Chapter 29
Silence hung heavy in the vast dueling arena.
Even when Hayden first unleashed his Flame Road, or when Kain manifested a Flame Road with his Fire Walls, exclamations of admiration and excitement had burst forth from here and there.
But now, no one opened their mouths.
Most were frozen, their eyes wide with shock and their mouths slightly agape.
They looked like they would believe it if someone stood up and said they had all just experienced a brief dream.
"......"
"......"
In fact, apart from Hayden sitting sprawled on his backside, pathetically clutching his head with both arms, the scene here wasn't much different from before the duel began.
Kain, too, hadn't moved an inch from his starting point and was looking at Hayden with the same calm expression as at the beginning.
As no one spoke first, a soft voice, announcing that this scene was reality and everything that had happened was real, echoed through the dueling arena.
"Winner, Kain Siers."
With the referee Rowen's declaration, people began to speak one by one, as if waking from a trance.
"D-did he really win?"
"It seems so...?"
"Honestly, I still can't quite believe it."
"But we just saw it. Young Master Kain used Fire Walls in succession and created a Flame Road."
"Before that, he blocked everything and was even pushing him back."
"You saw it too? Then what I saw wasn't a hallucination..."
"That means..."
The servants on the Siers clan side cautiously observed the atmosphere on the opposite side, the Bederman camp, for the last time, just in case.
At this moment, the opponent's reaction would be the most definitive proof of victory.
And as they confirmed the shocked state of the opponents, their faces slowly brightened.
"He won... he won!"
"Our Young Master Kain won!"
"He really won!"
"Waaaaah!"
"Young Masterrrrr...! Waaaaah!"
Even those who were still dumbfounded and couldn't believe it began to sway along with the others who were jumping up and down with joy.
"That's it, that's it!"
"The support funds that have been constantly cut are finally...!"
"How long has it been? No, isn't this the first time? The support funds are increasing!"
"The Clan Head has been looking after us all this time, but honestly, I thought our salaries would definitely be cut starting next month..."
"Me too. I heard the upper management's finances weren't good..."
"I even thought I might get fired."
"You kind of deserve to be fired. You don't do anything."
"Hey! That's too much! How hard do you think I work!"
Although the Clan Head had been stretching the meager budget as much as possible and managing the finances as best as he could.
Rumors had been circulating among the servants recently that they were reaching their limit.
"Ugh, I believed in you, Young Master Kain...!"
"Believed my foot, you were saying we should just take the Ice Troll's head and get even a little bit of restoration instead of dueling."
"W-when did I say that?"
"Hey, stop fighting. It's a good day."
"Yeah, let's enjoy it!"
"I should have a drink after work later."
"Young Masterrrrrrrrrr! You were so cool, waaaaaaah!"
"Sister, stop crying. Here's a handkerchief."
They expressed their joy before anyone else present.
And for good reason.
Frankly speaking, even if the clan's finances worsened, would the direct descendants of the clan be kicked out or go hungry?
No matter how well they had been looked after until now, the servants would inevitably be the first to be thrown out if the worst-case scenario occurred.
That's why they cheered more enthusiastically than anyone else.
Of course, that didn't mean the disciples weren't happy.
"That Kain bastard...! He finally did it!"
"Y-yeah, that's Kain for you. I knew he'd win."
"Yeah, man. He had to pull it off after coming this far!"
"But what was that last thing he did?"
"How would I know? If you ask him, he'll probably just say something obvious like, 'You just use Fire Walls and connect them.'"
"Pfft! Bolio, you're getting pretty good at imitating him?"
Edward burst into laughter as Bolio seriously mimicked Kain's voice.
"That Kain guy... didn't he just skip the exam and go up to the 2nd floor recently?"
"His skills were already at the advanced stage of the 3rd Circle, though?"
"Just how much training did he do while locked up all that time?"
"At this rate, it's only a matter of time before he comes up to our floor."
"Anias, at that level, isn't he faster than you?"
"...Shut up."
"Well, anyway, seeing their reaction over there is pretty satisfying."
"Pfft. They still have expressions of disbelief. Serves them right."
While some disciples were tense about Kain's rapid growth, the overall atmosphere was one of admiration or satisfaction at the Bederman clan's reaction.
"Wow... this is more impressive than I thought."
"At this rate, he'll reach the 4th Circle soon."
"To think our little darling was hiding such skills. Neville, we can't let our guard down either, can we?"
"Indeed... quite remarkable."
