C94: Magic Duel (2)
Iâll try to post 1 more chapter later.
The audience didnât understand what was going on at all. The duel, which they thought would be a long and fierce battle, ended too quickly with a one-sided victory.
âIs this possible?â
âI heard that the other person is a professional hired by Luke.â
They stared at Rudger in disbelief. From before and until now, Rudger had never changed his cane-raising posture. His expression also didnât change as if it was natural to win.
âWinner! Rudger Chelici!â
Elisa Willowâs bubbly voice signaled the end of the duel.
The atmosphere of the banquet hall, which was filled with silence and surprise, finally returned to its original state.
Clap. Clap.
People began to clap their hands one by one. Just as water droplets fell on the calm water surface and caused a stir, the sound of applause spread like a contagious disease and filled the entire banquet hall.
Clap clap clap clap clap, clap, clap, clap!
âWhat a surprise! Is this the power of a Theon teacher?â
âThe wizard hired by Luke isnât ordinary but he was defeated so easily.â
âWhat the hell were those spells just now? What a quick magic manifestation! I didnât even see him casting the spells.â
âWas the rumor of using an unusual magic true?â
Contrary to what I expected, the duel itself didnât feel like it ended too quickly. Still, for an impromptu event, it gave quite a lot of enjoyment, so the audience was satisfied.
âOh, my God, thatâs amazing.â
Theodore looked at Elisa smiling as if he knew this would happen next to him, and said.
âThe aide I gave to my son was a famous wizard, but he was beaten up in an instant. Are all of Theon teachers such monsters?â
âHa ha. No way. Actually, Mr. Rudger is an exceptionally unusual person.â
âHmm. Right. I donât think there are more people like him. I wonder if thereâs anyone worse.â
âIâm sorry for being a worse person but I was able to show him that way in front of everyone.â
Theodore smiled and shook his head.
âI was worried about nothing. Itâs my fault for having an incompetent son. It was a fair duel, and I will accept this defeat neatly.â
Having said that, he looked at Ivan, who was still sitting on his seat with a blank expression on his face as if he still couldnât believe his defeat.
âThat stupid fellow wonât even accept it and will go wild, but you wonât have to worry about it. Iâll step up and block everything.â
âAs expected, Chairman Theodore. Itâs nice to talk with you.â
âSo I want to ask you a favor.â
Elisha shook her head like a knife as Theodore Luke tried to speak.
âYou canât.â
âI havenât said anything yet.â
âYou want me to introduce you to Mr. Rudger, right? Well, you donât have to say that. Iâm sorry, but please refrain from reaching out to our teacher.â
ââ¦â¦Huh. If you say so, thereâs nothing I can do.â
At Elishaâs subtle warning, Theodore was forced to raise his hands and declare his defeat.
Rudger is clearly a person who is coveted, but he judged that he was not enough to offend the president of Theon in order to make a relationship with him.
Theodore is a big hand who has a huge impact on both the political and business world of the empire, but there were a few people who he could not even touch carelessly and Elisa Willow, the woman in front of him, was one of them.
âWell, it would be shameless of me to bring it up.â
Theodore said so and glanced sideways at the entrance of the banquet hall.
âBut I donât know what they would do.â
ââ¦â¦Thatâs right.â
Elisha followed Theodore at the entrance to the banquet hall, and her complexion slightly hardened.
Unwelcome faces were seen entering the banquet hall.
* * *
âOh, my.â
Seeing Ivan Lukeâs aide stretched out in front of my eyes, I was somewhat perplexed. I thought he was a good-looking person, who would have known that he would fall in vain like this?
âHe said that he was strong, so I was serious.â
I was a little worried because I didnât know what kind of magic my opponent uses. Surprisingly, however, he was a wizard who excelled in rapid magic. The most important thing in a duel between wizards is the speed of casting.
Considering that part, the man in front of me could be seen as a talent that specialized in one-on-one duels in a way, and was close to a first-class talent. Thatâs probably why he said heâd deal with me confidently.
He must have been convinced that he could defeat me with his special skill.
âBut why use that against me?â
This was why I was dumbfounded.
Iâm not bragging, but even if a wizard of 5th rank or higher came, I could keep up with the speed of casting magic due to the source code.
As far as third-tier magic is concerned, I can show a speed that I can beat anyone.
At this point, I was embarrassed to the point that I thought he came out to lose on purpose.
âDid he not know?â
I deliberately spread rumors while showing the source code magic openly in the first class, but donât people know by this point?
Nevertheless, the fact that he bet on speed, I had to say that the person in front of me didnât know the magic I used. No. Even if he knew, he didnât believe it was real like many other wizards around the world.
âIt doesnât matter that I won.â
The fallen assistant was carried away by Lukeâs bodyguards.
Ivan, the culprit of all this, was still stunned, unable to believe that he had lost the duel.
âThisâ¦!â
He soon looked at me and clenched his fist but he couldnât scream like he did a little while ago and I also realized that his gaze was over my shoulder.
âAre you Rudger Chelici?â
I slowly turned my head to look at the owner of the voice. It was
an old man with a long white beard stood with a cane.
He was an unusual old man. It was because everyone was wearing stylish suits and dresses, and he was wearing a robe.
It wouldnât be strange to be kicked out for not following the dress code by the guard who stood at the entrance right away. However, if a logo symbolizing a specific organization is embroidered on the robe, then the situation is different.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âAre you from the tower?â
âOh, you can see it right away.â
The old manâs eyes lit up at my words and he chuckled.
Having a logo symbolizing a tall tower contained in a gold circle on his robe of course I knew the old man in front of me was a wizard from the tower.
