"…We’re well-matched?"A week ago.It was when Illeina was discussing Territorial War strategy with me.I told her that our matchup — hers and Kruulin’s — was good."Right. Jerome’s Disciplinary Head, Kruulin, will almost certainly take the lead position.""Do you… have concrete proof that Kruulin will be the first to go out?""He’s Jerome’s undisputed strongest. There’s no reason he wouldn’t open the match. And remember — a Territorial War is a best-of-five. Taking the first victory is worth more than a simple arithmetic advantage. Jerome will surely send Kruulin out first to seize momentum and lock down morale.""That makes sense, but…""There’s nothing in this situation we can be certain of anyway. We can only bet on what’s most probable."Fair enough. I was right.Having certainty about uncertain things would only make you less trustworthy.When Illeina gave a small nod, I continued."Then next. You know about Kruulin’s 'Blessing,' don’t you?""Yes, I’ve heard he doesn’t take even a scratch from small attacks.""Correct. He suffers no damage from anything below a certain threshold. As far as is known, you can’t overpower him with your current magic level. Half-baked spells will just waste mana.""…"Illeina already knew that.Her magic wasn’t bad — but that was only by Izelin’s internal standards.When she’d attended Eredor lectures, there had been countless students more talented than her.And if her opponent was Kruulin, Jerome’s strongest? Her level of magic wouldn’t be enough to win."But that doesn’t mean you have no winning chance. His Blessing has a hidden weakness.""A weakness?""Yes. His Blessing only works against physical attacks — swords, weapons, things like that.""!?""Sir Loen, that isn’t written anywhere here," Philip interjected.I smirked."Would any school record its own ace’s biggest weakness? Of course not. It’s not listed in the student registry.""Now that you mention it…"Illeina slowly retraced her memories.She’d seen Kruulin fight mages in Competitive Wars before — but never once seen him hit by magic.He always dodged spells at ridiculous speed, or crushed the caster before they could finish chanting.Of course, that was normal warrior behavior against mages — but still, it had always felt off.If he took no damage from magic, there’d be no reason to avoid it at all."So in short, he is vulnerable to magic attacks.""Vulnerable? More than that. He takes extra damage from them. That’s the penalty attached to his Blessing."A penalty of taking greater damage from magic than normal — truly valuable information."I understand what you mean. But that alone won’t let me win."And she was right.His Blessing was one problem, but Kruulin’s strength didn’t come only from divine favor.Raw power, speed, and a warrior’s instinct honed through countless real battles — his combat sense elevated all of it.He was, in every sense, a human weapon.Even if magic worked on him, it would only matter if she could actually hit him with it.I nodded slowly and reached into my coat."That’s why you’ll need my help."Clack-.I pulled out several colored mana crystals and a flat, snow-white steel orb, then handed them to her."Here. Put these on. These are the artifacts that will lead you to victory."***Back to the dueling ground.Bweeet—The whistle blew, and Kruulin and Illeina’s match began.Naturally, the one to move first was Kruulin.Bang-!Despite his °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° massive frame, he kicked off the ground with explosive speed and charged straight at Illeina."He’ll rush you the moment the whistle blows. The instant you hear it, throw yourself left — he’s right-handed."Just as I’d told her.Illeina dove left the instant the whistle rang.Whoosh-!Jerome-style Combat Technique — Destruction Strike.A giant greatsword swept through the space to her right in a blur.Vwoom—Even the air pressure made her body waver, but she didn’t have time to hesitate.Rolling along the floor, she pressed a hand to the ground and activated a memorized spell."Ice Field!"Crack-!A spreading disk of ice radiated outward from her touch.In any fight against a warrior, restricting movement came first.Having missed his initial strike and seeing her casting a spell, Kruulin retreated a few steps.'This should…'The ice field sealed his quick footwork.She still couldn’t relax, but at least she’d bought a bit of breathing room—so she thought.Bang-!Kruulin suddenly leapt high and stomped down toward the frozen floor beneath him.KWAANG—!The ice shattered instantly into flying shards."