Chapter 217

"Clap, clap, clap—"

The mages in the spectator stands rose to their feet, applauding enthusiastically and cheering for the spectacular match.

"That's the most impressive match between Mage Apprentices I've ever seen."

"Sperien may only be an Intermediate Mage Apprentice, but his elemental affinity is unparalleled."

"He's trained wind, fire, wood, water, and light magic to an extraordinary degree and brought out their maximum power."

"And his timing for every incantation was impeccable."

"Even when there wasn't an opening, he created one for himself."

"His combat instincts are exceptionally sharp. He's completely different from a sheltered flower like Ludwig."

"It's a shame about Ludwig. His talent isn't bad, but his volatile temper cost him several opportunities to counterattack."

"Even the finest equipment can't compare to extensive combat experience."

"Hahaha! Hurry up and grow stronger, Sperien! I can hardly wait to have a match with you myself."

"Oh, give it a rest. You're over a hundred years old, and the kid is only eighteen. Don't go bullying someone younger than you!"

"I can already imagine how awful Saint Mage Fritton's expression must be."

"Shh—"

All Ludwig could hear was an incessant clamor, as though countless bees were buzzing around his ears, making his head feel as if it might split apart.

He struggled to get up from the ground, but couldn't move. Every part of his body screamed in pain.

Meanwhile, the bastard who had hurt him was standing smugly in front of him, looking down at him with an unbearably dazzling smile, his mouth opening and closing.

What was he saying?

Ludwig shook his head, trying to clear it. The terror caused by the enormous fire dragon still hadn't faded, and his limbs trembled uncontrollably.

After asking his question, Shu Li patiently waited for Ludwig's answer.

He waited for quite a while, but the other boy merely stared blankly without responding.

What was going on?

Had he scared him stupid?

Troubled, Shu Li scratched the back of his head and looked up toward Danlov in the judges' section.

Wasn't it about time for the judge to step in?

Danlov caught his pleading look. His figure flashed, and he teleported into the arena. Four others came with him: Fritton, Ilio, Zephyr, and Headmaster Gabri.

Seeing the Mage Sovereign personally appear, the spectators quietly sat down and waited for the judge to announce the result.

Fritton frowned deeply at Ludwig, who lay motionless on the ground.

Ilio winked at Shu Li and was rewarded with an adorable smile from the Little Fairy.

Danlov walked over to Ludwig and crouched beside him.

"Child, are you all right?" he asked gently.

His voice seemed to possess a soothing power. The fear of death receded from Ludwig's heart, and light gradually returned to his vacant eyes.

Ludwig came back to himself with a start and stared at Danlov in panic.

Seeing that he had regained his senses, Danlov asked again, "Ludwig, do you wish to continue the match, or do you concede?"

"The match? Concede?" Ludwig murmured.

Remembering that the loser had to kneel and apologize to the winner, he struggled to push himself up.

"No! I won't concede! I can still fight!"

He managed to lift himself halfway before the pain became unbearable and he collapsed again.

Sweat poured down his forehead as he tried three times to rise and fell back down all three times. On his final attempt, he couldn't even prop himself up.

"Ludwig, concede!" Fritton closed his eyes, unable to watch any longer. "You've lost."

Hearing the familiar voice, Ludwig raised his head in delight and looked eagerly at Fritton.

"Great-uncle, help me! As long as you help me, I can get up and fight again! I haven't lost! I really haven't lost!"

He had the defensive scroll, magical shield, and Flight scroll his great-uncle had specially given him.

How could he possibly have lost the match?

Impossible!

Impossible!

Impossible!

Unable to accept reality, he muttered the word over and over.

Danlov sighed softly. Rising, he turned to Fritton.

"To become an exceptional mage, one must first possess a resilient heart. If he cannot even accept defeat, perhaps he should consider another profession."

Fritton understood the implication behind the Mage Sovereign's words. He stiffly lowered his head in a bow.

"Please forgive me, Mage Sovereign. My teaching was inadequate, and I allowed Ludwig to develop such an arrogant temperament."

"I judge that he has lost," Danlov said. "Do you object?"

Fritton concealed the resentment in his eyes.

"No."

"Then..."

Danlov walked over to Shu Li, took his hand, and raised it high.

