Chapter 49

EP.49 Aria Learns - 3

As Aria's eyes began to gleam with jealousy, Eileen knelt down and smiled like an adult at the sight of the kneeling Leonardo.

“Do you know me?”

Leo, with his head bowed, answered with his gaze lowered.

“How could a person immersed in magic not know the mage of the Temperius family?”

Temperius Family

A magical lineage, often compared to the Reinhardt family of heroes, which stands at the pinnacle of the magical world.

If one were to judge solely by the achievements of the entire family, they could be considered on par with the Sages.

[Temperius?]

<Yes, yes. Think of them as a hero family of mages.>

[Hmm... I know that family. That guy, he did manage to have descendants, after all.]

Just how far did the Sage's network of connections extend? It was enough to make one wonder if the Sage existed even when the gods created humans in the heavens.

[But it's strange. Even so, that guy?]

<Why? Is there corruption again?>

[Not corruption, exactly. A mage from the Temperius family was my friend. His name was... Caelen.]

Caelen Temperius

A person whom any mage, especially one who had read even a line of the official textbooks of the Magic Tower, could not fail to know.

If the Sage laid the foundation of magic, it could be said that Caelen laid the cornerstone of magic.

<Is that strange? Since he was a famous mage, it's natural that he would have successors.>

[But that guy confessed to me.]

<.........Really?>

As far as I know, Caelen Temperius is...

[That's right. He's a guy, and he confessed to me.]

<...Ah...er...um...>

It felt like he had forcibly uncovered a dark history that should not have been revealed in human history.

[If he transformed into a woman to bear a child, that would be fine, but it gave me the creeps, so I rejected him.]

<Ah...yes...>

Unfortunately, there was now even more reason to keep the Sage's existence hidden.

This secret must be kept, especially for the sake of the young master who bears the glory and pride of that family.

“Is something wrong? You look pale.”

Given that he now knew the secret of a noble family's lineage, it was unrealistic for Leonardo to maintain a calm expression.

“Ah...nothing. Rather, what is this sparring...?”

First, he needed to change the subject. For the sake of his mental health, he needed to forget what had just happened.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but the word 'sparring' piqued my interest.”

As the topic shifted, Leo stood up and faced her.

“If it’s not too much trouble, may I request a sparring match with you first?”

Aria, watching this, cautiously bit her lip.

‘Don’t accept it... refuse! Leo! Refuse...!’

“There’s no reason to refuse such an honor. I accept.”

Aria’s hopes were thus shattered.

***

[But really, are they going to fight? She seems to be around the 6th Circle.]

As the Sage said, Eileen Temperius was a 6th Circle mage, on par with Gladius, the head of the Reinhardt family and a 6-star warrior.

Considering her age, Eileen’s skills were not something the Sage could easily dismiss.

<That’s why it’s meaningful. I need to know how far my current strength extends.>

But such a threatening fact only fueled Leonardo’s competitive spirit. By nature, Leo was inclined to enjoy combat and sparring.

[Right. I also want to see what Caelen’s descendant is like.]

<...Ah...um...yes...>

Under normal circumstances, it would have been a simple response, but the shocking secret he had just heard left Leo with a grim expression.

To clear his mind, Leo put on the sparring equipment.

“Are you ready?”

The supervisor of the sparring arena, seeing the equipment Leo had put on, asked for confirmation.

“Yes, I’m ready.”

“Then let’s begin. Come out.”

Following the supervisor’s words, Leo transformed the black stone bracelet into a sword and walked onto the arena.

“You seem ready.”

Standing in the arena was a woman in a black suit, holding a large staff that visually conveyed her status as a mage.

“I’ve faced a few self-proclaimed magi-knights before.”

“How was it?”

“Terrible. As a knight and as a mage.”

That was the nature of a magi-knight.

If they were devoted to martial arts, they would inevitably be weak in magic, and vice versa.

Even if they distributed their efforts appropriately, a magi-knight’s skills would ultimately be mediocre because they divided their efforts between two fields.

“I hope you’re different.”

“I’ll try my best.”

But Leonardo was different.

“Match start!!”

With the referee’s call, Leonardo charged. Although it was a frontal attack, it was more accurately described as a surprise assault.

“Gah...!”

Clang!

The magic shield that blocked Leonardo’s thrust was a testament to her quick response, as her reaction time was impressive even considering the brevity of his charge.

Boom!!

But Leonardo’s strike was too powerful to be stopped by a hastily erected magic barrier, and he followed up with a continuous attack.

[Tempest Blast]

To stop his continuous attack, Eileen launched a wind projectile. If it collided head-on, Leonardo would be destroyed, and he couldn’t slice through the wind with his sword.

‘...Defend...!’

Leo also deployed a magical barrier for defense. However, the wind cannon easily shattered his barrier.

“Ugh...!!”

Despite being a 3rd Circle spell, its power exceeded Leonardo’s. If he hadn’t quickly transformed the black stone into a shield, he would have suffered fractures.

“You react quickly. Impressive. You’re better than others, both as a knight and as a mage.”

Eileen had no choice but to acknowledge Leonardo’s skills. An ordinary mage would have been unable to react to his thrust and would have been hit.

Even if she had blocked the wind magic she cast earlier, the shock would have made it impossible for her to stand.

“Let’s see more.”

Eileen smiled. The joy of finding an opponent who could push her to her limits after a long time made her unleash her full potential.

<Lightning Lance>

<Wind Burst>

<Hell Flame>

A triple casting of spells, a standard method to prevent overload by mixing weak and strong spells, and even in the mixing process, she appropriately combined the spells to enhance their synergy.

