The shards of stone and ice assaulted Jared. He continued to glare at his opponent without looking away, even as cuts appeared all over his body, starting with his cheek.
“…Our powers are equal, aren’t they?”
“It would seem so. I must acknowledge your skill as a Court Mage.”
A voice filled with admiration came from the attacker, who had also sustained injuries. The man seemed desperate to keep his identity a secret, prioritizing covering his face over defense.
“You’re quite cautious with someone you intend to kill. Can’t you at least show your face and give your name?”
“What use is it to tell a man who is about to die my identity?”
“You say that while desperately trying to hide. Why not just admit you’re too scared to reveal yourself?”
“Silence! With such a meager provocation, you think I would reveal myself—”
The man’s voice abruptly cut off. Jared had drawn a dagger and closed the distance. With a single, swift strike that left no room for resistance, the hood hiding his face was torn away and flew into the air. Jared would have gladly taken his head too, but the opponent’s agility was far beyond his expectations.
“…I don’t know your face. But it feels familiar, like I’ve seen someone similar before.”
“—Damn you! How dare you reveal my face!”
“There’s nothing to hide, is there?”
As far as Jared knew, this man was not recognized by any Court Mage, nor the Royal Mage Corps, nor the Mage Association. The man, with his short, neatly trimmed blond hair and eyes as cold as ice, appeared to be in his mid-thirties. Like a typical magician, his physique was slender, with only the minimum amount of training. Based on information from Tres, Jared had assumed these attackers were members of the Royal Mage Corps, especially given the recent incident. However, it seemed he was mistaken. The unexpected inaccuracy of his guess left him surprised. This was not a rebel belonging to the Royal Mage Corps, but merely a magician who believed in the superiority of magicians, a zealot with extreme ideologies. Nevertheless, he was still an enemy that needed to be defeated.
“Now, let’s continue.”
“Having seen my face, you will absolutely die!”
“Your words are bold, but get to the point and attack.”
Jared beckoned, and this time, the man took the bait more readily than expected. His face, revealed and now burning with anger, flared with intensified magic. Jared, too, drew upon his own magic, refining it within him. He wanted information from the man, but capturing him was proving difficult. Deciding he had no choice but to defeat him, Jared raised both hands above his head, ready to expend all his remaining magic.
“Are you planning to use Petrify Magic!”
He had no intention of replying. Jared’s goal was to cast his magic as quickly as possible, even by a few seconds, before he could be interrupted. He offered his heightened magical power to the spirits.
“I won’t let you!”
The attacker also unleashed his intensified magic, thrusting his arms forward to aim at Jared.
“—Earth Dragon’s Lamentation.”
“—Ice Extinction World.”
As he unleashed his petrification magic for the third time, the opponent concurrently released an ice magic spell. He regretted not being able to strike first, but he believed he could win as long as he maintained his magic.
—Or so he thought.
“…Damn it! No, this can’t be!”
As the torrent of released magic engulfed the man, Jared’s vision was overwhelmed by white. His breath turned white, and a chilling cold, unimaginable for early summer, assaulted his skin.
“Just as you attempt to petrify me, I shall freeze you! Let’s see who can seal and kill the other – isn’t that the point of this contest!”
The man’s robes began to petrify, but the magic protecting him slowed the progression. In contrast, frost settled on Jared’s combat uniform, and the surrounding area began to freeze under the frigid air. Without the luxury of erecting a barrier, he circulated magic within his body, activating it to delay the freezing as much as possible. In his sight, grass and ground alike were successively covered in white frost.
“…If this continues—”
His magic wasn’t enough. As he considered whether to focus on offense or defense, Jared realized his mistake. Though not caught in the petrification spell himself, Hugo had been caught in the swirling cold.
“Ha, you only noticed now?”
“You… you knew he was there and still dragged him into it?”
“I intended to kill you and the Duke both anyway. I wouldn’t leave a hindrance who had lost consciousness behind.”
Jared couldn’t possibly abandon Hugo, who showed no signs of waking. Therefore, Jared made his decision.
“Uooooooooooooh!”
“—! You still had this much magic left…? What, what is this!”
He abandoned all thoughts of the aftermath, deciding to use all his magic. The outcome of the battle was irrelevant. His sole objective now was to win. True victory would only be achieved by not only defeating the enemy but also protecting the Duke. Even if he survived, losing the Duke would be tantamount to defeat.
The influx of magic engulfing the man subsided. The wave of magical power, which had petrified a wide area, condensed into a single beam. While the range narrowed, the magical quantity had not diminished. In fact, it had increased, as he was channeling beyond his limits. The petrification magic emanating from Jared shot towards the enemy in a straight line.
It collided with the freezing air, scattering shards of stone and ice, and began to steadily petrify the enemy’s arm. The freezing air still raged, and his stamina continued to drain, but he kept the core of the petrification magic flowing. Meanwhile, he erected a barrier, enveloping the Duke and distancing him from the magic. The price was Jared himself.
“To sacrifice yourself to protect the Duke and try to defeat me! Even though a non-magician is hardly worth protecting, why don’t you understand! Fool!”
The attacker hurled words of contempt at Jared, who couldn’t protect himself and was being frozen. The freezing Jared and the petrifying magician continued their struggle until their respective magic ran out. —And then,
“…Damn it.”
With a thud, Jared collapsed onto the frozen ground, face-first. A large portion of his body was encased in ice. Combined with the loss of body heat, it would be fatal if left untreated. Having exhausted his magic and with his body temperature stolen by the ice, he could barely move.
“…I’ll praise you. Killing that Barnabas Kaif… you are indeed remarkable.”
The attacker’s arms were completely petrified down to the shoulder joints, but the rest of him, including his clothing, had only partially turned to stone. This was entirely due to Jared’s lack of magic. Had he not protected Hugo and focused solely on attack, he would have been a silent statue by now. But there are no “what ifs” in battle. In terms of result, Jared had lost.
“This is a reward for your resistance, despite fighting consecutive battles—I will not kill the Duke. However, I will kill him eventually. He will die sooner or later, so I shall spare him for now.”
Though the man said this, he had no magic left either. Even if he wanted to kill the Duke, his arms wouldn’t move, rendering him incapable.
“The barrier has long since dissolved, but no one shall approach this cold. You will die here—Farewell, Jared Murphy. A great magician, yet a fool who strayed from the path.”
The man turned and disappeared. Left behind, Jared, his consciousness flickering, thought of Olivier, waiting for his return at their mansion in the Capital City.
“…Oliv…ier…”
The desire to see her and the fear of potentially never seeing her again welled up within him. And then—he moved his partially frozen body slightly, confirming Hugo’s safety. With a sigh of relief that he had been able to protect him, Jared quietly lost consciousness.
