The Gold Emperor, Baric Hartz. A legendary figure who existed on the continent hundreds of years ago, he was said to have wielded ten thousand weapons simultaneously with his innate ability to control tal. The Hartz family, which had produced such an outstanding hero, enjoyed an age of prosperity, but as ti passed, the blood of the Gold Emperor thinned. In the present day, the best their descendants could manage was bending spoons as a party trick.
The Hartz family declined, treated as a relic of a bygone era. But one day, a child was born who had inherited the Gold Emperor’s blood more strongly than any other: Milena Hartz. She possessed a superior control over tal than her siblings and was the only one among them to be taught the family’s unique black magic.
It was a technique the Hartz family had poured their souls into creating during the great necromancer era—a curse that could be applied to their innate ability, allowing them to control substances other than tal.
Of course, while using this curse...
"You can only control one substance at a ti, right?" irin said, looking down at the stunned Milena on the ground.
Milena couldn’t hide her shock. ’H-How did she know that much...!’
It was just as she’d said. Her base ability was tal control, but by touching an object and bringing it to the permanent magic circle on her side, the curse would alter her innate ability, allowing her to control that new substance. She had used this power to hurl siege ladders at Dick, then touched ice to freely evade irin’s magic.
But with her ability currently attuned to ice, she was powerless against the flas.
"I thought it was strange how you were using psychokinesis so effortlessly," irin said, her eyes flashing as she summoned her jet-black. "You’ll pay a high price for toying with , Hartz."
"...Kuh!"
Milena scrambled to her feet and ran. The tables had turned. Now, it was irin who gave chase, unleashing her magic.
’Dark Wisp.’
Small fireballs bounced after Milena. She frantically dodged, shattering a window and diving into an empty building.
"It’s useless to hide!" irin shouted, crashing through the sa window right after her.
’She’s ridiculously fast on her feet.’
Milena was nowhere to be seen, but the lack of a presence told irin she was hiding nearby. The mont irin prepared a Jet-Black Fla spell and stepped into a narrow corridor, Milena burst from her hiding spot and charged. irin extended her arm.
’Dark Blaze.’
Flas poured down the hallway. A smirk touched Milena’s lips.
irin’s eyes widened as the flas parted around her, flowing harmlessly to either side.
’She must have touched the embers and switched to fla control!’
Milena closed the distance in an instant. But when she saw irin’s calm, knowing expression, she realized sothing was terribly wrong.
’Cold Bolt.’
A shard of ice shot from irin’s other hand, striking Milena squarely in the chest and abdon. With a choked gasp, she was sent flying back into a wall.
"Did you really think I wouldn’t be prepared for a trick like that?" irin asked, spreading both her palms. Two different magic circles layered over one another, one radiating cold, the other heat.
’Multi-casting!’
This wasn’t just creating multiple instances of the sa spell. irin was casting two entirely different spells simultaneously—an extrely difficult feat of control, akin to drawing two different shapes with each hand at once.
’W-What should I do?’ Milena thought in a panic. She had already tried a curse, but irin had blocked it with a flawless ’Cancellation’, proving her understanding of curses was also top-notch. The Ivory Tower was as strong as the legends claid. Unlike her own Hartz family, now just a shadow of its forr glory, they were a monstrous clan that still wielded imnse influence. Suddenly, the sky-blue-haired girl before her seed as vast and unbreachable as a mountain.
Milena turned and fled again, shattering another window. irin was instantly in pursuit.
Flas and ice rained down on Milena alternately. She ran frantically, ducking in and out of buildings with irin relentlessly on her heels.
’The one advantage I have over that Ivory Tower is...!’
Milena shattered another window and threw herself through it. irin followed right behind but skidded to a halt. They were on the third floor.
’My understanding of the terrain!’
This was Milena’s third ti here. Her body plumted toward the ground.
"You think I can’t follow you?" irin scoffed, leaping from the window without hesitation and extending both arms.
Flas and ice shot downward, bracketing Milena. Fire on one side, ice on the other. If she controlled one, she would be hit by the other.
’Milena, my daughter. The only light of our family. Go to Kizen. Go and show the world that the Hartz family is still alive.’
Her father’s words echoed in her mind. Milena clenched her teeth and spread her arms wide.
"I’m from Kizen too!" she roared, a sharp glint in her eyes. "You think I’m not growing like you are?"
The permanent magic circle on her waist and the circles on her palms vibrated in unison.
’Dual Control.’
The flas and ice stopped a hair’s breadth from her body. irin’s eyes widened in disbelief. ’What? Did she just control two substances at the sa ti?’
’Cough! Gack!’
But there was a reason Milena never used this power. The success rate was less than ten percent, and forcing her ability beyond its limits put an enormous strain on her body.
And yet.
’I broke through the ten percent!’
Even as she coughed up blood, Milena felt a surge of pride. The mont she landed, she let out a cry and charged at irin, who was still descending.
’Damn it!’
irin quickly identified a landing spot and drew a magic circle on the ground below.
’Wall of Ice.’
An ice wall shot up, and irin landed safely behind it. A strange light flashed in Milena’s eyes as she charged. ’She put up that wall in a hurry. The ice is thin!’
While running, Milena pulled a piece of lting ice from her pocket and pressed it to her side. The curse activated, switching her control from fire back to ice. A second consecutive ’Dual Control’ was impossible. If she went over the wall, irin would just retreat and fire another spell. In that case...
