Chapter 23

Iberia stood on the arena and bowed once again to the Crown Prince. Soon, the bell signaling the start of the match rang. At the same time, Iberia swallowed nervously.

“Be careful. Defend yourself well.”

Before Iberia could even prepare, a magic sphere flew toward her. Judging it too late to cancel, she quickly calculated the trajectory and created a small barrier in its path. The two forces collided and dissipated.

Iberia clenched her teeth.

She had long known that most members of the Keitanner Imperial Family were born with magic that was different in both quality and quantity.

If they were born with such talent in magic, they should’ve just gone to a specialized academy affiliated with the Mage Tower. Why come to Lacanel and crush the spirits of other students?

Iberia knew her thoughts were unreasonable, but she couldn’t help the faint resentment that surfaced. It wasn’t as if she was voicing it aloud—anyone could have such thoughts.

Once again, several ice spears began to form beside the Crown Prince. This time, however, Iberia sensed the flow of magic before the spell activated. It was a very brief moment, but it was enough time for her to calculate. Just before the ice spears were launched, she successfully neutralized them, biting her lips in concentration.

“Oh.”

The Crown Prince’s eyes widened slightly at her calculations.

In any case, she needed to attack. She couldn’t just keep calculating and defending forever.

Frowning, Iberia brushed back the strands of hair obstructing her vision. She had tied her hair earlier, yet a few strands kept falling over her eyelashes.

But how should I attack?

After a moment of deliberation, she decided to summon an illusion. It was the most intricate and detailed Illusion Magic she had ever created.

A small spark grew in size and transformed into a shape. It was the largest illusion she had ever conjured.

A massive bird resembling fire spewed flames at the Crown Prince’s armor. The audience gasped, but he didn’t even blink.

“Miss Iberia, didn’t I mention this before?”

“…”

“I’ve been watching your matches closely.”

His words carried the implication that her illusions wouldn’t work on him. Iberia’s jaw tightened.

The illusion was so lifelike and beautiful that it almost felt real, as though it was truly burning. Yet, he deliberately maintained eye contact with Iberia.

“Instead of wasting magic, why not try a more practical attack?”

It struck her that his manner of speaking was reminiscent of Young Master Nesferos. Iberia frowned slightly. 

Are all nobles this insufferable? Or are the two close enough to influence each other?

She understood that illusions wouldn’t work. Maintaining the form of the illusion consumed a significant amount of her magic, given her current capabilities.

Unlike the flames from her first match, which followed the natural flow of magic and only required an initial push, maintaining the shape of an illusion continuously drained her magic.

While the amount of magic consumed wasn’t objectively large, for Iberia, whose total reserves were limited, it felt wasteful.

Without responding to the Crown Prince’s remark, Iberia dispelled the illusion.

Blocking the Crown Prince’s magic wasn’t particularly difficult. The problem was that her meager magic reserves were rapidly depleting.

If her magic ran out and she missed the timing to calculate like earlier, she wouldn’t even be able to raise a barrier and would have to take the spell head-on.

Watching Iberia struggle, the Crown Prince made another remark.

“Block well. I’d rather not get scolded by Ermite.”

He even smiled lightly. Iberia swallowed the curse that almost escaped her lips. His sharp gaze and casual smile didn’t match, making it all the more unsettling.

Shrinking her shoulders, Iberia cast a thin barrier to block the gusts of wind he sent her way. As always, wind-based magic was difficult to detect in its early stages.

Perhaps he realized her magic was running low, as he cast large-scale spells to prevent her from creating small, focused barriers.

Unable to thicken her barrier, it tore apart, leaving small cuts on Iberia’s body. Even her armor was damaged.

Iberia let out a small sigh. Her body was now covered in minor injuries.

Even now, she was exhausting her mental and magical energy to block his continuous attacks. She needed a powerful counterattack.

Her magic reserves were nearly empty. She felt that one proper spell would completely drain her remaining magic.

As the Crown Prince, who had been observing her intense deliberation, tilted his head and ran a hand through his hair, Iberia sensed something unusual.

Something massive was approaching. Her sharp gaze instinctively turned toward the Crown Prince.

