Chapter 26

Shannon Quinlivan was undoubtedly a genius.

Even though she had just reached adulthood, she had already attained a level approaching the latter half of 5th-class or the early stage of 6th-class.

She was a versatile mage who could handle multiple elements with balance, and her choices of spells and how she linked them displayed a keen sense of strategy.

On top of that, she was clever enough to make use of the surrounding terrain.

Her skills were in no way inferior to those of active battle mages.

In the original story, she spent two more years honing her abilities and played a key role in the Winter Winslet subjugation campaign.

Had Shannon been born just a few years earlier, I might not have been able to avoid a hard-fought battle.

But that was not the case now.

Perhaps it was simply that she had the wrong opponent.

Or maybe it was fate.

Even if she had brought out all her skills, strengths, potential, and everything else she had, the current Shannon would never have been able to defeat me.

It had been decided from the very beginning.

Because that’s how it went in the original story.

***

– I once licked Winter Winslet’s shoe.

In the original game Candela of Judgment, if the player built up enough friendship with Shannon, an event would trigger where she shared her past.

Her duel with Winter was briefly mentioned at that time.

– I lost the duel and, to beg for my life, I lay flat on the ground and licked his shoe. Shamefully.

– But looking back now, I’m almost grateful. I was in a terrible slump back then.

– Wanting revenge against Winter Winslet…. that man became the catalyst for my growth. And it brought me all the way here. I got my revenge in the end, splendidly.

In other words, Shannon and I dueling, and my victory in that duel, was something that had been “destined to happen” by the standards of the original story.

The fact that the incident took place at the academy and that it coincided with the moment I had possessed Winter’s body, was unexpected.

Still, the moment I encountered Shannon in that first class when I confirmed that a death flag had been triggered by her, I became certain.

That Shannon, having lost the duel and suffered deep humiliation, would nurture her resentment and eventually come to kill me.

That was the true nature of the death flag she had raised.

If that was the case, then what I had to do was simple.

All I had to do was make sure Shannon didn’t end up licking my shoe.

Avoiding the duel itself? Not at all.

In fact, I encouraged it.

If it was going to happen anyway, it was better for both of us to get it over with quickly.

And if I could lay the groundwork to tame this genius mage who would become my enemy two years from now into an ally, it would be killing two birds with one stone.

That was the full extent of the plan I had devised.

And I was just one step away from success.

Shannon had fought hard in the duel, but every single one of her strategies had been neutralized by me.

Now, the only thing left was to force her to admit defeat.

“Shannon Quinlivan, admit your defeat.”

“…No.”

“You lost to me. Admit it.”

“I’d rather die!”

A voice full of fury.

So stubborn.

“Did you say ‘you’d rather die’?”

I extended my right hand to the side.

Crack, crack.

I felt the sharp thorns of ice grow into my grasp.

I brought the cold blade to Shannon’s neck.

“You know? People die more easily than you’d think.”

***

“No!”

A scream erupted from the audience.

It was Professor Sophia’s voice.

She had officially attended the duel for the purpose of providing emergency healing in case of injuries, but when she saw Professor Winslet appear to be about to stab the student in the neck, she jumped to her feet.

“Dean Kingfisher, stop the duel immediately!”

“What are you talking about, Professor Sophia? It doesn’t look like their fight is over yet.”

“If you have eyes, use them! Does that child look like she has any strength left to resist? This is nothing but one-sided violence!”

“I’m sorry, but that’s a rather rude thing to say.”

“What did you just say?”

“Aren’t you, Professor, perhaps underestimating Shannon’s potential?”

The dean’s reply was so ridiculous that Professor Sophia was momentarily at a loss for words.

Then Jonathan added,

“Professor Sophia, you’re serving as a visiting professor at the Theology Department, correct? Then what could someone like you possibly understand about magic? As the dean of the Magic Department, I know Shannon’s abilities best.”

“And what will you do if that child ends up seriously hurt?”

“Isn’t that precisely why you’re here, Professor Sophia? As someone known as the Saintess of the Church, your presence is reassuring. Hoho.”

Watching the smirking dean, Sophia was fuming.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“I told you already, I take full responsibility. Just sit back and observe quietly.”

He was not someone she could reason with.

No one knew what kind of underhanded, shady deals had taken place, but it was clear Professor Winslet had thoroughly won over the dean.

