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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Sparring with the Archmage
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Damn it!
This blasted imperial training ground wasn't made of dirt but some special material, so it was impossible to scratch.
*Hah, those damn magitechnicians. They made it way too sturdy.*
The playground at Stella Palace was the same—built so sturdily that it couldn't be scratched, which made it no fun at all.
*Regent Jetar was the one who ordered that, wasn't he? Did he do it just to mess with me?*
Jusielia narrowed her eyes.
Anyway, I wish all those obnoxious magitechnicians would just go bankrupt.
Jusielia cursed the magitechnicians as she stared down at the completely unscratched floor of the training ground.
Just then, Ekiel’s gentle voice reached her.
“Jusie, you can attack first.”
Lifting her head, she saw the most powerful young mage in the Rilberg Empire standing there without any defensive stance, holding out his hand kindly.
Jusielia scoffed.
“Hah! Chaa!”
I may be a White Tiger cub, but I'm the fiercest predator on land!
Claude underestimated me yesterday and paid the price!
Jusielia summoned blue flames along the ground and, with a growl, charged toward Ekiel.
*You're dead, pretty boy!*
Ekiel carefully observed Jusielia rushing toward him, along with the blue flames that enveloped her.
“So you’re immune to those blue flames, Jusie? Don’t you feel the heat?”
“Hmph! Of course not!”
“Then how about my fire?”
Red flame magic erupted from Ekiel’s hand. The flames took the shape of an arrow and shot toward Jusielia, carried by wind magic.
“What’s this? Fire cooler than my blue flames is useless against me! I’m immune, so it has no effect~”
Jusielia swatted away the arrow flying toward her and continued her charge at Ekiel.
“You’re right. Blue flames are hotter.”
Ekiel nodded in acknowledgment and then grinned.
“So you shouldn’t use flame magic, right?!”
Jusielia picked up speed and lunged at Ekiel.
As she got close, Jusielia encircled Ekiel with her blue flames.
*Fwoosh-!*
The blue flames flared high, forming a circle.
“Yes!”
Jusielia took a great leap, pouncing toward the surrounded Ekiel.
She was thrilled.
Finally, she could smack that smug face of his…
“Huh?!”
Jusielia was bewildered.
Ekiel, who should have been trapped in the prison of roaring blue flames, had vanished without a trace.
There was nowhere to hide within the one-meter radius, so Jusielia extinguished the blue flames and looked around.
Soon, she heard a gentle voice calling to her from behind.
“I’m over here, Jusie.”
“What?”
She whipped her head around to see Ekiel standing with one arm behind his back. He gave a casual wave with his free hand.
Seeing him smile so prettily, his eyes curving gently, sent a shiver down Jusielia’s spine.
*Ah, teleportation magic.*
Ekiel had pulled it off effortlessly in that brief moment.
Jusielia had overlooked just how vast the difference was between Claude’s and Ekiel’s magical abilities.
*Still! Not even a second passed!*
A cold sweat broke out on her front and back paws.
It was truly incredible.
Teleportation was a very special supernatural ability, even among beastmen.
She had heard that only beastmen from the wolf clans, blessed by the four great Divine Beasts, were born with it.
*Ekiel and I are on completely different levels!*
The moment she saw Ekiel’s teleportation magic with her own eyes, Jusielia was certain.
She could never win.
Jusielia came to a cold, hard conclusion.
At least, not right now.
She didn't know how it would be once she was a full-grown adult and stronger, but right now, she was too weak.
So, what should she do?
Jusielia glared at the strong, infuriating young mage-emperor with his placid smile, her mind racing.
*How can I get him to upgrade my access magic stone? Ekiel said he'd judge based on my skills... It seems impossible to even scratch him. Maybe if I just rip his clothes?*
If winning was impossible, she had to at least show Ekiel some potential.
Having made her decision, Jusielia nodded.
There was likely no mage or knight who could defeat the empire's greatest magician.
*Unless it was Dad.*
Grumbling inwardly, Jusielia conjured dozens of small blizzards.
It would be great if she could create a massive blizzard like in her dream, but that was still impossible.
*First, I’ll tear Ekiel’s clothes with this!*
Jusielia shaped the blizzards into sharply honed blades and surrounded Ekiel with them.