“What is it?”

“Nothing, Your Highness.”

The Crown Prince remained composed. Iberia gritted her teeth and dodged the roots that suddenly erupted from the ground.

They relentlessly pursued her.

Biting her lips, Iberia calculated their coordinates. The roots moved erratically and unpredictably, almost as if they had a will of their own, making her feel like her head would explode.

At the same time, she summoned flames to burn the approaching roots. However, the roots, infused with the Crown Prince’s overwhelming magic, were stubbornly resilient.

As Iberia tried to intensify the flames, her movements faltered. Her tightly pressed lips trembled faintly.

Her magic had run out. She had exhausted all the magic she could wield.

Not yet. I have to block it. If I had just a little more magic, I could block it. Why, why now?

The flames she had barely managed to enlarge began to shrink.

For the first time, she resented her limited magic reserves. She wanted to draw on the surrounding magic, but that was against the rules. So, where could she find more magic?

There was only one answer: she had to draw it from herself, regardless of the consequences.

With trembling eyes, Iberia gathered her remaining strength. It felt as though something inside her was breaking. Her entire body felt as if it was under immense pressure. Iberia clenched her jaw.

The dwindling flames grew once more. Despite the cold sweat dripping from her face, Iberia smiled.

At that moment, pain pierced her chest, and her vision blurred. A stabbing headache followed.

Iberia’s eyes widened.

“Ugh…”

She couldn’t breathe. Each breath she took sent waves of pain through her heart.

Her legs trembled uncontrollably, unable to support her weight. Iberia’s body collapsed completely, and the audience began to stir.

Curled up on the ground, Iberia gasped for air.

Tears welled in her eyes. It was her body, yet it didn’t feel like hers. She couldn’t feel her limbs. Her hands and feet were freezing, as though submerged in icy water.

Her entire body felt submerged in freezing water. Iberia’s eyes slowly closed, and warm tears trickled down her cheeks.

The last thing she saw was the Crown Prince’s startled expression before her consciousness faded.

***

The match was suspended.

The news that Iberia Del, the former top student of commoner origin, had collapsed during her match against the Crown Prince spread quickly.

It was only natural that Ermite, who was always attuned to Iberia, learned of it shortly afterward.

Unfortunately, he found out right before his fencing match, and his opponent barely lasted ten seconds in the arena. Ermite had disarmed his opponent the moment the match began.

Barely holding himself together, Ermite ran to the infirmary where Iberia was.

Iberia Del had collapsed.

Iberia had collapsed.

The image of her agreeing to his proposal yesterday was still vivid in his mind. He could clearly recall her flustered reaction to her own words, as though it were a scene playing in his head.

Today, they were supposed to go out together. This time, he had intended to keep his promise. But now, she wasn’t there. Iberia had collapsed.

Years ago, after failing to keep a single promise, Ermite had lost Iberia. She had forgotten him. Now, the situation felt eerily similar.

“No…”

He flung open the infirmary door and walked unsteadily. Following the faint sound of breathing, he pulled back the curtain to find Iberia lying pale and unconscious.

His heart sank. Iberia, who was already pale by nature, now looked as white as a corpse.

Unconsciously holding his breath, Ermite reached out with trembling hands to check if she was still breathing. That fleeting moment felt like an eternity.

She was breathing. She was alive.

A breath of relief escaped him, almost like a laugh.

“Ha, ha…”

When he opened his eyes again, the Crown Prince was standing beside Iberia, watching him. Ermite’s gaze turned icy.

Without hesitation, he grabbed the Crown Prince by the collar.

“What the h*ll… why…?”

“I called you a madman, but now you’re really acting like it.”

The Crown Prince, cutting off Ermite’s words, calmly removed his hand. Ermite’s grip loosened easily.

Anticipating this, the Crown Prince had dismissed everyone before Ermite’s arrival, suspecting that the “madman” might throw a punch. However, it seemed Ermite hadn’t completely lost his reason.

Still, grabbing the collar of a member of the Imperial Family? The Crown Prince let out a small laugh and brushed off his wrinkled clothing.