C93: Magic Duel (1)
âGasp! Let go of me!â
Ivan Luke opened his eyes to the intense pressure on his wrist and tried to shake off his arm.
âWow, what kind of power is that?â
His hand doesnât budge. As such, Rudgerâs grip was stronger than he could have imagined.
Evan, who thought that the wizards were a group of people who only read books, was shocked.
âHey, arenât you going to let this go? You donât know who I am?! Do you want to lose your teaching job right now?!â
âIf you can.â
There was a slight shadow on Rudgerâs face as he looked down at him.
âTry it.â
âThis, thisâ¦!â
âLetâs stop there.â
It was Ivanâs attendant who intervened between Rudger and Ivan. Rudger stared at him and looked around with a sidelong glance.
Before he knew it, security guards stood around him as if they were surrounding Ivan. The attendant stared at Rudger with a gloomy gaze.
âStop there and let go of that hand. Otherwiseâ¦â¦.â
âOtherwise, what do you intend to do?â
Rudger asked back in a blunt voice.
The moment the attendant was about to say that he would regret it his voice didnât come out properly. He gulped and felt a cold sweat running over his forehead.
âThis guy. Heâs out of the ordinary.â
He thought he would win if they fought. Although Rudger is a teacher at Theon he is a professional wizard directly employed by Luke.
Now he is bowing his head to a kid, who is much younger than him, and he is constantly swearing, but his skills are inferior and he canât do anything.
âThis look. This spirit. I feel like my bones are freezing even though Iâm simply facing him. Is he really a new teacher?â
The aide changed his mind when he saw Evan huffing while trying to step back. He couldnât back down from here.
Even if Ivan Lukeâs is a jerk, he is the chairmanâs only blood. Although Ivan does not have the ability to inherit his legacy, and the President also did not show much affection for Ivan, he was still treated like a blood relative. Thatâs why he was looking after him.
The three bodyguards were even made up of members of the Knights Academy.
âYeah, we wonât lose.â
However, the only thing that bothered him is that the location is not good. If there was a quarrel on a dark road with no one around, he could just deal with it quietly, but this a banquet hall full of people.
All sorts of distinguished guests were watching the situation with interest.
âAlthough it is said that the character of the master has already spread throughout the society, if we try to suppress the situation here with force, the image of the group will be severely damaged.â
Itâs embarrassing and annoying, but in the current situation, he had to deal with it as best he could.
The assistant finished his calculations and started talking.
âLetâs stop here. If we start fighting in this location weâll hurt other people.â
ââ¦â¦.â
As the assistant said as gently as possible, Rudger let go of Ivanâs hand. Barely freed, Ivan grabbed his throbbing wrist and licked his lips.
âHey, you bloody fallen aristocratâ¦â¦!â
âYoung master, letâs stop here. There are a lot of eyes on us right now.â
The aide intended to end the situation as much as possible before Ivan did anything but when he tried to persuade him to stop Ivan slapped him on the cheek with all his might.
âHey, you punk. I told you to call me Director.â
ââ¦â¦Iâm sorry, Director.â
âAnd, uh? My arm. Canât you see this? You want me to step down after all this? Do you want to get fired?â
ââ¦â¦No.â
Suddenly, the atmosphere began to take a strange turn. The assistant sighed inwardly as he saw Ivanâs bloodshot eyes.
It seemed that the situation could no longer be solved through conversation.
âDo you think I should just let it slide in front of people like this? Huh? Answer me.â
âNo.â
âNo, right? Right?
Ivan glanced at Rudger with eyes full of hostility.
âHey, youâre done. Iâll make sure youâre fired on the spot. You know what? I keep my word.â
Ivan Luke is a director of the Luke family, and under the protection of the chairman, he is a troublemaker, but the weight of his power was never light.
It was nothing to cut a new teacher if Luke, who gives Theon a huge amount of funding every year, was determined to put pressure on it.
Rudger, who was watching the scene from beginning to end, wondered what was going on. Originally, he should have quietly left his seat and started searching for the First Order but Ivan ruined his plans.
âThere are a lot of eyes around, but it doesnât seem like anyone will stop me.â
Rudger was just thinking about how to do this when someone intervened.
ââ¦â¦President?â
Theon President and genius wizard Elisa Willow wearing a black dress full of long frills appeared naturally at the breathtaking scene with an innocent smile.
âAre you here to help me?â
When Rudger had a curious expectation, Ivan Luke was already annoyed and when a new interrupter appeared, he stared at Elisa with an expression as if he wanted to eat her alive.
âWho are you?â
âMe? Iâm the president of Theonâ
âWhat?â
Ivan looked at Elisa slightly bewildered. Heâs heard of Theon president, but itâs the first time he actually saw her, so he didnât recognize her right away.
A young woman like this is the president? Ivan rather thought it was good.
âHow did you educate your teachers?â
âEducation? What education?â
âThat fallen aristocrat has used violence against me!â
People who watched the situation would not have called it violence, but Ivan believed he was a victim.
Elisa asked Ivan again, still smiling.
âSo?â
âSo what? Fire him right now. If you want to continue to be sponsored by Luke, youâd better.â
âLuke? Ahhhhhhhhh. You were the son of Chairman Luke.â
As if Elisa understood, she clapped her hands and nodded.
Ivan smiled around, thinking that someone he can communicate with has come.â
However, Elishaâs following words made his face collapse.
âSo?â
âHuh? Didnât you hear me now? Lukeâ¦â¦.â
âThe owner of Lukeâs company is Chairman Theodore, right? So why is it that you decided that on your own?â
âAlthough I am a director, I am the only son of President Theodore, you know? I have enough power to decide.â
âOh, really? So have you discussed all this with your father?â
ââ¦â¦.â
The remark left Ivan speechless.