’I’ll break through from the front!’
Her hands struck the ice wall. As expected, it was thin. It began to crack under the impact. ’If I can just charge through and touch her once...!’
Milena’s pupils trembled. A white-hot shock erupted from her abdon, sending her stumbling backward. Her breath hitched as if she’d been punched in the stomach, and her legs began to shake uncontrollably.
Through the collapsing ice, she saw irin standing with her fist extended.
"Combat Magic...?" Milena whispered, her face a mask of bewildernt.
irin slowly lowered her fist, her eyes closed. "It’s just," she said, her blue eyes opening to fix on Milena, "seeing you look so cool motivated , too."
’Hongfeng Original - Cheon-hyung.’
’Thud.’
Milena collapsed.
’To use her own ice as a wall for a piercing attack.’
The ’Cheon-hyung’ had landed perfectly, and Milena’s barrier gauge dropped to zero. She hung her head in defeat.
"Don’t cry too much when you get back to the dorm, Hartz," irin said, placing her hands on her hips. "Fighting to that extent against is sothing you can brag about."
Milena offered a bitter smile. "As arrogant as ever, Ivory Tower."
With that, her body faded away.
[Milena Hartz has been eliminated.]
[Defense Team (15/15)]
[Siege Team (13/15)]
irin let out a relieved sigh and looked down at her fist. Simon’s voice echoed in her head.
’—It’s a feeling of not recognizing what your palm touches, but piercing beyond it. Intentionally ignore the object in front of you and concentrate on the target beyond it.’
A faint smile touched her lips as she clenched her delicate fist. ’Thank you for teaching Cheon-hyung, Simon.’
It had been a reckless attempt, but...
She was starting to think Combat Magic wasn’t so bad after all.
---
A few days ago.
’—Simon, I think your biggest weakness is your stamina.’
irin had pointed this out during Dick’s lecture on siege warfare.
’—Of course, you’re strong. You’ll definitely be able to take down one person in a siege. The problem is, you’re the type to just pour on the firepower no matter who the opponent is. Your Overload, and especially your Royal Guard. A necromancer who gets exhausted after taking down just one person isn’t that threatening on the battlefield.’
Simon had agreed, admitting he’d been thinking the sa thing. A siege was a long-term battle, with fighting lasting for twelve hours straight. Stamina, jet-black managent, and sustained combat were all things he needed to work on.
That was why he had prepared the Skeleton Mages. Instead of overwhelming the enemy with raw firepower, he fought by throwing oil berries and setting the surroundings ablaze. He had taken her advice to heart.
And yet...
"Ugh, I want to turn back ti," irin muttered to herself.
Despite having just defeated a powerful opponent, her face was burning with belated embarrassnt. She had lectured Simon about stamina, only to exhaust all of her own after taking down a single person.
"Haaah, so embarrassing."
Of course, defeating Milena Hartz was a great achievent. No one on the defense team could criticize her, but her own words from the past still stung. She trudged across the rooftop. With her jet-black depleted, she would only be a hindrance on the wall. She had co to retrieve the arrow Simon had shot, partly as an excuse to recover.
Simon’s uniform jacket was tied to the arrow, likely in case she hadn’t seen the arrow itself.
"The reason he sent an arrow instead of using the communication channel must be that, right?"
It had been Dick’s idea to relay the information about Milena through the communication channel. But Simon had added another layer to the plan. If he spoke through the channel, the opponent would hear it too. Since irin was struggling because she lacked information, he wanted her to be able to use that knowledge to her advantage. So, he tied a note to an arrow instead. If she didn’t see it, he would have followed up through the channel.
Fortunately, irin had seen the note and had gotten her revenge, striking the unsuspecting Milena with a direct hit of Jet-Black Fla.
’Rustle, rustle.’
irin unfolded Simon’s jacket.
She stared at it for a mont before stealthily trying it on. She hadn’t noticed when they stood side by side, but the difference in their builds was significant. The jacket was huge on her, falling to her thighs, and the sleeves were so long they completely covered her hands.
"Simon is bigger than he looks," she murmured, flapping the oversized sleeves. She felt like a small child, and the thought made her giggle.
Feeling a strange mix of emotions, she gave in to a whim and sniffed the collar. She could sll his lingering scent. He didn’t wear cologne, but there was a faint, clean fragrance that was uniquely his. She boldly buried her face in the fabric and closed her eyes.
Her mind cald as if by magic, and the stress of the battle lted away. It was a feeling of perfect tranquility. Inhaling his scent, she found her mind drifting to mories of him.
’—It’s fine, you’re more important. I’ll teach you, so get in position.’
Rembering their Combat Magic lesson, irin’s face grew scorching hot. She quickly pulled her head out of the jacket.
"Ah, seriously. I’m such a pervert."
As the daughter of the great Ivory Tower family, she had to maintain her dignity. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then tried to walk toward the castle wall as if nothing had happened.
’But it’s a bit much to walk around wearing soone else’s clothes, isn’t it?’
She took off the jacket and draped it lightly over her shoulders instead. That was better. It felt like a gentleman offering his coat to a lady on a cold day.
irin humd a little tune as she walked. Her jet-black hadn’t recovered yet, but for a fleeting mont, she found herself wishing it would take just a little longer.
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