[Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]

    Chapter 25

    Dwarves.

    A race of small-statured beings residing in mountainous regions.

    Though their height is akin to that of a human child, they possess remarkable physical strength and unmatched craftsmanship.

    Born with the blessings of fire or earth, they are a long-lived race capable of surviving for centuries.

    Thanks to their innate strength, dexterity, and unique ability to summon spirits, dwarves have long been renowned as master blacksmiths.

    Among them exists a rare kind of dwarf endowed with exceptional abilities.

    These individuals are blessed by both the fire and earth spirits.

    While most succumb to the overwhelming power of the spirits at a young age, those who survive gain extraordinary powers far beyond those of ordinary dwarves.

    Interestingly, all surviving dwarves of this kind have been female, leading their kind to refer to them as:

    The Queen of the Dwarves.

    Or simply, Queen.

    While dwarven society is egalitarian and does not afford royalty-like status to the Queen, her unique traits earn her respect and privileges among her people.

    Kaina, the seventh wife of Ernstine, was one such dwarven queen, blessed by fire and earth.

    She was also one of the leaders of the largest dwarven clan, the Black Anvil Clan.

    Kaylen felt a pang of disbelief when he first heard mention of a dwarven queen.

    “Kaina... It couldn’t be her,” he thought.

    Despite the long lifespan of other races, a thousand years had already passed. It was highly unlikely that she was still alive.

    Moreover, Kaina would never produce a defective item.

    This must be a new dwarven queen, someone he had never met.

    Feeling a hint of bitterness, Kaylen asked Krundal a question.

    “What’s the name of this dwarven queen?”

    “Hmm, I heard her surname is Myorn, but I can’t quite recall her first name.”

    At that, Kaylen’s eyes widened.

    - "Now that I’m pregnant, I’ll change my surname to match yours."

    - "How will you change it?"

    - "Your surname is Meier, right? In the dwarven tongue, it’s pronounced Myorn. From now on, I’ll be Kaina Myorn."

    The memory of Kaina’s cheerful smile resurfaced in his mind.

    His last memory of her was when she left the royal palace, saying she wanted to give birth in her homeland.

    After that, things had turned out this way.

    “If the Myorn at the academy... could it be my bloodline?”

    A dwarven queen, Myorn.

    Her ability to command both spirits was likely unparalleled even within dwarven society.

    Why, then, was she at a human academy as a professor instead of among her own people?

    Kaylen asked Krundal another question.

    “Why is the dwarven queen here?”

    “Well... I only know from rumors. It seems her clan was destroyed by monsters.”

    “The Black Anvil Clan?”

    “Yes, I think that was their name. Anyway, after the clan’s destruction, she supposedly stayed at the academy seeking revenge. That was over a hundred years ago. But every mana suit she makes now is just trash. Tsk tsk.”

    The Black Anvil Clan, destroyed?

    They were the largest and most formidable dwarven clan, residing deep in rugged mountain ranges, making them difficult to attack.

    During the Continental Unification War led by Ernstine, the Black Anvil Clan was such a formidable force that instead of risking the immense losses a battle against them would incur, Ernstine chose to forge an alliance through marriage to the dwarven queen, Kaina.

    “Eek!”

    “What’s so surprising?”

    “Y-you could at least make your presence known...”

    Unlike their confrontations in the past, Kaylen now spoke formally, albeit with an edge. Yet, even so, O’Connell couldn’t treat him with the same dismissive attitude as before.

    “This brat... he’s gotten even scarier...”

    Kaylen’s already imposing frame was now leaner but packed with dense, well-defined muscle. The aura he exuded had also grown far more intimidating, enough to make O’Connell feel suffocated just by standing nearby.

    “Where should I go?”

    “Over there, to Group D...”

    “Group D?”

    Kaylen’s question was answered by Allad instead of the hesitant O’Connell.

    “Yes. For the preliminary rounds, they measure the power of your magic to determine who advances to the finals.”

    “Hmm. No direct combat, then?”

    O’Connell took a deep breath and responded, barely holding his composure.

    “We’re mages, not knights. We don’t resort to brutish methods like fighting directly...”

    He started confidently, but when he said “brutish,” Kaylen’s unblinking gaze sent a chill down his spine, causing his words to trail off.

    ''Why’s he glaring at me like that? I was insulting knights, not him!''

    “What a terrifying guy... He’s a mage, so why is he acting like this?”

    O’Connell grumbled inwardly as Kaylen turned away and began walking toward the Group D waiting area.

    “I’ll be going now.”

    As Kaylen walked off, O’Connell cursed under his breath.

    “That brat thinks he’s all that just because he’s strong... but he won’t stand a chance in Group D.”

    The preliminary rounds were divided into eight groups, from A to H, with each group consisting of ten participants. Only the top four from each group would advance to the finals.

    “Let him fail in the preliminaries.”

    When assigning the second-years after the third-years had been placed, O’Connell had intentionally analyzed the participants’ skill levels and placed Kaylen in the most competitive group, Group D.

    “Sure, his magic is oddly strong, but Group D has several Meisters. He won’t make it through.”

    Among the students in Group D, there were six Meisters, three of whom even possessed their own personal Mana Suits.

    “There’s no way he can overcome this lineup.”

    O’Connell found himself smiling at the thought of Kaylen, who walked confidently into the waiting area, being humiliatingly eliminated.

    But then something caught his eye.

    “What’s that book he’s holding?”

    Earlier, his surprise at Kaylen’s sudden appearance had distracted him, but now he noticed a book in Kaylen’s right hand as the student strolled leisurely away. Squinting, he managed to make out the title.

    “The Neglected Art of Hybrid Magic...? That’s just a trash book.”

    Ever since the advent of Mana Suits and the rise of Meisters, most mages had adopted the practice of choosing one of the core elements—fire, water, wind, or earth—to specialize in.

    This was because a high affinity with a single element was essential to becoming a Meister.

    Unlike knights, who struggled to hone even one particular skill, mages could focus exclusively on one element, mastering its spells and enhancing their elemental affinity.

    As a result, magic centered on a single element, such as Fireball or Ice Spear, became the dominant standard.

    Conversely, offensive spells that combined multiple elements fell out of use.

    The book, The Neglected Art of Hybrid Magic, was a compilation of spells that utilized these long-forgotten, hybrid-element attack techniques.

    “What does he think he’s going to achieve with that?”

    Watching Kaylen disappear into the Group D waiting area, O’Connell couldn’t help but sneer.

    “Hybrid magic? What a waste of time.”

    At least, that’s what he thought—until he saw Kaylen’s magic in action.

    [Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]