Most mages are driven by the desire to beco stronger.
This is a field where progress can be felt with every step, and that sense of advancent is more exhilarating than any pleasure, often sending people into a state of ecstasy. Once they experience it, they chase after higher levels as if enchanted.
“…”
The hunger for achievent transcends age and status.
The Grand Duke of Duplain, from the noblest lineage, was no exception.
However, one cannot always keep ascending. After years spent striving to reach higher levels, one must eventually confront their own limits.
Despite his efforts over decades, the Grand Duke was unable to reach the level of a 6-star mage.
Level 6 is an extraordinary realm, accessible only to those chosen by the heavens among countless geniuses. Though he understood this, the inability to keep advancing as a mage often left him with an emptiness inside.
*
‘You hit the nail on the head. It’s true, just looking at that staff makes you want to grip it tightly.’
The Duplain family’s storage room.
The Duke’s expression, as he silently observed the staff Valerian brought from the White Zone with his hands behind his back, was far from favorable.
Sotis, weapons imbued with magic contain a “demon” within.
This occurs when a certain will or ego is sealed inside the magical artifact, or when an aura that confuses the mind manifests.
The staff Valerian brought was exactly that. Knowing how serious he was when reporting it, I wondered what kind of item it would be—but I never imagined sothing so sinister.
‘The Rozin Staff, of which I had only heard rumors? A relic of Rozin, the 5-star summoner from before the War Era…? But Rozin was famous for redefining the fundantals of summoning magic, so why does this feel like necromantic energy?’
Rozin’s staff looked like withered, twisted wood. A necromantic aura slithered around it, making it seem more like a soothsayer’s artifact than that of a summoner to any onlooker.
Necromancy was taboo, and rely dabbling in it would attract scrutiny from the imperial family.
A distinct will within the staff seed to whisper to the Duke.
It tempted him, telling him that if he wielded it, he would reach the 6-star level—that he must use its power to ascend.
This wasn’t the first ti the Duke had encountered an object with demonic properties. He wasn’t soone who would easily give in to wicked whispers.
After abruptly suppressing the staff’s aura with his own magic, he called for the steward, Katarina, and said:
“We must send a letter to the imperial family. Rather than keeping it and drawing their ire, it’s better to report it and give them the authority to dispose of this staff.”
“I’ll dispatch a ssenger imdiately. What should the letter say?”
“Tell them to send the head of the magical advisors.”
His intent was to summon the most seasoned advisor of the imperial family, effectively the highest magical authority in the empire—the 6-star transformation mage, Kohella Deinalt Elvester.
The old fox of the imperial family who safeguarded the kingdom’s magical history, the oldest mber of the Lontel Society—brimming with expert alchemists—the greatest transformation mage ever produced by the noble house Elvester, and lifelong rival of Drest WolfTail… His career was full of titles like “the best.”
Among them, only one truly defined him: the longest-serving magical advisor to the imperial family.
He was such a formidable mage that even the emperor sought his personal counsel. Only soone like him would know how to properly dispose of this staff.
*
The magical training hall, immaculate as new, was one of the most ticulously prepared spaces in Diella’s mansion.
With grand ambitions of magical achievent, and ever since her ti with Dereck, she had honed her skills without a formal tutor.
At Diella’s request—always imrsed in the pursuit of magic—her servants had outfitted the training space to the highest standards in all of Ebelstein.
The result was this hall. A facility far more polished and complete than the training chambers near the noble district plaza.
Standing on the practice platform and adjusting her outfit, Diella frowned as her gaze t Denise’s, who smiled sweetly from the other side.
This was Diella’s mansion, her training hall, surrounded by her own attendants.
Everything was arranged in her favor. A potentially uncomfortable setting for her opponent.
Yet Denise calmly gathered her magical energy, without a hint of concern.
‘She’s not afraid of losing. Seriously… Were those letters she sent actually sincere?’
Diella was confused.
Denise had claid she would deliberately lose the duel, no matter the terms of the bet.
If her true intention was to release Dereck, Diella would welco it. Her claim that their interests aligned wasn’t entirely empty.
Even so, Diella didn’t lower her guard. The servants, the ladies of the Rose Salon, and noble gossip all said the sa—Denise was kind, elegant, and outwardly refined.
But Diella didn’t rule out that it could all be a fa??ade—a trap to shatter her prideful arrogance.
To so, that might seem excessive, but Diella was not one to trust easily. It had taken her over a decade to open up to the mbers of the Duplain family. For an outsider to gain her full trust was nearly impossible.
