CH 19

"You said it was just a mock battle..."

"Sorry, I got a little carried away."

"Don't go this far just because you're fired up..."

A few minutes later, I was lying on the ground of the training ground, breathing out a sigh and complaining to Edsel, who was lying on the ground beside me.

The sky above us is blue, and the clouds floating above us are white and beautiful.

But when you look down a little... you see a training ground that has become a mess. Fortunately, the buildings and walls are unaffected (I did my best to prevent this), but the ground is in shambles.

"Why do you have to cut the ground every time you fly a slash?"

"Because looks are important, too."

"You should care about how it looks afterwards. This is going to give the restoration team trouble again, isn't it?"

"That's what the restoration team is for."

This is the second time this has happened, and I'm truly sorry.

I can't... next time. In the first place, Edsel's fighting style affects the surroundings too much.

Maybe I shouldn't have made the mineral creation magic.

"And you were totally trying to kill me..."

"I told you I didn't mean to. I said I'd fight with the right level of strength for you."

"You're not trying to match me. If you were, you wouldn't be using anti-military magic in this situation."

"That's coming from the guy who effortlessly stopped it."

"You..." (TL: listen here you little...)

I was going to protest, my temples twitching, but I chose not to.

I know that nothing I say here will change his personality, and right now we're not the only ones whose voices can be heard.

I saw that Lady Sion and Fiona were about to head this way, so I should finish my request as soon as possible.

"Since you went along with the mock battle, you'll do what I ask, right?

"Yes. I'm going to reward you for making me fight so hard. What do you want from me?"

I sit up and explain the situation to Edsel.

"There's a certain noble who's been using curse magic."

"Curse magic? Why is that happening again?"

"Because Lady Sion over there was put under a curse spell and was unable to make a contract with a grimoire for several months."

"Oh..."

His eyes widened in disbelief, but once I nodded, his face changed color and he groaned mysteriously.

"I've never actually met her, and I'm surprised anyone would use curse magic in this day and age. And the curse you put on her, was that yours?"

"I tried to find a way to heal or break the spell, but it was completely useless. While I was searching for various ways, the curse was draining away her life force, so I used my lightning magic to forcibly eliminate it."

"I'm sure the lightning magic was extremely hard on her... If you make even the slightest mistake with your magic, you’d have been dead instantly."

"But I was the only one who could do it at the time and it was more difficult for Lady Sion than for me."

The pain caused by lightning running through the body is immeasurable. In fact, the electric current that I passed at that time is equal to the intensity used for torture. I really have nothing but admiration for her for enduring it, even if it was only for a dozen minutes. Because she has extraordinary mental strength and perseverance, I think that she will be able to overcome any wall that she encounters in the future.

"I suppose so. But I've never heard of lightning magic being able to remove a curse."

"There are probably very few people who have tried it, so there is no record of it. But theoretically, it's not impossible, and I actually did it."

"I don't know if that's a good idea either, because sometimes there's a lot to be learnt from the method."

"You can say that, but the most important thing is that what you want from me is something related to that? Find out who used the curse magic, or something like that."

"Similar, but slightly different."

I guess it's not too far off the mark.

It's on the right lines, or so it seems from the way the conversation is flowing. If it had nothing to do with this, it would have been just a chat.

"Yes, well, to put it simply..."

When Edsel heard my request, he nodded, "I see," and let out a wry smile.

"I'm not sure what to say, but if the princess and the young lady heard it, they would object with all their might."

"I know. But it's the quickest way. It's like exposing their deep pockets."

"What are the chances that the princess will give me a hard time for helping her?"

"I'll do my best to appease her. If that doesn't work, you'll have to use your trump card."

"What's my trump card?"

"There's a way to calm her anger."

I can't elaborate on what it is, but it's something that has a pretty good chance of working.

I don't think he wants to do it too much.

Edsel looked at me suspiciously, but in the end, with a sigh, he agreed and conceded.

"Well, to be honest, it's highly doubtful that I'll be there, but I understand. I'll be ready for you, so don't worry. You don't have to worry about the security of the palace either. If there is only one commander, the security is almost perfect. Call me when the time comes."

"I'm sure you will. So long, I'll be counting on you."

As I finished speaking, Fiona and Lady Sion came down to the ruined training ground.

"I'm not sure what to say. As a mage with the Book of Wisdom, you're not very mature, are you?"

"It is my policy not to give superiority or inferiority based on the rank of the grimoire. And besides, the princess thought there was no way Serel could beat me, didn't she?"

"Yes, of course."

"Then you should be grateful that I was able to get away with this, though. I'm not even close to getting serious yet."

"Edsel, if you're going to go any further, I'm not going to have any more mock battles with you."

"That's all I'm saying, and I'll keep my limit at this level. Don't worry, Princess. Neither of us is hurt."

"It's not that you're not injured, it's just that I was very careful not to injure you..."

Really, playing a mock battle with Edsel is exhausting.

It's just that they use a series of unique abilities without considering the difference in rank. I told him no, but he didn't listen to me.

It's a good thing that I'm not the only one who has a hard time with this.

"Couldn't you have been cleaner? You've got a lot of dust on your face."

"No, I can't afford to worry about dirt and getting dirty, can I?"

I said to Fiona as she wiped the dirt from my face with a damp handkerchief, and she laughed and said "Idiot".

"Handkerchiefs are originally used to remove dirt. You're using it for its intended purpose, so there's no problem."

"Yeah, but I mean, thanks..."

"You should have said that in the first place."

"Yes. So, Lady Sion..."

"Oh, yes!"

I called out to Sion, who looked somewhat nervous.

Well, I guess it was a little too stimulating for her first visit to a real battle.

"I'm sorry. I really wanted to show you how he uses simpler magic, but as you can see... he's a bit of a weirdo."

"Hey, is this all my fault?"

"Shut up. It's not like he can handle magic at this level right from the start, of course. You just have to grow slowly and steadily. You are the one who was able to make a contract with the Book of Wisdom. I'm sure you can become a mage that surpasses even Edsel."

This is not flattery or anything.

Her capacity and growth potential are excellent. She has a lot of latent magic, and above all, she is hardworking. She is also a very quick learner.

There is no doubt that she has a promising future.

"...That was amazing."

She looked at us with envy and expressed her impressions with shining eyes.

"I've seen mages engage in mock battles many times, but I've never seen such a powerful, high-level mock battle! I learned a lot from the magic I had never seen before, and even the magic I had seen before was being used in ways I had never seen before. I want to be like you two someday.."

"I'm sorry, but I don't want Lady Sion to become like Edsel. I want you to have more self-control and common sense."

"Hey! I was born into a prestigious family!"

"You're just saying that because you were born into a noble family and don't have any dignity."

"Damn! You're a terrible friend!"

I laughed at Edsel, who turned away, and turned to Lady Sion again.

"I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm one of the best magicians in the kingdom, regardless of my character, so you can learn from me when you have time. Of course, I'll have to bring you as an escort."

"Yes!"

"This seems to have been a good inspiration for Sion. She's got a bright future ahead of her."

"Yes, it is."

I'll make sure that this young mage who will be responsible for the future kingdom doesn't act with the same flippancy and intensity as Edsel.

I'm sure she'll be fine, though.

After that, the repair team rushed to the training ground, complained to Edsel, and fixed the ground of the training ground.