Chapter 71

Duke's Magical Genius - Chapter 72 (71/324)

72

Iris.

Over the past month, her attitude towards the people around her had changed beyond recognition.

The magic contract.

This contract had been strongly controlling her tendencies towards arrogance, contempt for the weak, and extravagance.

After signing the contract.

For about a week, she suffered from almost constant stomachaches.

But aren't humans creatures of adaptation?

Gradually, the frequency of her stomachaches began to decrease, and recently, she found herself naturally showing a gentler demeanor without even being conscious of it.

The significant change in her.

It wasn't just the servants who began to feel satisfied with this change.

The Duke and Duchess, and even her two brothers, Myers and Riman, sometimes looked at her with surprised expressions.

Iris.

She, too, had noticed the changes in the people around her.

From the servants starting to greet her more comfortably than usual, to the gradual improvement in their relationships as they naturally engaged in conversation.

'This isn't so bad.'

At first, she really hated it, but the more time passed, the more she began to enjoy this change.

'Kyle Seltarion.'

He had said he wrote the magic contract for her sake.

He could be evaluated as a person with a completely different disposition from the other noble children she had seen so far.

When they first met.

Although she had shown a 'slightly' picky attitude first.

'Just' because of that, he had insulted a girl like her, and as soon as the Duke arrived, he immediately tattled and even smiled slyly.

That day, she learned for the first time that when anger rises to the top of your head, your thoughts don't function properly.

'I really hated him.'

How dare he.

Just a 1st Circle Mage.

Arrogant.

What a despicable and vile person!

Is someone like that even a man?

Until just before the duel, she had only imagined Kyle, that annoying noble boy, face-planting and collapsing pitifully.

Her perception completely changed during that magic duel.

She thought he was all talk.

But that expectation shattered into pieces after the duel.

The power of his magic, the casting speed, and even the way he handled it.

She was no match for him.

The result was too clear.

Outwardly, she still claimed that if they had another duel, she could win.

But deep down, she thought he was an unbeatable monster.

So she was frustrated.

She had never thought she would cry in her life, but at that moment, she was so angry, so wronged, and so heartbroken that tears flowed uncontrollably.

All the negative emotions.

They washed away in an instant because of one reason.

'...He's just too handsome.'

It was because of his appearance.

The way he looked at the dinner table.

His appearance, when he was all dressed up, was so different that she thought her first impression of him was nothing.

Too handsome.

All her negative emotions were completely reversed at that moment.

"The young lady is quite similar to her younger self."

"It felt like it wasn't just someone else's business."

"Effort can change one's nature."

'I... said I wanted to change.'

There must be more to it than just that reason for him to teach her such a powerful magic.

Iris, recalling Kyle's face, blushed and smiled.

'He must have a crush on me.'

No matter how she looked at it, the decisive reason for teaching her the magic was that.

Her sharp mind was running wild with imagination.

'Well, he's a decent guy, at least.'

Now, she thought she could accept her father's proposal with a good feeling.

But that good feeling lasted only until this morning.

The Duke, who called her early in the morning, began to speak with a serious expression.

"Helena. I heard that Kyle Seltarion won the official magic competition held there."

"Magic... official competition?"

"Yes. They say he revealed five spells. Revolutionary spells that no one had ever seen before. Could those... be the magic formulas you're learning from him?"

At this, Iris clenched her fists.

On the surface, it was because he had spread the magic formulas she thought he would only teach her.

But the real reason was different.

She and Kyle.

The only connection between them felt like it had broken.

She bit her lip and looked at the Duke.

"...I'm going."

"Where to?"

"To the Duke's house."

"Now...? The deadline hasn't... arrived yet."

"I need to go right now. Can I use the Gate?"

"...The Gate?"

"The magic formula. I need to ask him about it quickly. I wrote the contract to learn it."

The Duke's expression darkened at Iris's words.

Kyle Seltarion.

I never thought this kid would release his magic formulas to the world.

Since it was such an excellent formula, I thought he would keep it hidden, so I didn't include a clause.

It was a mistake.

The Duke, looking at Iris with a stern expression, nodded heavily.

"...Alright."

Since his daughter was already bound by the contract and he hadn't violated any of its terms, there was nothing he could really protest about.

Still.

He couldn't just sit idly by.

"I'll contact the Duke. And I'll assign Cullen as your bodyguard. He can protect you."

Cullen.

One of the Expert-level knights in the Duke's household.

Thus, her trip to Trasden was decided a bit earlier.

* * * * *

Iris.