"Wow, even the usually haughty Neville is readily admitting it. You must be really surprised."
"Shut up, Dewin."
"Ah, yes, sir."
As they say, you see as much as you know.
The disciples on the 5th floor clearly understood just how unbelievable Kain's performance in the duel had been.
Even the instructors on the upper floors were saying they wanted to try teaching him soon.
And.
"Hehe. He finally did it, Kain."
Although he didn't show it outwardly due to his position, Blake Siers was, of course, more pleased than anyone else.
'He showed me far more than I had expected.'
He had only heard that Kain had reached the 3rd Circle, so this was actually the first time Blake Siers himself had witnessed Kain's improved skills with his own eyes.
'To think Hayden had actually reached the 4th Circle, and he still managed to defeat him.'
If they had lost this duel, Kain, Edward, Fohn, and Bolio's hard work would have been in vain.
And the responsibility for that would have fallen entirely on Blake Siers, who had permitted the duel.
'That's what the position of Clan Head is.'
A position with the authority to make decisions, but also one that bears the full responsibility for those decisions.
'Thank you, Kain. And...'
“I look forward to what you'll do in the future. Your growth. Although it seems you've given up on the path you originally intended to take, it's enough that you've belatedly begun to blossom your talent.”
"T-that was amazing. I had no idea it would be to this extent."
"Goodness me, I was hoping he'd at least land one good hit, but he went beyond that and really gave him a thorough beating."
Wayne Siers and Cristan Siers also added their comments.
Cristan Siers, in particular, was looking at Kain with a somewhat dumbfounded expression.
"Hah."
Of course, the person with the most dumbfounded expression in the entire dueling arena was someone else entirely.
"C-Clan Head."
"Th-that..."
The retainers tried their best to speak to Richter Bederman, but Richter was staring blankly into the air, as if he couldn't hear them.
And after a while.
He clenched his fist beneath his chair so tightly that it looked like it would break, and glared at the dueling arena.
Kain, despite having put on such an incredible duel, was still standing there with a nonchalant expression.
"N-no way... th-this is..."
Hayden seemed to be in a state of utter shock, sitting slumped down and blankly repeating the same words.
As the atmosphere on the Bederman side grew increasingly ominous, the atmosphere on the Siers clan side, which had been full of joy, also became subdued as they cautiously watched.
Richter stood up from his seat.
"The duel was well-fought. Well then, we have a delayed schedule, so we should be going."
The dueling arena became silent.
Richter immediately turned without looking back and walked towards the exit of the dueling arena.
And he spoke to the butler, who was hurriedly following behind him.
"Ramon."
"Yes, y-yes! Clan Head!"
"As soon as we return to the carriage, settle the promised amount and pay it out."
"Understood!"
Finally, when the topic of the support funds came up, a sigh of relief escaped from the Siers side.
Blake Siers also quickly stood up from his seat and said,
"Thank you, Clan Head. We should also go out and prepare to see you off..."
"There's no need for that. We intend to return quickly since we're already delayed."
Richter looked back at Hayden one last time.
"F-Father."
Hayden finally came to his senses, swallowed hard, and called out to him.
"Get up now."
Richter left those words behind and exited the dueling arena.
Hayden hurriedly got up and followed Richter, and the others also rushed to leave the dueling arena.
"......"
After everyone else had left, the last one to exit the dueling arena was a man with long black hair, Ray Bederman.
He was staring intently at Kain, who was removing his protective artifact.
"......?"
Perhaps sensing his gaze, Kain turned his head towards Ray.
But by the time Kain looked at Ray, Ray had already disappeared.
***
The air inside the Bederman clan's carriage on their way back was heavy and cold.
He would have preferred it if Richter had yelled at him, but the silence was driving him crazy.
Just when he thought he might die from the suffocating atmosphere.
"F-Father."
Hayden barely managed to speak.
When Richter didn't respond, Hayden said, trembling,
"I-I made a mistake earlier. I should have just finished him off decisively... P-please, give me one more chance..."
"Hayden."
"Yes, sir!"
"Don't make excuses."
It was the first time Richter had ever said that to Hayden, who he usually seemed to indulge in everything.
Hayden shut his mouth, his face filled with shock.
"If you were going to lose, you should have lost before using 4th Circle magic. Losing after using 4th Circle magic is something that should never have happened."
Smash!
Richter slammed his hand down on the small table next to his seat.
Richter's fist trembled violently.
"Damn it!"
