Clang—!
A thunderous roar echoed through the arena.
The aftermath was so intense that several Orcs watching the fight staggered.
“Ku, Kro…!”
Huger, who had blocked the King’s Superhuman Strength, spat out blood.
Blood spurted from the hideous wound opened across his chest.
However, he did not let go of his axe.
Gwang, gwang, gwang!
Huger’s axe repeatedly swung upward and fell again and again.
Krokta parried each of those mindless axe strikes one by one with his twin axes.
A sense of joy overflowed onto his face.
He was incredibly happy that the rookie Orc burning with fighting spirit before his eyes was a sprout with such potential.
“Indeed, it would be a waste to kill you!”
If he grew his strength in Titan like this, he would surely become a warrior who could threaten Krokta’s own life.
Just imagining that future made his blood boil.
“Youngster! See if you can endure this!”
Krokta’s twin axes tore through the air.
Caught in that trajectory, a red calf was sliced open.
***
Huger put all his strength into his leg.
He had squeezed his muscles to the extreme to prevent the limb from being severed.
It was a serious injury that might have left him living with a prosthetic for the rest of his life if he had been unlucky.
However, Huger used that instead as an opportunity to plunge his fist into Krokta’s face.
Crack.
“H-He hit him—!!”
The spectators, who had been cheering endlessly, leaped from their seats.
Even among the Orcs of Titan, such a being who fought in that manner was rare.
No, in the first place, the only Orcs who could succeed in landing a single blow on the King were the current Marshals.
“Huger! Huger! Gwirrrk!”
“Huger! Chwi!”
They began to chant Huger’s name once again.
***
“He won’t die, then.”
I deactivated my Divine Sight and recalled the arena of Madness I had just observed.
The single blow that succeeded at the end.
That was essentially what saved Huger’s life.
Since so few challengers had succeeded in landing a blow on the King until now, there was one rule most people didn’t know.
“If a challenger succeeds in attacking even once, they must be spared.”
That was the law Krokta had set for himself.
As expected, he was a King who could not be understood through a Human way of thinking.
Anyway, now that Huger’s safety was guaranteed, I exhaled the sigh of relief I had been holding back.
“Huger, you crazy bastard!”
This crazy Orc had turned my concerns into reality.
What? You’ll tell me about your heroic deeds?
A fire rose up inside me.
If my Saint’s Aftereffects hadn’t ended, he would already be a dead man.
Because I wouldn’t have been able to watch over him with Divine Sight or grant him protection.
I closed my eyes and calmed my heart.
Though it was perilously dangerous, the result was that Huger would survive.
Furthermore, since he would be rising to the position of Marshal, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“Whether it’s Alan or Huger, why are they all so reckless?”
It was as if they had spare lives stashed away somewhere.
Frowning and muttering, I instinctively scanned the room.
If Aaron or Gide had been here, I felt like I would have been nagged that I was in no position to talk about others.
“Ahem!”
I let out a fake cough for no reason and left the room.
When I arrived at the lakeside where Alan had set himself on fire, Alisa Marx welcomed me.
“You’re late. Being tardy from the very first day… your attitude isn’t right.”
“I’m sorry. Something I had to handle urgently came up.”
“Well… I’ll let it slide today.”
Standing with her arms crossed, her gaze turned toward one side of the lake.
Traces of charred black grass were there.
“Alan is recovering smoothly. He’ll wake up soon, so don’t worry too much.”
“Whew, why on earth did our youngest do such a thing…”
Alisa Marx had already heard from Pyran how Alan ended up lying there.
After showing a confused expression for a moment, she looked at me.
“Let’s stop the small talk. I have one thing to ask before we begin your training.”
“Ask me anything.”
“For what purpose do you intend to use Magic? Do you want Magic for protecting? Or do you want destructive Magic that is useful for striking down enemies?”
It was a question where it was hard to infer the underlying intent.
To protect, one must strike down the enemy, and to do that, I must not be struck down before the enemy.
In other words, it meant both types of Magic were necessary.
Why was she asking this?
“Are you perhaps talking about… the pursuit of justice?”
Alisa Marx shook her head.
“You are already a Knight of great caliber. To bring Magic up to the same level as your swordsmanship will take a significant amount of time and effort. Therefore, you will need Selection and Focus even among the spells you will learn.”
Only then did I realize.
As expected of a Wizard who raised a brilliant genius like Alan, she was asking me an important question.
“That’s true. To implement it in actual combat quickly, I have to give up what needs to be given up.”
The types of Magic are countless.
Attack Magic like Fireball, protective Magic like shields, and besides those, healing, tracking, Curse Magic, and so on.
If categorized in detail, they could fill half of a thick book.
Ordinarily, those who dream of becoming an Archmage should learn all Magic broadly.
But I had no interest in the realm of an Archmage.
“I don’t need healing Magic, and I certainly don’t need Curse Magic.”
Faith was a more than excellent healing agent and buff, and for one who had accepted Demonic Energy, it was the best Curse, so I wasn’t very interested in Magic inferior to those.
“You will likely choose attack and protection. Since you can supplement everything else with your special power.”
Alisa Marx saw right through me.
I didn’t know if that was thanks to her having personally experienced the Divine Power or because of her outstanding insight.