A bald man who had caved to power and temptation…. how disgraceful!

…While having such thoughts, Professor Sophia suddenly felt a sense of incongruity.

“Huh?”

Was the dean’s hair always this thick?

She was sure her first impression had been that he was bald…

No, that wasn’t important right now.

“Winter Winslet, just what kind of man are you…? Were your words back then….that you’d try nothing but a lie? Are you really about to commit another unforgivable act?”

At the tip of the ice thorn held by Professor Winslet, a droplet of the girl’s blood had formed.

Just a bit more….just one finger’s length deeper and it would be enough to take a life.

Sophia could no longer sit still and watch.

Even if it meant interfering in the duel, she was ready to rush in and save the student.

But just then—

Something strange began to happen in the training arena.

And not to Professor Winslet, but to the student facing him.

***

At first, Shannon didn’t even have time to feel ashamed.

When the literally cold sensation of death brushed against the back of her neck, she felt a wave of uncontrollable nausea for the first time in her life.

The fear that she might actually die.

That was the beginning of the panic.

He’s going to stab me.

That man. He’s really going to stab me.

He was the kind of person who could kill without the slightest hesitation, without a shred of remorse.

Her instincts were certain of it.

Because the look on Winter Winslet’s face as he gazed down at her from his position of victory was as devoid of emotion as someone inspecting a frog crushed under a carriage wheel.

With his long blond hair falling like a curtain over Shannon’s face, the man spoke without a hint of feeling.

“You know? People die more easily than you’d think.”

It was a clear threat—

There could be no other meaning behind it.

Then came a sharp sting.

Her nape began to burn.

Did it pierce her?

The blade?

How deep did it go?

She couldn’t tell.

No!

Shannon opened her mouth to scream.

But no sound came out.

Only a stinging nose, and tears and snot spilling down her face.

Her pant legs grew wet.

I don’t want to die! I still…!

Her mind cried out.

Her consciousness stretched thin, like a rubber band about to snap.

And then, at some indistinct moment—

It just snapped.

Something in Shannon’s mind snapped.

***

At first, I only meant to scare her a little.

That way, Shannon would quickly admit defeat.

The real Winter Winslet would’ve toyed with her over and over until she gave up in despair, but I didn’t have such a twisted taste.

But then, Shannon’s reaction turned strange.

Her pupils shrank, the color drained from her face, and soon her whole body began to tremble.

The ice thorn I’d pressed close to her skin had torn it, drawing blood.

The moment I hastily pulled the blade away in surprise, Shannon began making strange noises.

“Urghhk, grrk!”

It was a bizarre, suppressed groan.

At first, I thought she’d just burst into tears from fear—

But I quickly realized that wasn’t it.

Her body began to shake.

Like someone possessed in the middle of an exorcism, Shannon started convulsing.

Her joints twisted in all different directions as if she was trying to break invisible restraints.

“Gghrk, keh—!”

“Shannon Quinlivan, get a hold of yourself!”

Cold sweat ran down my face.

Did I… do something wrong?

But I hadn’t done anything.

Then it hit me.

“A doctor—no, a healer!”

In the Candela of Judgment, it was the clergy’s role to heal people.

Among the clergy of the Eternal Church of Aeon, those who manifested the power of healing were classified as Healers.

There had to be a Healer among the duel’s witnesses.

That thought finally hit me, and I turned toward the spectator seats.

“Grrrgh… Aaaagh!”

Shannon’s voice suddenly deepened.

And in the very next moment—

Shannon’s mana began to go berserk.

Whoooooooooosh!

A chaotic turbulence of magic surged out of nowhere.

It felt like standing next to the crater of a freshly erupted volcano.

The force of the mana caused physical disruptions, shaking the ground beneath me as if an earthquake had struck.

As I stepped back, trying to keep my balance, I saw the ice blade in my hand crumble into powder with a crackle.

It was the result of Shannon’s mana field surging violently into my space.

Even the skin briefly exposed to her mana stung with a tingling sensation.

There was no time to calmly assess the situation.

What the hell is happening right now?

The answer came almost immediately.

Ding!

[Warning]

[A death flag has been raised!]

Shannon had awakened with the intent to kill me.

Why is this happening to me?

Seriously.

***

Shannon stood on her own two feet.

Her whole body felt hot.

