Silence enveloped the vast training hall.
When Hayden had first cast Flame Road or when Cain had manifested Flame Road using Fire Wall, there had been voices of admiration and excitement bursting out here and there. But now, no one opened their mouth.
Most were frozen with their mouths slightly agape, eyes filled with shock.
Their faces looked as if they would believe it if someone stood up and said they had all been dreaming for a while.
“……”
“……”
Aside from the fact that Hayden had fallen on his rear and was pathetically covering his head with both arms, the scene here wasn’t much different from before the duel began.
Even Cain stood looking at Hayden with the same calm expression as at the start, not having moved a single step from his starting position.
When no one was opening their mouth first.
A gentle voice that announced this scene was reality and everything that had happened until now was all real echoed through the training hall.
“Winner, Cain Sears.”
With Judge Rowen’s declaration, people began to speak one by one as if released from a spell.
“Did he really win?”
“It seems so…?”
“Honestly, I still can’t believe it.”
“But you saw it just now. Young Master Cain kept using Fire Wall consecutively, then created Flame Road.”
“Even before that, he was blocking everything and completely overwhelming his opponent.”
“You saw it too? Then what I saw wasn’t an illusion…”
“That means…”
The servants from the Sears family side finally looked toward the opposite side, checking the atmosphere of the Bedermann camp, just in case.
At this moment, the opponent’s reaction would be the most definitive proof of victory.
And confirming the opponent’s atmosphere, fallen into a crucible of shock, their faces gradually brightened.
“We won… We won!”
“Our Young Master Cain won!”
“He really won!”
“Waaaaah!”
“Young Master…! Huuuuung!”
Even those who still couldn’t believe it and had dumbfounded expressions began to stir along with the others jumping around in joy.
“It’s done, it’s done!”
“The funding that had been steadily cut all this time is finally…!”
“How long has it been? No, isn’t this the first time the funding increases?!”
“The family head had been looking after us, but honestly, I thought our salaries would definitely be cut starting next month…”
“Me too. We’d been hearing that the finances upstairs were bad…”
“I was thinking I might finally get fired.”
“You deserve to be fired a bit. You don’t do anything.”
“Hey! Isn’t that too much? I work so hard!”
Although the family head had been dividing what little money there was to arrange the budget as well as possible.
Recently, rumors had been circulating among the servants that they were reaching their limits.
“Huuu, I believed in you, Young Master Cain…!”
“Believed my ass, didn’t you say it would be better to just not duel and get some recovery with the ice troll head we brought?”
“When did I say that?”
“Hey, stop fighting. It’s such a good day.”
“Right, let’s enjoy it!”
“We should have a drink after work later.”
“Young Masterrrrr! You were so cool, huuuung!”
“Sister, stop crying. Here’s a handkerchief.”
They expressed their joy before anyone else present.
They had good reason to.
Honestly speaking, even if the family’s finances deteriorated, would the family’s direct disciples be kicked out? Would they go hungry?
No matter how well they had been treated so far, in the end, when the worst situation came, the servants would inevitably be the first to be cast aside.
That’s why they cheered more fervently than anyone.
Of course, that didn’t mean the disciples weren’t happy.
“That guy Cain…! He really did it!”
“As expected of Cain. I knew he would win.”
“Right, man. Having come this far, he had to do it!”
“But how did he do that last thing?”
“How would I know? If we ask, he’ll probably answer in that matter-of-fact way again, ‘Just use Fire Wall and connect them.'”
“Puhaha! Bolio, you’re pretty good at mimicking him!”
When Bolio did a serious impersonation of Cain, Edgar burst into laughter.
“That guy Cain… Didn’t he just go up to the 2nd floor recently without even taking the test?”
“His skill was already at 3rd Circle proficiency level.”
“Just how much training did he do while holed up?”
“At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before he comes up to our floor.”
“Anyas, isn’t that faster than you at that level?”
“…Shut up.”
“Well, anyway, seeing their atmosphere makes me feel refreshed.”
“Pfft. They still have expressions doubting reality. What a sight.”
Some disciples were tense about Cain’s growth rate, but generally, the atmosphere was one of either admiration or satisfaction at the Bedermann family’s reaction.
“Wow… This is more impressive than I thought.”
“At that level, 4th Circle won’t be long either.”
