The Master of the Villains Has Disappeared

Irina is confused.

There are several reasons why Irina's usually clear eyes are wavering, but the most fundamental reason is the girl over there.

'Is this... possible?'

No matter what magic she uses, no matter how she attacks, the girl neutralizes everything without even blinking.

At some point, she even took out something like a notebook and was leisurely recording what magic Irina had used.

"『Lightning』!"

-Crackle!

"...Manifestation time is 2 seconds. Power is... about mid-low tier of 3rd rank, I guess."

Seeing her magic being evaluated in real-time like this made Irina needlessly nervous.

Even though she knew that this training wouldn't have any effect on her grades.

The aversion to attacking a girl much younger than herself was still there.

However, seeing Leta unharmed even after Irina attacked again and again, a sense of competitiveness or desire to win gradually emerged.

Crucially, she felt that if she couldn't inflict any damage like this, Leta would be disappointed in her.

After all, who would want to teach an immature magician who can't even make a small scratch despite giving it their all?

'This won't do.'

She wanted to prove to Leta that there was a possibility of her achieving excellent results in the Stage of Advancement.

That her words about making her sister Lilian see her differently were not empty talk.

And so, she finally used a triple-layered magic.

"『Divine』"

"『Ice Spear』"

"『Giga Gravity』"

As a huge ice spear was slowly molded in the air, holy light enveloped it.

The gravity began to strongly press down on the shadow of the small girl the spear tip was pointing at and its surroundings.

"...Here I go."

The thin staff swung once, forcefully thrusting down the ice spear in the air.

Then, a dense cold air enveloped everything.

Crack. The sound of huge ice crystals breaking after hitting something hard echoes repeatedly.

Along with the fierce impact sound, tiny particles of light also spread around.

-Stagger.

"Ugh..."

Perhaps because she drew out all the mana in her body for this last attack, nausea rises involuntarily. The fatigue amplifying by the second robs Irina of the strength to stand on her own two legs.

However, even as she slumped to the floor, she didn't lower her head.

She needed to know what result the magic she had used, pushing herself to the limit, had produced.

-Whoosh!

An arm wet with sweat suddenly whipped through the air, dispersing the cold mist.

What she wanted to face was the youthful figure that had been affected, even if just a little, by Irina's final limit.

However, what the visibly tired Irina ultimately faced was a sight that fell short of her expectations.

Footsteps approaching, firmly trampling on the slight hope that maybe she had inflicted even a small injury.

"Using gravity magic to bind the feet, and mixing physical substance with holy power for the attack... It would certainly work on monsters with large bodies."

The young face without a speck of dust said this while cracking her fingers once.

Simultaneously, particles of mana appeared above Irina's body and then seeped deep inside.

-Rustle.

'...It's warm.'

A warm sensation spread, cleanly erasing the fatigue that had settled in every corner of Irina's body.

The feeling of mana depletion also gradually subsided.

However, despite this.

She simply couldn't shake off the disappointment in herself.

She felt unsatisfied despite using all the magic she knew and employing every method available to her.

Although she definitely wasn't underestimating Leta, not being able to land a single effective hit made Irina feel dejected.

Nevertheless, instead of letting out a faint sigh, the reason she had to be so tense as to break out in a cold sweat was.

"Now then, let's try defense."

"...Defense?"

"Now that I know how much you can do, we need to know how much you can handle, don't we?"

Because the one who had easily blocked all of Irina's attacks on the spot now declared that she would attack Irina.

And with the determination to kill Irina, at that.

The small shadow turning its back and moving away.

A moment later, Leta, returning to her original position, shouted at Irina to get ready.

To put it bluntly, it was bewildering.

Being told to withstand Leta's attack right after realizing the gap between them was enough to make Irina's eyes waver.

Only because, in a real battlefield, the enemy won't wait endlessly for Irina to be perfectly prepared.

"Here I come."

-Shiver.

A chilling aura began to emanate from the youthful figure over there.

Then came the chanting of spell 'incantations'.

"『Accel』『Heated Sunlight』『Lost Star』『Wolf of Void』『Poison Thron』..."

From one to ten, all formidable magic spells were manifested in reality from the heavily writhing mana.

