Chapter 359: I’m a Mage Too. (1)
“What… what?”
Brody thought for a moment that he had misheard. How could a mere 3rd-circle mage speak with such arrogance?
But his opponent’s expression was deadly serious. It seemed as if he had lost his mind.
“Puhahahaha!”
Hearing Alfoi’s introduction, Ghislain, seated in the audience, clutched his stomach as he burst out laughing. Gillian, too, was gritting his teeth, evidently trying to suppress his laughter.
The other knights and soldiers of Fenris were also struggling to hold back their chuckles.
The previously tense atmosphere had shifted into something utterly absurd in an instant. Naturally, the members of the Scarlet Tower didn’t take kindly to this change.
Delmud shot Alfoi a ferocious glare, his face dark with anger.
“Brody, make sure to kill that bastard.”
It was a clear command to take no prisoners.
Such a ridiculous atmosphere was unacceptable. Their opponents needed to remain frightened and subdued. Only then would it be easier to crush them.
To achieve that, they had to eliminate Alfoi and bring the atmosphere back under control.
Brody nodded and turned his gaze to Alfoi.
“Did you hear that? I won’t accept your surrender.”
At that moment, Hubert leapt to his feet and shouted.
“What nonsense is this! Are you saying you want to take this to the bitter end? Alfoi, come out now! I’m calling this exchange over!”
But Delmud also rose from his seat and yelled.
“Who gave you the authority to end this? From now on, there will be no surrender! Refuse, and I will not let you go unscathed!”
Clang!
The mana of a 7th-circle mage spread through the air, instantly freezing everyone in place.
Hubert and the other elders of the Scarlet Tower turned pale with dread. Even their disciples’ faces began to fill with terror.
The situation was growing worse by the second. It genuinely seemed like they were prepared to see this through to the end.
Finally, Hubert turned to Ghislain and spoke with a desperate tone.
“Count Fenris, it would be best if you intervened…”
But Ghislain responded even before Hubert could finish his plea.
“We don’t yet know what Alfoi plans to do, do we?”
“What? What could that fool possibly”
Then, Alfoi, wearing an expression of utter arrogance, addressed Hubert.
“I’m not going to surrender.”
“What?”
“I’d like to give it a shot.”
“You insane fool! Your opponent is a 4th-circle master! You’ll die the moment it starts!”
Though Hubert no longer held his former position, he had once been a rising star of the tower.
Alfoi was prideful and arrogant to a fault, but he was still someone Hubert had personally mentored and grown fond of since childhood.
He couldn’t stand idly by and watch his student die so pointlessly.
“Step aside! This duel is null and void!”
As Hubert erupted in frustration, Alfoi scratched his head. Honestly, everyone seemed far too frightened.
‘This doesn’t seem like a big deal.’
Admittedly, he had been nervous before stepping forward. But now that he was here, it didn’t feel so intimidating.
After all, he had been through so much in the Fenris territory nothing had ever been ordinary.
In his first battle, Vanessa had nearly drained him of mana to the point of death. He had also narrowly survived a crash from a hot air balloon with Kaor.
He had fought Desmond’s army, said to be the strongest in the North, and had lured Queen Grex in the Forest of Beasts, battling tens of thousands of Grexes.
Having risked his life in countless such battles, the 4th-circle mage standing before him now seemed insignificant.
Even Delmud’s threats didn’t faze him.
‘What’s so special about a 7th-circle mage? The Count is here. If things go south, he’ll probably just start punching people again.’
He wasn’t entirely confident that the Count could defeat a 7th-circle mage. After all, 7th-circle mages were considered equals to Sword Masters true superhumans.
But Ghislain wasn’t the type to go down without a fight. If he were to die, he’d surely take his opponent with him.
Having faced so many harrowing experiences, Alfoi’s guts had grown alongside his slightly unhinged state of mind. Perhaps that’s why he could understand Ghislain’s unorthodox nature better than anyone else.
Waving off Hubert’s concerns, Alfoi said casually.
“It’s fine. I’ll just fight.”
“You fool! Get out of there right now!”
Just as Hubert prepared to drag Alfoi out himself, Ghislain intervened.
“Let’s just trust him this once.”
“No! I’m telling you, the circle difference is too great!”
“Circles aren’t everything, are they?”
“For a mage, circles are everything!”
“Just trust him.”
Despite Hubert’s repeated protests, Ghislain remained resolute.
“Fine! Do whatever you want, you damn lunatics!”
Fuming, Hubert slumped back into his seat. Yet, his hands were already gathering mana.
He planned to save Alfoi no matter what, even if it meant breaking through the mana field.
However, sensing this, Delmud gestured to his elders.
“If anyone interferes, kill them immediately.”