"I hereby declare the winner of this match—Sperien of the Sesis Mountains!"

"Clap, clap, clap!"

Ilio and Zephyr applauded with broad smiles.

The entire arena erupted in cheers once more.

Shu Li beamed, his gray-green eyes shining with joy. He turned toward his companions in the front row of the spectator stands.

They waved excitedly at him.

Impatient as ever, Dixio jumped straight into the arena, sprinted over, and threw his arms around Shu Li, rubbing against him vigorously.

"Sperien, you were amazing!"

Dixio rubbed so hard that Shu Li's cheek began to hurt. Shu Li was about to push him away when Angel and Budno rushed over and joined in.

"Yay, yay, yay! We won!"

"I knew Sperien was the best!"

Helplessly, Shu Li endured being hugged and rubbed from every direction.

There was nothing to be done about it. The Little Fairies had grown up together and were as close as brothers. Whenever something made them happy, they loved hugging and nuzzling one another.

Once they'd had enough, they'd naturally let him go.

The sight made Ilio's fingers itch. He stepped forward and thoroughly ruffled every Little Fairy within reach.

"Awoo~!" Dixio released Shu Li and clutched his now-messy hair, glaring resentfully at Ilio.

Ilio gave him an infuriating grin.

Standing nearby, Siet said enviously, "They're really close."

"Mm." Nasha nodded.

During their travels together, she had already noticed how close Amo was with his companions. They were practically brothers, with hardly any distinction between one another.

Shu Li finally regained his freedom and straightened his magic robe before looking toward Ace, who was approaching him.

Ace smiled.

"Congratulations. And good work."

"Hehe, it wasn't hard at all. Not even a little." Shu Li grinned from ear to ear. "I learned a lot from this match."

He had learned to absorb elemental power with even greater precision while maintaining the proper level of an Intermediate Mage Apprentice, to control the rhythm of battle, and to create opportunities to attack even under limited conditions.

One could say Ludwig had served as an excellent whetstone for him.

Hector looked at Ludwig, who was still sprawled miserably on the ground, with complicated feelings.

Even this magical genius, who had been singled out for cultivation since childhood, had finally suffered a devastating setback.

For someone as proud as Ludwig, suddenly falling from such a great height must make reality incredibly difficult to accept.

Just like Hector himself three years ago.

His father had died, and Hector had been stripped of his right to inherit the lordship. His status had plummeted overnight. The eldest young master who had once stood at the center of everyone's attention became a pitiful boy ostracized by his relatives.

He had resented it.

He had shouted.

He had raged.

In the end, he had been forced into silence.

Before he obtained true strength, he was nothing. No one would listen to the pain in his heart. If he wanted to protect his own rights, he could only fight for them with his own abilities.

He was grateful that he had come to understand that so early, rather than being spoiled by his elders like Ludwig until he could no longer accept defeat.

Fritton crouched beside Ludwig and cast light-element healing magic, dispelling the pain from his body.

He had already examined Ludwig carefully. There were only superficial injuries; his bones were completely intact.

The reason Ludwig couldn't get up was entirely because the final fire dragon had terrified him out of his wits. Fear had taken possession of his heart and robbed him of the courage to fight.

Just as the Mage Sovereign had said, anyone who wished to become an exceptional mage needed a resilient heart.

Fritton might be fiercely protective of his own, but that didn't mean he would protect a cowardly junior.

As the pain faded, sensation finally returned to Ludwig's body, and his mind cleared.

Then he heard the cheers surrounding him.

His courage failed.

"Great-uncle, I..."

No matter what he did, he couldn't bring himself to lower his proud head.

He couldn't kneel before commoners and apologize!

Shu Li and his companions finished celebrating and lined up in front of Ludwig.

"I won. You lost."

He simply stated the facts and waited for the losing side to apologize.

Ludwig stood and glared at them resentfully. The moment he saw Hector, resistance surged within him, and he instinctively blurted out, "You want me to apologize? Dream on!"

He wouldn't apologize.

He would never apologize to people beneath him!

"Wow, you're actually refusing to accept your loss!" Siet ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) exclaimed in astonishment. "The headmaster witnessed the agreement, the Mage Sovereign acted as judge, and all these mages watched the match. You're seriously going back on your word now?"

