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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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At first, Rudrick had started counting each monster he killed, but at some point, he stopped.
‘I’m not sure if there’s any meaning in keeping count when I’m not going to collect evidence anyway. To be honest, I just want to finish this quickly and hole up somewhere alone.’
His whole body felt lethargic.
Normally, he would have made a fuss every time a snowflake fell on his exposed skin between the thick winter clothes, exclaiming “Ah, it’s cold!” But now, he didn’t even have the energy for that.
“…This is annoying.”
He muttered unconsciously, revealing his true feelings as he trudged through the snow-covered mountain, sinking up to his ankles, in search of more monsters after leaving behind the poisoned lake.
Although he had said he would do it because he had no choice but to agree, he wondered what meaning there was in trying to this extent to become the Court Mage.
Occasionally, house-sized monsters whose names he didn’t know would appear.
Even when such enormous creatures suddenly appeared, seemingly out of nowhere in the white snow-covered mountains, it made little difference.
Just as all were equal before a spear, all monsters were equally dispatched with one spell of his magic.
The only difference was whether they endured longer or died instantly, depending on their toughness.
No monster could withstand even one of his spells.
At first, he was surprised, thinking, “Am I really this strong?” But now, he treated them like mere mobs in a game.
Thinking about it that way, it felt like the worst kind of grinding, they weren’t even giving out experience points or dropping items.
Kieeek!
While he was lost in these idle thoughts, a goblin suddenly leaped out from a blind spot, charging at him with a crude club.
It was only about chest-high to Rudrick, so it wasn’t particularly intimidating.
Whooosh!
There was no need for an incantation to deal with a mere goblin.
Without even uttering an activation word, Rudrick instantly conjured flames that engulfed the goblin before it could even scream.
Unfortunately, because the distance was close, the acrid and nauseating smell of burning flesh hit him, causing him to wrinkle his face and cover his nose with his robe sleeve.
“That must be at least three hundred by now…”
One of the Nord Duchy knights following behind muttered with a sickened expression.
Three hundred.
It was a large number, but had he really killed that many monsters already?
As he had thought earlier, he had stopped counting, but it seemed the knight behind him had been diligently keeping track.
In fact, Rudrick thought this should be more than enough for today’s quota.
The problem was that the mountain range was so vast that even eliminating three hundred monsters barely made a dent.
Just now, another goblin had charged out.
“Are they breeding somewhere…?”
Rudrick wondered, reminded of a certain Pharaoh’s card with small furry demons, given how numerous the monsters were.
[T/N: i cant believe he just fucking made a Yu Gi Oh refrence lmaoooo]
Honestly, it was getting a bit tedious.
Especially considering that even after killing three hundred, there was no noticeable reduction.
Although it felt like a chore to forcibly meet the quota, Rudrick shook his head and continued walking.
And at that moment…
“…?”
He stopped in his tracks, almost instinctively.
Suddenly, he sensed an enormous wave of magical power from far away.
The distance was so great that he wasn’t quite sure, but it was definitely a massive collision of magic and not just ordinary magic, but grand magic powerful enough to be felt even at this distance.
“…What was that?”
He almost stumbled over his words in surprise, but that wasn’t important.
Wondering if he was the only one who had felt it, he turned around to see Eileen looking at him as if asking what was wrong.
It was clear that only he had sensed the recent collision.
The aftereffects of a magical clash that occurred at a distance so great that only his unparalleled sensitivity to magical power could detect it made him almost instinctively sense it.
The power of the magic that had just clashed was comparable to what he might produce if he used magic with all his might.
‘…It doesn’t make sense for magic of that level to be used in a place like this.’
It was an ominous sign for such powerful magic to be unleashed in these mountains where only monsters swarmed, with no trace of human presence to be found even if one looked carefully.
Frowning at the foreboding feeling creeping up his spine, he turned back and said,
“Eileen, I’ll be right back.”
“Back? Where are you going?”
“Something seems to be happening beyond that mountain ridge. I think I should check it out.”
“I didn’t sense anything…” Eileen said, confused.
“It’s because the distance is too great. It might take a while, so if I’m too late, just go back first.”
“But what if you’re in danger… Rudrick, wait!”
Eileen called out in panic, trying to stop him, but Rudrick thought it was more important to confirm what was happening than to explain to them here.
With the strange sensation of flying through the air that he never got used to, he soared high into the sky, cutting through the biting wind.
As he rose, braving the bone-chilling cold wind, he began to sense another powerful wave of magical energy from far away.
“…I wasn’t mistaken after all.”
Clearly, between the sheer cliffs visible beyond that mountain ridge, something strange that he didn’t understand was taking place.
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“You’re crazy, truly crazy.” Abel exclaimed.
“The crazy one isn’t me, but you who uttered such words.” Sylphia retorted.
Abel, sticking out her tongue, cast several layers of protective magic around herself with a tense expression.
