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“Is that him?”

Celestine answered in a low voice,

“Yes, Mother.”

To Celestine’s left, a woman too young to be called a mother smiled playfully.

“So this is the man who caught our Celine’s attention for the first time. He’s not bad looking.”

“…Mother!”

“Oh my, it was a joke. Why are you so flustered?”

“It’s not like that.”

Celestine was showing an unusual demeanor.

She was not used to her mother making such jokes. The woman, as if finding her reaction amusing, spoke again.

“I think the man in the back row looks a little better.”

“I told you it’s not like that!”

“Ho ho.”

The woman stifled her laughter and looked back at the man in the audience.

“Interesting. He looks quite young. Are you sure he’s the one?”

“Yes.”

“He seems frivolous, but he has confidence. Indeed, confidence is important for a man.”

Celestine suddenly felt that her mother’s reaction was different from what she had expected, so she said,

“…He’s different from his appearance.”

The woman replied with a smile,

“That’s why your mother took the time out of her busy schedule to come here. I couldn’t help but be curious about the man who flustered our Celine so much.”

Celestine nodded inwardly. If she hadn’t said anything, her mother wouldn’t have visited this place.

Of course, the same went for Celestine. The shock she felt from the man a while ago kept coming back to her.

Celestine shook her head and whispered softly,

“I’m curious too. Back then, it felt a bit excessive… but now that I think about it, maybe not.”

The woman’s expression turned a bit serious.

“Intuition is like that, Celine. You said you felt intimidated? That’s different from simple strength. My intuition reacts to the presence of others. Let’s see how much our Celine’s eye has grown.”

The woman, relaxing her expression again, looked at the audience. Her eyes held a hint of expectation, even though she thought it was an exaggeration.

“The timing seems appropriate, so now would be good.”

“Yes, Mother.”

The woman turned her head.

Libre and Goisen’s friendly duel had ended, and Balkan was standing up and talking about something.

As soon as the woman tapped the table, Balkan stopped talking and looked this way.

“…Do you have something to say?”

As if waiting for this, Celestine raised her hand.

“I want to duel too.”

Balkan looked at Celestine with a slightly flustered expression.

“Are you talking about a friendly duel?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

Balkan, who was momentarily flustered, soon changed his expression and replied,

“Of course not. I was just surprised. Do you have an opponent in mind?”

Balkan looked in one direction with an expectant gaze.

He probably thought Celestine was interested in Libre’s skills.

The audience was also filled with anticipation, wondering if they would get to see the skills of the Death Sword Guild’s swordswoman.

However, Celestine only stared intently at a single man on the other side of the audience, who was rubbing his sleepy eyes.

“I want to duel with that person.”

“Pardon?”

Celestine mentioned the man’s name.

“Sir Ruin of Samael.”

“…”

A brief silence fell over the audience at the unexpected challenge.

The man, who had been making eye contact with Celestine for a while, grinned.

* * *

‘This is interesting.’

I changed my mind.

Originally, I had no intention of facing any of Urgon’s youngsters today, no matter what kind of provocation they made…

But with the Ardehain clan, it was a different story.

There was no reason not to face them. In a way, it was an opportunity.

An opportunity to offset whatever scheme Balkan had in mind.

I happened to glance at Balkan, and his expression was quite unpleasant, as if he had bitten into an unripe persimmon.

‘This is worth watching.’

If things went well, I could create a situation where Balkan himself would become desperate.

That’s what it meant for me to receive the attention of a vassal clan.

Moreover, if the opponent was truly a direct descendant of the Ardehains.

If they were true to their nature, priding themselves to the point of comparing themselves to a noble lotus flower.

At the very least, it would be difficult to find any connection to Urgon’s dirty intentions.

Therefore, I…

…was going to face Celestine properly.

There was nothing to hold back. Moreover, the reason Celestine challenged me was clear.

‘It must be because of what happened back then.’

I stood in the arena and faced Celestine.

“It’s been a while.”

“Indeed. You don’t seem very surprised.”

“I had a feeling we would meet again.”

Celestine stared into my eyes and said,

“I don’t intend to blame you for what happened that day, so I hope you won’t misunderstand. I just wanted to confirm something.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Celestine narrowed her eyes and said,

“Honestly, I’m a little surprised. Anyway, I intend to do my best this time, so surrender if you feel it’s dangerous. You must have heard who I am.”

I replied with a meaningful smile,

“Whether it’s the Death Sword Guild or something even greater, it doesn’t matter. Do you think I’ll be afraid of a noble clan?”

As I relaxed my posture, Celestine said with a look of wounded pride,

“You’re incredibly arrogant. Let’s begin.”

Peeeeeek— With the sound of the whistle, Celestine drew the flexible sword from her waist without a moment’s hesitation.

However, she didn’t immediately launch an attack, but carefully examined me. She was trying to see if I was deliberately revealing a weakness.

I carefully observed the handle at the end of the flexible sword that Celestine had drawn.

The pattern of the handle, revealed between her fingers, looked familiar.

‘I was right.’

Celestine’s figure blurred for a moment. At the same time, I felt a chilling presence close by.

As soon as I turned my body to the left, a thin blade grazed past my waist.

Wheeeeeng—

As I turned around with my mana circle open, Celestine opened her mana core at the same moment and faced me.

A thread-like heat haze emerged from the tip of her flexible sword. It was the same form as the one I saw at Kris Beer.

“How chilling.”

“Give it your all.”

With a whooshing sound, Celestine sprang towards me.

It looked as if the tip of her sword was stretching out in a straight line.

I cast “Wind Barrier” and then charged head-on, but at the last moment, I soared high into the sky.

Crack—

Something like a white ray of light pierced through the Wind Armor and swept past under my feet.