Gritting his teeth, Hubert reluctantly released his gathered mana. An outright brawl would break out otherwise.
For now, all he could do was endure.
Once the commotion settled, Alfoi turned back to look at Ghislain.
Ghislain smiled at Alfoi and raised his hand in approval.
Alfoi chuckled lightly and shifted his gaze to Vanessa, who was clasping her hands together and watching him with worried eyes.
With a confident sweep of his hair, Alfoi wore a cocky expression and said,
“Watch closely. I’ll show you what I’m capable of.”
At that moment, one of the elders shouted loudly,
“Begin!”
As the duel commenced, Brody smirked viciously and said,
“You’re quite the fearless fool. I won’t just kill you. I’ll shred you apart so you’ll regret it even after death.”
Alfoi, still wearing his arrogant expression, replied,
“Feel free. But before that, I have something to show you.”
“What are you going to show me?”
Alfoi extended his hand toward Brody, revealing a hard-looking stone resting in his palm.
“And what’s so special about that rock?”
“I’m going to show you something amazing with this.”
“…?”
“Just watch for a second.”
Alfoi strode forward, closing the distance between him and Brody.
“Look closely. This will disappear.”
Swish.
As Alfoi cast his “Odd or Even” spell, the stone vanished into his sleeve. Brody furrowed his brow, still puzzled.
“What kind of magic is that? Why are you even showing me something so pointless?”
“If it can go in, it can also come out.”
“What?”
Before Brody could finish processing the statement, the stone shot out of Alfoi’s sleeve at an incredible speed.
Smack!
“Ugh!”
The stone hit Brody squarely on the nose, causing him to stumble as blood spurted out. However, as expected of a 4th-circle master, he immediately extended his hand to cast a spell.
Fwoosh!
A fireball shot out of his hand. Though hastily cast, it still carried significant power.
“Haste.”
But Alfoi had already cast a speed-enhancing spell on himself and dodged. At the same time, he cast another spell.
“Grease.”
The ground beneath them became slick, drastically reducing its friction. While it wasn’t multi-casting, Alfoi’s casting speed was impressive, almost as if he had used multiple spells at once.
Alfoi surrounded himself with the effect and then launched himself at Brody in a sudden tackle.
“What?!”
Brody let out a startled cry as Alfoi took advantage of the moment to sweep his legs out from under him.
Crash!
Brody was thrown to the ground before he could react.
Like most mages, Brody wasn’t used to physical combat. He couldn’t counter Alfoi’s movements, honed through hard labor on construction sites.
“You crazy bastard! What are you—”
For a mage as elegant as himself to face physical combat? The sight was outrageous.
But Alfoi paid no heed to his opponent’s complaints. He climbed on top of Brody and raised his fist.
“Fire Fist.”
Fwoom!
Flames erupted from Alfoi’s fist, his mana control as swift as a whip crack.
Before Brody could counter, Alfoi’s fiery fist slammed down.
“This is a fire punch, you bastard.”
Thud!
“Arghhh!”
The flaming punch struck Brody squarely in the face, eliciting a scream. But Alfoi wasn’t finished; his blows rained down mercilessly.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
His fists, burning with flames, relentlessly pummeled Brody’s face.
Alfoi refused to stop. He knew that if he fought Brody as a mage, he would be at a disadvantage. He needed to maintain his momentum and press the attack.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
“Ahhhhhh!”
Brody, overwhelmed by pain, couldn’t even mount a defense. Having lived a life of luxury, he had never imagined himself in such a brutal fight.
Although Alfoi was considered physically weak by Fenris territory standards, the countless hours of working at construction sites had given him strength unmatched by most mages.
“Urgh… stop… please…”
Even as Brody begged for mercy, Alfoi showed no signs of stopping. Instead, he doubled down.
“Here comes a Fireball in your mouth.”
With a flick of his palm, a tiny fireball formed and shot directly into Brody’s gaping mouth.
Boom!
“Gahhhh!”
Brody’s scream didn’t last long as Alfoi’s flaming fist followed immediately, smashing into his face once again.
Smack!
Even as he struck, Alfoi couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
“Hurts, doesn’t it? It hurts, right? What was that you said to me earlier? Huh? Do you even know who I am?!”
“Guhhh…”
Brody, experiencing pain unlike anything he had ever known, could no longer think clearly. Until his last moments, he failed to cast another proper spell as Alfoi pummeled him relentlessly.
His face was now unrecognizable, a burnt and battered mess thanks to Alfoi’s flaming fists.
“Hahhh…”
When Alfoi finally confirmed that Brody was dead, he straightened up and stood.
He hadn’t intended to kill him, but there was no way to hold back against a higher-circle mage.
Looking down at Brody’s corpse, Alfoi adopted a solemn expression and muttered,
“Magic isn’t about circles. It’s about experience, you little punk.”