Among them were even ancient spells already lost to humans, but the flames Sylphia had conjured shattered even the barriers made of ancient magic, causing a heat wave.
In truth, Abel couldn’t understand this situation at all.
Setting aside the ridiculous joke about a dragon falling in love with a human, even with all her years of life, this was the first time she had engaged in a life-or-death battle with one of her own kind.
“L-look, Sylphia. I still don’t understand why we have to fight like this, trying to kill each other. Couldn’t you have just conceded?”
“Shut your mouth.”
In their current polymorphed human forms, even a single direct hit from each other’s magic could be fatal.
Naturally, without the protection of their scales, which were not only thick but also inherently resistant to magic, they were vulnerable.
Even if Abel wanted to seize an opportunity to revert to her true form, it was nearly impossible to find such a moment in the midst of this fierce battle.
So, while trying to find an opportunity, Abel attempted to engage in dialogue, but Sylphia’s response was cold.
More accurately, her attitude suggested that Abel’s words weren’t even worth considering.
Sylphia, seemingly enraged to her limit, continued to unleash her specialty fire magic attacks at Abel while growling,
“Before I tear that filthy mouth of yours apart.”
“…Is this really something to get so angry about?”
Abel was more bewildered by Sylphia’s reaction.
But thinking coolly, Abel quickly assessed the situation while glancing around.
Magic was naturally influenced by the surrounding environment.
While magic was indeed a miracle that created something from nothing, it was easier to conjure fire in a hot desert than in the bitter cold where temperatures dropped below freezing.
The amount of magical power consumed differed significantly and for Abel, who had lived her entire life in the snowy mountains of the Nord Range, her lair was her home ground.
Moreover, it was an environment favorable for using her specialty ice magic.
Conversely, it was a slightly more cumbersome environment for Sylphia of the Red clan to use her specialty fire magic.
‘If I try to buy some time… No, that won’t work…’
There was no need for incantations or activation words.
They were both using high-level grand magic.
After blocking a surging wave of flames with an ice wall, Abel reassessed the situation.
The vast magical power nestled in both their hearts wouldn’t run out even if they fought for three days and nights straight, casting magic continuously.
If they really fought until their heart’s magic ran out, Sylphia’s would likely deplete her’s first given the advantageous conditions for Abel, but by then, Abel’s lair would surely be destroyed.
It was laughable to worry about the destruction of her lair in a life-or-death situation between dragons, but Abel, with her attachment to her home, found the situation somewhat distressing.
Therefore, her answer was clear.
She needed to maximize the advantage of her home ground and, having lived longer than Sylphia, she had to use the various techniques she had acquired through years of experience to gain an advantageous position first.
“I never dreamed I’d end up fighting one of my own kind. It’s not like I’ve had practice.”
“Don’t whine. You brought this on yourself.”
“…Is saying I’d kill one human really worth us fighting to the death?”
Abel muttered as she erected dozens of layers of ice walls.
Naturally, Sylphia shattered these walls of ice with her specialty fire magic, melting the ice instantly into vapor rather than liquid in the face of the high-temperature flames.
The resulting white steam quickly filled the entire lair, naturally obscuring their vision.
A dragon’s eyes didn’t have any special ability to see through such obstructions, so Sylphia irritably said,
“What kind of trick are you using now? Resorting to your petty tactics.”
In this situation, there was no need to aim at a specific target, a wide-area attack affecting the entire area would suffice.
With that thought, Sylphia unleashed her magic again, but from beyond the obscured vision, Abel responded in a playful voice.
“Of course, it was to create an opening like this.”
And then.
Fwaaaash!
An intense flash of light burst through the flames.
It was a phenomenon that occurred during the process of dispelling polymorph magic and reverting to one’s true form.
The momentary opening created by the obscured vision was enough for an experienced dragon like Abel.
Realizing that giving the opportunity to revert to her true form first in this situation meant putting oneself at a disadvantage, Sylphia belatedly bit her lip and tried to dispel her polymorph magic, but—
“I’m sorry, Sylphia, but it seems I’m a bit faster.”
With skin shining blue like a lake and a majestic body, Abel, having reverted to her true form as depicted in human myths, withstood Sylphia’s attack as if mere flames were of no consequence and swung down her massive forepaw.
At the moment when Sylphia, with a startled expression at the unexpectedly quick speed, was about to cast a protective barrier—
“…Hold.”
The giant forepaw swinging down towards Sylphia’s head suddenly stopped.
At the entrance of the lair, which had been completely devastated by the dozens of clashes between Abel and Sylphia’s magic, Rudrick landed from his flight spell and cast a binding spell to stop Abel’s movement.
It was nearly impossible considering the magic resistance of a dragon in its true form, but Rudrick, unaware of these details, frowned and spoke.
“…What is going on here?”
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[so ig it aint a cat fight anymore now its a DragonFight]