“I hope this will be a good match. It’s a great honor to compete with Lady Diella, known for her free-form magic and mastery of advanced spells.”
“Yes,
too.”
Diella, gathering her magical energy, replied indifferently and shook her head.
In any case, everything would be decided through this duel. She trusted her abilities.
She just needed to avoid losing.
Whoosh!
Ding!
When the bell adorned with beautiful roses rang, tension spread across the platform.
It was the signal for the start of their magical duel. Though it was just a sparring match, the stakes were high—the pride of both families was on the line.
Diella wanted Dereck.
As a child, she had yearned to learn again from the teacher who had shown her the magical path during her days of exploration. A wild genius born into the Duplain family, heart of the Order’s School.
Despite her paradoxical background, she had perfected her magic in her own way. Dereck surely had reached even greater heights since then, and she could learn even more. Just imagining it made her heart pound.
Moreover, Dereck was an exceptional assistant.
Indifferent to status, always seeing to the heart of matters, unafraid to speak plainly.
In Ebelstein’s cold social climate, having soone like him by her side would be an unparalleled weapon.
“I won’t drag this out.”
That’s why Diella gathered her magical power with resolve, determined to end the duel swiftly.
The first spell she cast was one of ice, specialized in cold.
The wild magic she had studied in the pavilion was mostly related to plants, but under Dereck’s influence, she had gradually opened her eyes to illusion magic.
Though much younger than most noblewon, her magical prowess was matched by few.
Whoosh!
Large ice spears ford around Diella.
They were bigger, more twisted, and sharper than when she had first manifested them.
Soon, thorny vines sprouted from the ground, aiming to trap her opponent, while various confusion spells that obscured magical energy flooded the training hall.
‘Of course she uses multiple spells. And she’s still so young.’
Denise marveled at Diella, who deployed a variety of magic in such a short ti.
She had heard that the young mage had trained on her own after Dereck left.
It was rare for soone her age to master so many advanced spells. Denise quickly retreated, drawing a wide circle while adjusting her stance. Her skirt flared like a petal, and her magical energy was unleashed in an instant.
She had no intention of countering all of Diella’s magic. Truthfully, she never intended to.
Crash! Bang! Thud! Thump!
Countless spells clashed, and Denise’s magic shields materialized, making it look like the duel had ended.
However, as the dust settled, Denise erged unscathed.
Still holding the edge of her dress with an elegant smile, not a single spell had touched her.
“…”
Diella frowned. Denise had chosen to dodge all of Diella’s magic rather than resist it.
To evade all those spells was a reckless feat—like trying to walk through a storm without a single raindrop touching you.
And yet, there she stood, calmly adjusting her posture, even the hem of her dress untouched.
As if she had anticipated every trajectory. It made Diella feel as if she were wasting her magic.
‘She’s incredible at detecting magic, isn’t she? Did she train magic detection all day long?’
Denise was considered unmatched among her peers in magical detection. Even the magical senses Diella had sharpened under Dereck’s influence were no match for Denise amid the chaos.
Seeing her serene deanor, it felt as if the duel hadn’t even begun.
‘…’
Diella swallowed hard.
She suddenly rembered—Denise was also Dereck’s student.
Now she faced a mage personally trained by him.
Dereck, increasingly prominent in Ebelstein’s social circles, was also famous for his students.
It was said that if he chose to teach, he could sharpen soone’s magical senses to the point that even first-level spells wouldn’t touch them.
In reality, Dereck pushed people to their limits, driving their magic to the extre. Those who couldn’t stay sane would be exhausted. He was a ruthless mage who bent to no one, not even nobles.
As for Denise, who had endured months of such training, she seed to instantly grasp the flow of every spell Diella cast.
Her expression, still softly smiling, radiated composure.
‘You can’t hit her with conventional thods.’
Diella had to reconsider. Denise’s counterattack was coming. After evading once, Diella would need more advanced confusion spells to block her evasive maneuvers.
Their magical exchanges repeated several tis.
Each ti Denise gracefully dodged Diella’s spells, her movents were as elegant as a dancer’s.
“Haah… Haah…”
anwhile, Diella, with no choice but to waste her magic, began to pant.
Even her confusion spells were countered, and the ice spears were either destroyed by magical arrows or dodged as if Denise had foreseen their paths.
The thorny vines erupting from the ground and the walls of fire didn’t even brush Denise’s hair—they only drained Diella’s energy.
anwhile, Denise used only a few simple spells without large-scale magic.
Like a skilled dagger-wielder toying with a greatsword-wielding warrior. Diella gritted her teeth, glaring at Denise, who maintained a noble smile and charming deanor.