The kid entered my room with a rather angry look and started glaring at me.

"...The hybrid activation method. You revealed it, didn't you?"

That's what this was about.

I immediately understood why she was angry.

Monopoly.

It was because of that issue.

Of course, that was problematic.

The mages of the continent.

I needed to enhance their power as well.

"Yes, I revealed it."

"Even so...! Ugh!"

The kid, who bit her lip at my calm response, soon clutched her stomach.

"Calm down a bit. Think three times before you get angry. I'll explain everything."

A moment later.

The kid, who seemed to have recovered from her stomachache, relaxed her furrowed brows and looked at me.

"...What are you thinking?"

"It's simple. I plan to release this hybrid activation method to the world 'slowly.'"

"...Huh. But you made a contract with me."

"Listen. I made a contract with a Duke's family."

Iris's eyes widened at my words.

"You mean the Hamilton Duke's family?"

"Yes. I plan to leave the Viscount's family soon and establish a Magic Tower."

"...A Magic Tower...?"

"Yes. The successor is already half-decided, and my dreams are a bit bigger. In a way... I don't want to just live as a vassal of the Viscount's family."

"...Independence."

Looking at the kid, who was staring at me blankly, I continued.

"Of course, I plan to maintain close communication with my family, but that's the basic idea. The contract is part of that plan."

"Probably about the activation method, right?"

"You catch on quickly. In exchange for support, I agreed to supply one spell to the Duke's family every month. These spells will be publicly disclosed to all mages within six months."

"...Isn't that too much? One spell a month means you're planning to supply spells to other sides besides me...?"

Since the conversation was getting long, I thought I should cut it off here.

I looked into the kid's eyes.

"Miss."

"...What? Why did you suddenly cut off?"

Her face was quite red.

It seemed Kyle's serious expression was quite effective.

It was good for me.

Thanks to that, I could continue the conversation more smoothly.

"I didn't make the contract to deceive you. The reason you're angry is because you thought you could have a monopoly on my magic, right?"

"..."

Her puffed cheeks at my words indicated that I was right.

"Let's get to the point. The monopoly remains the same."

"How is that possible? One spell a month means you can practically make all the spells...!"

"Why is that all of them?"

The moment I answered,

Iris's eyes filled with surprise.

"...What?"

"Did I ever tell you that I would only make one spell a month for you?"

"No... no matter how fast... it takes time to create a new activation method..."

"It does take time, but the speed varies, doesn't it?"

It seemed she understood something, and her eyes gradually filled with shock.

"Could it be...?"

"That's right. And the spells I give to the Duke's family and the ones I give to you will be different. For example, if I give a 1st Circle spell to the Duke's family..."

Whoosh!

The moment a giant fire arrow appeared in my hand, her eyes went blank.

"...Fire... Arrow?"

"The spell I'll teach you can be a 2nd Circle spell like this. Or, if not, at least a different type of spell of the same Circle. That's the idea."

The contract we made.

There was no explicit mention of a monopoly in the contract.

So, I hadn't violated the contract or wronged the Duke's family.

But human feelings don't work that easily.

If I didn't properly explain this, a rift would definitely start to form between me and the Duke's family.

Since I made the contract using their daughter as collateral, if they think I didn't fulfill the content properly,

'Before I even establish the Magic Tower, my enemies will increase.'

Especially with the Nelron Duke's family, a respected family in the east.

That would be very problematic.

It would be like setting up landmines on the path to my destination before I even started.

So, I needed to convince her now. I needed to make her realize the great benefits she would receive from this contract.

I revealed a 2nd Circle spell for that reason. If I just said the type was different for a 1st Circle spell, she might have rebelled.

Human relationships can break down from small cracks.

'I need to make her understand properly from the start.'

How much benefit she would receive from making a contract with me.

"...It's a 2nd Circle...?"

Her wide eyes.

She must have been quite surprised.

"Yes."

"...When did you...?"

"Not long ago."

"This Fire Arrow... it's clearly different from a regular spell... Could it be... also hybrid...?"

"Yes. And this spell is the one I'll teach you today. Isn't this a pretty good contract?"

"Will you only reveal 1st Circle spells to the Duke's family?"

"For now, yes. And in the future, to you as well."

I looked at Iris and said confidently.

"I plan to teach you many more spells that are different from what I reveal to the Duke's family. How about it? Are you a bit more satisfied now?"

At that moment, I smiled at the kid with the purple ponytail.

Her face turned bright red.

If this is the reaction,

It seems I've passed the test, right?