Could the training ground withstand these magics that were distorting even the surrounding atmosphere?

Various magic circles adorning the ceiling of the training ground like the Milky Way in the night sky.

It wasn't a momentary illusion that Irina's fingertips trembled at the immense pressure she could feel just by facing it.

'I was wrong.'

Only then did Irina realize that she shouldn't have judged Leta by her appearance.

She should have realized earlier the true meaning of wearing the ancient dragon's emblem at such a young age.

Because she had been getting along without any particular distance, she had been mistaken at some point.

Even though the very reason Irina herself had taken notice of Leta in the past was Leta's transcendent level.

Tap. As the small index finger touched the air right in front, numerous magic circles simultaneously lit up.

Even though she was protected by top-tier defense magic and even the Divine Beast's blessing, for some reason, she didn't feel like she could survive.

○

"Hmm..."

Blink blink. For some reason, her vision that had been facing the sky began to become clearer.

As Irina became aware of her own breathing, her five senses began to return gradually.

"Ah, are you awake?"

"...Professor?"

Then came the sound of footsteps.

A moment later, Leta, who had approached right in front of Irina, handed her a long lollipop.

"Don't bite it with your teeth, let it melt. That way it's more delicious."

"...Yes."

As she unwrapped the lollipop, only then did Irina remember that she had fainted.

Also that Leta's barrage of magic had pierced even the Divine Beast's protection.

What was fortunate was that the magic spells had disappeared as soon as they broke through Irina's last defense.

Although she lost consciousness just from feeling the residual effects, it was better than being hit directly by the magic.

If she had actually been attacked, she would have disappeared without a trace.

'What on earth has she gone through...'

What Irina faced now was a young girl with a comfortable expression, a lollipop in her mouth.

The voice she heard next was also closer to that of a child than an adult.

"Most 3rd rank magic was blocked. It seems it takes about mid-upper tier 4th rank magic to break through. First, let's start by identifying the weaknesses of 4th rank─"

Only because she had properly realized the monster hidden within that elegant figure.

Not disappointment due to the gap with Leta, but pure curiosity made Irina open her mouth.

"Professor..."

"Yes?"

"How... are you so strong?"

Round eyes.

A head tilting for a moment.

However, the answer that came back from Leta after a brief silence was unexpectedly a groan.

Incomprehensible muttering was also added.

"Never again can I do such a crazy thing... Come to think of it, I really nearly died back then... If I had known it was in the north, I wouldn't have even looked towards the desert side in the first place..."

"...?"

For some reason, Leta's appearance as she slightly pulled at her hair with both hands, looking scared.

To this, Irina just realized that there must be some unspeakable circumstances and slightly turned her head away.

'Will this be restored, I wonder...'

The scenery of the training ground that looked like the expression 'devastated' had been brought to reality.

Although it's a place meant for practical training, it felt like it had been used a bit too roughly.

It was a little later that Irina tapped Leta's shoulder, who was still in a state of panic, to bring her back to her senses.

"Dinner starts in 10 minutes, Professor."

"Ah, is it already that time..."

Eventually, Irina got up and told Leta that she would treat her to dinner today.

The reason was that she still had many things she wanted to talk about with Leta, and she couldn't receive one-on-one tutoring from Leta for free.

"How about ice cream for dessert?"

"...!"

Unfortunately or fortunately, Irina's proposal was not rejected.

The day of Irina's first training was also the day she learned that if she wanted to ask Leta for something, she could tempt her with sweet desserts.

○

-Bang! Bang!

-Murmur murmur.

-Thud, thud, thud...

"...It seems a bit chaotic."

"That's because preparations for the Stage of Advancement are in full swing. Now then, let me first guide you to your accommodation."

The man named Jade said this and bowed to the distinguished guest who had finally arrived at Primus.

And, almost simultaneously, he expressed doubt at the noble voice heard once again.

"But why is that man over there?"

"Which man... are you referring to?"

"That one, drinking tea among the workers. He's a man I know well."

He's also a man who shouldn't be here.

Lilian Ardenia, with an amused expression, said this and walked towards the man who had once been taught by the same person as her.