Episode 51
That night, at the Duke of Saxon’s mansion in the capital.
“Did they really drag me all the way here just to babysit some kids?”
After days of absurd commotion, Dale sat cross-legged in his bedroom, pondering.
There was no way the Crimson Duke had invited him to the Imperial Academy for such a trivial reason. He recalled the twelve Purifiers who had ambushed his cavalry at the Saxon River. Fanatics who wouldn’t hesitate to set their own bodies ablaze.
In stark contrast, the noble heirs at the Imperial Academy were nothing but greenhorns, laughably naive. They probably believed without a doubt that they would become the mages of the Red Tower, the elite of the Empire, oblivious to the fact that they were mere puppets.
“In the end, they’re just children who know nothing of the world.”
With that thought, Dale turned his head. It was at that moment.
Knock, knock.
“Dale.”
A familiar voice accompanied the knock.
“Professor Sepia?”
“May I come in for a moment?”
Dale was startled, his breath catching at Sepia’s request to enter his bedroom.
“Please, come in.”
His response was immediate, without a hint of hesitation.
As Sepia cautiously entered the room, Dale found himself holding his breath.
She wore a nightgown of white silk adorned with dark lace. Her crystal-colored hair was still damp, cascading messily. Through the silk, glimpses of her alabaster skin were visible.
”…Ahem, ahem.”
Noticing Dale’s entranced gaze, Sepia blushed slightly.
“I just finished showering and was about to change, but, well, I found I had nothing suitable to wear.”
With a deliberately exaggerated cough, Sepia sat at the edge of the bed, right next to Dale.
An awkward silence settled between them.
”…Thank you for accompanying me to the capital.”
Breaking the silence, Dale spoke cautiously.
“Of course.”
Sepia regained her composure, offering a gentle smile.
“Did you enjoy the Academy’s classes?”
“They can’t compare to your teachings, Professor Sepia.”
Dale grinned mischievously, and Sepia returned the smile warmly. Silence fell once more.
”…That day.”
It was Sepia who broke the silence this time.
“I saw the sorrow on your face when you lost your knights.”
Sepia began.
“I couldn’t protect you properly from the Purifiers.”
Even though she had unleashed a storm of ice against the orc riders and sent a discordant blue resonance echoing, Sepia had only managed to protect Dale by the skin of her teeth. It was not the full power one would expect from a 6th-circle elf mage.
“Don’t blame yourself.”
Dale shook his head quietly.
“You protected me, and losing the Saxon swords was my mistake.”
“No.”
Sepia shook her head gently.
“I promised to stay by your side.”
She reached out, taking Dale’s hand.
“It wasn’t just about protecting you.”
”…?”
She held the young Dale’s hand firmly.
“I simply don’t want you to be sad.”
“Professor Sepia…”
The warmth of the snow elf, Sepia, flowed from her hand to his.
“Why someone as young as you carries such a void-filled world of ideas, I may never understand.”
Even as the two mages connected and resonated with each other’s worlds, knowing that her feelings were merely the result of touching Dale’s world changed nothing. Sepia struggled to suppress the tenderness and affection she couldn’t control, affirming Dale with a love akin to Agape.
It was the mission she had resolved to undertake upon first encountering this child’s world.
Meanwhile, at the Walter Count’s mansion.
Leonard returned from the red-light district, drunk as usual. But this time, his destination upon returning home was different.
“Lord Leonard!”
The head butler of the Walter family couldn’t hide his surprise as Leonard raised his voice.
“Shut up, you old fool!”
“But the Count has forbidden access to the basement…”
“And who are you to stop the heir of the Count from going where he pleases?”
Ignoring the butler’s pleas, Leonard made his way to the basement where the elder of the Red Tower, the Bloodfire Walter, stored his ‘artifacts.’ He forcibly took the key from the butler.
He recalled Dale’s indifferent expression from that morning, finally understanding. To Dale of Saxon, Leonard Walter wasn’t even worth acknowledging.
“I’ll show that damn brat…”
Reeking of alcohol, Leonard shouted, fueled by his drunkenness.
“That I, Leonard Walter, am the most talented mage in the Empire…”
What the Saxon heir had shown a few days ago wasn’t his talent. It was merely the result of using an artifact’s power. Yes, the difference between Leonard and Dale wasn’t talent.
It was the presence of an artifact.
