The Strength of a Warrior Mage.

"Please, rethink this."

Maria's voice desperately resounded. Her words were addressed at her fiancée as they were walking through the hallway.

"It's fine. I will have to face him either way. It's better to get it done right now," Fabian replied as he continued his way to the place of the upcoming duel.

Right now, they were inside the Royal Academy. The duel that Viktor proposed was going to be held in the academy's arena.

The arena was originally built for training students in martial arts and fighting, but it was also utilized for solving students' disputes through duels. A special magical circuit was cast on it that allowed it to prevent injuries and judge the outcome of the battle. However, the costs for keeping it active were high, and only some of the major nobility could could get a permission to use it outside of the school year. That, of course, included Viktor.

While Fabian continued his way to the arena, Maria was trying to talk him out of his decision.

"You don't need to take him on now. We still have a week to prepare. Please Fabian, listen to me," Maria pleaded.

Sadly, her fiancée was having none of that.

"And what can we even do in one week? It's not going to make a difference. Viktor has been trained since childhood—there's no way a week of training will be enough to narrow the gap," Fabian argued as he considered the upcoming duel, "no matter how you slice it, my only choice is to rely on my magical proficiency and outmaneuver him with pure spellcasting."

Maria stayed quiet for a few seconds. Then, she slowly replied.

"...Frankly, I don't think you're ready."

Her words made Fabian stop.

"You don't believe I can beat him?" he asked as he turned around, a hint of frustration seeping into his voice.

"It's not that," Maria replied, "If this was a year or even a few months ago, I would bet on you to win more often than not. The problem isn't skill—it's your mental state."

Maria's response hit the boy right where it hurt. But it wasn't her comments about his mental state that bothered him. "Just a few months ago". It was those words in particular that touched his nerve, and he spoke angrily.

"Just what do you mean by that? That I've been getting worse after all this practice?"

Maria's brows furrowed, but she answered calmly and gently.

"I told you that's not the case. You're just not in the right state of mind right now."

When Fabian saw Maria's expression, his eyes widened in surprise. Her face was ragged with worry and anxiety for the boy, and that made Fabian stop.

Gently, Mary took his hand in hers.  She clung to his hand so tightly, it was as if he was going to disappear at any second. Her eyes were begging Fabian to stay.

"Listen, Fabian, you're way too tense right now. You don't have anything to prove," Maria said. When he heard her words, Fabian's shoulders twitched. "No matter the outcome, it won't change the weight of your achievements or who you are. Do you understand?"

As the boy stared in her eyes, his hand began shaking. He bit on his lip as he tried to hold his emotions back. 

Finally, he shook Maria's hand away.

Shock colored her expression as she watched the distance between them grow.

"I'm sorry, Maria," he said as he left, "I'm still going to challenge Viktor. And I'm going to win."

As his steps echoed through the hallway, his face was twisted bitterly. His mind turned to Maria, to Lucy, to Berions, and to someone who was no longer here. Maria's words resounded in his consciousness again and again. And in response to everything he had heard, he only had one answer.

He did have something to prove. It was going to be the final test. Did he really deserve to call himself a magical genius? That's exactly what Fabian was going to find out.

***

The arena was located in the academy's training grounds. It was an open, slightly elevated space that was powered by a magical circuit. When the circuit activated, the barrier around the arena would prevent both exiting and entering the affected zone.

There were spectators scattered across the training grounds. On one side were Maria, Lucy, and the Berions. Fabian's family hurried to get there the moment they caught wind of the duel. On the other side were Viktor's servants and subordinates. No one from the Dariuses was present.

Two young men stood on the arena. They were both dressed in the academy's battle attire. That attire was based on the knights' uniforms but had some slight differences like the presence of decorative patterns and the academy's signature emblem.

Viktor rotated a golden staff in his hand as he began speaking.

"Are you ready to be taught a lesson, 'Genius Boy'?"

That staff was Viktor's weapon of choice. Just like many other warrior mages he used a weapon in tandem with magic.

"You're the one who's going to be learning today," his opponent, Fabian, replied.

Unlike Viktor, Fabian didn't have a weapon. Swinging one around when he wasn't used to it was only going to get in the way of his spellcasting. It was better to have both hands free as they could be used for casts than swing around a worthless piece of metal. Especially in a fight that was mostly determined by magic.

"You've really changed, huh..." Viktor muttered as he looked at Fabian, "I never heard you talk trash back in the day."

Those words shook Fabian slightly, and he furrowed his eyebrows.

"But you know? I actually prefer it this way." Viktor smiled as he pointed his staff at Fabian. "I always hated how fake you were back then. If you are better than others, you should act as such! Better be arrogant than fake."