“To think our cutie was hiding such skill. Neville, we can’t feel safe either.”
“Certainly… Not bad.”
“Wow, seeing the proud Neville honestly acknowledge it, he must be really surprised.”
“You shut up, Dewin.”
“Ah, yes. Yes.”
They say you see as much as you know.
The 5th floor disciples clearly understood just how absurd the performance Cain had shown in the recent duel was.
Even the instructors from the upper floors were saying they wanted to try teaching him.
And
“Hehe. He finally did it. Cain.”
Though he didn’t show it openly due to appearances, the one who was naturally most satisfied was Blake Sears.
‘He showed me much more than I expected.’
He had only heard that Cain had achieved 3rd Circle, but in fact, this was Blake Sears’ first time confirming Cain’s improved skills with his own eyes.
‘I didn’t know Hayden had actually achieved 4th Circle, but to even break through that.’
If they had lost in this duel, Cain, Ed, Fon, and Bolio would have had all their hard work stolen.
And the responsibility for that would have fallen on Blake Sears, who had permitted this duel.
‘That’s what being a family head means.’
A position with the authority to make decisions, but also having to bear the full responsibility for them.
‘Thank you, Cain. And…’
I look forward to the future.
To your growth.
Though it seems you’ve given up on the path you were going to take, now that you’ve finally begun to bloom your talent, that’s enough.
“It’s amazing. I didn’t know it was to this extent.”
“Well, I was hoping he’d at least land one hit, but he went beyond one hit and properly beat him up.”
Wayne Sears and Cristian Sears also added their comments.
Especially Cristian Sears was looking at Cain with a somewhat absurd expression.
“Ha.”
Of course, the person with the most absurd expression in this training hall was someone else.
“F-Family Head.”
“That…”
The retainers somehow tried to speak to Richter Bedermann, but Richter seemed not to hear them, staring into space.
And after a moment.
He clenched his fists as if they might break beneath his chair, glaring at the training hall.
Cain stood with the same calm expression despite having put on such tremendous content in the duel.
“I-impossible… This… this is…”
Hayden, apparently quite shocked, sat collapsed and kept repeating the same words in a daze.
As the Bedermann side’s atmosphere grew increasingly ominous and the joyful atmosphere on the Sears family side began to quietly subside, reading the mood.
Richter stood up.
“The duel was well observed. Then, since our schedule has already been delayed, let us return.”
The training hall fell quiet.
Richter immediately turned and walked toward the exit without looking back.
And he spoke to the butler hurriedly following behind.
“Ramon.”
“Yes, yes! Family Head!”
“As soon as we return to the carriage, calculate and pay the promised amount.”
“Understood!”
Finally, when the funding talk came up, sighs of relief flowed from the Sears side.
Blake Sears also quickly stood up and said.
“Thank you, Family Head. We should also quickly go out and prepare to see you off…”
“There’s no need to come out. We plan to return quickly since we’ve been delayed.”
Richter looked back at Hayden one last time.
“F-Father.”
Hayden finally came to his senses and called out to him, swallowing hard.
“Get up quickly.”
Richter left only those words and exited the training hall.
Hayden hurriedly got up and followed Richter, and the others also competed to leave the training hall.
“……”
After everyone left, the last to exit the training hall was a man with long black hair, Ray Bedermann.
He was quietly staring at Cain, who was removing his protective artifacts.
“……?”
Cain also seemed to feel the gaze and turned his head toward Ray.
But when Cain looked at Ray, Ray had already disappeared.
The interior atmosphere of the returning Bedermann family carriage was heavy and cold.
It would be better if he at least scolded them about something, but not saying anything at all made it even more maddening.
When he was thinking he might suffocate and die.
“F-Father.”
Hayden barely managed to open his mouth.
When Richter didn’t respond, Hayden said, trembling.
“I-I made some mistakes earlier. I should have just finished it decisively… If you give me just one more chance…”
“Hayden.”
“Yes, yes!”
“Don’t make excuses.”
It was the first time such words had come from Richter’s mouth, when he usually seemed like he would listen to anything Hayden said.
Hayden closed his mouth with a shocked expression.
“If you were going to lose, you should have lost before that. Using 4th Circle magic and then losing should never have happened.”
Crash!
Richter struck the small table beside his seat.
