanced at Valrod and Maldad, they nodded without hesitation.

“…”

Drey was visibly taken aback by their behavior.

He was already familiar with the three and knew just how difficult they could be.

Yet the attitude they showed Risir now…

He wondered if these were the same men he had known before.

Risir…

The fire that had died down sparked once more.

Just as the talent collector was about to refocus his attention on Risir—

The door opened, and a chilling breeze swept in.

An old man stood there, looking as though all the hair on his head had migrated to his face.

His thick eyebrows and full white beard marked him clearly.

He was accompanied by a young woman.

The former Master of the Blue Tower.

Frozen Breath, Pallarg.

The atmosphere immediately tensed at the arrival of the titan who made everyone else in the room feel like fledglings.

They all straightened up, preparing to greet him.

“No need. Sit down. I’m not here to see you all bow.”

Pallarg dismissed them with a casual wave and walked straight to the seat of honor.

The young woman followed and stood by his side.

Ahem.

Once seated, Pallarg cleared his throat, preparing to speak.

The former Master of the Blue Tower was currently parched.

Parched for praise.

Quick-witted Drey picked up on the cue and continued the flow.

“Lord Pallarg. I believe this is the first time I’ve seen the lady accompanying you. Might she be the one you’ve recently taken in—?”

Smirk.

The old man’s thick eyebrows and beard twitched with amusement.

He spoke.

“Looks like you’ve heard a thing or two.”

His gaze was as if pressing Drey to ask the predetermined question.

Drey gave a wry smile and smoothly continued.

“I’ve heard she possesses magical talent worthy of catching your eye.”

“…”

At those words, the three other titans in the room also showed interest.

The former Master of the Blue Tower, Frozen Breath, known for being so eccentric he crossed into downright crankiness.

He was also famous for his ruthless treatment of his own apprentices.

Now, after stepping away from everything, he had taken in a new disciple?

Just how exceptional must she be?

As everyone’s curious gaze focused on him, the bald old man finally opened his mouth with satisfaction.

“Let this old man tell you an amusing story. You probably already know the beginning. There was an old and ailing mage who stepped down from his position and began wandering the continent. He wanted to see what he’d missed from always pushing forward. And during his travels, he met a young girl in a village. That girl was already a 3rd Tier swordswoman who had mastered the Blue Breath.”

It was the kind of opening line that was shocking beyond belief for a story meant to discuss magical talent.

Pallarg believed it wholeheartedly and observed the room’s reaction.

He wanted to enjoy their stunned faces.

Like a grandfather bragging about his beloved granddaughter.

“?”

But then, his expression twisted.

“Lord Pallarg, do you mean to say…!”

The only one showing the reaction Pallarg was expecting was Drey.

Everyone else simply glanced at a certain young man with strange expressions.

That young man, was Risir.