!?"He broke the entire frozen field in one blow, then thrust his greatsword straight toward her.Flash—The blade glinted with light as it hurtled toward her — huge, merciless, and close."!?"Her body refused to move; her legs locked in place.That pressure pouring from Kruulin—Yes, this was the aura warriors exuded: “Battle Qi.”A force said to suppress an opponent’s movements and spirit.So this was what it felt like.But that, too, I’d predicted — her pre-set protection spell auto-triggered.Clang—!A sharp metallic crack split the air, sparks bursting midair.A barrier.A blue mana shield had appeared, blocking his thrust.Kruulin showed no surprise; he simply withdrew his sword and followed with the next strike.He raised it high overhead, stance tightening—then slammed it down.A technique meant to shatter a mage’s barrier.“Mana Splitter.”KWA-KWA-KWA—!The greatsword struck; the dueling ground split open with thunderous force.At the same time, the barrier protecting Illeina vanished without a trace.Dust surged up in thick clouds.Through that haze, a flash of light gleamed.Flash—His sword cut through the dust straight toward her."When your vision’s gone, a mage is at a fatal disadvantage. In that case, don’t hesitate — put as much distance as possible."Whoosh—"Kh!"Remembering my words, Illeina barely reacted in time, rolling backward.Bang-!Kruulin’s blade stabbed through the air where she’d been; the shockwave sent her tumbling even farther back than expected."Ugh."She rolled to her feet, immediately tense again—but no follow-up came."…"A short pause.Shhh—As the dust settled, Kruulin’s silhouette appeared in the distance, greatsword slung over his shoulder."I see. Our analysts were right, Illeina.""What are you talking about?""That movement — it’s different from what’s known. Not a mage’s motion or reaction speed.""…"Illeina bit her lip, and he smiled, convinced."You must have borrowed something from Loen. His collection’s famous. You’re wearing one of his artifacts that enhances physical ability, aren’t you? Otherwise that speed makes no sense."He was right.Ordinary mages couldn’t even blink before his strike ended the fight.That Illeina could barely keep up at all was thanks to my equipment.And Kruulin had noticed."But just dodging won’t let you beat me, Illeina. You have no chance of victory."He drove his sword into the ground, stretched out a hand, and spoke again."End this now. Surrender, and Princess Chepesh has promised leniency. The Izelin royal line will be granted noble title and autonomy. If you yield now, Illeina, you’ll have greater standing in the kingdom than even the First Prince Brad. You’d be hailed for it.""…"Pretty words.Knowing what Jerome had done to conquered neighbors, Illeina couldn’t take such an offer seriously.Even if every word were true, she had no intention of surrendering without fighting.And honestly, the fact he was offering such good terms meant Jerome was the one growing desperate.Gripping her staff tightly, she shouted back."…Your tongue’s grown long, Kruulin. Seems Princess Chepesh’s running out of composure?""What?""Naturally so. After all, two of the Four Great Academy presidents are standing with us."It was bluff, of course — but Kruulin wasn’t so easily fooled."Ridiculous. Those two presidents on your side? The only ally you have is that half-baked Loen. The same fool who proposed this Territorial War without realizing we wanted it. Did you really think we backed off that day just because of his words?""Heh. And you—do you really think we proposed it without knowing that?""…?""Everything was planned, Kruulin. Tearing down the gate defenses, inviting you here, proposing the Territorial War — even bringing those two presidents here, and me being your first opponent. All of it."She turned toward the tent, eyes shining."And the one who planned every bit of it wasn’t me — it was Loen. He’s not someone a brute like you can look down on.""Hah. Hard to believe. But it doesn’t matter either way."Bang-!"I’ll just crush everything!"With that, Kruulin charged again, sword raised high.Then—his figure vanished.Pavat-!"!"A chill ran down her spine from behind.Kruulin was already there."Ghost Step!"Before Illeina could even react, she flinched—"It’s over."His greatsword swept down, shattering her mana barrier.Clang-crash—!Fragments of the broken magic shield scattered like glass.Kruulin grinned at the floating shards."The match is decided, Illeina."But—"Yes… my victory, Kruulin."Illeina was the one smiling now.At that same moment—Thud-!"!"A surprise strike sent Kruulin flying clear out of the arena.

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