“…”

Celestine tilted her head with a somewhat disappointed look. It was as if I had fallen short of her expectations.

“Was I mistaken?”

I once again checked the energy surrounding the tip of her flexible sword.

White sword energy enveloped the tip of the blade.

‘She said she would do it properly, and she meant it.’

Showing even partially materialized sword energy meant that the mana in her core was concentrated at the tip of the sword without a single gap.

Indeed, she was worthy of being an Ardehain swordswoman.

It was the typical form of a well-trained 4-star knight.

I said with a smile,

“Try attacking again, then.”

Celestine leaped diagonally, and the white sword energy on her flexible sword surged.

“Armor that confines the wind, Wind Armor.”

I manifested a powerful Wind Armor through a formal incantation and concentrated it entirely on my right hand. Feeling the wind armor fully enveloping my right hand…

I struck the flexible sword that was plunging down from the air with my right hand.

Clang—

“Ugh!”

Celestine was pushed back all the way to the end of the arena.

I instinctively looked at her and parted my lips. There was something I had to say at a time like this.

“This is the Crazy Mage.”

Celestine, whose mana was scattered by a single blow, looked down at her flexible sword with a dumbfounded expression. The mana inside was shaken, causing nausea, and her wrist holding the flexible sword trembled.

As a brief lull ensued…

I looked around the audience and checked people’s expressions.

The monkeys were staring at me with blank faces, and the expressions on the Urgon side were no different.

Libre also jumped to his feet and stared at me, and Balkan’s eyes were quite wrinkled.

They didn’t seem surprised just because I used an incantation. Cliff must have already told them about it.

Perhaps the reason they were making such dumbfounded expressions now was…

…because the magic I manifested had neutralized the sword energy. It must have been something they couldn’t understand with their common sense.

I glanced at Elder Parin, who had a particularly intrigued look in his eyes, and then fixed my gaze on the woman slightly to his left.

Now that I saw her, she was unusual.

She was just staring at me, but I felt a greater presence from her than from Elder Parin.

‘Who is she?’

Just then, I heard a buzzing sound and looked at Celestine to see the tip of her sword trembling subtly.

“…I wasn’t mistaken.”

I looked at the vibration of the blade and suddenly let out a chuckle.

“I’ll be serious, so surrender if you feel it’s dangerous.”

As expected of a daughter of the Ardehain clan. That competitive spirit was also a characteristic of the Ardehains.

As the vibration of the sword tip towards me intensified, with a whooshing sound, the tip of the sword approached as if it were alive.

I kicked off the ground and leaped away, concentrating “Wind Armor” in my right hand and striking the blade once again.

Clang—

It was different from before. Celestine’s eyes narrowed as if she had anticipated it.

The blade bent completely, and then the elasticity of the sword tip, springing back up with the recoil, fluctuated ominously.

But it wasn’t only Celestine who had anticipated this situation.

As I immediately lowered my waist and deflected the sword strike, the white sword energy extended backwards, taking over the space.

Celestine and I, who had clashed as if crossing each other, faced each other again from the opposite side.

“This is fun.”

“Fun?”

Celestine had an incomprehensible expression, as if I had read her swordsmanship in advance.

But I couldn’t help but know.

The vibrating sword tip, like a snake’s tongue.

The white sword energy fluctuated along the vibrating sword tip.

Although it was clumsy…

I couldn’t mistake the origin of the move that Celestine had just performed.

The essence of Ardehain swordsmanship, which utilizes the opponent’s strength against them.

The Ardehain Flexible Sword Style.

Since Celestine had revealed herself to be a direct descendant, I should show her some respect.

“I told you to give it your all.”

Celestine, biting her lip tightly, poured all her mana into the flexible sword. The white sword energy became even denser. It was clear that she was exerting all her strength.

I recalled the Ardehain swordswomen of the past. Compared to them…

“Definitely clumsy.”

Wheeeeng—

I opened all five circles and faced Celestine. I extended my middle finger towards Celestine, who was running towards me with a heavy posture.

‘Penetration, Piercing Wind.’

As soon as the wind bullet collided with the sword energy, Celestine’s eyes lit up. She gripped the flexible sword with both hands, then split the wind bullet completely and rushed towards me.

Celestine’s pupils were filled with joy, then in a split second, filled with bewilderment.

“…Huh?”

Faaang—

“Ugh!”

A hidden wind bullet split the sword energy and struck Celestine near her chest.

Celestine, who hadn’t felt any mana fluctuations, was hit directly in the chest while defenseless and went flying to the end of the arena, crashing down.

With a loud boom, debris from the platform flew into the air.

“…”

Silence fell once again.

As I closed my circles and slowly approached, Celestine looked up at me with a pained expression.

“How… I didn’t feel any mana fluctuations.”

“Because there were two.”

“I only felt one, when…”

“Of course.”

“What?”

“There were two from the beginning.”

“…”

I didn’t cast the spells consecutively, but simultaneously.

No wonder Celestine didn’t notice.

The flower of the 5th circle.

Multiple magic manifestation.

Every time a circle increases, mana resonance doubles. No one here expected me to cast two 4th circle spells at the same time.

Celestine looked at me with an uncomprehending expression, then lowered her head.

“…I lost.”

Since she had such a dumbfounded expression, I kindly pointed out the problem.

“You should still learn something from this. You were quite clumsy at the end.”

Celestine, raising her head again, narrowed her eyes and replied,

“What was clumsy about it?”

“Don’t swing a flexible sword like a heavy sword.”

“…That’s…”

Celestine made eye contact with me for a long time with a strange expression, then suddenly, as if something had occurred to her, she flinched and averted her gaze.

———