“First, I think it would be good to use Magic that is easy for fast casting to assist my swordsmanship. Especially destructive Magic can be learned once I reach the 5th Circle.”
“Yes. You’ve thought well. For your information, the Eye of Laplace can only be learned once you reach at least the 5th Circle.”
The 5th Circle was at the level of entering the high-ranking stage in terms of a Knight’s cultivation.
It was the same principle as Aura being the exclusive property of Knights, and 5th Circle Magic being its equivalent for Wizards.
“Well then, shall we begin?”
***
With a gesture from Alisa Marx, dozens of spells embroidered the air.
They were the three elemental spells of the 1st Circle that Richard had shown before.
Swoosh—!
Ten flickering Firebolts flew through the air with threatening sounds.
Ice Bolts and Lightning Bolts were the same.
“Try to hit and destroy my Magic with Magic of the same element.”
She gave Richard a task.
The provocative smile hanging on the corners of her mouth clearly contained the thought—it won’t be easy.
“Even if I’m going to teach you in a fast-track manner, I have no intention of teaching you half-heartedly.”
Selection and Focus.
What Richard and Alisa Marx pursued deviated greatly from the standards of ordinary Wizards.
It was because the prevailing Belief was that such utilitarian training would inevitably result in a shallow depth of achievement.
However, Alisa Marx was confident she could raise Richard into a Wizard no less capable than an Archmage.
As long as she had judged him with the eyes of omniscience that saw through even the Soul, it didn’t seem like it would harm Richard’s growth at the very least.
At that moment, Richard manifested Magic.
Swoosh—!
Brilliant white fire arrows shot out into the distance.
Alisa Marx’s Firebolt, which he had set as his target, had already darted away.
“Hmm.”
“You’ll have to put in a lot of effort.”
The Magic Alisa Marx manifested moved quickly.
It was a speed far too fast for a novice who had just created a Ring to hit.
Just as she was about to chuckle, wondering how long it would take him to hit even one…
Bang—!
A white fire arrow accurately detonated Alisa Marx’s Firebolt.
“Uh…?”
Crackle, crackle—!
Following that, an Ice Bolt and a Lightning Bolt exploded in mid-air.
“U-Uh…”
Gradually, the intervals between the sounds of Magic being destroyed narrowed.
Richard’s eyes sparkled sharply.
“Trait – Hyper Focus activated.”
At the skill that exceeded her expectations, Alisa Marx swallowed her groan.
It wasn’t that she dared to underestimate a Swordmaster’s dynamic visual acuity.
However, just as being an Archmage didn’t mean one was an expert with a sword, she didn’t believe a Swordmaster would be skilled at handling Magic.
Bang—!
The fire arrows shot from Richard’s Ring swerved sharply, piercing through Alisa Marx’s Magic.
‘Even Alan struggled quite a bit at this stage…’
To think that a guy who just learned Magic could curve the trajectory of a spell.
Richard turned his head toward Alisa Marx, who stood with her mouth agape in bewilderment.
Then he said with a grin.
“I’m all finished.”
Before long, the Magic that had embroidered the surroundings had all vanished.
Richard glanced at the scene of destruction and cheered inwardly.
“Curving the trajectory of 1st Circle Magic is much easier than handling the Four Stars.”
Whether he should call it good luck or not.
For Richard, who already handled the Four Stars, 1st Circle Magic was at a level that wasn’t very difficult.
“Master, shall we increase the training intensity a bit more? To show off a bit to that friend Alan, this won’t be enough.”
Snap.
The veins on Alisa Marx’s forehead bulged.
To think a disciple dared to try and surpass the teacher’s pace.
“Haha, let’s do that.”
She nodded her head, wearing a dangerous smile.
If a result that exceeded her expectations came out this time as well, she was thinking of giving him a reward.
***
“Richard! Your one and only Master has arrived!”
Vallach shouted as he leaped down from a Star.
At the sight of the Elder falling right into the middle of Riot Castle, the soldiers let out cries of surprise and fell on their backsides.
“Hmph! Your Master has arrived, yet you don’t even come out to greet me!”
“Who are you! State your identity!”
A soldier thrust a Lance toward Vallach, who was clicking his tongue.
It was the Spearman, Hans.
“Ho ho, what a bold soldier. I am the Master of the fellow you people call the Saint.”
“Yes…?”
“So, is Richard here?”
It was Avart who came running quickly to answer Vallach’s question.
“Sir Vallach! The Saint has already left for the Southern Continent…”
And then he handed him a note.
As Vallach read the letters, his face began to darken rapidly.
[Master. As we agreed, I have become able to handle the Four Stars.]
[But once again, you haven’t shown so much as a single hair of yours.]
[This disciple got tired of waiting and is leaving to find a new Master.]
[If you have anything to say, please come to the Laplace Kingdom in the Southern Continent.]
[P.S. If you come empty-handed, this disciple will go into hiding.]
Tremble, tremble.
Vallach’s hands shook.
“F-Finding a new Master…?”
He was only a little late due to circumstances.
Yet this heartless disciple had already left to find another Master.
“No!”
He climbed back onto the Star.
The sharply honed Star pointed toward the Southern Continent.
“You rascal! Don’t you know the saying that the bond between Master and disciple is eternal! I even went through the trouble of procuring a rare Artifact for you!”