"You..." Fabian wanted to reply but stopped himself at the last moment. Instead, he focused on the upcoming duel.

"Are the challengers ready?" a mage who served as the referee interrupted the two.

"Yeah."

"...Yes"

Hearing the boys' confirmations, referee continued.

"Then, the duel..." he started as he touched the edge of the arena, activating its magical circuit.

"...begins!"

With that, the battle commenced.

The arena's magical circuit glowed, and a blueish layer appeared over both of the contestants as well as the entire stage. It was a magical shield generated by the circuit. The protection ensured that no one would get badly wounded during the duel by blocking damage and limiting the maximum possible pain. Once the damage blocked by the shield reached a certain threshold, the magic disappeared and the person whose shield broke was declared defeated.

As soon as the battle started, the challengers began chanting incantations almost simultaneously.

"Ab baculō fulmar ferrit!"

"Ab manō fulmar ferrit."

Viktor began ever so slightly faster, but Fabian wasn't too far behind. Two lightnings shot out from a staff and a hand respectively. They clashed near the center of the arena, and blinding sparks flew.

He went for an instant kill!? As expected, he can use his staff as a spell medium... Fabian thought as he carefully watched for his opponent's next move.

To put it simply, a magic medium was the origin point for the spell. Technically, there were no restrictions on what could or couldn't be the medium. You could create spells that didn't even originate near you, and for some casters even having the medium out of their direct line of sight wasn't a limitation. But the more unfamiliar the medium was, the harder it was to visualize. Unfamiliar words were also harder to pronounce and easier to confuse, especially in the heat of the fight.

That's why most people used their hands as a medium, or at least limited themselves to their body and their close surroundings. But Viktor instead used his weapon—his golden staff.

Fabian didn't rush into the next spell. Endlessly spamming magic didn't seem like a good strategy to him. He wasn't sure about his opponent's mana reserves so he didn't want to bet on a war of attrition.

I have enough mana for about a dozen normal lightning bolts, Fabian thought, This freak might have more so I shouldn't risk it. I have to outmaneuver him instead.

While Fabian considered his strategy, Viktor grinned as he spun the staff in his hand.

"What? Not going to attack?" Viktor shouted, "then I will do it for you!"

Is it going to be another lightning? Maybe a controlled projectile? Or even a different element?

Fabian's mind raced as he prepared for a variety of offensive spells.

"Augitar fortior!" 

Contrary to the boy's expectations, Fabian's opponent pulled out a completely different card. He cast a powerful enhancement spell that made him much faster and stronger.

Viktor rushed towards Fabian at full speed, brandishing his staff as he went.

Straight at me?!  Fabian was surprised but immediately began chanting.

"Ab manō—"

"Mure fulme ante me voco!"

"—fulmar ferrit!"

Before Fabian could finish his cast, Viktor chanted his own incantation. A bolt of lightning flew from Fabian's hand, but a wall of electricity appeared in its path. The spells collided and cancelled each other out in a storm of sparkles.

He can cast on the run?! And so quickly?!

Ignoring the residual shock that remained from the magical collision, Viktor continued his rush at Fabian. When he passed by the sparks, his barrier glowed, blocking the damage from the remnants of the spells' clash. That damage didn't stop Viktor, and he closed in on Fabian in a single leap.

"Hello, Genius Boy, how are you doing?" Viktor mouthed as he prepared his staff.

"Ab meo—"

"—Too slow!" Viktor shouted as he struck Fabian.

"Ugh!"

Fabian was flung away by the force of the hit. He was suspended in the air for an entire second. Then, when he landed, his body made several rotations as he rolled on the ground.

Once he managed to stop himself, the first thing that entered his ears were Viktor's spiteful words.

"How do you like that? You sure you still want to hang onto that genius title?" Viktor asked and grinned at Fabian.

"You... bastard," Fabian spewed as he grunted in pain, "I see they at least taught you how to swing that stick around..."

"Hahaha!" Viktor laughed. "Complain all you want but such are true battles. They're fast and unforgiving. Victory blesses those who are swift and relentless."

Fabian didn't respond as he got back on his feet. Meanwhile, Viktor continued.

"But you make a good point, you upstart brat. If I want to ensure your genius becomes forgotten like the bad joke it is, then I should focus on outmatching you in pure spellcasting." He then looked at his staff and smiled. "Alright, no more hitting you with the staff. With how slow your casts are, I won't even need it."

Viktor's words irritated Fabian. The boy gritted his teeth.

"Your arrogance will be your downfall," Fabian spewed and prepared to attack.

"Ha! You're lacking in self-awareness if you're saying that, Mr. Genius. I like the trash talk though—keep it up!"