"I despise people who break their promises," Nasha said contemptuously.

"You don't even have the most basic integrity. Who would ever dare be friends with you?" Budno pulled a face at him.

"I bet those three little lackeys of his are regretting everything by now, huh?" Dixio craned his neck, searching the spectator stands for them.

Unfortunately, there were too many people, and he couldn't tell where they were sitting.

"Shut up!" Ludwig roared, his eyes vicious with rage.

Shu Li shook his head and sighed.

This guy really couldn't read the situation at all. Even in front of the Mage Sovereign and Saint Mages, he was still acting this arrogant.

"Slap—!"

Without warning, the sharp crack of a slap stunned everyone in the arena.

Ludwig covered his cheek, his eyes widening as he stared incredulously at the expressionless Fritton.

His great-uncle had...

hit him?

Fritton lowered his hand and said coldly, "A loss is a loss. Show some backbone worthy of the Snowor family and apologize to them."

Ludwig's pupils contracted.

For a long time, he said nothing.

Fritton turned away. After bowing to Danlov, he left the arena with a rigid expression.

Watching his great-uncle's retreating back, Ludwig finally became afraid.

He had disappointed his great-uncle!

His great-uncle was going to abandon him!

He was going to lose everything...

"Thud!"

His knees buckled, and he dropped heavily to the ground.

Clenching his fists, he forced his head down and bent his back. The words came out painfully.

"I, Ludwig Snowor, apologize to all of you for what I did this morning. Please forgive my offense!"

His forehead pressed against the ground. His eyes were bloodshot, and sweat mingled with tears as they dripped down his face.

The arena was utterly silent.

Shu Li and his companions exchanged glances before accepting his apology.

"We forgive you. I hope you'll behave properly from now on and stop using your position to bully people," Shu Li said.

Ludwig clenched his teeth, his shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

After a long while, he forced out a few words.

"Thank you for your... generosity."

"All right. You can get up now," Shu Li said.

But Ludwig seemed not to hear him.

He remained kneeling with his forehead against the ground, completely motionless.

Shu Li shrugged and said nothing more. He and his companions went over to thank Danlov.

With the match over, the mages gradually left the lively arena.

Moresy stretched lazily, slung an arm around Seidler's shoulders, and leaned close to his ear.

"Today's match was entertaining. Next time something like this happens, remember to invite me."

Seidler mercilessly shoved him away.

"This was a one-time exception."

Bringing him into the magic academy this time had already been an exception, and he was actually thinking about a next time?

Moresy rubbed his nose and hurried after him.

The Mage Sovereign and Saint Mages were busy people. Once Ludwig had finished apologizing, they teleported back to the Magic Tower.

Shu Li and the others were in a hurry to complete an assignment. They called out a quick goodbye to Ilio and practically fled.

"W-why are we running so fast?" Siet asked breathlessly as she ran.

"Because if we don't... he'll pet us bald," Amanda replied.

He had only spent a few days in the Elven Kingdom, yet he had already suffered deeply.

Once, Ilio had tricked him into foolishly transforming back into his dragon form. Ilio had nearly pulled the scales right off his body, frightening Amanda so badly that he hadn't dared leave his room for several days afterward.

"Pet us... bald?" Hector couldn't help touching his hair. "Is it really that serious?"

The five Little Fairies nodded emphatically.

When even Kumandi nodded, everyone else immediately picked up their pace.

Only a trace of amusement flickered through Ace's green eyes.

Ilio watched the little ones fleeing as though for their lives, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Was he really that terrifying?

Zephyr spread his hands.

Some Elves truly had no self-awareness whatsoever.

"Ilio, what are your plans from now on?" Headmaster Gabri asked.

"Obviously—" Ilio answered with a cheerful smile, "I'm staying here to teach the little ones."

Gabri's face lit up.

"That's wonderful! Welcome back!"

Every mage Ilio had taught had gone on to accomplish remarkable things. They were all Grand Mages now, active across the various nations of the continent and serving the Mage Sovereign.

No one knew how much time passed before the arena finally returned to silence.

The spectator stands were empty.

Only Ludwig remained kneeling on the field.

