Chapter 19
Stuart had clearly said not to interfere during the sparring… but… would it really be okay?
The spot where the flames had flared up was now left with nothing but the smell of scorching and thick smoke. Stuart gripped Lily’s restless hand tightly.
“Look closely.”
Through the smoke, a faint silhouette could be seen. The mage was preparing to counterattack.
The sword energy that had burst out in all directions along with the flames had now turned into a spear of magic aimed at the vice-captain. The vice-captain charged at the mage, radiating sword energy from his entire body.
Crash!
The mana, which had looked like nothing more than lumps of light, struck all at once. While the vice-captain’s body, cloaked in sword energy, barely withstood it, the dueling ground floor was deeply gouged.
The training ground inside the drill hall was large enough when knights sparred among themselves. But with a mage involved, the attacks started to spill outside the arena.
The knights all drew their swords at once to avoid the mana flying over their heads, but…
“Lily, you’re not overexerting yourself, right?”
Lily’s divine power responded faster than the knights did.
A thin, wide veil of divine energy spread above the knights’ heads. And that alone was enough to block the mana. Seeing the mana fizzle away the moment it touched the vivid blue divine power, Lily hardened her expression.
‘He’s strong enough to fight the vice-captain… yet this is enough to block his magic?’
If it were a more powerful spell, she might need to reinforce it further, but it didn’t seem necessary to make it too thick.
The mage forgot he was in the middle of a duel and blankly stared at Lily. Sparring with a skilled swordsman was intriguing, but he had never fought someone with divine power before.
Just how much could that divine energy block? His mouth went dry with curiosity.
“You shouldn’t get distracted!”
Seizing the opportunity, the vice-captain ended the duel quickly. Struck hard on the back by the sword, the mage staggered backward, clutching his stomach. Seeing his old comrade fall to the floor, the Tower Master burst into hearty laughter.
“No matter how amazing divine power is, you can’t afford to lose focus. Not in a sacred duel.”
At some point, Lily’s divine power had cleanly faded away. The knights stole glances at Lily, who had appeared without anyone noticing. They had only been told that “Lily healed the injured Tower Master during the journey and is now resting after overusing her divine power.”
The mages, on the other hand, greeted Lily with genuine joy, bowing deeply. Overwhelmed by the attention, Lily subtly hid behind Stuart’s back. Maybe this would make it seem like they were greeting the young master instead…
“Are you feeling better now?”
“Yes, thanks to you.”
The Tower Master asked with gentle concern, but Lily answered casually. The Tower Master’s gaze lowered slightly.
His eyes landed on Lily’s hand—specifically, her hand entirely covered by Stuart’s large one.
“Since the young lord is here as well…”
The Tower Master smiled brightly, pushing back his robe. If Stuart was charming like a red rose, the Tower Master was graceful like a lily in bloom.
Looking at his unusually radiant blond hair today, Lily still nodded confidently—her young master was better-looking.
“Would you care to spar with me?”
At that, both the knights’ and mages’ morale skyrocketed. The knights were sure Stuart would win, the mages rooted for the Tower Master—but no matter who won, it was bound to be thrilling. You didn’t get to witness a battle between powerhouses every day.
Stuart glanced sidelong at Lily without answering. He couldn’t bring himself to leave her alone amid the chaos.
Sensing this, the vice-captain who had stepped down from the duel slowly approached. Seeing this, Lily flinched and quickly pulled her hand away from Stuart.
‘Ugh, what was I thinking!’
She shouldn’t have clung to him like that. Stuart quietly looked at his palm, now absent of her warm touch.
‘…Do you think I can’t win?’
As Stuart remained silent, Lily cautiously offered a suggestion.
“Young master, should I say I want to duel the Tower Master instead? Then you wouldn’t have to.”
When she added, “It’s not like he’d seriously attack me after I saved his life,” Stuart tilted his head.
“What are you talking about? As if I’d let you do something that dangerous.”
“Oh, I just thought you were worried about me…”
She tried to laugh it off, but Stuart’s face hardened. Lily racked her brain, trying to figure out what she’d said wrong. But nothing she said seemed inappropriate.