While it wasn’t exactly a typical mage’s philosophy, it was a statement that resonated in Fenris territory.
“Waaaaaaaah!”
As Alfoi’s victory became certain, cheers erupted from the Crimson Flame Tower’s side.
Ghislain clapped his hands with a smile, and Vanessa jumped up and down in excitement.
Gillian looked at Alfoi with a satisfied expression, and the knights and soldiers cheered with bright eyes.
On the other hand, Hubert and the elders were left gaping, their expressions utterly dumbfounded.
“That… that bastard… How has he been living all this time? Where did he even learn that? Is that supposed to be magic? Huh? How can that be magic?”
At Hubert’s exclamation, the elders stammered in response.
“D-does working on construction sites make you stronger?”
“Why has his mana control improved so much?”
“I thought he was multi-casting.”
Though Alfoi’s circle was the same as when he was at the tower, his combat ability seemed to have increased several fold.
Still, they couldn’t shake the impression that his methods were shockingly crude.
Both Hubert and the elders arrived at the same conclusion.
“That bastard must have learned all of this from Count Fenris.”
Rumors of Fenris’s people being rough fighters had circulated before, but they had never imagined that it applied to mages too.
Although Alfoi had undoubtedly grown stronger, none of them wanted to fight in such a way.
As the Crimson Flame Tower disciples cheered, Alfoi suddenly barked at them.
“Hey! You pathetic losers! Do you still call yourselves disciples of the North’s finest tower? You were too scared to even face bastards like them!”
The laughter stopped abruptly. Even they found their behavior shameful.
Alfoi continued in his cocky tone,
“Have some confidence. Confidence! These guys aren’t so tough if you fight them. Got it?”
The disciples nodded with clenched fists at Alfoi’s scolding.
A 3rd-circle mage had defeated a 4th-circle master. And not just any 4th-circle mage, but the direct disciple of Delmud, the Master of the Scarlet Tower.
Maybe the Scarlet Tower wasn’t as formidable as they thought.
Having delivered a sharp reprimand, Alfoi smiled in satisfaction.
‘Phew, I’m glad I won. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to say all that.’
It would have been much cooler to say those words before the fight. But his naturally cautious nature had held him back, afraid he might lose.
‘Well, a win is a win.’
He basked in the cheers as he returned to his seat.
“Well done, Alfoi.”
Hubert awkwardly smiled and patted Alfoi on the shoulder.
“Hmph.”
Alfoi turned his head away with a pout. Thinking about it made him annoyed.
‘I was breaking my back on construction sites, and you didn’t even bother to check on me. Now you just throw me into some duel.’
His cold response left Hubert flustered and scrambling.
He never expected Alfoi to win. The guilt of having neglected his student weighed heavily on him.
“Ahem, I haven’t been in touch much lately, have I? You must’ve felt neglected.”
“Hmph.”
Neglected? Hubert hadn’t contacted him even once since establishing a branch in Fenris. The thought only infuriated Alfoi further.
“I’ve just been busy, you know? You know how busy I am, right?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Ah, come on. Don’t be like that.”
“Oh, I’m tired from the fight.”
The reunion of mentor and disciple turned into an awkward exchange.
While Alfoi’s victory sent chills through the Scarlet Tower’s side, it also left Delmud seething.
“That insolent bastard…”
Killing his first disciple right before his eyes, no less, was an unforgivable offense.
An intense surge of mana radiated from Delmud’s body, and those nearby retreated instinctively from the suffocating pressure.
Hubert, however, couldn’t help but smirk at Delmud’s anger.
‘Our successor beat yours!’
The fact that the Scarlet Tower had won more overall duels didn’t matter anymore. The victory of their successor over Delmud’s had secured their pride. Hubert was already imagining spreading the news far and wide.
Still, he wasn’t bold enough to provoke Delmud openly, not yet, at least.
Grinning, Hubert turned to Vanessa.
“Vanessa, be careful not to get hurt, okay?”
“Yes, understood.”
Even though Vanessa had reached the 6th circle like him, she still addressed Hubert with respect. It was partly due to her humble nature, and partly because she was also a product of the Crimson Flame Tower. She had no reason to treat him casually.
When Vanessa stepped forward as the final contestant, Hubert visibly relaxed.
‘Phew, there’s no one among the Scarlet Tower disciples higher in the circle than Vanessa. This is another win for us. Even if we’ve lost more overall, Alfoi’s victory saved face.’
The elders and other disciples shared his sentiment, letting out sighs of relief.
But their relief was short-lived.
The sight of the next challenger made their faces turn pale.
“I’ll be the final one to step forward.”
Delmud strode out, exuding murderous intent.
At the same time, Ghislain slowly rose from his seat.