So this is what it means to feel your blood boiling.

But the heat didn’t last.

Soon, a cool sensation rushed in to take its place.

Surrendering herself to the cool sensation, Shannon became aware of something like a flow.

Something cold and vibrant was coursing through her body like a stream.

She instinctively understood.

This is power.

The kind of power that could smash through walls or let her soar across a chasm.

Magic. Mana. Magic essence.

The purest of elements.

With the right technique behind it, it could become anything.

It was potential itself now overflowing inside her.

She didn’t know why, but she had broken through.

She had shattered the wall that had imprisoned her, and she had grown.

She had become stronger. Immeasurably so compared to before.

She stood and brushed off the dust.

She clenched and opened her fingers a few times, then turned her eyes to her opponent.

The cold, blond-haired Winter Winslet.

Just moments ago, he had filled her with helplessness and fear. But now…

Now, I don’t think I’d lose.

Looking at this suddenly transformed Shannon, what was Professor Winslet feeling?

Surprise? Confidence?

She tried to read his gaze, but it was impossible.

Professor Winslet simply spoke, wearing the same calm expression he’d had since the duel began. An expression that hadn’t changed even once.

“Withdraw your mana at once, Shannon Quinlivan.”

“Why should I?”

“The duel is over.”

“Says who?”

Shannon was naturally furious.

After showing off his own power as much as he pleased, now he wanted to unilaterally call off the duel?

It was her turn now.

Professor Winslet spoke.

“You’re not in a normal state right now. Go to the infirmary immediately, get examined, and take some rest.”

“I know my body better than anyone. I’m overflowing with power right now. I feel like I can do anything.”

“That’s exactly what makes it abnormal. That power is beyond you.”

“Hmph.”

Shannon scoffed.

This power.

This state.

She could feel the magic down to each fingertip, each blood vessel, in such fine detail—

A sensitivity she had never achieved, despite having devoted everything to training over the past few years as a mage.

It was the realm of a 6th-class mage.

No—temporarily, it was even beyond that.

Just like someone standing atop a high mountain, intoxicated by the view spread out before them, Shannon was intoxicated by a sensation she had never felt before.

How long had she yearned for this level so desperately?

And now he was telling her this power was too much for her?

That her condition was abnormal?

Shannon could never accept that.

“This is your final warning. If you don’t listen to me now, you’ll regret it.”

“Your tongue’s awfully slick. Are you afraid you’re going to lose to me?”

“As if I ever would.”

“……”

What a man…. he really had a talent for getting under her skin.

Shannon spoke as if chewing over every word.

“I told you before the duel. If I won, you’d have to kneel and apologize. I’m going to make sure you do.”

“Shannon Quinlivan, you really are, from start to finish…”

His voice was low and smooth, and filled with arrogance.

But Shannon was confident that no matter what provocation he threw at her, she wouldn’t fall for it.

“Utterly hopeless. So foolish and ignorant it’s beyond saving.”

“What do you know!”

Clang!

A burst of energy exploded out from Shannon.

Her magic had reacted to the surge of fury that rose within her.

The next moment, Professor Winslet brought a hand to his cheek.

He rubbed it with his thumb, smearing a faint trace of blood.

Shannon’s eyes widened.

Did that… actually land?

It was the first time since the duel began.

The first time her attack had touched Professor Winslet.

No matter how hard she had tried before, she hadn’t been able to leave even a scratch…

But now, it was different.

Shannon reached up and touched the corner of her lips.

Sure enough—

She was smiling.

“I knew it… I wasn’t wrong. I didn’t do anything wrong… Now even Great-Grandfather will acknowledge me. I can see Mom and Dad again… Like all of it was just a bad dream… Everything will go back to how it used to be.”

Winter Winslet.

“If I can just defeat you!”

Shannon unleashed her full power and deployed her mana field.

It began to swell like a balloon, and in an instant, her mana field overwhelmed Professor Winslet’s.

A clash of power followed.

Judging by the resistance she felt, Shannon’s strength was now equal to or even greater than that of Professor Winslet.

She had injured him simply by releasing her mana. If she could channel that power into a properly cast spell, how much more destructive could it be?

With a sense of exhilaration, Shannon formed the hand signs.

And the moment she channeled her mana into the loaded spell—

Boom!

An explosion engulfed her.