Richter’s fist trembled.
“Damn it!”
If only Hayden hadn’t taken the Circle Drafter, or if he had lost by being caught off guard before even using 4th Circle magic.
If that had happened, it wouldn’t have been this miserable.
After all, it was accepted theory that victory couldn’t be guaranteed in magical duels between the same Circle due to various variables.
But duels with Circle differences were a different story.
Hayden had used 4th Circle magic through the power of a secretly consumed elixir.
This made Hayden look like someone who ‘achieved 4th Circle but lost in a duel to a 3rd Circle mage.’
And overwhelmingly at that.
If only one or two people had seen the duel, it might be different, but now that they had made such a big show of it, concealing the content was impossible.
When this fact became known, not only would the Bedermann family’s honor be tarnished, but it was clear as day that Hayden’s status in the family succession struggle would plummet.
The checks from elders trying to push their own children as the next family head would also strengthen.
But they couldn’t make excuses now saying ‘Actually, Hayden is still at 3rd Circle, he just secretly took Circle Drafter to temporarily use 4th Circle magic.’
Either way, having used 4th Circle magic and still lost, the aftermath would inevitably be painful.
“Ramon. When we return, make sure to tightly control it so that the duel’s content doesn’t leak outside the family.”
“Understood!”
“And Hayden.”
“Yes, yes.”
“From now on, never skip training time and work hard. If your firepower had been just a little stronger, you wouldn’t have lost to someone pulling such tricks. Firepower. Increase your firepower! Until you can devour everything!”
“Yes, Father!”
Richter, his anger still not subsided, shouted a few more times and then gulped down alcohol.
“Keu, Hayden needs to get stronger faster…”
When Ray in the corner came into his view, he spat out roughly.
“If only that guy’s eye for mana had gone to Hayden… Damn it.”
After that, Richter continued pouring alcohol into his stomach, shouting about how the Sears family should wait and see, and various other things before falling asleep.
“……”
Ray Bedermann, who had been quietly leaning against the window, looked outside where snow was falling.
And he pondered over what Richter had said.
It wasn’t that he was bothered by the comment about ‘if only his eye for mana had gone to Hayden.’
He was already used to such words, so they didn’t particularly hurt his feelings.
What Ray was thinking about was something Richter had said earlier.
-If his firepower had been just a little stronger, he wouldn’t have lost to someone pulling such tricks!
‘Firepower…’
Ray didn’t have naturally high mana capacity like Hayden, nor did he receive elixirs.
So in terms of ‘firepower’ that the Bedermann family emphasized and re-emphasized, he was always behind compared to disciples of the same Circle.
But fortunately, his affinity for fire mana itself wasn’t bad, and especially having been born with an eye for mana, through painstaking effort he had been able to reach 5th Circle faster than others.
But after that, as if hitting a wall, he had stopped at 5th Circle and couldn’t progress further.
-If you want to quit, you can quit anytime.
He had seriously considered those words before, but in the end, he didn’t give up.
Because he truly loved magic.
Being able to weave the mana dancing before his eyes according to his will to create magic was such a thrilling thing.
And before such a Ray, Cain appeared.
‘Cain. That person’s magic was quite distant from our family’s teachings.’
He knew that the mages of the Sears family also basically followed the teachings of the supporting Bedermann family, training focused on firepower.
Indeed, the direction of Sears family magic he had glimpsed several times before was firepower-centered.
But Cain’s magic, which he saw for the first time today, gave Ray a fresh shock.
‘Even though it was the same flame magic, it was as if he was using different magic.’
If he had to describe Cain’s magic in one word, it was refined.
‘All magic seemed to be under the caster’s precise control from beginning to end.’
The flow of mana was extremely clean, and magic of the same type appeared in perfect form each time it was cast, as if copied exactly.
‘Except for what he showed at the end, he was always extracting maximum efficiency with minimum mana.’
Even the Flame Road was under perfect control
of the overall flow, concentrating mana on the parts clashing with Hayden’s magic.
‘There’s no need for long explanations. All magic was perfect.’
Ray thought.
Perhaps what Cain had shown could be the answer to the path he was walking.
Ray closed his eyes and recalled the magic Cain had used in the duel, reviewing it over and over again.
And he hoped inwardly.
‘I hope I can see it again.’