The headmaster had tried to persuade him to leave. His instructors had tried as well.

He refused to move.

Since nothing could convince him, everyone eventually left, allowing him to calm down alone.

Ludwig seemed to have turned into a statue. His forehead remained pressed against the ground, his eyes unblinking, tear tracks staining his face.

"Tap. Tap. Tap."

Footsteps suddenly broke the silence.

Someone approached and stopped half a meter away.

Ludwig's gaze flickered.

"Get up."

The person's voice was indifferent.

Ludwig remained numb and motionless.

"If you're still dissatisfied, then stand up and prove your strength with your magic staff."

"Prove... my strength?"

Ludwig's voice was hoarse.

He planted both hands on the ground and slowly raised his head, glaring resentfully at the magic swordsman standing before him.

"You were the ones who trampled me underfoot, crushed my dignity, humiliated me in front of everyone, and even made my great-uncle abandon me..."

Seriu asked, "You still haven't realized what you did wrong?"

"You forced me into this!" Ludwig screamed hoarsely.

Without warning, Seriu kicked him.

Ludwig went sprawling.

He froze in shock.

Seriu looked down at him coldly.

"Get up."

Ludwig instinctively obeyed. Trembling, he struggled to his feet.

Before he could even stand properly, Seriu attacked again.

"Bang—!"

Ludwig crashed to the ground and rolled several times before finally stopping.

Seriu walked over at an unhurried pace until the toe of his boot nearly touched Ludwig's cheek.

"Get up."

Ludwig glared at him through clenched teeth. Struggling, he got onto all fours and began pushing himself upright.

"Bang!"

For the third time, Seriu kicked him to the ground.

A groan escaped Ludwig as pain tore through him.

"Get up."

Like a merciless sculpture carved from ice, Seriu repeated the same command.

"Madman!" Ludwig cursed between ragged breaths. "You're a fucking madman!"

His body had only just been healed by Fritton, but after three kicks from Seriu, it was once again wracked with unbearable pain.

Ludwig lay on the ground, cursing furiously.

Seriu strode forward and planted one foot on his back.

"Ugh—"

Ludwig was flattened against the ground.

It felt as though a massive boulder were crushing his back, threatening to snap his spine. The pain left him incapable of cursing anymore. All he could do was breathe heavily.

Seriu said calmly, "This is what it means to trample you underfoot and crush your dignity."

Ludwig's face went pale.

"You violated academy rules. The proper punishment was three days of confinement. But you lied to your great-uncle and made him believe you were being bullied, so he went to the headmaster demanding justice."

"Even after learning that you were the one at fault, your great-uncle stubbornly insisted on protecting you for the sake of his pride. Unfortunately for him, things didn't go as he intended. Saint Mage Ilio's appearance changed everything."

"He gave you a fair and impartial duel."

"And unfortunately, even with multiple treasures in your possession, you still lost the match and thoroughly disappointed your great-uncle."

As Ludwig listened, his eyes gradually dimmed.

Seriu lowered his voice.

"Ludwig, do you still think you've done nothing wrong?"

Ludwig opened his mouth.

No words came out.

Seriu removed his foot from Ludwig's back, took a potion from his storage ring, and placed it on the ground.

Then he turned and left.

A long time later, Ludwig pushed himself upright.

When he saw the potion on the ground, he raised his hand as though to knock it away.

But just before his palm struck the bottle, he abruptly stopped.

After hesitating for a moment, he seized it tightly.

Five minutes later, he limped out of the arena.

"Whew—"

Ten heads popped up from behind the spectator seats.

It was the Light Squad, who had supposedly run off to complete an assignment.

They had reached the academy gates only to learn that students were permitted to leave the academy just once per day, forcing them to abandon their assignment.

Hector had suggested going back to see whether Ludwig was still kneeling in the arena, and everyone else had followed.

Who could have expected that when they arrived, they would find Seriu mercilessly kicking Ludwig?

The Light Squad immediately concealed their presence and quietly hid behind the seats in the spectator stands, secretly watching the entire exchange.

After seeing Ludwig kicked down again and again, they had actually begun to feel sorry for him.

"Seriu really does live up to his role as the academy disciplinarian."

Shu Li sighed deeply with admiration.