Even the foolish Ivan Luke was aware of the existence of the Tower, so he stayed in his place.
âSo why did you come to see me?â
He didnât even come alone because behind him were five other wizards.
âI saw the duel a little while ago. The opponentâs spell casting was quick but you were much more than that. Iâve never seen anyone cast their magic so quickly in my life.â
âIs that so?â
âIs that the rumored [source code] magic?â
I was wondering why you came here, was it because of this?
I nodded because it was nothing to hide anyway.
âThatâs right.â
âOh! I see! I knew it!â
The old man reacted like a child who found a great toy. His wrinkled face suddenly showed a strange reaction, and I frowned unknowingly.
I asked in a slightly curt tone.
âSo why did you come to see me?â
âOh? Oh, my. Come to think of it, we didnât even say our names to each other, did we?â
Far from answering my question, the old man immediately began to introduce himself.
âMy name is Altego Dantes, and I am a member of the Tower Council.â
ââ¦â¦Iâm Rudger Chelici, a teacher at Theon.â
âI know. I went to this humble place myself in the first place to meet you.â
A humble place? But this is a banquet where VIPs gather, so I think itâs too much.
âMe?â
âI was going to visit Theon in person, but who would have thought that the wicked fox would interfere and sabotage me in every way?â
Rudger immediately knew who Altego was talking about.
âOh. Isnât it Chairman Altego?â
Because the person in question, came out with a smile on her face.
Altego frowned outright when he saw that she came.
âElisa Willow. I canât believe Iâm seeing you all in a place like this. Is it okay for the president to be in this? Youâre so light-hearted, why donât you step down?â
âWell, what brings you here, Chairman? You said that you donât fit well with fancy events where you have to be formal.â
âDo I have to tell you that? Iâm just here because I have someone to meet.â
âAha-ha. The chairman is very honest. Are you here to see our new teacher?â
The presidentâs mood, which had been playful until now, had become sharp from the moment she met Altego.
âA young genius wizard like the president must be like water and oil with the stagnant and rotting Tower Council.â
The council is a symbol of the old generation and the president is a symbol of the new generation who accepts change and wants to develop further.
âBy the way, this isnât a very suitable place for someone like the chairman to come, right? Did you come here to get something to eat?â
âA wicked fox like you should not block my path. The reason I came here has nothing to do with you.â
Having said that, Altego tried to ignore the president and spoke to me.
âI wonât be able to talk for long anyway, so let me be straightforward. Why donât you join our Tower? I promise Iâll give you the best treatment.â
âChairman!â
President Elisa screamed and I was also surprised by Altegoâs blunt remarks. His behavior now was very rude but Altego continued, ignoring the reactions around him.
âShould a wizard your size just waste his talent teaching a bunch of kids? When I first heard the rumors about the source code, I was skeptical, but after seeing the duel a while ago, I was convinced. You are a talented person suitable for our tower.â
ââ¦â¦.â
âI will write a letter of recommendation myself. If you come to the tower, you can occupy a particularly high position.â
Judging from his reaction, it seems that he had tried to contact me before, but he was stopped due to the constant interference from the president so he decided to come to the banquet for new teachers.
âItâs a good thing for you, too. You wonât have to waste your time teaching some little kids. Would those young bastards even know what magic is? But the tower is different; itâs the place where every wizard on the continent wants to join!â
Altego talked excitedly about the tower.
The summary of what he said was the Tower itâs the best and everything else is trash. He was really arrogant, but in a way, he was not too wrong. The majesty of the tower was definitely something he could be proud of.
I paused for a moment, pretending to think about it, and then opened my mouth.
âIf I were to go to the tower, what could you do for me?â
âOh.â
âMr. Rudger?â
Altego knew this would happen but President Elisa couldnât believe it.
âHaha! What do you want? Do you want a lot of money? The amount of support that comes into the Tower every year is second to that of Theon! I donât know how much they give you, but we can give you at least three times that!â
ââ¦â¦.â
âOr do you want power? If you come under me and submit a magic thesis, youâll win the position of chief wizard directly under the Council! Or do you want a great artifact? I can give it to you if you want to!â
âIn that case.â
I brought up the subject.
âIf I ask for a seat in the Tower Council will you give it to me?â
âWhat?â
Altegoâs face contorted for a moment. The same was true of the five wizards who were lined up behind him and listening to the conversation. They soon realized what I was saying and turned hostile.
ââ¦â¦What does that mean? You want a seat in the Council?â
âYes.â
âAre you crazy? When you enter the tower, you need to know how to say âthank youâ. We even give you money! But a seat in the Council? Do you not know what kind of position that is?!â
âI know very well.â
How can you not know?
âIsnât it a place for old people who donât have skills?â
ââ¦â¦Are you serious? Or are you drunk and donât know what youâre saying?â
âIâm wide awake.â
âAre you out of your mind?â
Altegoâs face changed to that of a dove that had been shot. He glared at me and gritted his teeth.
âItâs not enough to dare to reject the Tower offer and blaspheme the name of the Magic Tower? Are you still sane? Now that youâve developed a new magic, have you ever mistakenly thought that youâve become something?!â
The old man, who had been chatting happily until a while ago, was nowhere to be found. Altegoâs forehead was filled with blood, and his face was red.
âThere are things that should be said and things that shouldnât be saidâ¦â¦!â
âI guess I put it in a difficult way.â
âWhat?â
âSo hereâs what Iâm talking about.â
I looked down at the old man in front of me and said.
âNo matter what you give me, I wonât come to the Tower.â