He was careless. Stun, who had not expected the Count to throw a punch at him, was knocked to the floor by Cibie's fist.

"You bastard! How dare you abandon your family name, huh? And drive a nail into your parents' hearts!?"

"Ugh..."

Cibie's roar echoed in his ears.

"I don't know how preciously your father raised you, but it's no use in front of me!"

"You... son of a b-tch...!"

Stun, who was slowly coming to his senses, let out a small curse.

"What!? This bastard still hasn't come to his senses..."

-KABOOM!

"What? Senses? I haven't come to my senses?"

Then. Stun, who was listening to Cibie's roar, gathered his magic and shot it.

Fortunately, he had not fully regained his senses, so it narrowly missed the Count's side.

"..."

He hadn't expected it. The Count, who remembered the child's appearance from over ten years ago, had never imagined that he would use magic on him.

No matter how much of a child he was, to actually use magic and attack him...

The surprised Cibie stared blankly at the spot where the magic that had not reached him had exploded.

"Khaha! I'm at a loss for words. Hey, Count. Did you think you could get away with swinging your fist at me?"

Stun, who threw his head back and laughed loudly. He was no longer the godson the Count knew.

"...Stun."

The Count, who had not yet recovered from the shock, called his name softly.

"Stun? It seems you're the one who hasn't come to his senses, not me."

Stun, who had finished speaking, began to gather magic in his hand again. The Count's hands trembled as he saw him begin to chant a spell in a quiet voice.

He was serious. Stun was now seriously trying to harm him.

"Huh? What's this situation?"

A woman's voice was heard just as Stun was about to finish his spell.

"Fire Storm."

-KABOOM!

Stun, who had finished his spell without paying any attention to her voice, shot a flame from his hand.

The vortex of fire would immediately swallow the Count and turn him into ashes.

-Bang!

Then the flame that had reached right in front of the Count's nose disappeared without a trace.

"No, what's this situation? To my customer?"

Allie, who stood in front of the Count, looked at Stun with a calm expression.

"...You son of a b-tch!"

The one who had scattered Stun's magic as if it were nothing was none other than Allie.

It was not only Stun who was surprised. The Count was also looking at Allie, who was standing in front of him, with surprised eyes.

He had never heard anywhere that she was a mage.

And even more so, that she was a skilled person who could nullify the opponent's magic as if it were nothing.

"And what are you, you wench?"

"Haha~ you're a very funny person!"

At his arrogant tone, as if looking down on her, Allie laughed exaggeratedly and roughly ran her hand through her hair.

"This is not a matter for a wench like you to interfere in. Get out of the way. Bringing such a pathetic trick..."

"Ha! Ha! The more I hear, the more~ you're a very funny person, aren't you?"

A small vein popped out on Allie's forehead, who had interrupted Stun's words.

"You arrogant..."

"Ah, never mind. It's not fun anymore, so shut up."

Allie, who held up one hand, took a step closer and began to look Stun up and down.

"Count? What should I do with him? I don't know who he is... I could just quietly send him off as an accident."

"T-that's not allowed."

"Huh? He tried to harm our customer?"

Allie, who shrugged her shoulders at the Count's words, took another step closer to Stun.

"Hey, little brat. Do you know what you just did?"

As Allie came closer to him, Stun flinched and stepped back without realizing it.

"Ha, what should I do with you? Huh? Should I separate your bones and flesh and make you into jerky too?"

The Count trembled at Allie's rough tone, which was like that of a back-alley gangster.

"Huh? What should I do with you!"

-KABOOM!!!

The magic that burst out with Allie's shout made a mess of the surroundings, except for the ground where Stun was standing.

Stun, who saw the huge hole behind him, began to tremble.

'...I'm no match for her.'

A clear and overwhelming difference in skill. No matter how much he was a talented mage recognized in the empire, he was no match for her.

"Ha! Count? How should I punish him? Huh?"

Allie, who looked at the Count once and then at Stun once, let out a big sigh, as if she was at a loss for words.

"You just wait!"

Stun, whose body was engulfed in light, had quietly chanted a teleportation spell while she was distracted.

"You just wait? You better watch out!"

Allie, who shouted at the disappearing Stun, stomped her foot.

"No, Count? Who is that guy, coming to my customer and causing a scene?"

As Stun disappeared, Allie approached Cibie and complained.

But the Count was just standing there blankly, looking at the deeply dug ground.

"Ah... sorry. This is going to cost some money... I did this, so I'll take care of it."

Allie scratched her ear awkwardly.

"Not at all... more importantly, thank you."

"For what?"

"I didn't know... that Allie-nim was a mage."

"Ah, I didn't tell you? But what's there to thank me for?"

"Thank you for helping me. If it weren't for Allie-nim..."

"Huh? It would be a bigger problem if our customer got hurt, wouldn't it? From now on, if there's a brat like that, just tell me anytime."

Allie shrugged her shoulders once, as if it were no big deal.

"Phew... I just had to dig up the ground! So if the Count had just told me to kill him, I wouldn't have had to pay for the repairs, right?"

"..."

A sense of futility washed over him. Even in this situation, Allie was a woman for whom the money that would go into that deeply dug ground was more important.

The fact that she was a mage was no longer important.