So Leonard didn’t hesitate. He didn’t care about the potential harm of wielding an artifact beyond his capabilities.
The next day, at the auditorium for the 3rd-circle advanced class of the Imperial Academy.
“For the upcoming graduation exam, it seems the monster hunters have captured the ‘monsters’ to be used.”
The graduation exam was a few weeks away.
To Dale, it was of little concern. However, if the exam took place while he was in the capital, he couldn’t just sit idly by.
“Not that there’s anything to worry about.”
He wasn’t someone who would struggle with an exam meant for a mere 3rd-circle mage. His mind was preoccupied with the image of Sepia from the previous night.
Her feelings were merely the result of resonating with ‘Dale’s world.’ Even knowing this, Dale’s actions remained unchanged. He wanted Sepia by his side.
He didn’t want to let go.
Yet, this realization filled Dale with an inexplicable guilt.
“It’s not something to dwell on right now.”
With that thought, Dale shook his head to dispel the confusion.
Leonard was there.
”…”
Unlike usual, Leonard was eerily silent.
“Has he finally matured?”
Dale didn’t think much of it.
In a way, this was what it meant for a genius to be unable to understand the ordinary.
That afternoon, a mock class for magical duels was held in preparation for the graduation exam.
The first participant was Leonard Walter, and unfortunately, his opponent was a 3rd-circle student.
Neither particularly inferior nor exceptionally talented, just an ordinary student under Leonard’s rule. The professor overseeing their duel couldn’t hide his anxiety.
Since ‘that day,’ Leonard’s demeanor had been strangely off.
It was hard to pinpoint what had changed. He was unusually quiet. The tyrant who should have been ruling the Academy with an iron fist was now shrouded in silence.
The professor found this ominous and unsettling. Unlike Dale, who assumed Leonard had simply matured, the professor knew Leonard Walter’s character all too well.
“Well, then… let the duel between Leonard and Valor begin.”
The professor announced with a trembling voice.
An untouchable presence. It wasn’t Leonard himself that was feared. Even if his talent far surpassed the professor’s, there was still the barrier between a 3rd-circle and a 4th-circle mage. The professor’s fear was directed at the elder of the Red Tower, the Bloodfire Walter, who backed Leonard.
Like all elders of the Red Tower, he was a tyrant beyond Leonard.
A mere 4th-circle mage like the professor couldn’t defy the rulers of the Red Tower.
The magical flames signaling the start of the duel ignited.
“Hey.”
At that moment, Leonard spoke to his opponent. He had no intention of casting a spell, instead pointing at Dale.
“Cast an attack spell at the Saxon brat.”
“Le-Leonard? What are you…”
“Do you want to die from my magic?”
The student’s face turned pale at the unexpected demand. Leonard pressed on, his hand swirling with ominous crimson magic.
His refusal to dirty his own hands until the end was a testament to his despicable nature.
“Le-Leonard!”
“Shut up, you talentless old fool.”
The professor raised his voice in shock, but Leonard paid no heed.
“You’ve been stuck at the fourth circle for sixty years, and you dare to run your mouth?”
“L-Leonard, please…!”
“Keep quiet, unless you want me to tell Father.”
The tension in the air was palpable.
“Hey, you miserable fools. Are you saying you’re more afraid of that kid than me? Huh?”
Leonard asked again, his voice dripping with disdain.
“So, you’re telling me that Leonard Walter isn’t as scary as that brat over there? Is that it?”
He directed his words at the top students of the third circle.
“Fire your magic at that brat, now!”
Leonard shouted once more, and a crimson energy swirled from his hand, forming into flames. Flames that no ordinary third-circle mage could conjure.
‘An artifact…!’
“Everyone, get back!”
Dale shouted just as a vortex of fire erupted around Leonard’s feet. Flames so fierce that even a fourth-circle professor wouldn’t dare to challenge them. But Dale countered with his ‘blue magic,’ projecting the icy chill of a winter night.
This was a power that no mere prodigy’s flames, even with the aid of an artifact, could withstand. The raging fire subsided.
“Haha…”
Leonard let out a hollow laugh as the flames dwindled to nothing.
“Finally, a worthy opponent has appeared.”
It wasn’t a laugh of self-pity.
“Shall we begin the battle to determine the empire’s greatest talent?”
Leonard asked with a grin. Dale, incredulous, responded in kind.
“Do kids these days hit puberty after twenty?”