She had tried this once before against Xaviet, so now her control was more precise, and the speed at which the blizzard blades spun was faster.
Even if he tried to teleport away quickly, it wouldn't be easy to dodge them all.
“Ah.”
And yet, Ekiel showed no sign of panic.
It was Jusielia, instead, who frowned.
*Why... why is he acting like that?*
With a benevolent smile, Ekiel looked at the blizzard blades surrounding him and raised a hand as if to touch one.
“So it’s a blizzard.”
“It’ll hurt if you touch that, you know.”
Though his actions felt dismissive, Jusielia growled a warning, afraid that Ekiel might actually get hurt.
But Ekiel paid her no mind and reached out toward one of the menacingly whirring blizzard blades.
“You think so? It does seem cold and sharp, just like you, Jusie.”
*Am I cold and sharp?*
Jusielia tilted her head at Ekiel’s assessment.
*Ugh, whatever! I warned him!*
Since it had come to this, Jusielia decided to attack Ekiel for real and focused on spinning the blizzard blades.
*Advance!*
At her command, the dozens of blizzard blades, shedding cold snow, spun fearsomely and rushed fiercely toward Ekiel.
Just before they reached Ekiel, Jusielia prepared to use her blue flames in case he tried to escape with teleportation magic.
But this time, he didn’t use teleportation magic.
Ekiel, who had been watching the blizzard blades’ movements until the very end, actually reached out and caught one.
“Gasp! Ekiel!”
A shocked sound escaped Jusielia’s lips.
She thought his fingers would be severed.
But Ekiel was completely fine.
Unconcerned, he channeled his mana into the blade he held.
A golden magic circle spread out from the captured blade, and one by one, Jusielia’s blizzard blades evaporated.
Jusielia watched this scene, her jaw dropping in disbelief.
“Huh…”
Her blizzard blades had all quietly vanished without tearing a single thread of Ekiel’s clothes or even grazing his skin.
The training ground was as quiet and clean as if nothing had happened.
Ekiel strode over to the frozen Jusielia and knelt on one knee.
He gently closed her still-open mouth, then picked her up and petted her affectionately.
“You did well, Jusie.”
“...”
“It was good to see your supernatural ability firsthand. You were really incredible.”
A while later, Jusielia came to her senses and asked.
“...What did I even do today?”
“Hmm? I told you, you did well.”
“Are you kidding me? You didn't even use those, uh, golden chains today!”
Jusielia fumed with frustration.
Her swishing tail tickled his face, making Ekiel want to laugh, but he held it in and replied.
“That would be too dangerous for you right now, Jusie. You’d get hurt if I used it in a spar.”
“What did you say? Ugh, I’m so mad!”
Seeing the White Tiger cub mime grabbing the back of her neck with her front paw like a human, Ekiel finally burst out laughing.
“Ahaha!”
She was too cute. Why was this White Tiger cub so adorable?
“Why are you laughing! I’m seriously frustrated!”
“Ah, it’s just…”
*Ah, really.* Ekiel thought it was a relief that he was the only one who got to see this.
Ekiel quickly tried to soothe the fuming Jusielia.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
“Hmph.”
“You must be tired from sparring. Should I make you some candy?”
“Haa. That stupid candy. Is candy all you ever think about?”
Jusielia pouted but then held out a front paw, signaling for him to hurry up and give it to her.
*Cute.*
Ekiel smiled brightly and used an alchemical magic formula to instantly create a crimson candy, placing it on Jusielia’s paw.
Jusielia fiddled with the crimson candy and looked up at Ekiel.
“This time, the candy is the color of your eyes, Ekiel.”
“Ah. Is it?”
“Hmm?”
Ekiel had deliberately made the candy crimson but pretended not to know.
He helped Jusielia onto a chair in the training ground and sat down beside her.
Jusielia was so lovely as she rolled the candy around and licked it that he propped his chin on his hand and watched her for a while. Then, she asked him a question.
“Ekiel.”
“Yes?”
“So, what’s the verdict? What kind of access magic stone are you going to give me?”
Jusielia’s eyes sparkled, shining with anticipation.