There is no way that he could have talked with his father since he got angry and shouted without thinking.
âOh, my father would feel the same way. Iâm his son. Donât you know that?â
âOh, really? Thatâs a relief.â
âWhat do you mean by relief?â
âThe chairman just happened to be here!â
ââ¦â¦What?â
Ivanâs face turned stupid.
The chairman is here? No, it canât be.
âA lie like that wonât workâ¦â¦.â
âWouldnât it be better to see for yourself if I lied or not?â
Elisha said so, and moved slightly aside.
Ivan was able to find a person spreading a strong presence beyond the crowd obscured by Elisa.
A white-haired old man was standing on his cane and staring at him.
âHuh!â
Ivanâs face was as pale as a sheet of white paper. He was running wild without knowing the meaning of the word âafraidâ, but he couldnât stand up to his father.
âOh, father?â
âYou useless fellow, I told you to go and build a network, but what are you doing?â
âThatâs not itâ¦â¦.â
âStop making excuses. It was troublesome that I entrusted this task to an idiot like you.â
Chairman Theodore Luke stared at Ivan angrily and bowed his head toward Elisa.
âSorry, President Elisa. My stupid son did this on his own.â
âItâs fine. On the contrary, there are not many people who dare to step forward like that to me these days, so it felt a little fresh.â
ââ¦â¦Thank you for saying that.â
Theodoreâs gaze soon turned to Rudger.
He was quite displeased with the situation. Even if Ivan made a mistake in the first place, there was no way he would have been able to admire a man who almost had a fight with his son.
It was then that Elisa suddenly intervened.
âOh, but I think Iâve been a little harsh on your son.â
âPresident Elisa? Now itâsâ¦.â
âSo Iâd like to give you a chance. Now we are going to end the situation neatly between the parties.â
ââ¦â¦.â
Theodore read something in her manner and immediately shut up and it was the same for Rudger, who was watching the situation.
âI was relieved that the president intervened.â
The president secretly glanced at him. The corners of her mouth were flinching as if she could not bear the entertaining situation.
âI think sheâs a little fickle.â
The fact that she has that kind of personality is something Iâve come to realize from meeting her several times.
Iâm thankful that she mediated the situation, but the president seemed to want to lead the game in the direction she wanted.
âThe two of you will compete in front of everyone. What do you think?â
At those words, the eyes of the audience watching the situation lit up as if they were interested.
What she said was simple. A duel.
âOf course! Ivan doesnât know magic, and Mr. Rudger is a wizard, right? In that case, it cannot be an equal match. So I will give Mr. Ivan a chance to choose someone to fight in his place.â
Ivan didnât understand why Elisa suddenly said this but then he stared at Rudger, clenched his teeth and nodded.
âAll right! Thatâs what I wanted!â
Elisa tells him that he can use people, so he seems to think itâs worth a try.
While he was thinking Elisa looked back at Rudger as if asking âWhat do you think? Can you do it?â
Seeing it, Rudger sighed inwardly.
âBut I canât say no.â
It was Elisa who calmed down Ivan, who was about to run wild, no matter what anyone said. Besides, the method of duel wasnât bad for him either.
If he forces the situation to end vaguely, Ivan will have bad feelings for him for a long time and act behind the scenes. However, if they have a duel in front of everyone and come to a clean conclusion, then the story will be different.
Even the chairman is watching, so even Ivan canât go on a rampage afterwards.
âNo, heâs just confident heâll win.â
I will not retaliate for my defeat in a duel in the presence of so many eyes and if Ivan tries to do something, Theodore, the chairman, wonât let him.
âIâm sorry, Mr. Rudger. Because of me.â
âNo. itâs okay.â
Rudger shook his head at Selina, who was sorry.
âEven so, I felt that I needed to be in this position at least once.â
âWhatâ¦â¦?â
âThereâs something like that.â
In no time, the center of the banquet hall was emptied, and a large space was created.
The audience, who retreated outside, stared at Rudger with interest. Among them was contempt for Rudger coming from his enemy Chris Benimore.
ââ¦â¦In the end, this is how it goes.â
Ivan chose his assistant as Rudgerâs opponent. Although heâs an assistant he is also a skilled wizard and a person who once served in the military.
âIâm not going to hold back.â
He pulled out a cane from his waist and aimed it at Rudger. Rudger answered with a shrug and lifted a large cane in his hand.
Everyone watched the scene breathlessly.
A duel between a professional wizard hired by Luke and a new teacher appointed at Theon was a special event that they couldnât see anywhere else.
âNow, show us a legitimate match! Begin!â
The observers were President Elisha and Chairman Theodore Luke.
At the same time as Elisaâs cry, Ivanâs aide quickly started casting a spell. He wanted to end it as fast as he could since it was the best he could do for a talented junior, as a senior on the magic path.
âI will finish this as quickly as possible without wasting time.â
The most important things in a magic battle are speed of casting and accuracy. In fact, the way he fought was to cast quick spells and immediately overpower his opponent.
He also made significant contributions thanks to these abilities when he joined the military, and the reason why he was hired by Luke after his retirement was because of that.
He had been through this kind of duels many times in the past and always won so he thought this duel will be just like those in the past.
âWhat?â
The moment he was about to unleash his magic he saw that his opponent manifested a much greater amount of spells that swallowed down his magic like a tidal wave.
He didnât even had time to respond.
ââââ!!!â
What followed was excruciating pain running through his body and he fell back unconscious.
ââ¦â¦.â
ââ¦â¦.â
The surrounding area became quiet in an instant.