Diella clenched her jaw.
True, Denise had honed her magical senses under Dereck’s strict training, but she wasn’t the only noble taught by him.
Swoosh!
When Diella stepped onto the platform, cold began to spread, blanketing the area.
Without even casting a spell, she began freezing the entire stage. The sudden magical burst forced Denise to step back and reassess.
Whoosh!
Free-form, unrestrained—that was the hallmark of wild mages.
It sacrificed attack power and efficiency, but produced results completely unpredictable to the opponent. Soon, the platform was encased in ice.
Her goal was to restrict Denise’s movents by altering the environnt itself.
“…”
As Denise watched intently, Diella stomped the ground again.
Crack!
Crash!
Countless ice pillars surged from beneath her feet, racing toward Denise.
Denise quickly cast a magical shield to block Diella’s attack, but the impact nearly knocked her backward.
“This ti you couldn’t dodge, huh?”
Diella’s blonde hair, wrapped in icy magic, floated in the air.
At that mont, even formal titles were abandoned. Diella was furious, focused only on defeating Denise.
“It’s funny seeing you struggle so hard to dodge after claiming you’d surrender. Do you play with won in Ebelstein’s social circles with such petty tricks?”
It was a brazen provocation. To say such a thing to a young lady of the Beltus family made the servants hold their breath.
Denise remained silent, lost in thought. She felt no guilt—it was she who had changed her mind as easily as flipping a hand.
“Haah… Haah… Grr…”
White vapor escaped Diella’s mouth. Though sumr was near, the training hall felt like the dead of winter.
Diella could appear to be the most adorable girl in the world when quiet, but now she bared her teeth and stared down her opponent.
Before that, most nobles would have lost their nerve. But soone like Denise was not easily shaken.
Crack!
Crash!
Each ti Diella stomped, rows of ice pillars erupted, trying to ensnare Denise.
Denise swiftly conjured fire arrows to lt the ice around her while deploying shields to withstand the spells. But unlike her earlier evasions, her magical energy consumption had increased dramatically.
With each exchange, Diella closed the distance bit by bit.
At close range, prediction and detection were useless. She planned to end the duel with a point-blank assault.
“I knew this was all you had from the start. I accepted the duel fully aware.”
Diella, wrapped in freezing magic, advanced steadily—a true winter queen.
The power of the ice pillars she launched at Denise grew more destructive with each strike.
Diella’s magic, fueled by rage, seed to pierce the sky.
“I don’t care how petty and vile the lady of House Beltus is. I didn’t co to Ebelstein to play social gas or seek comfort.”
Her eyes glead like a beast spotting prey in the snow. The cold radiating from her made her opponents shiver.
“So I don’t care if you rule the Rose Salon with your power… Just give
Dereck.”
Just let him go and leave. Then I won’t care what you do.
After declaring that to Denise, she unleashed her magical energy.
“…”
Denise stared at Diella. Her elegant silver hair fluttered from the power radiating from Diella.
It was clear why this girl nad Diella was so desperate to take Dereck.
She clearly longed for the days under his tutelage. In truth, Dereck was the kind of man who disrupted others’ lives without hesitation, realigned them by his own will, and then vanished without accepting any praise.
A strange, enigmatic man.
As Denise thought of him, she realized—even when exhausted by magic—he had pushed her forward, even if it ant pushing her away.
The internal affairs of the great noble houses were like natural disasters—impossible to endure.
But that man, with his indifferent expression as if nothing mattered, knew how to toy with people’s hearts.
If you underestimated a drizzle, you’d end up drenched.
Denise found herself naturally accepting the attitude of the man who took her by the wrist. A mocking smile crept across her lips, but she didn’t feel humiliated.
Sitting in that dimly lit art storage room, every ti that cold-hearted white-haired boy—who even ntioned the embarrassing drafts of her novel—blinked before her eyes, she couldn’t help but think:
It would feel empty without him.
“Ahaha.”
That’s why Denise smiled at Diella.
It wasn’t the polite, noble smile she had always shown.
“Ahaha… Hahaha… Ahahaha.”
It was a genuine, aningful laugh—almost mocking Diella.
Her eyes, as cold as Diella’s, sparkled with a threatening glint contrary to her angelic image. Even Diella, burning with rage, paused for a mont.
A small lioness had bared her fangs, demanding Denise give up Dereck.
Facing such an opponent, Denise spoke, still smiling:
“I don’t want to.”
At last, the thread holding Diella’s reason snapped.
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