“Wait… are you saying I’m afraid I’ll lose?”
Lily blinked. Ah, so that’s what bothered him. She opened her mouth to soothe his ego.
“No, of course I believe in you, young master. But he is the Tower Master. And the youngest one in history, apparently.”
The Tower Master was twenty-four this year, and he’d been the Tower Master for four years. That meant he’d taken the title at twenty—surely a once-in-a-century genius.
Even if Stuart was incredible, could he really beat the Tower Master…?
“Let’s do it.”
Stuart handed his jacket to the vice-captain and stepped forward. Lily stared blankly at his back.
“This’ll be fun. Watch closely, Lily.”
Apparently, her young master was more combative than he looked.
When Stuart stepped into the dueling arena, his broad, sturdy back completely blocked the Tower Master from view. Lily stared at it blankly. Even for a simple spar, he radiated a fierce sense of determination.
She moved as close to the arena as possible. The knights grumbled at her, but watching her young master up close mattered more than their complaints.
“Maybe I should let him win a round?”
The Tower Master asked casually from atop the arena. Seeing Stuart’s face twist with annoyance, he waved and grinned.
“Well, maybe not…”
His gaze drifted to Lily, then away. That evaluating look irritated Stuart, who stepped forward to block the Tower Master’s line of sight.
“If you act disgracefully here… it’ll be troublesome.”
Is he asking to die?
Stuart swallowed the surge of anger. He was a grown man—unlike that idiot—so he decided to be mature and let it go. The Tower Master, unaware of the restraint being shown, spoke again.
“Rolling around in front of the woman you like isn’t a good look. I’d like to build a rapport with you, so I’ll help out as much as I can. Shall we go three rounds? Or five?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Stuart responded in a low, calm voice. But his expression was fierce, as if he might draw his sword and strike down the Tower Master at any moment.
Stuart Lefray was said to have inherited genius-level talent in both swordsmanship and magic from his father… The mages watching his face couldn’t help but worry for the Tower Master.
Just as everyone held their breath, the Tower Master launched several orbs of concentrated mana.
“Why is it ridiculous?”
The crimson mana orbs barely grazed Stuart’s arm and thigh—but even that slight contact tore through his clothes and drew blood.
Lily instinctively covered her mouth.
‘Oh no!’
To the knights, it was a mere scratch—not even worth worrying about. But Lily, already imagining worst-case scenarios like “what if he dies from blood loss?”, turned pale and collapsed to the ground. Only the Tower Master noticed.
“If you’re going to stick that close to Miss Hegelstern… people might start saying she’s your mistress. What’s your opinion on that?”
Just as Stuart disliked the Tower Master, the feeling was mutual. The guy was always clinging to his savior like a leech.
“Then, are all the mages you brought here your mistresses?”
Stuart snapped irritably.
“Even if you’re a noble, dragging around a bunch of concubines isn’t a good look. You should restrain yourself.”
The Tower Master glanced at the much older mages accompanying him—men old enough to be his father or even grandfather.
“Your words are excessive. They’re the ones who raised me.”
“If that’s excessive, then I regret it. Consider it a chance to reflect on your usual behavior.”
As they exchanged biting words, their attacks didn’t stop. Stuart’s sword aura grazed the Tower Master’s neck, leaving a thin wound, while the Tower Master’s mana tightly bound Stuart’s ankle.
But Stuart easily broke free, leaped into the air, and went for the Tower Master’s back. The Tower Master quickly conjured a shield to block it and retreated. Their positions switched.
Just as Stuart was glaring at the Tower Master, Lily appeared in the corner of his vision. At that moment, his mind completely cleared.
“Lily…”
He muttered blankly.
The Tower Master didn’t stop attacking, but Stuart hurled his sword at him.
Sword energy and mana surged together with the blade, forcing the Tower Master to reinforce his usual barrier even more. And in that moment, Stuart…
“Young lord?”
…had already jumped down from the arena.
The Tower Master stared, dumbfounded, then finally understood when he saw the dark blue divine energy enveloping the heads of the nearby knights and mages.