If only Hayden hadn't taken the Circle Drafter, or if he had lost after being caught off guard before even using 4th Circle magic.
If that had been the case, it wouldn't have been this humiliating.
After all, the generally accepted theory was that in magic duels between mages of the same circle, victory or defeat couldn't be guaranteed due to various variables.
However, duels with a difference in circles were a different story.
Hayden had used 4th Circle magic with the power of a secretly consumed elixir.
Because of that, Hayden had ended up in a situation where he 'lost a duel to a 3rd Circle mage even after reaching the 4th Circle.'
And he lost overwhelmingly.
If only one or two people had watched the duel, they might have been able to cover it up later, but with so many people witnessing it, trying to conceal the truth now was absurd.
If this fact became known, it was obvious that not only would the Bederman clan's honor be tarnished, but Hayden's standing in the clan's succession battle would plummet.
The elders who were trying to push their own children as the next Clan Head would also strengthen their opposition.
It wasn't even possible to make excuses now, saying, 'Actually, Hayden is still at the 3rd Circle, but he secretly took a Circle Drafter and temporarily used 4th Circle magic.'
Either way, having lost after using 4th Circle magic, the repercussions would inevitably be severe.
"Ramon. When we return, make sure to strictly control information so that the details of the duel don't leak outside the clan as much as possible."
"Understood!"
"And Hayden."
"Yes, sir."
"From now on, never skip your training time and devote yourself to it. If your firepower had been just a little stronger, you wouldn't have lost to a brat who only knows petty tricks. Firepower. Increase your firepower! Until you can devour everything!"
"Yes, Father!"
Richter, unable to contain his anger, shouted a few more times before gulping down alcohol.
"Tch, if only Hayden had become stronger a little faster..."
When Ray, who was in the corner, came into his view, he spat out harshly.
"If only that guy's mana-seeing eyes had been focused on Hayden... damn it."
After that, Richter continued to pour alcohol into his stomach, yelling about how the Siers clan would pay, and eventually fell asleep.
"......"
Ray Bederman, who had been quietly leaning against the window, looked out at the falling sleet.
And he mentally repeated Richter's words.
He wasn't concerned about the words, 'If only his mana-seeing eyes had been focused on Hayden.'
He was already used to such words, so they didn't particularly bother him.
The words Richter had spoken before that were the ones he was thinking about.
-If only your firepower had been just a little stronger, you wouldn't have lost to a brat who only knows petty tricks!
'Firepower, huh...'
Ray wasn't born with a high mana capacity like Hayden, nor did he receive any elixirs.
So, in terms of 'firepower,' which the Bederman clan emphasized again and again, he was always behind his peers in the same circle.
But fortunately, his affinity for fire mana itself wasn't bad, and especially thanks to his innate ability to see mana, he had been able to reach the 5th Circle faster than others through relentless effort.
However, after that, he had been stuck at the 5th Circle, unable to advance further, as if he had hit a wall.
-You can quit anytime you want.
There had been times when he had seriously considered those words, but in the end, he hadn't given up.
Because he genuinely loved magic.
The fact that he could weave the dynamic mana before his eyes according to his will and create magic was something that made his heart race.
And then, Kain had appeared before such a Ray.
'Kain. That person's magic was quite different from our clan's teachings.'
He knew that even the Siers clan's mages basically followed the teachings of their supporting clan, the Bederman clan, and focused on firepower-centered training.
In fact, the direction of the Siers clan's magic, which he had seen a few times in passing, was indeed firepower-centered.
But the magic Kain had shown today had given Ray a fresh shock.
'Even though it was the same fire magic, it felt like he was using a different kind of magic altogether.'
If he had to describe Kain's magic in one word, it would be 'refined'.
'Every single spell, from beginning to end, seemed to be perfectly under the caster's control.'
The flow of mana was impeccably clean, and spells of the same type manifested in a perfect form each time they were cast, as if they were exact replicas.
'Except for the last one he showed, he was always extracting the maximum efficiency with the minimum amount of mana.'
Even with the Flame Road, he had perfectly controlled the overall flow, ensuring that mana was concentrated in the areas where it collided with Hayden's magic.
'There's no need for lengthy explanations. All his magic was perfect.'
Ray thought.
Perhaps what Kain had shown him could be the answer to the path he was pursuing.
Ray closed his eyes and recalled the magic Kain had used in the duel, replaying it over and over in his mind.
And he wished inwardly.
'I really hope I can see it again.'