'A woman crazy about money... about money...'

***

The village of Oriha.

Stun had momentarily remembered the coordinates of the village of Oriha, where he had last teleported.

"Huk... huk..."

He let out a rough breath, having fallen a little off from the village, as if the coordinates had been slightly off due to the hastily chanted spell.

He was so nervous that his back was drenched in a cold sweat.

Stun, whose legs had also given out as his tension was released, collapsed on the spot.

"You son of a b-tch!!!"

As his breathing gradually subsided, an uncontrollable anger began to cover his whole body.

He could have sent the Count, who was an eyesore, away in one go.

The Count was not even wearing a common longsword at his waist. No, even if he had been holding a well-forged magic sword instead of a longsword, he would have been no match for him.

The Count had no skill to win a duel with a 4th circle mage.

He knew that he had taken the top and second top spots at the swordsmanship academy with his father, Duke Cirus, but even if he had shown off his skills in the past, the Count was not even a common knight, nor was he a person who had consistently trained in swordsmanship.

It would have been easy to turn such a Count into ashes.

But he had blown his chance to be recognized by Alberto because of a single wench who had suddenly appeared.

Even if the emperor had told him to leave Citata alone, he would also have been an eyesore to the Rodrigo County.

If he had dealt with the Count, he could have scratched the emperor's itchy spot.

"Aaaah!!!"

He was so angry.

He didn't know who that blonde-haired wench was, but he would twist her neck someday.

"You just wait. Someday... someday!!!"

His angry cry echoed through the empty space.

***

A level test was held before the new semester began.

Nella, a new student, was scheduled to take a separate level test.

Before the test, Lucas had repeatedly warned Nella.

Never to reveal the fact that she could summon a spirit. And to memorize all the spells he had taught her and then show her magic.

"Then go. I'll come and pick you up when it's over."

"Okay. I understand."

Lucas took Nella to the place where the new student entrance test was being held.

Lucas, who stroked the head of Nella, who answered cheerfully, walked to the place of the current student entrance test.

Pola and Skir, who were already there, waved their hands and greeted him.

"Rookie! Over here, over here!"

Lucas, who had been demoted to the beginner class due to Aman's arbitrary decision last semester, had decided to advance only to the beginner class this semester because of the children.

His first goal was to watch the children closely and help them grow.

"Now, the beginner class, please come this way!"

At the shout of the assistant who was helping with the promotion test, the children moved their feet.

"You all remember well, right?"

"Yes! Of course!"

"I practiced all night."

Lucas had also given the children a small tip for the promotion test.

A sure and perfect tip to go from the beginner class to the beginner class.

The children's skills were all about the same, but if anyone showed outstanding skills, or slightly inferior skills, there was a chance that the class would be divided.

"Right, well done."

The children smiled brightly at Lucas's praise.

"Pola Pelev!"

"Oh? That's my name. I'll be back!"

"Okay, don't be nervous and do well."

"Have a good trip. You can do it."

Pola smiled brightly at the children's encouragement and headed to the test site.

"Hey~ the three musketeers!"

Lucas and Skir turned their heads at the same time at the familiar man's voice they heard from behind.

It was Sament Sigit, a former mercenary.

"Do you think you'll be able to get promoted today? Phew... I get so nervous at this time."

"We'll have to see about that... I'm also nervous."

"Khukuk. You little brat's tone."

"Hmph, I'm a person of high... "

"Right, you're overflowing with dignity. Ugh...! My stomach hurts again. Then do well!"

As if he had a habit of going to the bathroom when he was nervous, he held his stomach and quickly disappeared.

"Lucas. Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm worried about whether you'll do well..."

"I'm also worried about that. You have outstanding skills..."

Skir was also nervous and was biting his lip.

"Don't be nervous. You're good too."

"...Really?"

"Right. So don't worry about useless things and just think about what to eat later."

"...I want to eat that deer meat from Citata."

"That's difficult."

"Then just a skewer..."

"Right, let's do that."

Skir's lips formed a gentle smile, as if his tension had been relieved by the short conversation.

***

A strange tension hung in the air at the test site where Nella was taking her entrance test.

"Nella Rodrigo!"

Nella's name, which was called when the test personnel were being checked, once again focused people's attention.

"Rodrigo? That Rodrigo?"

"No, does Rodrigo have a daughter?"

The child lowered her head and just looked at the ground at the murmuring sounds from the surroundings.

"Did you hear that?"

"What?"

"The magic stone mine that came out in Citata?"

"Yes, of course I know."

There was no one who didn't know the story of the huge mine in Citata, which had already become quite famous.

The luck that had come to the Rodrigo County! There were even those who dreamed of a rebellion by the pitiful noble who had been demoted for supporting the first prince to the end.

"But... there's a rumor that his son became a mage because of the mine that came out there?"

"Really?"

"Yes! That's what they say. If you think about it, there's no history of a mage coming out of that family, right?"

"Ah, now that you mention it, that's right!"

It was a story that was so credible that even the other people who were eavesdropping on their story were nodding their heads.

The scale of the mine discovered in Citata was enormous.

"Then should we go to Citata too?"

"..."

People's gazes turned to Nella.

Another mage from the Rodrigo County. That mage might have been created by the mine in Citata.

(End of Chapter)