"Augitar fortior!" Fabian cast, not planning to listen to his opponent's ramblings any longer.

Fabian chose to start with a buff. He was already completely outmatched in close quarters, but an equal enhancement would at least give him a chance to keep up with the blows. The one downside was the sizable mana drain. This level of enhancement in particular demanded slightly more mana than a lightning bolt for activation, and also constantly depleted his reserves while it was on. If he dedicated all of his capacity purely to this spell, his limit was about twenty minutes or thereabout.

"And here I told you that I won't use my staff. You have some trust issues or what?" Viktor asked, grinning at Fabian.

Fabian didn't answer him, instead he narrowed his eyes as he thought about his next incantation.

"No reply, eh? Whatever, let's see how you match my lightning—"

But even before Viktor finished his words, Fabian started his own cast.

"Ab manō fulmar ferrit. Elle fulmare cun manō modeo."

"Ab baculō fulmar ferrit! Elle fulmare cun baculō modeo."

They both decided to utilize controlled spells that were better suited for a prolonged ranged battle than normal projectiles.

Right as the lightning shot out of Fabian's hand, his opponent mirrored him. The thunderbolts clashed right in front of Viktor's face. 

"Wow, aggressive. I like it. Too bad that doesn't mean anything!" Viktor shouted as the sparks flew in his direction.

Meanwhile, Fabian was reconsidering his entire strategy.

I should stop being on the defensive! I thought I could take my time, but he casts faster and has more options. Waiting just means losing the initiative. Instead, I should try to overwhelm him with ultimate offense!

After the spells collided, Fabian brought his hand upwards. His lightning bolt followed his movements and ascended. Then, Fabian swung down, aiming at Viktor.

Viktor smiled and responded with a motion of his staff. When he raised its tip in the air, his lightning also shifted its position and clashed with Fabian's magic.

"Not bad, Boy Genius, at the very least you're better than those stuck-up losers that have nothing but status!"

Viktor smiled as he continued manipulating his lightning.

The spells collided in the air several times. Every time Fabian attacked, Viktor deflected it. Sometimes, they switched roles, and Viktor would go on the offensive instead. But even then, Fabian blocked every lightning with his own.

"Haha, I give you full grades for controlling projectiles!" Viktor exclaimed as he deflected another blow. "But do you really think that will be enough?"

"You better stop talking and focus on the fight instead!" Fabian shouted and sent another blow at Viktor.

Want me to focus on the fight? Alright, Genius Boy, let me show you a few tricks, Viktor thought as his smile became wider. He narrowed his eyes deviously.

Suddenly, Viktor swung his staff forward as fast as he could. His lightning accelerated rapidly, reaching the fastest velocity it had had the entire fight.

Barely, Fabian pulled back his own thunderbolt and shielded himself.

The spells clashed in the air. Because of its momentum and the angle of the impact, Viktor's lightning didn't stop after the collision and kept flying past Fabian. 

That was the downside of launching a controlled projectile at maximum speed—it was easy to lose control of it.

For a second, Fabian was stunned from the sudden attack. But he quickly recovered his senses and attacked Viktor. But he was too late. By that point Viktor had already begun his next cast.

"Ab manō fulmar ferrit!"

Because the staff was still the medium used for the controlled projectile, Viktor had to use his hand to release spells for the first time since the fight had started.

Simultaneously with the cast, Viktor pulled his staff backwards, letting go of it. The staff, no longer held by the boy, flew backwards and landed on the ground. In its place, he stretched forward his left hand and released his spell.

Viktor's spell flew towards Fabian's projectile. The spells clashed in the air, cancelling each other out.

Damn it! Fabian cursed as he watched his lightning disappear. I was too slow... At least, his controlled projectile is also gone—

But in that moment, he saw a smile on Viktor's face.

Reflexively, he dropped to the ground. Just as he did, a bolt of lightning passed by his head. Fabian's eyes widened in surprise as he saw the spell pass by him. His mind was racing, trying to figure out how the lightning ended up there in the first place.

It's the staff! Fabian thought. His gaze was directed at the weapon that Viktor threw just a few seconds ago. By launching it backwards, he forced his controlled spell to fly back with as much velocity as it could manage so that it would hit Fabian on the way back.

But Viktor didn't stop there. While Fabian was busy dodging the spell controlled by the staff, Viktor moved onto another cast.

"Ab manō fulmar ferrit!"

It was a lightning bolt. Fabian was still stuck ducking and didn't have enough time to dodge or reply with a lightning of his own.

"Fabian!" "Young Master!"

Screams resounded from the audience's seats. 

The thunderbolt was rapidly closing in on Fabian. And the boy was helpless to stop it.