This was something that could not be countered with magic alone or martial arts alone.

[Stone Skin]

Therefore, Leonardo calculated his best counterattack. The rock magic that manifested covered his skin, transforming his body to resist lightning and heat.

And the stance he prepared was the optimal form for a cutting attack.

•Cutting Technique 2nd Form: Vertical Slash

The sword strike, accompanied by wind pressure, split the high-powered magic in half, scattering it to the left and right. While the split magic was still dangerous, the Stone Skin’s protection allowed him to barely withstand it.

“...Huff... Huff...”

Panting heavily, Leonardo adjusted his grip on his sword.

“Amazing. No 3rd Circle mage could have blocked that attack.”

“I’m not just a mage. And...”

Using his sword as a support to rise from his crouched position, Leonardo continued.

“...I didn’t completely block it.”

While a high-defense Iron Skin could have absorbed the shock, it couldn’t have blocked the lightning magic.

So, the second-best option, Stone Skin, allowed him to withstand the attack but didn’t provide perfect defense.

[Are you okay?]

<No... If I get hit with something similar again, I won’t be able to block it the same way.>

He would collapse from mana and stamina exhaustion before that.

“I want to test you further.”

She dissolved the magic array she had prepared for her attack. Confused by this mysterious action, Leonardo and the audience looked at her with puzzled expressions.

“I’ve seen it before, but your sword technique is similar to the Eastern Three Treasures Sword Technique.”

Three Treasures Sword Technique (三才劍法)

A basic and fundamental low-level martial art consisting of three moves.

Because of this, it could serve as the foundation for all martial arts.

As she said, the advanced form of the basics was a technique that Leonardo had developed, inspired by the Three Treasures Sword Technique.

“If so, there should be a third technique. Show me that technique. It would be a shame to end it here.”

The word "test" was the most appropriate.

By giving him the opportunity to attack, she was telling him to use his full strength.

“...Since you’re giving me the opportunity, I have no choice but to accept.”

Leonardo lowered his body, assuming a stance like a leopard.

<Lightning Acceleration>

Lightning fell all over his body. A 3rd Circle improvement of Lightning, a physical enhancement magic.

Now, Leonardo’s movement and reflexes surpassed even Aria’s.

“...You said the Three Treasures Sword Technique? Be prepared for more.”

What he was about to show was not limited to swordsmanship.

“Ho...!”

Finally, Leonardo took his stance and prepared his technique.

•Throwing Technique 10th Form: Aimed Throw

It was neither a thrust, a block, nor a swing.

In an instant, the lightning that extended from his body transformed into a spear.

“...This is...!!”

Eileen quickly reduced her shield to a single point. She had expected a sword technique, a close-range attack through a charge.

But what Leonardo drew was a spear, and more specifically, a long-range thrown attack.

‘...But it’s not unblockable.’

While unexpected, the thrown spear was not particularly threatening. By concentrating multiple layers of shields, the thrown spear...

‘...There’s no spear...?’

There was still more to come. The spear that flew was not a transformed black stone but a lump of lightning left over from the Lightning magic.

“Then...!”

Eileen looked around for a response. Finding no sign of Leonardo in front or behind her, she looked up.

‘...From above...!’

Leonardo, who had leaped into the air, held a black bow, with an arrow made of rock magic nocked on the string.

“I never said it would be a single strike...!!”

•Shooting Technique 9th Form: Aimed Shot

In mid-air, a rain of arrows poured down. While the power was weak, a single hit would be a humiliation for Eileen.

“Bold.”

[Tempest Blast]

The rain of arrows scattered in the wind. The wind’s impact then headed towards Leonardo.

“...Not yet...!”

Transforming the black stone back into a shield, Leonardo charged into the wind.

•Striking Technique 7th Form: Direct Punch

The 7th Form, a direct punch technique, but with the shield on top, it could also be used as a parry.

The wind’s force rebounded, and Leonardo accelerated his descent.

“...With this...!”

He concentrated aura on the edge of his other hand. While not as effective as a thrust with a spear or sword, it was now a hand blade capable of piercing steel.

•Thrusting Technique 6th Form: Hand Blade Thrust

The defense barriers were broken one by one. Thorough as she was, she had surrounded her body with at least five layers of defense.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

One layer, two layers, the defense barriers crumbled before the hand blade. The remaining distance was less than two arm lengths.

“...Huff... Huff...!”

Despite his best efforts, Leonardo’s attack did not reach her.

“Excellent.”

The hand blade attack had indeed shattered all the defense barriers.

However, the layered barriers had deflected the attack by gradually changing the angle, causing it to miss completely.

“The only flaw was the lack of mana to use magic and...”

Eileen countered with her staff, deflecting Leonardo’s attack.

“...Your overconfidence in close combat because I’m a mage.”

The heavy staff was also useful as a blunt weapon. Her staff techniques were sufficiently skilled to counter the exhausted Leonardo.

“But your skills are rare among our family’s mages and Reinhardt’s knights. Considering your age, such talent is almost non-existent.”

She caught the falling Leonardo with one arm and said,

“I’m impressed. That’s enough.”

Holding the unconscious Leonardo, she continued,

“I’d like you to be my subordinate from now on. There are many people here, so let’s move to a different location.”

Eileen instantly formed a teleportation magic array and moved herself and Leonardo.

Aria, witnessing this, drew her sword with a menacing aura.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Eileen’s teleportation was faster.